What makes you feel rich?

[HopeDream]

For some it may be a fast car or a big diamond,

but for some unfathomable reason, I feel quite wealthy when I have lots of clean socks all paired up in my drawer.

Do you have any typical or quirky triggers of a fealing of wealth and abundance?

 

[Linda W]

Well for me, it isn''t material things it is my family if that counts??

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 7/27/2009 12:05:52 PM
Author: Linda W
Well for me, it isn''t material things it is my family if that counts??

That is EXACTLY how I feel. I love the feeling of being with friends and family and just being together; then is when I feel richest in life.

 

[atroop711]

for me it''s when my family sits together and laughs. There''s no better feeling of us all together in our home laughing as a family.

 

[zoebartlett]

More money.

 

[Amethyste]

I grew up in a pretty low income family, my dad was the sole proprietor for 2 young children... no luxuries for sure...

So for me, i just feel "rich" when i have a fridge filled with good and healthy things to eat.

But mostly, considering my up-bringing, when I enter my place, I just feel so grateful for everything I have. My car that is all paid for,
a nice computer, AC to cool me down when its hot outside, heat when winter comes in New England, a comfortable bed, hot water to
shower and cook with. I never take these things for granted, everyday, i remind myself at how lucky and priviledged I am to be able to
live like I do.

My wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally, friends and being employed... I am really really lucky gal.

 

[Haven]

I feel rich when I''m sitting on an adirondack chair in our lush backyard, reading a good book, drinking sweet tea, and lazily playing fetch with my pup as I read.

 

[Luckyeshe]

Yesterday, I planned a bbq. It rained...a lot...and even though it did, my guy friends manned the grill and held umbrellas to protect the food. We then had a picnic under the awning where we all sat around indian style and used our fingers. Knowing that I am surrounded by good friends rain or shine makes me feel absolutely wealthy.

 

[Moh 10]

Yes, lots of money.

 

[somethingshiny]

faamily, friends, yadda yadda


What makes me feel rich is paying a bill the day it arrives!

 

[Dancing Fire]

since i don't owe any creditor money.

and when my daughter stop shopping with my CC.

 

[whitby_2773]

when tim and i first married, we were both full time university students, so we had zero money. we were POOR, man!

we used to go shopping and we didn''t have a lot of options. we''d see things we''d want, but couldn''t afford, but even on the things we *could* afford we''d often want different styles or flavors. for instance there was no way we could afford soda, but we could afford that sweet syrup you add to water to make cold drinks (in australia it''s called cordial). i liked orange, but tim liked lemon. in toothpaste, tim liked macleans, i liked colgate. and we both DREAMED of those beautiful john west canned pitted black cherries! mmmmMMMM! imagine - the luxury of not having to chew around the stone - wow!

so we made our own definition of ''rich''. rich, for us, was 2 flavors of cordial, two types of toothpaste, and luxury was the john west pitted cherries.

those days were simple and wondrous and i miss them.

 

[Kaleigh]

Being with family and friends. If I have that, I have everything.

 

[loriken214]

Being able to get out of bed....literally! Having a chronic illness changes everything and my priorities are different now.

Taking each day as it comes and not sweating the small stuff. Loving my DH and my furbabies. Enjoying the friendships I''ve made in person and online.

I''m rich beyond my wildest dreams!

Lori

 

[loriken214]

Also, having a full tummy and clean sheets on my bed. We take those things for granted....

Lori

 

[purselover]

Taking a cab instead of the subway, I''ll know I''m rich when I never have to take the subway again

 

[DiamondFlame]

The cut of a bespoke suit...

 

[atroop711]

Date: 7/27/2009 1:15:02 PM
Author: loriken214
Being able to get out of bed....literally! Having a chronic illness changes everything and my priorities are different now.


Taking each day as it comes and not sweating the small stuff. Loving my DH and my furbabies. Enjoying the friendships I''ve made in person and online.

I''m rich beyond my wildest dreams!


Lori

AMEN! DItto what you said about chronic illness changes everything

 

[Abril]

Net worth...

 

[tigian]

Small things: A fully stocked fridge, fresh clean sheets, being able to pay my taxes easily.
Big things: My family, health, and friends.

 

[sba771]

Bedding! It doesn''t have to be expensive or fancy (I got the most amazing set at fortunoffs on triple sale, felt so good) but when my bed is made and I can sink into it, I feel like I am in the lap of luxury.

 

[Camille]

Distributing fresh bread to others.

 

[Gypsy]

My husband. My cats. There's nothing to match that feeling of love and acceptance and devotion.

BUT if we are talking about monetary things. It's being able to pay all the bills, match contributions for 401K and maximize employee stock purchase, add nice chunk to savings every month, donating to charities that are important to us, and still have enough discretionary income to do what we want (eat out, go on day trip, get spa treatments) without worrying we'll have to survive on hot dogs for a while if we splurge.



ETA: I would also feel rich if I could keep my current income and move to somewhere with a much lower cost of living. Living in Nor Cal is ridiculous.

 

[princesss]

The day I can go to the grocery store and get fresh fruit and veggies without having to worry about going over budget, I will feel rich.

The day that I can go buy a new work shirt without waiting for things to go on super discount, and I can consider getting a sweater to go with it (or - dream of dreams - PANTS!), I will feel really rich.


Right now, I feel rich when I get my kitties an extra toy at the store just because I think they''ll like it.

 

[Black Jade]

I would be blessed to have good husband, family, friends, good health whether or not I felt rich.

But what makes me feel like a wealthy person is:

No debt
Big house and not much mortgage left
My own car (don''t share with husband)
Safe neighborhood where police will actually come if you call for them and will work to protect you
Picking my own dr, dentist other health care and having good insurance to pay and none of the intrusive feeling that you get at clinics
Able to buy all the food I want to, including fresh fruit, veggies
noise-free neighborhood with a lot of space
Good schools for my kids where they are safe
Kids ask for necessities and we can afford to get their needs (and even some of their wants, though we don''t always)
Closet full of clothes
Plenty of shoes and they all FIT
last but not least, having jewelry makes me feel rich. I keep marvelling at the fact that in the past year, I''ve got 2 more diamond rings and a pair of earrings, making me a person with THREE diamond rings. This seems like such a luxury. But every single time I get a new piece of jewelry, I feel richer

Maybe you can tell from my post, haven''t always been American and haven''t always been middle-class.
I kinow I can survive if I lose it all, but I do like it.

 

[UCLABelle]

Blessed and rich to be are different...

I am blessed, and lucky to have an amazing husband, fantastic parents and brother, good eduction (and relatively okay healthy), etc..

But, rich, to me is still associated with money...

 

[HollyS]

I make a real effort, everyday, to realize how much I have - - things I own, and things I''m blessed with, like:

My hubby.
Our families.
Our friends.
Our health.
Our jobs.
Our freedom.
Our country.
Our faith.

I''ll never be the kind of gal that needs a McMansion, a luxury car, designer goods, or more bling than I can wear comfortably in my very ordinary life. In fact that leads me to a (paraphrased) quote by Garrison Keillor. "The ordinary is the extraordinary. It is the blessings of the average, everday life that make it worthwhile."

There are so many in the world that do not have the comforts of an ordinary life (as we know it). Every day is a struggle for them. By comparison, I have . . . abundance. And I try never to disregard that. It''s what makes me feel rich.

 

[Circe]

Maybe I''m shallow, but more likely I''m a pedant: family and friends make me feel happy, expansive, content, satisfied, blessed. But rich, in the sense of wealthy? Options make me feel rich. And being able to please myself makes me feel rich. More specifically?

Cashmere makes me feel rich. Ordering red wine and a piece of chocolate cake at a fine restaurant instead of dinner at a mid-range place makes me feel rich. Pomegranate bath foam makes me feel rich. Never putting a budget on books makes me feel rich. Privileging luxury and quality over practicality and quantity makes me feel rich. And so on ...

P.S. - In this spirit, there''s a book called Wear More Cashmere that I absolutely adore: I picked it up for 3 bucks and a whim, and it''s delightful! Printed in pink, my dears, and so girly it gives you cavities, but full of (semi)practical suggestions on how to treat yourself nicely. I remain on the hunt for copies to pass out to friends.

 

[elrohwen]

I feel rich because I have no credit card debt. Most of my friends the same age are at least $1k or more in debt.

Being able to go the grocery store and get whatever I want makes me feel rich. If I feel like buying scallops, or tons of fresh veggies, I don't have to worry about spending a few extra dollars.

Having a beautiful home with FI makes me feel rich. We're just renting, and it's only a townhouse, and our furniture was all bought on discount, but put it all together and it's a nice cozy place. My proudest moment was when my friends saw it for the first time and said "You have grown up furniture!" Haha. It doesn't have to be big and fancy, it's enough that it's not a dive with crappy college furniture.

And finally, I feel rich because I can afford vet care for my animals. So many people are struggling these days and I'm glad that if they have a problem or need something (bunny just got neutered last month) I'm able to pay for the best care for them. I would do this even if I was poor, but I'm glad I can afford it without going into debt or having to eat mac & cheese every day for a month.

 

[Elegant]

Ice...not the diamond ice, but the frozen water kind...seriously!

When I went to China a few years ago, I stayed for about 12 days. Every single time we went somewhere to eat they would serve beverages at room temperature and never with any ice.

Also, being able to go to the grocery store and just pull stuff off the shelves and not have to worry about having it add up to a certain amount of money makes me feel very rich, even though I am FAR from it. When I was a kid my mom did that all the time, and when it went over a certain amount she would have to pick out things to put back...embarrassing. I had to do that when I was on my own and in college but I made sure I never had to put anything back.