Speaking of cars, I am in the midst of a multi-year epic argument with my wife about what kind of car(s) to buy when we move to the suburbs. She wants these ridicurous $80,000+ Mercedes SUVs while I want a used Toyota that gets me 25+ mpg for under $20,000. I refuse to blow 80Gs of my hard-earned cash on a depreciating asset that costs me $200 to fill up every week.
pacmandefense Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > 6. i dont buy the Starbucks coffee in the lobby. I > drink the office given Lipton for health benefits. LOL … I love that Lipton free from everything tea … more like flavored hot water …
Get the Mercedes. Keep your wife happy and have a dope ride.
I don’t have a Wall Street gig and the one I have is far from badass 
Nevertheless, I agree with all you points. 1.) I wear a t-shirt, jeans and Converse Jack Purcell to work everyday. I look more like retail clerk at some hipster boutique than a financial analyst. 2.) I don’t have a car, which in LA is a primordial sin and immediately makes me a loser to all the hot chicks. 3.) Plenty of cheap labor from south of the border to handle domestic duties, but I refuse to pay to have someone clean up after me or fold my socks. 4.) Get my suits from the Arab who owns a gas station on Sunset. Boss, Ralph Lauren, DKNY, 300 bucks a piece – don’t ask, don’t tell. Same guy tried to sell me a barrel of gasoline for 150 bucks, but I don’t drive. 5.) Furniture – leather sofa and couch + cherry oak coffee table and end tables, total price 800 bucks COD from the “SA” in the valley, no returns no questions asked. 6.) Living in LA where you never have to pay full price for anything – Priceless
akanska Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > numi Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > akanska, i also enjoy nice walks at the dog > park! > > > wanna go to china? Can’t find anyone who wants to > go! Okay, you two just need to hook up and get it over with already.
numi - I l;ived in Buenos Aires for 14 months, and in Medellin for another 6. I did the Santiago-Cuzco-Bolivia-BsAb-Mendoza loop backpacking before that and I think its an amazing place to visit. I’ve never been to Brazil but really want to go. My husband works w/ some brazilians on work-visas (friends are better than money- right?) so we hope to have a trip down there sometime, but w/ the 2 weeks I managed to get off I think it will be a while before another international getaway. I’ll write you tonight, we should def. meet up- I’ll give you some help on planning your trip. # yrs ago when it was just after the devaluation (reason behind me moving there) it was so increadible!! Steak dinners w/wine for $3. Furnished studio on their equivalent of 5th ave for ~200/month. Theater, crazy nightlife, beautiful ppl… its not that extreme anymore but its still a bargain. See, Bolivia is cheep but its a third world country where “chicken soup” = water w/ a bone and a bus ride means there’s a chicken in the seat next to you. Argentina is very European- lots of culture, food, art, etc. The crazy pseudo Italian personalities are great too. Strange when 80 yr old doormen are saying pervertedly disturbing things to you as you walk by.
My wife cuts my hair, and actually does a good job! I do virtually all the remodeling/finishing around the house unless it is one job and it requires an expensive tool that wouldn’t make sense to buy. I finished my basement completely (framing, drywalling, ceiling, tiling, painting) aside from the electrical work (I wasn’t going to mess with that) and mudding/sanding the drywall (the contractor was wicked cheap and did it really fast). I sneak in candy at theatres. Like others, I refuse to buy clothes at full price. I refuse to eat at restaraunts that charge for refills. Weird, I know. If I pay $3 for a 16oz soda, that better come with all the refills I want! I will pretty much avoid eating at places that charge more than $15 for a plate of food. There are several very good Mexican restaurants near my house where I can spend less than $10 for a meal and a beer or margarita. On the weekends, I wear strictly t-shirts, usually of black and/or death metal bands that no one has heard of. I purchase these shirts at the concerts.
jax26 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > i agree with those and will add: > > Mow my lawn with a push mower and do all my own > landscaping/yardwork Totally cool. While my mower isn’t push propelled, still a walk behind, I thoroughly enjoy mowing my own yard. Best looking yard in my neighborhood. If I made 100MM a year I would still be mowing my own yard. Just one of those manly pride issues I have I guess. For everything else landscaping I would definitely hire a crew
I live in Canada, The lowest denomination for paper money we have is the $5 bill. So beofre I go out to a strip club to plant money in between a girls thong, I make sure I have some american 1’s. ok, im kidding about the above, but i would like to add i feel low when i take a parking ticket to court when the ticket amount is only $20 and it was clearly my fault but i try and hope the officer doesnt show up so i can win.
MFE Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > - i drive a ford > - i flush brown only > - i talk about how high gas prices are and how > it’s a conspiracy against the consumer, while i > fill up my expedition > - i think college attractiveness should be based > on how many national title’s one’s school owns > - i work out at a public gym (in a wife beater) > - i think samuel adams is an import > - i wear a gold chain and very clean white shoes > - i talk about how bad the stock markets and > complain about my 401(k) being down 20%, how will > I every make up that $2,000? Love the second one.
“What habits BETRAY your badass financial job and high standing in society?” I know this is StuffWhitePeopleLike, but doesn’t BETRAY mean habits that suggest you have a badass financial job and high standing in society? Maybe it is: “What habits BELIE your badass financial job and high standing in society?” I guess for me, it’s that I shop at DAFFY’s for clothes. Except I don’t have a badass financial job (yet) and whatever high standing in society I might have just comes from being a well educated, well traveled, easy going gentleman who might occasionally say something completely outrageous just to keep people on their toes.
I have steadily been slipping down the transportation game…started off with a reserved spot in a nice ramp, then went to an unreserved spot in a ramp, then stopped driving and started jumping the bus…next I will be walking the 8 miles to work just to save the bus fare.
I paid for a year at a gym and will never do it again. I much rather my equip (that does not include anything over 100$) and videos I have are plenty to keep my svelte figure, along with running and biking outside. The “rubber button” part fell out of my keyless entry for my car. Instead of the $100 to replace it through a dealer, I bought one on Ebay for $8 including shipping and stuck the new “rubber” in it. The one I received could also be reprogrammed for my car at a later time. My favorite is my father, who does well for himself, who will not buy new jumper cables and insists on still using the ones he found that have no clips, he just hooks the wires up if and when the cables are needed.
I still wear the same $20 digital watch my dad bought me 20 years ago, even when meeting with hedge fund managers playing in the 9-figure net worth range.
We all sound like characters from “The Millionaire Next Door.” Someone has to be a financial baller. Who here drives a Porsche and wears a Rolex?
“Someone has to be a financial baller. Who here drives a Porsche and wears a Rolex?” I have the 2nd one. Granted I stole it from my grandfather…I’m that much of a baller.
Wear a Ro1ex, no moving parts though.
Personally I wear a Rolex. I got it in Chinatown.
Just a lowly Omega Seamaster for me. It is 13 years old so I guess I’m still a little bit of cheapskate for not upgrading. It was purchased when Omega was rolling out the new Seamasters to correspond with Pierce Brosnan becoming James Bond. If I pass this test, I may consider purchasing a Speedmaster “Moon Watch” just so I can tell people I am an astronaut and watch their reaction!
akanska Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > numi - > > I l;ived in Buenos Aires for 14 months, and in > Medellin for another 6. I did the > Santiago-Cuzco-Bolivia-BsAb-Mendoza loop > backpacking before that and I think its an amazing > place to visit. I’ve never been to Brazil but > really want to go. My husband works w/ some > brazilians on work-visas (friends are better than > money- right?) so we hope to have a trip down > there sometime, but w/ the 2 weeks I managed to > get off I think it will be a while before another > international getaway. I’ll write you tonight, we > should def. meet up- I’ll give you some help on > planning your trip. > > # yrs ago when it was just after the devaluation > (reason behind me moving there) it was so > increadible!! Steak dinners w/wine for $3. > Furnished studio on their equivalent of 5th ave > for ~200/month. Theater, crazy nightlife, > beautiful ppl… its not that extreme anymore but > its still a bargain. See, Bolivia is cheep but > its a third world country where “chicken soup” = > water w/ a bone and a bus ride means there’s a > chicken in the seat next to you. Argentina is > very European- lots of culture, food, art, etc. > The crazy pseudo Italian personalities are great > too. Strange when 80 yr old doormen are saying > pervertedly disturbing things to you as you walk > by. hey akanska – that’s pretty awesome – i’ll definitely take you up on your suggestions if my buddies and i end up doing the trip to south america (instead of southeast asia). i’ve never been there before so it would help to have the perspective of someone like yourself that’s actually spent an extended period of time there. the crazy nightlife and affordability that you describe are enticing; i could definitely go for some of that and leave the $30,000/year “millionaires” in Dallas behind. looking forward to catching up too…i’ll drop you a note this weekend and we can plan on doing something crazy or ridiculous 