How much money do you earn? And how do you spend it?

8letters said:
At 34, (Turning 35 in September) with, near 9M invested, excluding the 4.5 properties we own. I think I'm doing ok. I grew up extremely poor. I had to work hard to get where I am today.
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As long as you’re happy and it works for you, then that’s okay
 
This thread is seriously making me feel a certain way

giphy.gif
 
always feel awkward talking about money - my mother insisted it was crass when i was about 15.
i remain scarred !
i'm on marginal tax rate of 41%
there is additional income from properties i own and others inherited - excluded from my taxed "salary" earnings.

i have always lived comfortably - not excessively or lavishly, in fact sometimes rather frugal in certain instances.
but that changed (or my outlook at least) when my health took a serious dive 3 yrs back - 5 heart attacks over a 2yr period, cardiac surgery bla bla bla . .

my spending habits have shifted dramatically - as tho i'm running out of time, which in reality i am.
being the only gay in the village, i have no wife and kids, so there is no need for provision there.
the beneficiaries of my estate will in fact also inherit that of my mother - none will need to work another day in their life - so they have been well taken care of.
i took a rather unusual step in paying 5 of them an "allowance" now - instead of only benefiting after my death, simply because they are battling to make ends meet now - no reason to make them wait.
what they are receiving now is the interest on what they will ultimately receive, so the capital amount remains untouched - this is split between allan gray and investec in various forms.

this all leaves me.
to that end, i now buy what i please, as and when i please - no more being prudent, the clock is ticking loudly.
my 1st love is music. a recent and rather extreme & absurd example was me going off to a specialist sound shop looking for a specific cable of a nakamachi dat player - and walking out with a pair of martin logan speakers - at well over R100k for the pair.
i heard them, loved the sound they produced, and that was it - no need for further thought or contemplation.
as insane as it would appear, they are bliss - the daily enjoyment they bring is worth every last cent spent.
it however does not end there. 3 months back i came perilously close to buying a bentley continental - somehow sanity prevailed at the time, but i now suffer "non-buyer remorse". but it was also the particular car
always loved them - a "bucket list" kind of thing, but the particular car was magical - the exterior colour and interior combination, it's rims - everything was perfection. if another comes along, in all probability i'll grab it

despite the apparent insanity, it's all somewhat liberating
 
Grant said:
always feel awkward talking about money - my mother insisted it was crass when i was about 15.
i remain scarred !
i'm on marginal tax rate of 41%
there is additional income from properties i own and others inherited - excluded from my taxed "salary" earnings.

i have always lived comfortably - not excessively or lavishly, in fact sometimes rather frugal in certain instances.
but that changed (or my outlook at least) when my health took a serious dive 3 yrs back - 5 heart attacks over a 2yr period, cardiac surgery bla bla bla . .

my spending habits have shifted dramatically - as tho i'm running out of time, which in reality i am.
being the only gay in the village, i have no wife and kids, so there is no need for provision there.
the beneficiaries of my estate will in fact also inherit that of my mother - none will need to work another day in their life - so they have been well taken care of.
i took a rather unusual step in paying 5 of them an "allowance" now - instead of only benefiting after my death, simply because they are battling to make ends meet now - no reason to make them wait.
what they are receiving now is the interest on what they will ultimately receive, so the capital amount remains untouched - this is split between allan gray and investec in various forms.
Click to expand...
Good of you! I do something similar - in SA you can give up to R150k/y tax free - rather than letting the state take it from your estate.

Grant said:
this all leaves me.
to that end, i now buy what i please, as and when i please - no more being prudent, the clock is ticking loudly.
my 1st love is music. a recent and rather extreme & absurd example was me going off to a specialist sound shop looking for a specific cable of a nakamachi dat player - and walking out with a pair of martin logan speakers - at well over R100k for the pair.
i heard them, loved the sound they produced, and that was it - no need for further thought or contemplation.
as insane as it would appear, they are bliss - the daily enjoyment they bring is worth every last cent spent.
it however does not end there. 3 months back i came perilously close to buying a bentley continental - somehow sanity prevailed at the time, but i now suffer "non-buyer remorse". but it was also the particular car
always loved them - a "bucket list" kind of thing, but the particular car was magical - the exterior colour and interior combination, it's rims - everything was perfection. if another comes along, in all probability i'll grab it

despite the apparent insanity, it's all somewhat liberating
Click to expand...
Best of luck spending. Enjoy it - one word of perhaps caution or perhaps comfort. I have a family member who had a heart attack and open heart surgery in 1990. Still going strong - mid-eighties now.
 
Grant said:
always feel awkward talking about money - my mother insisted it was crass when i was about 15.
i remain scarred !
i'm on marginal tax rate of 41%
there is additional income from properties i own and others inherited - excluded from my taxed "salary" earnings.

i have always lived comfortably - not excessively or lavishly, in fact sometimes rather frugal in certain instances.
but that changed (or my outlook at least) when my health took a serious dive 3 yrs back - 5 heart attacks over a 2yr period, cardiac surgery bla bla bla . .

my spending habits have shifted dramatically - as tho i'm running out of time, which in reality i am.
being the only gay in the village, i have no wife and kids, so there is no need for provision there.
the beneficiaries of my estate will in fact also inherit that of my mother - none will need to work another day in their life - so they have been well taken care of.
i took a rather unusual step in paying 5 of them an "allowance" now - instead of only benefiting after my death, simply because they are battling to make ends meet now - no reason to make them wait.
what they are receiving now is the interest on what they will ultimately receive, so the capital amount remains untouched - this is split between allan gray and investec in various forms.

this all leaves me.
to that end, i now buy what i please, as and when i please - no more being prudent, the clock is ticking loudly.
my 1st love is music. a recent and rather extreme & absurd example was me going off to a specialist sound shop looking for a specific cable of a nakamachi dat player - and walking out with a pair of martin logan speakers - at well over R100k for the pair.
i heard them, loved the sound they produced, and that was it - no need for further thought or contemplation.
as insane as it would appear, they are bliss - the daily enjoyment they bring is worth every last cent spent.
it however does not end there. 3 months back i came perilously close to buying a bentley continental - somehow sanity prevailed at the time, but i now suffer "non-buyer remorse". but it was also the particular car
always loved them - a "bucket list" kind of thing, but the particular car was magical - the exterior colour and interior combination, it's rims - everything was perfection. if another comes along, in all probability i'll grab it

despite the apparent insanity, it's all somewhat liberating
Click to expand...

dd.jpg
 
Grant said:
always feel awkward talking about money - my mother insisted it was crass when i was about 15.
i remain scarred !
i'm on marginal tax rate of 41%
there is additional income from properties i own and others inherited - excluded from my taxed "salary" earnings.

i have always lived comfortably - not excessively or lavishly, in fact sometimes rather frugal in certain instances.
but that changed (or my outlook at least) when my health took a serious dive 3 yrs back - 5 heart attacks over a 2yr period, cardiac surgery bla bla bla . .

my spending habits have shifted dramatically - as tho i'm running out of time, which in reality i am.
being the only gay in the village, i have no wife and kids, so there is no need for provision there.
the beneficiaries of my estate will in fact also inherit that of my mother - none will need to work another day in their life - so they have been well taken care of.
i took a rather unusual step in paying 5 of them an "allowance" now - instead of only benefiting after my death, simply because they are battling to make ends meet now - no reason to make them wait.
what they are receiving now is the interest on what they will ultimately receive, so the capital amount remains untouched - this is split between allan gray and investec in various forms.

this all leaves me.
to that end, i now buy what i please, as and when i please - no more being prudent, the clock is ticking loudly.
my 1st love is music. a recent and rather extreme & absurd example was me going off to a specialist sound shop looking for a specific cable of a nakamachi dat player - and walking out with a pair of martin logan speakers - at well over R100k for the pair.
i heard them, loved the sound they produced, and that was it - no need for further thought or contemplation.
as insane as it would appear, they are bliss - the daily enjoyment they bring is worth every last cent spent.
it however does not end there. 3 months back i came perilously close to buying a bentley continental - somehow sanity prevailed at the time, but i now suffer "non-buyer remorse". but it was also the particular car
always loved them - a "bucket list" kind of thing, but the particular car was magical - the exterior colour and interior combination, it's rims - everything was perfection. if another comes along, in all probability i'll grab it

despite the apparent insanity, it's all somewhat liberating
Click to expand...
A great reminder that at the end of the day we are all mortal. Personally, and also having no dependents, I’d like to die with nothing.

Those speakers sound life changing!
 
Grant said:
it however does not end there. 3 months back i came perilously close to buying a bentley continental - somehow sanity prevailed at the time, but i now suffer "non-buyer remorse". but it was also the particular car
always loved them - a "bucket list" kind of thing, but the particular car was magical - the exterior colour and interior combination, it's rims - everything was perfection. if another comes along, in all probability i'll grab it
Click to expand...

I am sorry to hear your health is deteriorating, death takes no hostages.
Rent the car for a day or two, get it out of your system and move onto something else.

Life is cruel, on the one hand you have money but not your health or time, what use is having it if you can't spend it apart from the short term splurge (panic spend?). Meanwhile there's people on this forum with more time than they know what to do with, healthy but no money.
 
Grant said:
always feel awkward talking about money - my mother insisted it was crass when i was about 15.
i remain scarred !
i'm on marginal tax rate of 41%
there is additional income from properties i own and others inherited - excluded from my taxed "salary" earnings.

i have always lived comfortably - not excessively or lavishly, in fact sometimes rather frugal in certain instances.
but that changed (or my outlook at least) when my health took a serious dive 3 yrs back - 5 heart attacks over a 2yr period, cardiac surgery bla bla bla . .

my spending habits have shifted dramatically - as tho i'm running out of time, which in reality i am.
being the only gay in the village, i have no wife and kids, so there is no need for provision there.
the beneficiaries of my estate will in fact also inherit that of my mother - none will need to work another day in their life - so they have been well taken care of.
i took a rather unusual step in paying 5 of them an "allowance" now - instead of only benefiting after my death, simply because they are battling to make ends meet now - no reason to make them wait.
what they are receiving now is the interest on what they will ultimately receive, so the capital amount remains untouched - this is split between allan gray and investec in various forms.

this all leaves me.
to that end, i now buy what i please, as and when i please - no more being prudent, the clock is ticking loudly.
my 1st love is music. a recent and rather extreme & absurd example was me going off to a specialist sound shop looking for a specific cable of a nakamachi dat player - and walking out with a pair of martin logan speakers - at well over R100k for the pair.
i heard them, loved the sound they produced, and that was it - no need for further thought or contemplation.
as insane as it would appear, they are bliss - the daily enjoyment they bring is worth every last cent spent.
it however does not end there. 3 months back i came perilously close to buying a bentley continental - somehow sanity prevailed at the time, but i now suffer "non-buyer remorse". but it was also the particular car
always loved them - a "bucket list" kind of thing, but the particular car was magical - the exterior colour and interior combination, it's rims - everything was perfection. if another comes along, in all probability i'll grab it

despite the apparent insanity, it's all somewhat liberating
Click to expand...

Jeez dude that's a rough one.
 
L0gic B0mb said:
I am sorry to hear your health is deteriorating, death takes no hostages.
Rent the car for a day or two, get it out of your system and move onto something else.

Life is cruel, on the one hand you have money but not your health or time, what use is having it if you can't spend it apart from the short term splurge (panic spend?). Meanwhile there's people on this forum with more time than they know what to do with, healthy but no money.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the dissection, are you done with your ted talk?
 
Less than 18k. I can cover my rent, food, healthcare and cheap internet and put away a little bit (+-R2000) for retirement but can't afford a car or insurance so I walk where I need to be. It is what it is.
 
The job market is sooo farked.

Job spec is *this* long, duties is *this* long, pay is *this* short aka piss.

We push through & look at other avenues, networking opportunities & other avenues of generating revenue.
 
FiestaST said:
The job market is sooo farked.

Job spec is *this* long, duties is *this* long, pay is *this* short aka piss.

We push through & look at other avenues, networking opportunities & other avenues of generating revenue.
Click to expand...
I went through many times where I would attempt to do my own thing and survived on the bare minimum. I'm so fortunate to have the job I have currently. My question, is how are you actually surviving right now, being out of the job market for so long?
 
AnimateX said:
I went through many times where I would attempt to do my own thing and survived on the bare minimum. I'm so fortunate to have the job I have currently. My question, is how are you actually surviving right now, being out of the job market for so long?
Click to expand...
That’s a good Q. I had “amazing” loyalty to a single company for many many years & got a relatively healthy severance + I keep/kept my overheads low + no debt. Once I got divorced my level of money efficiency went thru the roof even though I spoiled myself here & there.

I already calculated my runway I can still survive 13 more months (if it comes to that) then it’s Easy Equities cash out time & I’ll be “fine” for a period again. Having said the fact than I’m able to get a relatively healthy amount of interviews is telling, what is not is companies scaling back towards the end. The amount of “role on hold/frozen” that I’ve seen is alarming.

I’m determined and stubborn af to push through all the Dear John mails & just started a side project with a former colleague that pays tiny right now but in time has potential & I’m driven & continuously building & expanding my skills sets. I’m directly responsible for scaling it up & that includes all avenues which also means I get a bigger piece of the pie at the end. Vested interest by both parties goes a long way.

What I’m learning & experiencing in this side project I’m directly using & applying in interviews, networking & essentially making myself more marketable. I’m well aware about optics & all that.

I still consider myself very fortunate, I know people drastically worse off & debt through their eyeballs etc
 
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FiestaST said:
That’s a good Q. I had “amazing” loyalty to a single company for many many years & got a relatively healthy severance + I keep/kept my overheads low + no debt. Once I got divorced my level of money efficiency went thru the roof even though I spoiled myself here & there.

I already calculated my runway I can still survive 13 more months (if it comes to that) then it’s Easy Equities cash out time & I’ll be “fine” for a period again. Having said the fact than I’m able to get a relatively healthy amount of interviews is telling, what is not is companies scaling back towards the end. The amount of “role on hold/frozen” that I’ve seen is alarming.

I’m determined and stubborn af to push through all the Dear John mails & just started a side project with a former colleague that pays tiny right now but in time has potential & I’m driven & continuously building & expanding my skills sets. I’m directly responsible for scaling it up & that includes all avenues which also means I get a bigger piece of the pie at the end. Vested interest by both parties goes a long way.

What I’m learning & experiencing in this side project I’m directly using & applying in interviews, networking & essentially making myself more marketable. I’m well aware about optics & all that.

I still consider myself very fortunate, I know people drastically worse off & debt through their eyeballs etc
Click to expand...
Appreciate the insights into your current plans. It really is worth having the safety net. I once lived on my provident fund payout for a year and landed my current job just in time. It was really a close call though as I had exhausted the funds and had to start from scratch to build myself up again.

Hoping you don't have to go through that stress and get something soon man.
 
Grant said:
always feel awkward talking about money - my mother insisted it was crass when i was about 15.
i remain scarred !
i'm on marginal tax rate of 41%
there is additional income from properties i own and others inherited - excluded from my taxed "salary" earnings.

i have always lived comfortably - not excessively or lavishly, in fact sometimes rather frugal in certain instances.
but that changed (or my outlook at least) when my health took a serious dive 3 yrs back - 5 heart attacks over a 2yr period, cardiac surgery bla bla bla . .

my spending habits have shifted dramatically - as tho i'm running out of time, which in reality i am.
being the only gay in the village, i have no wife and kids, so there is no need for provision there.
the beneficiaries of my estate will in fact also inherit that of my mother - none will need to work another day in their life - so they have been well taken care of.
i took a rather unusual step in paying 5 of them an "allowance" now - instead of only benefiting after my death, simply because they are battling to make ends meet now - no reason to make them wait.
what they are receiving now is the interest on what they will ultimately receive, so the capital amount remains untouched - this is split between allan gray and investec in various forms.

this all leaves me.
to that end, i now buy what i please, as and when i please - no more being prudent, the clock is ticking loudly.
my 1st love is music. a recent and rather extreme & absurd example was me going off to a specialist sound shop looking for a specific cable of a nakamachi dat player - and walking out with a pair of martin logan speakers - at well over R100k for the pair.
i heard them, loved the sound they produced, and that was it - no need for further thought or contemplation.
as insane as it would appear, they are bliss - the daily enjoyment they bring is worth every last cent spent.
it however does not end there. 3 months back i came perilously close to buying a bentley continental - somehow sanity prevailed at the time, but i now suffer "non-buyer remorse". but it was also the particular car
always loved them - a "bucket list" kind of thing, but the particular car was magical - the exterior colour and interior combination, it's rims - everything was perfection. if another comes along, in all probability i'll grab it

despite the apparent insanity, it's all somewhat liberating
Click to expand...

Only a R100K on speakers, you don't like music that much mate.
 
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