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Which is why you will not get anywhere. Your attitude and work ethic shows why you will not get ahead. There is always an excuse or reason. You really need to come into the real world already. Jay
Quote:
Originally Posted by nep321
I don't get it though. In a 40 hour week, I get all my work done. No one else really stays in the office for more than 40 hours per week. And heck, the average American works 40 hours a week. There are BLS statistics that prove this fact. What am I supposed to do? Sit in the office for an extra 10 hours a week, getting home late every night and get fat and stressed out? Doesn't sound like a healthy lifestyle to me. Not sure why people in this forum think that it's imperative that someone must work long hours in order to continue advancing in their career, because I just don't see it in all the places I've worked. Virtually everyone leaves the office around 5:00 or earlier even. Getting ahead career wise isn't about working long hours. It's about working efficiently, smartly and developing a good rapport. Duh.
Even if you guys are "right" about the necessity to work long, long hours in order to get ahead, I would rather stay where I am career wise and enjoy my free time that I have. Life is way too short to sit in an office for 10 hours a day. It's bad enough that I already have back problems.
Congrats, nep321, you get your work done and you get paid a typical salary for that job. But you desire a lifestyle that requires more effort, than simply punching in, doing your work and no more, and leaving promptly at 5. If you lack the drive to do that, do not complain when others pass you by, who were willing to do more than the minimum threshold of the job. Like the OP, for instance.
As you said in the final line, you prefer staying where you are. That's fine, as long as you stop being envious of the OP's accomplishments.
I never had a desk job so I couldn't tell ya if it's worth it or not. I put in 45 hours a week but will stay late if nothing is planned for that night or I gotta big job to get paid on. Last big job I had was head gaskets and timing chain set in a 3.9 liter Dodge Dakota. Tomorrow I have to fix an electrical issue on a Volkswagen and I had a Mazda giving me a 5 volt reference on the throttle position sensor just sitting at idle, the cars computer thinks it's at wide open throttle.
I would love a desk job Nep, but it's not for me, I tried it once, lasted 90 days, the heck with this, it was boring and unfulfilling.
To keep this on topic all I can say is with the money we bring in I feel there is a place for us in CT. It's not Darien or Greenwhich, Fairfield or the Gold Coast, bug my interests and hobbies I don't think I would find in any of those towns anyway, you may as well just live in New York at that point.
I also find price per square foot to be a helpful indicator too -- it kind of levels the playing field a bit and gives you a good idea how to compare apples to apples (some towns have higher percentages of older/smaller homes (*though smaller homes generally command a higher price per square foot), and so it's not always fair to compare those prices to a town that has lots of new developments w/ big houses; also, some small towns have far fewer sales during the same time period than a larger town would, and so you may not be necessarily be getting an accurate representation of "average" homes in the small town during the snapshot period -- it can be skewed wildly one way or the other). I like Trulia for this -- if you click on the "local information/market trends" tab, you can see almost real time data. For instance, right now trulia is posting numbers for the 3 months ending Nov. 14th. Based on the towns you mentioned above CTartist, these are the average price per square foot numbers for sold properties during the period August 14th through November 14th:
House prices, income and disposable income will directly affect ones standard of living. I was trying to point out that if the OP buys a less expensive house (in correlation to income) they could afford the things on his/her wish list.
House prices, income and disposable income will directly affect ones standard of living. I was trying to point out that if the OP buys a less expensive house (in correlation to income) they could afford the things on his/her wish list.
I think it was directed at Nep and his enablers, not you.
You're right, it all comes down to priorities. There is a finite amount of money and you can't have everything. But I do think directing more money to an asset like your house is better long term financially than spending that money on something like travel.
OP knowing your perspective now, I still think it all comes down to priorities. I have a couple of friends who travel back overseas once or twice a year and their lifestyles are fairly modest - think condo vs house, outer burbs vs Darien/Greenwich, just one car or two older cars, vacations by car only. I know at least one of them would like to have some more things but would rather have the ability to go home for 2 weeks at the holidays than anything else. In general it isn't about what anyone else has, it's about being content with what you have. Maybe it makes sense to look elsewhere for better quality of life but you can't have everything no matter where you are.
Yearly trips to Europe are not so much for pleasure but for necessity, since all my family is there and they can't afford plane tickets... but i guess not staying too close with family is the price you pay as an immigrant.. I'm just reflecting, not necessarily asking for advice here...
but i did post the above topic because i sometimes feel that i've achieved enough and more than i would have ever achieved if i had never come to the US, but at the same time, when i see my coworkers who talk about their house remodels, yearly vacations and cars which are definitely better than mine, i wonder if i do something wrong, because i cant keep up with them despite having the same income. yep, inferiority complex here.
anyway guys, thanks and please keep sharing your comments/individual experiences. it give me perspective
A bit OT: please take a look at mileage credit cards, perhaps with one of the European airlines in particular (like Air France or Lufthansa). If you put all of your expenses on credit cards assiduously, you can really amass the points. Makes those trips to Europe much cheaper.
On topic -- I live in Hartford County in a similiar milieu and would not want to make-do with a HHI less than 200K in Fairfield County. Housing and associated costs are simply too high down there.
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