Reply to I hate being stuck at $230k HHI and feel poor AF

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
This year has been bad. We had to spend $10k installing brand new brick steps because the stairs to our house were terrible, crumbling, and.had a bad foundation. Right exact at the same.time, a bad storm ruined our fence and we had to replace 100' for about $4k. Simultaneously, our 2016 Mazda needed a lot of maintenance and required about $4000 in repairs etc. Just non-stop hit after hit.  [/quote]

The $10,000 repair for new brick steps was a surprise I am sure. Did you have anything already budgeted for home repair?

Was $10,000 the cheapest repair you could do?  Did you get a few quotes? I would think that rebuilding new steps to like a porch would be more like $5000-$7000 and I wonder how good you are at finding the cheapest acceptable options. The same thing for the $4000 for 100 ' of fence. Did you get three quotes first?

What was wrong with your Mazda? Are you going to the dealer or to a local mechanic? Are you getting fleeced basically?

[/quote]

$10k for the steps was quite fair. It was a massive job. The mason we hired was excellent. Yes, I got multiple quotes. I didn't go with the cheapest job because we also wanted quality work that would last forever. He had to dig like 5-8 feet down in order to get below the frost line and build a brand new foundation.  The stairs were damaged because it had a bad foundation..he did incredible, beautiful work.

The fence was also from multiple quotes. We actually got a good deal on the 100' of fencing. Other places were quoting way higher.  They built it from scratch. Good quality job.

The Mazda needed all new suspension, spark plugs, brakes, etc. etc. They ended up finding issues like cracked control arms and needed to replace struts. ... basically a complete overhaul.  It added up quick with all of the other maintenance. It has 110k miles, so much of the repairs and maintenance are due to the age of the car.  And I've been going to the same mechanic for 10+ years..he's never ripped me off.[/quote]

OK. So with a car with 110,000 miles, you could definitely expect you will need to save for repairs. You need to send $200-$400 every month. Repairs should be zero surprise.

The $10,000 steps- I guess that was necessary. Yes at $230,000 income level a $10,000 repair will hurt! (Our HHI is $170,000 so I understand) still how much do you already set aside for home maintenance? You need to do that.[/quote]

Not OP but OP never said that they didn't have money to pay for the home and car repairs. They paid for it. It's just that these expenses eat up a lot of money and $230k is a lot of money as people think. [/quote]

Yes the underlying problem doesn’t seem to be OP’s actual expenses so much as OP “feeling poor” because unexpected large expenses have an impact on her savings.  I think she just needs to reframe her thinking to “feel rich” when she *can* afford these expenses at all without having to take out loans or go hungry.[/quote]

Exactly, it sounds like OP's finances are actually just fine. It's more a question of psychology. [/quote]

I agree with this. I also think a lot of people spend money on things they think are a standard expense, but they are actually a luxury. They don’t understand that most people aren’t spending money on these things or that being able to elect a more luxurious/expensive option means you have means.

I have a few friends who are like this. They complain about money but spend so much on things that aren’t a necessity. They don’t view their wants are wants, but needs, and when they spend all their money on those wants and don’t have much left, they cry poor. [/quote]

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