You can take foresty workers off that list. Up to about 5 years ago you could make that much. Due to our government that has allowed Canfor to get too big and destroy the forest industry we hardly work anymore. I just quit that racket. From logs to oil. Ft.Mac here I come.

Seriously, I was just trying to help you out with what I had at the time.

Just because people live in those big houses doesn't mean they can afford them. We have so many friends that live in big brand new houses and drive two brand new cars and make quite a bit less per month then my wife and I do. We can't figure out how they do it.

It must be debt stacked on top of debt, consolidation loan after cosolidation loan. It will catch up with them all in the end. I don't have the nicest house, but I've done some work to it over the years to get it there. I don't have the nicest cars, Focus Wagon and a Corolla but they are paid for.

Too many people try to live outside of their means, no wonder there's an economic crisis these days.

This!

I drive old cars, my newest is 1999 and my oldest is 1980. I only carry a mortgage and usually no debt. I do my own housework, and I shop around for the best prices. Anything I buy, from groceries, to my tank build is done in cash. I save for big purchases, and am mindful of the big costs throughout the year; holidays, insurance, glasses, etc. Still though it blows my mind to see some people spending all the time.

I also have friends like those that are mentioned above; bigger house then ours, new cars, new furniture, top of the line everything, and they're always travelling, shopping, etc. They way their lifestyle works is that they assume they will always carry debt and assume the cost of carrying it is a fact of life.

I also have friends who've worked and worked, and are just thrilled to put away $100 a month into an RSP.

We chose to buy our house because a) we couldn't handle renting anymore b) the house we bought was a bit less then the monthly cost of renting something similar, c) our financials were in the right place, and d) we found a house that fit our needs almost perfectly. In the end I think our mortgage is a money hungry beast, but I love my house and its ultra slow renovations. For us buying works for us, but we bought with the intention to stay in our home for the next 20 some years.

House rich, cash poor. Bit back was looking through Comfree at houses up in Quarry Ridge. There was a million+ house and in the pictures for the living room was a single plaid recliner and about a 20" TV on a milk crate.

dear little sea urchin, that sting you gave me has been ichy for the past 4 days. jerk

I guess this was us to some extent. To be fair to us we had two incomes so the nice house was possible but not a ton of wiggle room if something were to go wrong and it did! Now we're where we belong. Modesty is affordable and we're really happy.

My comments weren't aimed at people who could afford them such as you did with dual incomes. It was directed more towards the people that buy $600,000.00 houses while only earning $42,000 a year. To be fair the banks play a large role in this. When we bought our house and applied for a morgage we asked for XXX,XXX.00 of dollars and the first thing they asked us what "Well, don't you want to know how much total you can borrow" We said "Nope, this is what we want to spend, not what you think I can afford to spend." I think some people get glassy eyed at the thought of buying a much bigger house simply because the bank said they could.

I had a friend that was planning to spend around $300,000.00 and the bank told them they could afford a house double that so they started looking at houses in that range only to have to sell it less then a year later.

Potters, I love you but STOP EATING ALL MY CHALICES!!!

Really wish I didn't have to work for a living that and I wish I liked where I work, 'cause I used to and now not so much :sad: