Blathering about Money
Next month'll be Oct 2008, roughly 5 years since I started a REAL job at NCEN (and boy do I miss NCEN), and now I'm starting to reflect how I treat money.
I have to admit, it's that rough stint from 01-03 that's caused me to be a hoarder. Since then I always worried about being laid off/losing a job, so I just kept saving and saving. Fortunately, video games are a relatively cheap hobby to have.
Finally, starting my 3rd year there, I decided to relax and cut lose, and not hold back from my spending - just buy whatever I felt like at that time. But at the end, I calculated how much I saved up that year, and it was a pathetic amount. I then looked around my sad sad little room and realized - I had nothing to show for the thousands of dollars I spent instead of saving up. Sure, I got to drink more wine, go to expensive lounges, have fun, etc, but it didn't have to be like that. It sure didn't feel like I got thousands of dollars of worth that year.
Anyways, I'm really bad at making points. I want to say, money DOES bring happiness, but only to a certain point. The people who say money doesn't bring happiness are the rich people. When I was starving (back in 01-03), I definitely could not be happy. Now, I'm more relaxed, calm, and confident that I'm happy that I can choose to starve if I wanted to.
On another note, I'm sure I've gotten a lot less patient over the years. I wouldn't say I changed because of money, but I'd say it's because of the jobs - I could be paid a lot less and I would still turn out this impatient. Jobs REALLY affect people's personalities.
I'm trying to figure out how I feel about this job. My personality and disposition have soured a lot more since I started. It's disconcerting to feel that I've turned into Mike (what a complainer!) This place has its pros and cons. They have great benefits (I got 2 bonuses this year, they made my eyes pop out in comparison to what I got at NCEN) @_@
That said, I'm fine with this. I choose to continue this way, for now. I will continue hoarding even if I technically don't need to. I'm hoarding for a house. I'm also hoarding for vacations...and family, so I can take care of them, and Chad. I don't think I can ever stop hoarding.
That said, by next month, I'll have saved up a year's salary, gross. I feel like it's a huge accomplishment for me, as if I scored something big in a video game. It's like YESSSS! I can be laid off and survive for a long time...
I have to admit, it's that rough stint from 01-03 that's caused me to be a hoarder. Since then I always worried about being laid off/losing a job, so I just kept saving and saving. Fortunately, video games are a relatively cheap hobby to have.
Finally, starting my 3rd year there, I decided to relax and cut lose, and not hold back from my spending - just buy whatever I felt like at that time. But at the end, I calculated how much I saved up that year, and it was a pathetic amount. I then looked around my sad sad little room and realized - I had nothing to show for the thousands of dollars I spent instead of saving up. Sure, I got to drink more wine, go to expensive lounges, have fun, etc, but it didn't have to be like that. It sure didn't feel like I got thousands of dollars of worth that year.
Anyways, I'm really bad at making points. I want to say, money DOES bring happiness, but only to a certain point. The people who say money doesn't bring happiness are the rich people. When I was starving (back in 01-03), I definitely could not be happy. Now, I'm more relaxed, calm, and confident that I'm happy that I can choose to starve if I wanted to.
On another note, I'm sure I've gotten a lot less patient over the years. I wouldn't say I changed because of money, but I'd say it's because of the jobs - I could be paid a lot less and I would still turn out this impatient. Jobs REALLY affect people's personalities.
I'm trying to figure out how I feel about this job. My personality and disposition have soured a lot more since I started. It's disconcerting to feel that I've turned into Mike (what a complainer!) This place has its pros and cons. They have great benefits (I got 2 bonuses this year, they made my eyes pop out in comparison to what I got at NCEN) @_@
That said, I'm fine with this. I choose to continue this way, for now. I will continue hoarding even if I technically don't need to. I'm hoarding for a house. I'm also hoarding for vacations...and family, so I can take care of them, and Chad. I don't think I can ever stop hoarding.
That said, by next month, I'll have saved up a year's salary, gross. I feel like it's a huge accomplishment for me, as if I scored something big in a video game. It's like YESSSS! I can be laid off and survive for a long time...