Friday, April 28, 2006
the good ol' days
As I quickly approach 30 years of age (t-minus 3 months and counting), I, like most civilized human beings with any soul whatsoever, yearn for a simpler time in my life. If you're a loyal reader of mindless drivel, you're probably thinking I'm going to say something ironic or weird, like when I was 1 year old or something. And while those were indeed good times (you get to do whatever you want, and if you do something stupid, it's "not your fault," you're "just a baby"), the time I really miss is my early 20's, just like everybody else out there.
But being the financial minded nerd that I am, I miss my early 20's not because of the endless wild parties (nobody invited me to these parties before I became a celebrity) or the ability to go days without bathing. No, what I really miss is the reckless abandon with which young working "adults" buy stuff. Case in point: when I was 22 I bought a car with a price tag equal to my entire annual salary. Not that I had a huge salary or anything, but let's just say when I was 22 I had standards. I would not have been caught dead in, say, a seven year old Honda Accord. And even though at 29 my salary is now three times what it was then, I'm currently driving...a seven year old Honda Accord.
Of course the standard argument for buying lots of things at this stage in your life is that you need stuff. You need to replace the milk crates currently doubling as book shelves. You need a new dresser because the floor at your last apartment ate through the feet. You need a 60 inch TV. You don't really have any expenses other than food, rent, magazine subscriptions, and beer. And if you're not a beer-drinker, well you're just plain filthy rich!
What happens is that when idealistic college students graduate from the "college world" to the "real world," that idealism transforms into arrogance. This arrogance is, of course, completely unfounded. How else can you explain defending car leases as a "good idea"? Your arrogance will cause you to make financial decisions that you will later deem as "stupid," "immature," and "reckless." But who cares? You don't think about the future, you live in the now! You don't have to be saddled down by retirement accounts, because you still think the government or your parents are going to take care of that for you. You buy TVs and stereos on credit because, "Hey, it's only $99 a month. All I have to do is work a few hundred hours of overtime a month and I get this kick-ass TV!" And Lord help us if you decide to buy a house.
So yes, I miss the post-college early working years. You get to buy all kinds of cool stuff that you can't afford. And thanks to easy credit for anyone, you never have to worry about paying for any of it. Nope, that's up to future you, aka Me. ¶ monger187 wrote this on 4/28/2006
But being the financial minded nerd that I am, I miss my early 20's not because of the endless wild parties (nobody invited me to these parties before I became a celebrity) or the ability to go days without bathing. No, what I really miss is the reckless abandon with which young working "adults" buy stuff. Case in point: when I was 22 I bought a car with a price tag equal to my entire annual salary. Not that I had a huge salary or anything, but let's just say when I was 22 I had standards. I would not have been caught dead in, say, a seven year old Honda Accord. And even though at 29 my salary is now three times what it was then, I'm currently driving...a seven year old Honda Accord.
Of course the standard argument for buying lots of things at this stage in your life is that you need stuff. You need to replace the milk crates currently doubling as book shelves. You need a new dresser because the floor at your last apartment ate through the feet. You need a 60 inch TV. You don't really have any expenses other than food, rent, magazine subscriptions, and beer. And if you're not a beer-drinker, well you're just plain filthy rich!
What happens is that when idealistic college students graduate from the "college world" to the "real world," that idealism transforms into arrogance. This arrogance is, of course, completely unfounded. How else can you explain defending car leases as a "good idea"? Your arrogance will cause you to make financial decisions that you will later deem as "stupid," "immature," and "reckless." But who cares? You don't think about the future, you live in the now! You don't have to be saddled down by retirement accounts, because you still think the government or your parents are going to take care of that for you. You buy TVs and stereos on credit because, "Hey, it's only $99 a month. All I have to do is work a few hundred hours of overtime a month and I get this kick-ass TV!" And Lord help us if you decide to buy a house.
So yes, I miss the post-college early working years. You get to buy all kinds of cool stuff that you can't afford. And thanks to easy credit for anyone, you never have to worry about paying for any of it. Nope, that's up to future you, aka Me. ¶ monger187 wrote this on 4/28/2006
