The Haves and the Have Nots - Sometimes, the Poorest People are the Happiest

We've come to rely on the car… I know that not having a car now for the past 2 years has been very hard on me. I miss all the travelling I did. (Anyone want to make a car donation :? Just kidding.) Except when I'm stuck in traffic, I actually enjoy long drives. I found it exhilarating to drive to unknown places with the music cranked up and the sun roof open.

But when I consider that my car-related monthly expenses were upwards of $1200/month, maybe not having a car isn't such a bad thing. Let's see. That was $560/m for the bad lease agreement, $100+/m for insurance, loads for gasoline, variable amounts for parking, and occasionally as much as $450/m for highway TOLL FEES!! Then there's the repairs, as I'll only drive stickshift vehicles. In fact, I'll only drive Subarus, unless I'm forced to otherwise.

Considering how much money I'm not spending on a vehicle, maybe it's a blessing in disguise. For the money I was spending, I probably could have a bought a house. (But hindsight is 20/20, as they say.) Sure, I have no line of credit, just got out of bankruptcy, have no life insurance (not married), and no mortgage to worry about. I don't have to stress out each month whether or not the mortgage rate is going to change. In general, I'm sort of enjoying a recharging period in my life from all the stress that can come from having been a high earner. You can fall from grace. But then you pick yourself up and start over. Sometimes it takes a while, but situations do change.

(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://smackeroonies.blogspot.com