What do you consider as "having money"

[lpchad]

If you are 25 what would you consider as "having money"

[vinsanity]

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/maasx003/Vikings/images/drevil.jpg

[ScottyTheBody]

If you have no debt (ie: no school debt or credit card debt) and $0.01 or more in the bank account then you have money (though probably not for long).

[winneythepooh7]

Interesting question for a "first" post. In any event, I think that answer is going to vary drastically depending on the person and their circumstances, or for some people, who they happen to be comparing themselves to that particular day.

[ricotta]

Hmmm,

As the above poster said, probably a large variety of answers.

I'm in grad school right now so I'm poor as shit, so this is one perspective:

I'd say "having money" is being able to make all financial obligations at the end of the month with $200-$300 left over for savings or fun. I'll also qualify that by mentioning thats a somewhat conservative lifestyle of eating out once a month, going to bars just as much (and getting one drink), having Netflix, etc...

[pisces2473]

Interesting question for a "first" post.
Exactly what I was thinking.

[chicagogirl]

But is having money worth anything if you don't use it well? I mean, if I said I have $50k in the bank (I don't), but that I'm going to blow it all on a vacation to Hawaii, is that worth as much as if I have $20k in the bank and I'm carefully saving/investing/budgeting/carefully deciding what I spend it on?

[FishOutOfWater]

I'm financially in awe of anyone my age who can afford to purchase a house or who can comfortably raise a family of children or a lot of animals.

[1977]

Huge difference between getting an enormous mortgage to pay off over the next century (often considered as "buying") and actually owning/paying off the property.

[wordsmith]

Yeah, the bank owning your house doesn't necessarily impress me. Neither does the bank (or the cosigner, for that matter) owning your car, etc. The people who impress me are the ones not hung up on various property ownership or finding it to be the "true measure of adulthood" or some such.

[Tayl405]

I'm financially in awe of anyone my age who can afford to purchase a house or who can comfortably raise a family of children or a lot of animals.

LOL, I agree about the house and family, except what's "a lot of animals"??

I am so impressed with some single mothers I know. I can barely take care of myself, let alone a child. Some women I work with are my age with one or more kids and they seem pretty happy and stable. I guess I don't know what's truly going on though.

[fuzmiq]

The people who impress me are the ones not hung up on various property ownership or finding it to be the "true measure of adulthood" or some such.

Good Lord, wordsmith, I love what you said.

You instantly made me think of one of my friends that totally is caught up in that and looks down on anyone who isn't.

Because at the end of the day, it's not the actually dollar signs, or the house or the car. It's the feeling that they give you that you want. People want to feel important, confident, secure, worthy, etc. Otherwise who cares if you have a BMW or a Honda as long as it gets you to where you need to go.

[Ezra Pippen]

to me would mean being able to get through the financial end of life's challenges gracefully. I guess that entails making enough to get by, and saving enough to put some away for emergency for self or family and friends, some away in growing investements and insurance that takes care of things if I get injured and for when I get old. Disability, health insurance, retiremnt taken care of and enough to give and help out, send to scholarship funds for the new batch.

That to me is having money.

Um, let see-I have health insurance, and a very very small retirement account, and an ever dwindling, on-the brink savings.

[Four Seasons]

Apologies if this sounds a bit preachy.

Assuming we all start out the same in our twenties (i.e. no inheritances or help from parents), the real test of who "has money" and who doesn't will be when we reach our fifties.

My friends and I all earn roughly the same income (they are mostly teachers). My SO and I don't spend quite as much as our friends when we go out for dinner, we don't take overseas holidays like they do, and don't buy as many things. Sometimes I feel that they refer to us as "tight or stingy" behind our backs, but I will be interested to see who amongst us can afford to retire when they want to, and who will enjoy a comfortable retirement.

Of course, if you enjoy your job, being able to retire is not so important.