Quote:
Originally Posted by Topspinmo
When grow up with silver spoon in their mouth they expect all things they are accustomed too. Us they grew up poor grateful just to be alive at retirement time and able to retire.
|
I grew up with a silver spoon, but it was often in need of polishing, and was a hand-me-down from my grandmother. In other words - solidly middle-class, with upper-middle-class grandparents. We had trust funds but they weren't million dollar trust funds, they were multi-thousand trust funds which we spent on our college educations, and medical expenses. Not caviar and yacht clubs.
But my grandmother turned her family into the wealth she did have, by being somewhat frugal, and incredibly attentive to expenses and income when my grandfather started out his dental practice - at the height of the Depression. That was when most of his patients were unable to pay for the services. They'd pay in kosher chickens, or roof repair, auto repair, ice for the ice box, milk and butter delivery, tuneups for the car. People who did have money, paid my grandmother who sunk every penny she could into savings, until she was able to invest. And then, she invested. And turned "nothing" into "something." She taught us the value of not just hard work - but compassion for our neighbors and the value of having and being a real neighbor in the community. Of giving, trading, exchanging ideas and material goods, saving when you can and spending ONLY if you have a community to support you when you run into trouble and need help. Owing as little as possible, but not being afraid to owe if the alternative is a suffering family.
My grandmother never worked an actual paying job in her entire life. But she was a volunteer, a philanthropist, a playwright, and a genius when it came to turning zero income into invested assets, while keeping her family clothed, fed, housed, and loved. And importantly, she taught us that we had no right to "expect" success, or income, or luxuries, or nice things. The world didn't owe us these things. The world didn't owe us anything at all.