Keeping up with the Jonses

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = I couldn't care less what the others have, 10 = the other people have to keep up with me), how important is it for you to be comparable to your friends and neighbors in your worldly possessions?
 

Deffo 1 for me.....never been materialistic even when I had the funds to be that way.....and grateful for everything I have and grateful for everything I Don't have :)
 
One.

I just want what little I want, not at all influenced by anything anyone else has.

I deliberately avoid "designer" labels, but I do like nice food. Cars don't mean anything to me, except for transportation.

Of course we all need money to pay the bills, but I'm not in love with my bank account- it only means survival, not thrills.
 
debodun said:
Not above a 2. I figure the less in the house and garage, the more in my bank account.
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Isn't cash just another worldly possession?

I like my stuff and really don't worry about other peoples stuff too much.

Sometimes when I dream about having a flashy car or a second home I think of the work involved and decide I'm just too lazy for all of that.
 
No danger that I will ever be rich. I like to spend my $ on things that I enjoy. When we decided to buy a new-to-us car we bought a convertible because we both enjoy riding in the open air. I shopped on line and found one that was low mileage, not too old and a pretty blue. Best of all we paid cash, no payments makes me feel good every time I think of it..
 
Another 1 here. We don't have much but it's ours and we'd like to hang onto it. Many have much more than us but there are also many that have much less. To me, what's really important is to be kind, loving and compassionate. If you're blessed with these three, then you already have it all :love_heart:.
 
Hard one...I would perhaps say maybe a 4. I get my leg pulled about being 'tight' by my family...but then again, I love my holidays, so I love to travel, and sometimes I think wouldn't it be nice ( and we can afford it) to take a super luxurious holiday to Mauritius or somewhere exotic, rather than spending time in Continental Europe ( much as I love it, it is cheaper ) but then I think how broken hearted I;d be if after a couple of weeks my bank account was down a few thousand just for one holiday ..so much as I'd like to do it, I don't.

I couldn't care less about cars..my o/h and my daughter both have VERY expensive cars.. my car is not, it's a good reliable clean, runaround, and I can stick bags of cement in the back and not worry about it . I'm only interested in a car that gets me safely from A-B, and looks decent, no need for anything much flashier for me ..after all you can't see a super expensive car from the outside when you're driving it can you?..

As for household expenses..I buy good food, I'm fussy about that, but I don't necessarily always go to the most expensive supermarkets. I'll shop equally between them, the farm shop and the discount supermarkets but I like quality food wherever I shop.
 
Manatee said:
No danger that I will ever be rich. I like to spend my $ on things that I enjoy. When we decided to buy a new-to-us car we bought a convertible because we both enjoy riding in the open air. I shopped on line and found one that was low mileage, not too old and a pretty blue. Best of all we paid cash, no payments makes me feel good every time I think of it..
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That's the thing...I'm blessed that I'm not in debt...I don't owe anyone a single penny... . I would never get myself into debt for appearances...
 
I don't care what anyone else has. I love the things I have accumulated over the years, they have special meaning to me and that's all that matters. I also enjoy trying to make something out of nothing. I enjoy the hunt, thinking of who had it before me,the creativity involved in re-purposing the item and then I have the memory of what I did to make it useful again.
 
I guess I'm a 3. :D I'm pretty content and find that the older I get, the less I want. However if one of my BFF's shows up with a new handbag or killer shoes, all bets are off. :eek:nthego:
 
I try to do the best with what I have or can afford. If it doesn't match what Jimmy Jones (Smith, Johnson, Cohen etc) next door has, I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. AND YOU shouldn't either.
 
I have a friend that likes to buy the best and most expensive and knows what exactly ''is in'' at the moment, including clothes and shoes. I'm just the opposite, I only buy what I truly like and want and most of the time my purchases cost in the lower 25%. So, I'd say I'm like a 3. My friend told me that once she gave away to the thrift shop 14 trash bags of stuff she was getting rid of. I could only wonder how much it cost her for the items in those 14 bags.
 
PVC said:
I have a friend that likes to buy the best and most expensive and knows what exactly ''is in'' at the moment, including clothes and shoes. I'm just the opposite, I only buy what I truly like and want and most of the time my purchases cost in the lower 25%. So, I'd say I'm like a 3. My friend told me that once she gave away to the thrift shop 14 trash bags of stuff she was getting rid of. I could only wonder how much it cost her for the items in those 14 bags.
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Oh dear that's me. Although much of the stuff I donate were clothing I wore for work in the corporate world...and even now I still give my things, clothing and household items to Charity when I buy new. I feel that other people who are unable to afford what I'm lucky to be able to afford should get the chance to have it as well.. . I also pick up the occasional bargain item myself in charity shops!!
 
O ...... I couldn’t care less what anybody has, I’m more than happy with my lot and not interested in the possessions of others
 
Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but it seems to me that No. 1 and No 10 are basically the same thing. They both say, "I don't care about what other people have."

Maybe a better way of phrasing it would be: 1 = I couldn't care less what the others have, and 10 = I care a lot about what others have, and plan a large part of my life around it.
 
Sort of a 4, like Holly. First, we are in debt, but have had some nice Christmas's. Actually, a boat, motorhome or other recreational stuff can put people in debt and our boat did...…...but we love boating (when we can do it). Would love to have a much newer boat. IOW, one with EFI (electric fuel injection). But, that isn't going to happen. Debt can also come from medical procedures, even with insurance involved. So, we have that as well.

Years ago, use to watch the tv show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and get really jealous. Almost to the point of turning the station. I mean, it would be extremely nice to have the money to travel and have wife be able to retire. Although, she does love to work, it's getting more of "like" than "love", as she gets older.

Do I get envious of what others have? Well, sort of. Might like to "try" and be a Snowbird with two SMALL houses somewhere, but that will never happen.

For many Seniors, if there was more money in the old kitty, they could definitely do more things, like travel.

We all have to admit, "money makes the world go around" or "money talks while everything else walks".

We'd definitely like to live much more comfortable than we do, even though we still do "ok", but who likes just "ok". LOL
 
hollydolly said:
Oh dear that's me. Although much of the stuff I donate were clothing I wore for work in the corporate world...and even now I still give my things, clothing and household items to Charity when I buy new. I feel that other people who are unable to afford what I'm lucky to be able to afford should get the chance to have it as well.. . I also pick up the occasional bargain item myself in charity shops!!
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Don’t guilt yourself out. You are wonderful EXACTLY like you are. :yes:
Don’t ever change for anybody.
 
When you are as "perfect" as I am you no longer have to worry at all what anyone else might choose to think about you, or your life :cool: !

In truth I am probably pretty much the same as most of those posting here, and dont give much thought to what others think, but I would be a fool to say I thought it didn't matter at all, and I do acknowledge more now, what many friends have tried to tell me before, that when I appear happy, and enjoying myself I do "get back" more positive and happy responses from others. My hang dog expression I maybe assume too often perhaps does come back to bite me therefore.
 

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