Quote:
Originally Posted by DocHorton
Why don't you enjoy it? Travel more, eat at nice restaurants, give to those less fortunate, take more frequent vacations, buy a sports car, retire younger, etc.
I can think of a lot of ways to enjoy more money....
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So I enjoy my environment more than things. There comes a time for a single person where more money doesn't mean much. When you are sitting at 600k a year, does making 650k really change much? Just using that as an example, not saying what I actually make.
Eat at nice restaurants: I have eaten at every nice restaurant within a 50 mile radius of my house. In CA there are many many more choices. Pre-pandemic I had hired a chef to teach me how to cook. I also planned on taking cooking classes in various types of cuisine. I actually prefer to cook.
Give to those less fortunate: 15% of my income goes to charity, sometimes more.
Travel more: I used to travel 6 months out of the year. I still do 3-4 times a year as well as 3-4 vacations. Fly first class and stay in nice hotels. Traveling from a smaller city actually sucks because of all the connecting flights.
Buy more stuff: I am actually in the process of removing things that I have purchased as I hate having all this stuff. Sports cars do nothing for me.
Basically what I am saying is my environment and where I live means more to me than anything else. It took me a long time to figure this out. I am a homebody so building a nice house overlooking the ocean and relaxing at home on my own property seems heavenly to me.
Having access to luxury shopping, restaurants, and easy direct flights everywhere are just icing on the cake for me.
Could there be other places that would also make me happy besides CA... Absolutely. I just know my decade or more in CA was the happiest time in my life and I should not have moved.
The only thing that keeps me here is the happiness I see on my families faces (mom, dad, sister, niece, nephew, etc.) when I visit with them almost every day. Their smiles are the only things keeping me here.
I am not mentioning where I live because it is a beautiful state and I can see why people love it here. It just is not for me.