Hondo Gravel

I think I made wise decisions financially over the years. With not knowing how long this Covid virus will have everything slowing to a crawl. I’m thinking on ways to be smart not to get into a crack by doing unwise things. Things of substance is far more important right now. The style stuff can take a backseat as far as I am concerned. I’ve seen too many relatives get in horrible financial situations because they need the best and the greatest and people were very willing to sell it to them. Didn’t work out to well for them in the long run. Luckily I didn’t catch that disease and always had the older truck the less fancy material goods and so on. This crisis is really making me think hard about what is important and what is not.

no motor?

I want to see what changes society makes as the virus becomes less of a problem. Hopefully the changes for the better will be more common, but I don't have enough faith in humanity to be live that will be the case.

jack pot 

SEPARATE & APART from earning a living & having children getting an education all of which will be ??? ones social life will be forever impacted > before this is over you will be wary of strangers & FRIENDS ... learn how to live with fewer face to face needs ... the more remote you can be the better off you will be ... try and understand that all prior social conventions will not return ... crowds may be gone & along with them a part of the "entertainment/sports industry > movies games music & their venues ........... places like Hondo Tx will be more attractive than the Houstons or Austins

indyfabz

Judging from the number of people who lined up out PA malls hours before they reopened on Friday, and the way people instantly flooded bars in other states when they were allowed to serve indoors, I don’t believe a lot of people are planning to change their behaviors. Local news interviewed a high school senior who was hanging out at the Jersey shore, not practicing safe behaviors. In a nutshell she said she’d be sad if she sickens people in her family but that she’d already missed so much of what senior year was supposed to be about. This came on the heels of one person infecting a dozen others after spending a week at a shore house. She brought it home with her.

Kimmo 

Lots of folks in my country like to thrash the hell out of their credit cards... I think we might have the highest private debt ratio in the world. Bunch of shallow wankers, sucked into grasping consumerism, gotta have a repulsive black AMG SUV and a mcmansion, full of crap bought on the card. Watching reality shows on commercial telly, listening to commercial radio, driving like ****en pigs on their way to hoard toilet paper, and once in a while voting for a pack of transparent charlatans who illegally sprinkle baubles of middle class welfare and bleed the whole place dry with their insane vampiric crony capitalism.

Don't get me started

ahsposo 

I'm just thankful I have a pot to pee in. Don't hate me just because it's solid gold and encrusted with precious jewels.

texaspandj

Being impressed by gold and wealth has taken a back seat to survival, and health. Unfortunately it took a pandemic for most Americans to see things of real importance...about 4 years too late.
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skidder

If your info had not shown you are in Australia I would have thought you were describing people in Southern California. Not much difference, is there? (except the funny accent! ).

ahsposo 

I say, if you have to die you might as well die deep in debt. You can't take it with you...

TakingMyTime

Virus or not, the important thing is to.... always, spend less than you make. When younger people ask me for investing advice I always tell them "No matter what, save money. You need to treat saving money like air, you can't do without it", "People who understand interest... earn it. Those who don't... pay it".

FiftySix

Thankfully, bicycling can be a very affordable pastime/sport.

downtube42

The sad thing about high school seniors who think those will be the best days of their lives is, for too many itf them it's actually true.

My mom grew up in the great depression, and those experiences deeply affected her entire life. I wonder if there's a generation who will be similarly affected by the virus and associated impacts.

jack pot 

me too as long as i got pot and can pee im good

StupidlyBrave 

Style over substance was why I never liked Kiss

Hondo Gravel

KISS fan mostly for the stage show and imagery. Not the best musically but some songs are catchy. Nostalgia for me and makes me feel young Today I feel old until I get on my bike and get the blood flowing and the endorphins going.

no motor?

We've seen the one you poop in, you should even them out.

ahsposo 

I'll have to ask my Chief of Staff, see if I have somebody on that. I'll have somebody get back to you with a progress update.

Digger Goreman

In my past, I went in and out of credit card debt (where I was doing good to pay the interest) twice. Didn't learn my lesson the first time. Also got into student loans....

Been a decade since I've had any outstanding debt and IT FEELS GREAT! If I can't pay for it up front, don't need it. Took a lot of discipline to get there, and I'm richer for it

indyfabz

Never had any credit card debt. Paid off the mortgage early. Just paid off the car last month. Took nearly the entire 4 years because it was a no interest loan.

jack pot 

>>> you are a lucky FEL{l}A . im mostly upside down & JONES acting thru life

indyfabz

Luck has little (if anything) to do with it. Hard work, creating a niche for myself career-wise and living below my means. And I took two year off from the working world starting at age 34 with no government benefits like unemployment.

TakingMyTime

Yep, it's really not as hard as everyone seems to imagine it to be. Make a few good decisions and you can live a good life. Maybe even retire early. I always like the saying "Life is hard, but it's harder if you're stupid".

indyfabz

The mistake i regret the most is being way too conservative with my retirement savings investment early on. Had I taken average risk, I might have been able to retire by now (age 55). The real issue is benefits. I have a darn good package through work, including medical with a $1,500 deductible and a $5,000 yearly out of pocket maximum. That's a tough nut to give up. Hoping this country gets universal care in the next five year because I highly doubt I will work beyond 60.

TakingMyTime

I would have to agree with you on that. I did have a couple of hiccups in the past (35 years ago) where a business partner left me hanging for $13k in taxes and once when I was given a small chunk of a grandparents estate ($10k) which I blew through without thinking. But like you said, I wish I would have been a little more aggressive with certain investments, but I'm where I think I should be,

FiftySix

Yep. Don't give up that insurance prematurely. Up to the summer of 2016, we (my family) had reasonable health insurance premiums and coverage.

Once we lost that when my wife got laid off, my company's premium for three people (me, wife, college kid) has been offered at over $2K per month for the last several years. The last quote given in November 2019 was a premium of $2590.00 per month for some Blue Cross/Blue Shield Plan. Which means I haven't had insurance through my company in that time.

Here's two smart phone screen shots I took last November when shopping for health insurance at the healthcare.gov marketplace yet again. When the premiums get affordable, the deductibles are through the roof.