Personal Responsibility and Financial Fortitude
One of the things that I am most thankful for in my life is the lesson my maw and paw taught me about personal responsibility financial fortitude. I got this from my parents who lived on 50K a year for a family of 4 in 1983. Granted, this was almost 40 years ago, but that is still not a lot of money even back then. I cannot stress the importance of this lesson enough: When I drove their cars, I was to be respectful and not showboat or do stupid stuff (minus the time Rich Jolly put the red car in neutral at a light and slammed the car into drive, effectively dropping the transmission) - like let another person drive. Their property, their money - it was to be respected. We were not brought up on a "disposable" mindset. No matter what it was, when we purchased it, we were expected to take good care of it so that it lasted longer. When I went to college, they cosigned on a student loan that I HAD TO PAY BACK (thanks MOM). When I turned 18, I went to college,...