Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See this post, the rules, and the sidebar for details. Thank you for your submission, kiss-my-ass-hoe.
Saving for retirement. If we had “lived for today” I would be homeless and without income or investments. He died in the fall, I will spend the rest of my life missing him, but I won’t be vulnerable, the way so many are after a catastrophic life event. It’s hard enough living without him, at least I have security.
Parenting my three children, which I did alone for much of their childhoods. There were many pleasures while doing it, but it was also overwhelming and exhausting. Now that they have all grown into happy, successful, and frankly amazing adult humans, I enjoy them immensely. Though I never totally stop worrying about them–I am their mom, after all.
I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve ever had but it certainly ranks up there. I worked at a Sears when I was 19. My boss was a racist ass pos and our head of LP was a holy terror. They’d set people up they didn’t like and fire them or accuse them lf shit so they’d quit. They did this to dozens of people. Finally it was my turn. Whatever, I had a standing job offer elsewhere, I was happy to be gone.
About a year later they were both arrested. Turned out all the merchandise the LP lady was “confiscating” from shoplifters she was just keeping, giving to the other boss or they were selling somewhere.
Maybe not the best, but the first one I thought of. I once worked for an online and television lead generation company. All of the web developers and production people left for other jobs over the course of the 4 years I was there. I ended up doing all of the web development, and the video production. I asked for a raise that would match the output and quality I was delivering. The owner refused.
I ended up getting recruited to a production company as a producer / editor to work on 2 television shows and a web series. I gave him the chance to counter offer. He refused and instead, told me stories about things he had heard about the production company. I quit and started one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.
3 months later, the owner called me back and said he hired a web developer, if I wanted to come back and just do production but offered me less than I was currently making. I literally laughed on the phone and said no thanks. He hired someone else to do production a few days later.
I found it really satisfying that he ended up paying more for 2 people than he would have had to pay me by just giving me a raise, but the most satisfying thing was learning that he went out of business within a year of my departure because, even with 2 people, they couldn’t match my output and keep up.
2 years later, he started another business and I was the first person he called. I told him no again.
Early retirement. Hate to admit it but I feel smug when I see my colleagues toiling at work and complaining about it while simultaneously spending lavishly on cars, clothes and premium vacations.
One of my mom’s cousins died. She had named all of her cousins in her will, and my mother had been gone for several years at that point. As her sole heir, the executor (who was her nephew) said I would receive Mom’s share. Got the paperwork from the executor, it had 7 pages, front and back, of all the people and charities she wanted her estate to go to.
So I figured it was probably something like maybe a family heirloom, or possibly a check for $5. Imagine my shock a year later when I got a 5 figure check. Paid off my car and put the rest in savings.
The family knew she had invested wisely, but had NO idea she worth that much.
Spending hours and hours cleaning and scraping and buying parts, losing parts, sanding and fixing and finally taking a fully restored Colt 45 to the range and it works perfectly.
Taking care of your body/health/teeth… Not partying, smoking, excessive drinking or eating out all of your 20’s and 30’s.
When you get into your forties, all those years of partying hard catch up to your friends, classmates and coworkers.
The resentment and jealousy they have towards you pays off in dividends.
I played football in college. Many of my teammates where on steroids, downing protein shakes and every over the counter supplement you could name, overeating on steaks and chicken. Never touched a fruit or vegetable. They all told me I should follow along.
25 years later those guys all look and feel like crap, some hobble when they walk, screwed up joints, and many have kidney problems, diabetes is common, rough skin and ashen sunk in faces.
I strut around like a spring chicken. You’d never guess we are the same age.
I’ve seen several people mention it but yeah saving for retirement. So I retired three years ago and had rough ideas of my numbers. And I always rounded down. I retire in the first check I got from my pension and my retirement funds was $217 more than I was making while I was working. I was a teacher, so I only got paid 10 months out of the year. Well now I get paid 12 months out of the year. Might take home is $14,000 a year more than I was earning while I was teaching. Because I saved a lot. It’s nice to be able to just relax in my retirement and not worry about money
Bachelors & Masters Engineering degrees. Mind draining, exhausting classes & homework, no social life but a good career made it possible to have a job & make up for lost time. I make sure my skillset is always in demand so spend my own time working on learning new tools to stay employed.
Besides our regular jobs, my husband and I flip houses. We slaved over the first one we bought together: steaming and scraping wallpaper, spackling, sanding. Painting, etc. We sold it 1 year later at a net profit of $50k, and were hooked. It’s work we get to do together, using our bodies more than our minds, which is the opposite of our professional lives. We smoke some weed, put on some good music, and get down to work. It’s hard, physical labor but good money at the end. We love doing it.
Went on a date with a girl when I was 18, she was 15. She was going to be a high school freshman, I was off for my first year of college. Really liked her, but the timing was all wrong. She got married, had kids. I got married, had kids.
Thirty-eight years later we went on our second date. Been together ever since.
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Saving for retirement. If we had “lived for today” I would be homeless and without income or investments. He died in the fall, I will spend the rest of my life missing him, but I won’t be vulnerable, the way so many are after a catastrophic life event. It’s hard enough living without him, at least I have security.
Well a regular paycheck is delayed gratification.
My daughter telling me how difficult it sometimes is to raise a teenage daughter.
College. Spending four years to earn a degree is hard and seems like an eternity. But the payoff is worth it.
Parenting my three children, which I did alone for much of their childhoods. There were many pleasures while doing it, but it was also overwhelming and exhausting. Now that they have all grown into happy, successful, and frankly amazing adult humans, I enjoy them immensely. Though I never totally stop worrying about them–I am their mom, after all.
I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve ever had but it certainly ranks up there. I worked at a Sears when I was 19. My boss was a racist ass pos and our head of LP was a holy terror. They’d set people up they didn’t like and fire them or accuse them lf shit so they’d quit. They did this to dozens of people. Finally it was my turn. Whatever, I had a standing job offer elsewhere, I was happy to be gone.
About a year later they were both arrested. Turned out all the merchandise the LP lady was “confiscating” from shoplifters she was just keeping, giving to the other boss or they were selling somewhere.
Accountancy exams. 3 years on trainee wages and studying at nights and weekends on top of a full time job. Worth it
Maybe not the best, but the first one I thought of. I once worked for an online and television lead generation company. All of the web developers and production people left for other jobs over the course of the 4 years I was there. I ended up doing all of the web development, and the video production. I asked for a raise that would match the output and quality I was delivering. The owner refused.
I ended up getting recruited to a production company as a producer / editor to work on 2 television shows and a web series. I gave him the chance to counter offer. He refused and instead, told me stories about things he had heard about the production company. I quit and started one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.
3 months later, the owner called me back and said he hired a web developer, if I wanted to come back and just do production but offered me less than I was currently making. I literally laughed on the phone and said no thanks. He hired someone else to do production a few days later.
I found it really satisfying that he ended up paying more for 2 people than he would have had to pay me by just giving me a raise, but the most satisfying thing was learning that he went out of business within a year of my departure because, even with 2 people, they couldn’t match my output and keep up.
2 years later, he started another business and I was the first person he called. I told him no again.
Early retirement. Hate to admit it but I feel smug when I see my colleagues toiling at work and complaining about it while simultaneously spending lavishly on cars, clothes and premium vacations.
The best thing money can buy is freedom.
Getting my college degree. I left a controlling abusive husband with 3 small kids because I knew I could provide for them
Saving for retirement until it hurts. Driving used vehicles instead of new.
One of my mom’s cousins died. She had named all of her cousins in her will, and my mother had been gone for several years at that point. As her sole heir, the executor (who was her nephew) said I would receive Mom’s share. Got the paperwork from the executor, it had 7 pages, front and back, of all the people and charities she wanted her estate to go to.
So I figured it was probably something like maybe a family heirloom, or possibly a check for $5. Imagine my shock a year later when I got a 5 figure check. Paid off my car and put the rest in savings.
The family knew she had invested wisely, but had NO idea she worth that much.
A social security check every dang month!
Spending hours and hours cleaning and scraping and buying parts, losing parts, sanding and fixing and finally taking a fully restored Colt 45 to the range and it works perfectly.
Taking care of your body/health/teeth… Not partying, smoking, excessive drinking or eating out all of your 20’s and 30’s.
When you get into your forties, all those years of partying hard catch up to your friends, classmates and coworkers.
The resentment and jealousy they have towards you pays off in dividends.
I played football in college. Many of my teammates where on steroids, downing protein shakes and every over the counter supplement you could name, overeating on steaks and chicken. Never touched a fruit or vegetable. They all told me I should follow along.
25 years later those guys all look and feel like crap, some hobble when they walk, screwed up joints, and many have kidney problems, diabetes is common, rough skin and ashen sunk in faces.
I strut around like a spring chicken. You’d never guess we are the same age.
I’ve seen several people mention it but yeah saving for retirement. So I retired three years ago and had rough ideas of my numbers. And I always rounded down. I retire in the first check I got from my pension and my retirement funds was $217 more than I was making while I was working. I was a teacher, so I only got paid 10 months out of the year. Well now I get paid 12 months out of the year. Might take home is $14,000 a year more than I was earning while I was teaching. Because I saved a lot. It’s nice to be able to just relax in my retirement and not worry about money
51 yo M here. I’d say diet and exercise. The lack of these are why many people become downright decrepit as they get older.
Credit score rising high!
Not getting my first corporate job until my late 20s.
I was mostly in school the entire time with two years between my BS and Masters.
Then seven years after that, I tripled my salary. Always maxed out my 401k and sailed into early retirement a few decades later.
Life is sweet when you don’t have to worry about money.
Watching my neighbor scraping TRUMP 2024 bumper stickers off his cars and saying, “Man was I stupid!”
Well, pregnancy.
Raising children who are happy, healthy, productive members of society.
Bachelors & Masters Engineering degrees. Mind draining, exhausting classes & homework, no social life but a good career made it possible to have a job & make up for lost time. I make sure my skillset is always in demand so spend my own time working on learning new tools to stay employed.
Staying in school and staying in STEM. 10 years of being poor and I had a PhD and good spending habits
Besides our regular jobs, my husband and I flip houses. We slaved over the first one we bought together: steaming and scraping wallpaper, spackling, sanding. Painting, etc. We sold it 1 year later at a net profit of $50k, and were hooked. It’s work we get to do together, using our bodies more than our minds, which is the opposite of our professional lives. We smoke some weed, put on some good music, and get down to work. It’s hard, physical labor but good money at the end. We love doing it.
When my adult children each told me what wonderful parents we were when they were growing up.
Went on a date with a girl when I was 18, she was 15. She was going to be a high school freshman, I was off for my first year of college. Really liked her, but the timing was all wrong. She got married, had kids. I got married, had kids.
Thirty-eight years later we went on our second date. Been together ever since.