Do You Consider Yourself Well Off?

[Smokey]

This is probably a silly question and I doubt many will answer (?) but I've been wanting to ask everyone for a while now. I think owning a dog is a luxury and you do have to be somewhat well off especially to own a couple or even a few dogs. 

So, do you consider yourself well off?

I consider myself sort of well off. I don't have to work but I should in order to have some extra income to take the dogs for training etc. We are pretty heavily in debt for education loans but those are deferred for now. I was on unemployment but it recently got exhausted so I am going to get any job I can get my hands on for now...

[Elyse]

I'll be honest: we used to be well off. I won't say how much we used to make a year, but it was enough that I wasn't eligible for any student grants from the government.

Until the recession of 2008 hit, then things slowly went downhill for my Dad's business. Nobody was requesting any work, because nobody wanted to build anything during the recession. Last year was one of the worst years we had - we considered selling the house so we wouldn't be drowning in debt anymore. The money situation is seriously affecting my Dad's health - who already has shitty health to begin with (crappy heart, bad arthritis throughout his body...).

 

Food prices as well as gas prices have skyrocketed here. Heck, everything has gone up in price. The cost of insuring one dog is around 2-3X more expensive than the cost of insuring 2 or more dogs in the UK (similar insurance packages). Not to mention his arthritis pills that aren't covered underneath insurance (stupid preexisting condition...), they cost a fortune as well.

 

Going off on a tangent here, but I HATE how people are always blaming the 'top 1%' for the economy problems. My Dad pays over 30% of his gross in tax (his personal income + his business gross income), his 10 staff get 55% of his office's gross. The money literally drains away - and he has good financing and budgeting practices put in place.

People are saying the businesses need to be taxed HIGHER. Not all businesses have CEOS with a billion employees - my Dad's business only has 10 staff and some of his staff members are paid more than he pays himself! If the businesses were taxed higher, they would leave the country/outsource their work. And then guess what? No more jobs for everyone who complains.

 

I'm not saying CEOs have the right to stomp all over their employees and giving them pittens while they pay themselves millions of dollars a year, but I just HATE how people lump in small businesses with 'evil huge corporations'.

 

Also, people over here are blaming companies for holding equity (and not investing in stuff to help the economy.). Companies NEED to have a solid amount of equity, or everytime there was a small hiccup in the economy the majority of them would go bankrupt. Take RIM (Research in Motion) for example, the creators of the BlackBerry. They held some equity (known to others as 'hoarding money') during the 2008 recession and beyond, and its a good thing they DID, or else they would have been bankrupt a long time ago. And that would suck for the thousands of employees they have on staff, for the millions of people that have BlackBerries around the world, and for our economy as a whole (RIM is Canadian).

Also, if companies are evil for having equity...then that means my dad's small company is evil. If it wasn't for the equity he saved up, he would have gone bankrupt in 2009. We wouldn't have gotten a dog, I wouldn't have met all of you...my life would be drastically different (suckier)

 

..I'll stop my complaining now. But as you can see, it seems the cost of living is a LOT higher here in Canada than it is in the UK. Not sure about the U.S - I think we're about equal??

Edited February 6, 2013 by SolitaryHowl

[Jay]

It depends on where your at in the US in regards to cost of living. It can vary widely according to area. For example the average cost of a home in NYC is probably well over a million, but where I am at it is around 200k. But you go an hour east, further from Chicago and its closer to 120k. Also I consider myself middle class. I have to work, I have some debt, an average car and a townhouse. I also do not put your huge corporations with CEOs that make millions a year in the same group as small businesses. I am sure it is very tough to be a small business owner and I have a lot of respect for them. However I do not think that the CEO of Bank of America or BP needs a private jet and billions in bonuses every year, and complain when they have to pay extra taxes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mobezilla]

I'd say I consider myself well off.. I don't know about my future, but at the moment anyway. I am able to financially support my two dogs while working a part-time job, and although I live in an apartment and don't have a yard its no big deal for them. I have no debt, and I haven't gone to college even though I have grants.. I just have no motivation to go. So guess I'm doing okay.

[LittleLuka]

I'm doing fine but no where near where I want to be. I was fortunate to grow up with wealthy parents but yet they still made me work for everything I wanted. I didn't get a brand new vehicle when I turned 16 but I am fortunate by the fact that I got a gently used SUV instead.

My boyfriend and I are currently renting because we want to save up a nice down payment for buying a house. I bought a new car last July and im pretty proud of it. The cost of living isn't high here as I'm in the south but its not dirt cheap either.

I have a full time job with benefits and salary which I can support myself and Josh is an electrician so he makes pretty good money as well. We're both young so we have strong futures ahead of us.

I plan on finally finishing my degree this year and then going to grad school for a masters in something haha.

I also work at a restaurant part time for extra cash (I like to shop lol) but I by no means need it. I'm actually quitting in March because I want my FULL weekend and I'm jealous that josh gets to spoil the puppies while I'm there.

[Osinn11]

Life is good here! In my eyes being well off is more than just a big bank account! My wife and I are happy and comfortable and our dogs and gliders are spoiled rotten! What more could a guy ask for!

[Rosemary]

Not well off at all, but my family is well cared for, that is all I ask  

[Dunc]

I/We are very rich 

We have each other 

We have our dogs 

We have our family

We have our own house 

We have jobs 

Richness is relative IMO  

[siberian_wolf]

In the form of £'s then I wouldn't consider us as well off as we would like but enough to get the bills paid and have a few luxuries which is more than many people in the UK so I consider us to be very lucky.

Not taking £'s I to consideration though and I consider myself to be a multi millionaire! I have all I ever wanted

A wonderful husband, Jamie who I love tremendously

I have 3 brilliant dogs without whom I probably would have gave up on life! Their different and wonderful personalities always cheer me up on a gloomy day

I have family and family-in-laws who I wouldn't change at all. They are all there for me no matter what and Jamie's family accepted me into their family instantly

I have a roof over my head and we live in a lovely home

And I have the best friends anyone could ask for who have stuck with me through thick and thin and in one way or another they are always there

[Sid_Wolf]

We are very lucky that we live in the situation we do

 

We live with the OH's dad, sounds like hell with 3 dogs and a baby on the way but it's really not, he tends to stay upstairs on his computer and we all get on really well, he drives so can run us around (within reason) and he gets his house cleaned lol

Because of this it means we pay out a lot less each month than we would if we lived on our own, which means that we can survive on OH's wage alone. 

My income (through Indi-Dog, which I now do full time) varies every month, some months are quiet while others are crazily busy! But I always earn enough to pay for the dogs insurance and food, plus any little luxuries we want. We both have good phone contracts and can afford to have a child without needing help off the government. 

So yea I guess we are, but it's circumstantial, if we had to get a rented house on our own money would be very tight and I might have to find a 'real job'.

[Stormy]

I would be well off if i didn't have two dogs haha just kidding!!

 

I dont earn loads of money but i have only just started my part time job which i am hoping to get more hours eventually and get higher up in the chain Rob has a very well paid job but has alot of debt etc to pay off. Got a lovely house etc ...... the main thing is we are happy and it wouldn't matter if we didn't have as much money but no one can really say it doesn't matter if they had none because it would.. it is nice to be able to do lovely things together etc  

[Sparks]

I would say, for a 43 yr old, in my first ever job, im not doing to bad...

[PnkFlyd204]

I consider myself extremely well-off in the sense that I have 2 wonderful huskies, 1 non-Husky, an incredible boyfriend and a family that cares for me a lot.

 

As far as money is concerned, I don't do too badly I guess. I work for the US government. I am a GS-13 Step 3 currently, so I make just a little less than $95,000 a year in the area where I live (need to factor in locality pay). This helps me to afford my doggies and my small individual home that I live in, even though I paid entirely too much for my home... Baltimore home prices are RIDICULOUS. Regardless, I recently refinanced, which helps pay the mortgage a lot. I live with my boyfriend but he does not contribute to anything regarding my home, as his name is not on the title. However, he does help pay for groceries and doggie stuff, which helps a ton.

[Stormy]

I would say, for a 43 yr old, in my first ever job, im not doing to bad...

43? LMAO

[BrittanyNicole]

I don't consider myself well off in a sense of money, but we don't do bad and I have a wonderful puppy and boyfriend that I adore. So well off in a sense of life you could say.

My boyfriend and I live together and we're both really young. We both have full time jobs and make enough to get by and spend a little on ourselves and Zoey. I go to school full time also.

We could have waited to get a dog, but I love having a dog's company because they're not like having people around you. They respect you and don't judge you (that I know of ) I also could have waited until I finished school, but I didn't want to.

 

It can only get better from here. I only have 2 more years of school left.

[NicTurtle]

We have been well off, though my student loans just came due. I owe $100,000 and have to start paying $600 a month. So for the last two months I've been wondering if I'd be living in genteel poverty while paying those for the next 20 years. But for our area we make good money...which is why I am sort of trapped living here while my husband is 4 states away. I don't want to drop our standard of living to take a huge pay cut to move there with him. I wonder sometimes if being well off isn't a bit of a trap. If I were already broke, I'd probably be happy enough living out there with him and being broke together. 

[raindog]

I feel that I am rich beyond dreams. I share my life with someone who, even after 20 years, I love more and more each day. I have a wonderful family and beautiful grandchildren. I have the most incredible pack of dogs and we all eat well and live as comfortably as finances allow. Financially we often skate very close to the edge - I am retired and my wife is disabled with osteo-arthritis and unable to work - but we always find ways to manage.

Would I like to be financially rich? - I suppose so!

Would it make me any happier? - I really doubt it!

 

Mick

[Removed #5]

Very interesting set of responses.  I was going to pass on this since I'm retired on a fixed income ( a lowly fixed income )

 

What I found interesting is that many of you consider yourselves "well off" but with limited income ... so I'll have to echo that.  No, I don't have much money, but I'm more than satisfied with where I am now.

If I were to win the lottery ( but they tell me you have to buy a ticket to win it ... ) there are several things Id like to do.  Improve my living conditions, do some traveling, fence up something so these dogs can actually run once in a while.  But most of what I might win would actually go into my family ( half brother and kids / grandkids ) since they have more need than I do.

 

Yeh, I'm well off, but not in the sense that I have a lot of money ...

[Smokey]

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/chat-room/217378-do-you-consider-yourself-well-off.html

Got similar answers on the other forum! Some very quotable and inspirational responses! Thanks for opening yourselves up to us!

[BelleBot]

I'd consider myself and my partner fairly well off considering how young we are. My OH has a decent wage and I'm on a bursary whilst I'm training to be a nurse which is a pittance but enough to cover bills. I will have an average wage come Autumn when I graduate and hopefully get a job. We both have debt (credit cards, overdrafts, motorbike finance and student loans) but who doesn't these days. We're hoping to buy a house when I've got a job.

 

Money aside I'm think I'm incredibly well off, I have a great boyfriend, a big house, 3 motorbikes, a husky, 3 cats, my health is improving, I think I'm very fortunate.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

I wouldn't say I'm personally well off, I'm comfortable with my wages, I get by (abit better now with the overtime) but in life I'm very well off I have 3 amazing well behaved dogs, my mum despite everything she's been thru is happy and healthy , me n my dad haven't fell out for a few months n I have an amazing partner who I'm looking at getting a place with either this year or next , so in money I'm ok but in life I'm very well off