Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Liar's about Money


One of my greatest pet peeves is people who blatantly lie about money. I try to be as truthful as I can about my financial situation. If asked, I will tell. I don't go around pretending like I am better off then the truth. However, there are some people I come in contact with that it seems blatantly lie about money.


I had a college roommate who came from a wealthy family. If it was ever pointed out that his family was wealthy he would deny it. However, the brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee he drove around campus said otherwise. I don't have a problem with this. However, this roommate would swear up and down that he bought that Jeep with his own money. This roommate would come back every year from summer break and have pictures and stories of spending the whole summer hiking and camping in Colorado. Somehow though, he was able to save money and buy this brand new Jeep in high school. He did not have a job in high school. His first and only job was after senior year of high school when he worked at a summer camp in the kitchen. Can you earn over 20k as a dishwasher in one summer? If you can I'm in the wrong business. That is how he was able to afford his brand new jeep all on his own with no assistance from his parents. Come on man, just admit it, your parents bought your jeep. I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem when you insist that you are the one who bought it but you have never had a job that could earn enough money to make such a purchase. Somehow, his younger brother was also able to buy his own brand new jeep grand Cherokee when he turned 16 as well. Hmmmm.


I was reminded of this guy last night when my fiance brought up a conversation she had with a coworker. This coworker is getting married a week before my fiance and I are. This coworker, who just started the job about 3 months ago after graduating college, has stated that him and his fiance are paying for their wedding all on their own. Well this is admirable and believable since my fiance and I are doing the same thing. However, they are getting married in a location we would have liked to have gotten married but it was too expensive. This wedding location costs somewhere around 20k not including your tuxes, dresses, flowers, invitations, dj. I don't know how they are going to pay for this wedding that will probably end up costing in the 30k range when he just started his job 3 months ago and makes less then my fiance. Another wrench in the story is that they just purchased a brand new home a few months ago. I don't know if they put any money down. I don't know what his fiances job is. But I can't believe that they are able to afford a brand new home and a 30k wedding all in the same year all by themselves. They are receiving help but instead want to take all the credit themselves. I hate this.


Am I just jealous? Probably. I hate that my fiance and I are so focused on becoming debt free and saving while others are out spending their money getting the nicer things. I hate that others are being handed things to them while we are on our own. We are doing it all by ourselves. No one has paid for any of our wedding yet. Our parents have offered to help out but that is it. They have not actually commited any money.


I just have to keep telling myself that we are doing the right thing. Eventually we will be in the same position or better position. Those people that I see out there having the nicer things are paying for them with debt. I will not give in. We will win this financial game and come out ahead in the end.

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