Comments by "Comm0ut" (@Comm0ut) on "7 Signs You Are WAY ABOVE Average (SCARY Money Stats!)" video.

@JamesCat-qx6sb I'm near Manning and did the same while my taxes are cheap. I'm a mechanic so not only do I not want a new car, I despise working on them and refuse to own what I cannot personally maintain. SC has many folks like ye and me. Even my disabled bros managed to buy cheap land, drop in a used singlewide then DIY over time to upgrade and add outbuildings.
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I built and sold used cars for my bro and you are quite correct. People eagerly buy vehicles they don't need to impress people they don't really care about. Expensive phones are paid for via credit but adding them to the phone bill makes that seem painless when it's not IRL. (I buy used flagship phones opportunistically every five or so years.)
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Depends where you buy and how handy you CHOOSE to be. Tenants pay someone else's mortgage.
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@john_nip_nop I'm a child of GG parents (they never liked that term since they'd lived through WWII and the Great Depression and knew better). They bought US, British and one Toyota. My father was a WWII Army vet and bought a Toyota Camry because the US auto industry chose to build junk.
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DIY is why I have plenty of disposable income. It's not hard to learn and I encourage adult education as a solid start. Auto mechanic courses easily pay for themselves and can often be free or close to it with student aid. Those teach fundamentals of many useful systems which apply to much more than vehicles.
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@avengemybreath3084 OP didn't suggest living in the hood. It's never worth living in the hood even if one was born there because everyting about that environment is bad. Cities are bad so I don't live in one. No matter how much or little one makes it goes further in rural and semi-rural areas.
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Those who can should hang out for the pay bumps after 20 if you can because you will be doing something either way, and max out TSP if you have it.
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What are you doing to CHANGE careers? Adult education is awesome and thanks to Pell grants, lottery money and other student aid can be very close to free. Short term ways to get paid include getting a CDL and hitting the road. If you're not too old the military is a great instant career (bonus, it got me out of Jersey). Choose to be versatile and do things impractical to outsource.
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Same here but I don't miss that era since I exploit internet access to information, goods and services. I only pay for internet and phone service which is a net win as a hardcore DIYer. No one needs television or to spend money watching fiction which just wastes time better spent learning. In a pinch I can screencast a phone to my PC and drop internet service or use a phone plan with sufficient data. The way to win is watch how others choose to lose.
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My roofs don't cost 20 large because I do them myself with steel roofing (shingles are trash while one of my galvanized roofs was installed in 1965 using already used barn tin).
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@rutchjohnson Day care is optional in two-parent families. Don't live where you need two incomes. I don't.
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Alternate option I've done for decades despite never being rich is to buy cheap land with a cheap home then go hardcore DIYing. One job often pays for my tools with thousands of dollars saved. Anyone determined can do the same because my bros do too. I don't need auto mechanics, carpenters, electricians (except for inspections), plumbers, roofers, computer techs, phone techs, or other related trades because what one human can do another can do (my late wife was at least as skilled). I bought cheap acreage to escape taxes and neighbors who I've no use for then built my own workshop and machine/welding shop which I couldn't have done as a minimalist. I make less than 70K/year but about half that is discretionary income. My bros do the same and own their homes too (we cooperate on projects since we find all this DIY huge fun).
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@Sonic6293 Smart homeowners do not have to sell anything because smart homeowners do not have to live in high COL areas. Renters are frequently trapped since their rent went to their landlord.
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In a democracy the VOTERS are solely to blame for the bad governments they relentlessly elect.
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@jjred233 I maintain my own property which anyone determined to learn can do and should consider to slash their cost of living. My yearly maintenance cost is so little I don't notice it and because of that when I finally had to pay a deep well driller had the cash handy for that.
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@cjhoward409 Wise are those who choose advance planning and hardcore DIY. (I recommend an auto shop class to everyone because the many systems on vehicles require skills useful elsewhere.) My newest trucks are 2000 models and because I opportunistically acquired more than one downtime is never an issue. I opportunistically buy appliances BEFORE I need them since I know my equipment use rate. So do my poorbros because people in farm country are expected not to choose helplessness. Doing this nearly ends surprise expenses and leaves money for savings. I just dropped ten grand on two deep wells because my ancient shallow wells were failing (which was something of a surprise since low flow hadn't been much issue) and that did not hurt a bit. I did not have to pay an electrician or plumber to connect them to my houses because I dug the trenches (by hand for exercise) then plumbed and wired to my panels for the cost of parts. This only requires determination (I'm old and disabled but quite patient) so nearly anyone can do likewise (which I know from training trades students at my local CC).
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@keysautorepair6038 There are plenty of Americans making much more. BTW I thank my (successful shop owner) auto mechanic friends for chasing me away from making that a career. Aircraft are much easier to work on than modern automotive abominations and fixing fighters for a living much more fun.
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@MX-CO How can you change what you do to your advantage?
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