I finish law school and marry that girl.
Now we start to see some life moments relevant to finance. We have enormous Student loan debt, over $200,000, but we both land decent jobs. My blood is so working class that this is what I think I look like in a suit;
I once bought dress shoes a size too small that pinched my feet and wore them for a year because I was so unsophisticated I just assumed that fancy rich guy shoes were supposed to be uncomfortable.
I did 5 years as a Public Defender in the bowels of a large city with the Lumpen proletariat. Yes, perhaps I viewed this as some sort of penance for my past. We skipped a wedding and bought a house instead.
I would not say I was actively into personal finance just yet, but I was definitely developing precursor habits. Like keeping track of all money pored into fixing up that first house. I was certainly better off than my wife, who did things like keep $11,000 in her ‘no interest’ checking account.
It was easy for us to live below our means because it came natural to us.
The exception was eating out, $10,000 a year easy, this is still a big problem. We kept waiting for our employers to realize we were frauds. When it came to being professionals, it was definitely a ‘Fake It Til You Make It’ type situation.
By now it is 2005/2006 and I can begin to show fledgling net worth figures because my personal finance instincts are evolving due to enormous amounts of down time at work and access to the Internets.
Ah the days of buying Apple at $23 and selling at $90, or Amazon at $17 and selling at $70. Too bad I had no real capital and was buying stocks $200 worth at a time. Anyway, it is time for our big Life Change.
In the same 6 months we; quit our jobs, sold our house, moved to a different state, found
new jobs, built a house, and had our first baby. Trying times let me tell you. But the Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men. The main reason we moved was to be closer to my wonderful in-laws. They die 2 days apart before our first kid turns 3.
Continue to Part 3; AutoPilot
Othala Fehu 