I have a net worth of about $350k, and I live in a two bedroom apartment that costs $700/month. Is that weird?

Stop wasting time wrote:

My net worth is -$550k from student loans I have never and will never make a payment on. It’s high because of interest stacking up and never making payments. Anyways, I make $120k a year and spend every penny on travel or fun. I net enough each month to not need to save money. If something happens, like new tires or whatever, I just use some money from my next paycheck. The extra goes to travel plans. Wasting your life on saving money is silly and a waste of a life. Nobody gets to 75 with $10m in savings and says “I’m glad I didn’t take that $4,000 trip when I was 30 and now I’m too old and feeble to take the trip.” I have no plans to buy a home because I know the conversation will be “blah blah you have a lot of student loan debt.” And then I’ll say “I won’t ever make a payment so it’s irrelevant” and they’ll reject me. And my life plan is when my kid is out of the house in 4 years I will move to Europe or South America anyways. I feel sad for people who save every penny their whole life to buy a house.

Small Life wrote:

You Are On The Right Track wrote:

I am 35 and am in a similar situation but I also live car-free in an urban downtown area. It is great because not having a house or a car is a great filter against all the superficial people who do look down on people who don't have those things against wasting my valuable time and energy.

I live in a 1-bedroom 1,000 square foot apartment with the grocery store across the street. I built a lifestyle where I shop for fresh groceries everyday without having to look at the prices. I also sleep as much as I want, 9-10 hours a night, nap as needed, can train 100 miles a week, and fit remote work around my hobbies (instead of fitting hobbies around my work). I have no desire to be tied down to a house, own property, etc.

This to me is the true American dream. Not owning property means I can leave tomorrow without any commitments. I've had a stock portfolio since 2009 at the bottom of the great recession. Nothing sexy, just long-term compounding interest in blue chip stock indices.

Lots of people who are into the club scene or who believe in grinding 24/7 to buy cars, houses, girls, etc. hate me; and others who subscribe to that lifestyle I think are jealous.

I don't attribute my success to any big secrets. I am conscious enough to know that it was a mix of skill, consistency, AND luck to get to where I'm at.

I think the ability to focus without distractions for 4 to 6 hours a day and eliminate distractions against AI, doomscrolling, social media, gossip, tv, etc. will increasingly separate the winners and losers in society.

Your identity is formed around your hobbies which I think can be assumed to be running. You are 35. If you are a competitive runner, those days will soon come to an end. They could end tomorrow with an injury. This is why it is not wise to form your life around a hobby. Hobbies are great but they compliment a more fundamental understanding of your self which must be defined by those immutable characteristics which make up who we are from birth to death. Our family. Our community. If you are lucky, your religion. Your race. Your sex. This is a more mature understanding of identity than what is popular today which likes to imagine you can take off and put on any identity you desire. You value over everything else having a freedom from all responsibilities. Obligations. Commitments. The result is loneliness. The result is that you are not part of any community. Community is defined by being obliged to one another. You think you are "winning" but I assure you, you are not.

Stop wasting time wrote:

My net worth is -$550k from student loans I have never and will never make a payment on. It’s high because of interest stacking up and never making payments. Anyways, I make $120k a year and spend every penny on travel or fun. I net enough each month to not need to save money. If something happens, like new tires or whatever, I just use some money from my next paycheck. The extra goes to travel plans. Wasting your life on saving money is silly and a waste of a life. Nobody gets to 75 with $10m in savings and says “I’m glad I didn’t take that $4,000 trip when I was 30 and now I’m too old and feeble to take the trip.” I have no plans to buy a home because I know the conversation will be “blah blah you have a lot of student loan debt.” And then I’ll say “I won’t ever make a payment so it’s irrelevant” and they’ll reject me. And my life plan is when my kid is out of the house in 4 years I will move to Europe or South America anyways. I feel sad for people who save every penny their whole life to buy a house.