Clint Love
It doesn't say CUNT, dammit!
There was a time in my life when success meant having enough money to pay my bills and still be able to eat! It was just recently when I got to a point where I'm not 2 paychecks away from homelessness. I make decent money now, even though I'm not rich by any stretch. I have the ability to save for things I want rather than focus 100% on being able to get the things I need just to make it by. To me that is success. I still have goals and ideas and things I want to do to improve myself, but not getting those things isn't going to break me.
ride512
Wannabie Member
Awesome! My career has had it's ups and downs luckily the last 5 years have all been up, but I also try to remember that it could all go away tomorrow while trying to feel comfortable with this level of success. ( Hopefully that makes sense. ) Oddly now that I've adjusted my goals I'm trying to live on less and have more free time which is the opposite of what I've been doing the last 15 years.
Clint Love
It doesn't say CUNT, dammit!
I agree. Quality of life for me means having the time to do the things I want, vs slaving away to make a little bit more money. I do what I want to do, not try to keep up with the Jonses. I'm within 5 years of being totally debt free, which has been a goal as well. It's amazing how much money you really make when you're not giving it to someone else every month.
ride512
Wannabie Member
Yeah sadly it took me 15 years to learn that lesson. I need to put together a solid plan to pay off my debt as well. I hate to admit it, but I pay almost $1000 a month in minimums. Part of that is my being financially irresponsible and part of that debt is from a failed business either way it needs to be paid off. Thankfully my wife's car is almost paid off my wife's student loans are now paid off and my student loans should be paid off in two years. If I can ride all year round (which in Austin I should have no issues ) I'm going to sell my car in the spring and pay that off.
Clint Love
It doesn't say CUNT, dammit!
I'd be a lot closer if I hadn't bought the Ducati. I had a paid-off Triumph, but I decided I wanted to go fast, so I sold it and bought the superbike. I'm only 19 months left on the bike if I stick to my plan, but I could have got my Student Loans down to 3 years had I stuck with what I had and applied the money to that. I also took a big hit in insurance rates. From $175 a year to $500 a year. Our house and all our other vehicles are paid off, though, so as long as I don't blow up the engine in my Chevy Aveo, I'll be OK lol
ride512
Wannabie Member
Awesome! Sometimes new toys are hard to resist. I plan on buying a bike in the spring, but I also hope to have my Vespa paid off by then. If I end up selling my car I'll take whatever I get from that and put it as a down payment on the bike.
Clint Love
It doesn't say CUNT, dammit!
If you have to be tied to a payment, at least a bike payment is significantly less than a car payment. That's what I did in college. I rode a bike everywhere and for a while, didn't even have a car. Later I bought a beater car to drive when it rained. When I buy a bike, I usually get a 5 year book, so the minimum payment is really low. Then I make double payments and try to get it knocked out in 2 years or so. That way, if I hit hard times, I can just make the minimum until I catch up.
In Texas we're lucky because bike insurance is low, relative to other places. I rode a 2004 Triumph America and my premium was only about $175 a year for full coverage.
Mach1 Aus
G'date mate. Nice bike.
You can really see the different gauges of success amongst my mates. Some really define themselves as successful by their career, some by big houses and material possessions....I myself am more about life experiences. I'm a big traveller and like to try new things where ever possible.
