"I Feel Good"

[richardp69]

James Brown got it right I think. I must say that's a bit of an exaggeration though. Old age is a challenge with a whole lot of pain and other issues I had hoped to avoid but it is what it is, I'm still breathing and I've been blessed so no bitches from me.

Why I feel so good today is that for the 1st time in likely 15 years I am gear debt free and my goal is to try and stay that way. I was a smart buyer (usually) and only bought something if it was a really good deal, it was a piece I'd always lusted for or it was a way to help out a friend who needed to score some quick bucks. And, when I bought on a credit card/PayPal etc. I nearly always was able to do so with zero interest/financing fees so that was a good thing. But, that darned debt came due every month which wasn't cool. Now, it's gone and I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders.

But, something happened on my way to tomorrow. It seems I've lost my lust/passion for buying guitars. I've just kind of lost interest. You've likely seen I've been listing a few and there are more to go for sure. I plan to invest quite a bit into the landscaping around my place and that's where some of it will go and I may even be able to add a few bucks to my savings reserve for unexpected health challenges which seem to happen more often than I'd like.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still likely hold onto 20 or more of my favorite Guilds, a couple Martins I like and a bunch of the Custom made Richie Crowder guitars. The Crowder guitars are mostly exotic woods that I had never owned or played before so that's fun and interesting.

Anyway, not really sure the point of this post but like I said "I Feel Good".

 

[Westerly Wood]

Congrats!

 

[twocorgis]

After my ex left me with a lot of debt, I curtailed a lot of my usual spending (yeah even on guitars, but not completely), and channeled all the debt into my HELOC (which used to be tax deductible until the end of 2017). It took me 4 1/2 years of miserly living to pay it all off, but it was gone at the beginning of 2021. And you're right; being debt-free is a huge weight off your shoulders.

I still have the usual monthly upkeep on the house, property taxes and the like, but they're easily managed. Now I can own some of the cool guitars and basses that I wasn't able to before, and have money (if not time yet) to travel.

 

[walrus]

+1. We paid off the mortgage several years and have been debt-free for a while. Great feeling!

Good on you, Richard!

walrus

 

[Rocky]

Carried debt = indentured servitude. Unless it's a house or a car, one should strive to avoid it, though obviously it can be necessary.

Congratulations!

 

[GGJaguar]

Fantastic! Glad you'll keep some of your favorite guitars, too.

 

[GAD]

Ain't nothing wrong with that. Congrats! Taking action to get where you want is always a good thing!

 

[FNG]

20+ guitars is enough to keep you busy!

 

[Stuball48]

Richard:
Wealthy people never get to feel "that feeling of making last payment on a vehicle, house, boat, or guitars." It is a magical feeling and congratulations on experiencing it.
Because of your kindness and generosity, two guitar lovers in Tennessee have gotten to experience guitars we thought were, only, in our minds.
And I suspect we are not the only ones.
The best of health and guitars!!

 

[bobouz]

Managed to retire debt free almost seven years ago. Made my last guitar purchase about six years ago, with the total at 30, plus 3 mandolins. Having had many guitars pass through my hands in the last fifty years, I knew what I wanted to keep, and knew when I was done. Indeed, it’s a good feeling, and there’s plenty of playing & tweaking to be done on the instruments that remain. Sit back & thoroughly enjoy, Richard!

 

[HeyMikey]

It’s just the winter doldrums Richard. You’ll be back to normal come springtime.

 

[richardp69]

It’s just the winter doldrums Richard. You’ll be back to normal come springtime.

Seriously don't think so. Besides, I love the winter.

 

[Westerly Wood]

I got probably 15 years till I am retired and debt free. And I pretty much got to stick with the Guilds I got. You done real good Richard!

 

[West R Lee]

Richard:
Wealthy people never get to feel "that feeling of making last payment on a vehicle, house, boat, or guitars." It is a magical feeling and congratulations on experiencing it.
Because of your kindness and generosity, two guitar lovers in Tennessee have gotten to experience guitars we thought were, only, in our minds.
And I suspect we are not the only ones.
The best of health and guitars!!

Though we've been totally debt free for about 4 years now, I remember paying off each and every debt with tremendous satisfaction. The greatest moment was making the transfer which payed off the mortgage. Since then, and now on a limited fixed income, the idea of debt horrifies me. I guess when you've worked so hard to pay it off, and you remember that burden so vividly, it makes it so much easier to never allow it to happen again.

Congratulations Richard. It does take a little self discipline, doesn't it. If your attitude is like mine, I've discovered that quality is much more important to me than quantity. Those guitars that didn't get much play?.........well now people own them who'll play them.

And Sandy, in 1997, my first wife left me with over $40,000 ('97 dollars) credit card debt that I had no idea she'd incurred. I only owed 7 more years on that house, and she wanted it badly. So we made a deal........I took all of her credit card debt (which she'd have never paid anyway) and gave her all the equity in that home. In return, she signed off on no claim to my pension, or my 401K. It worked, though I lived on Ramen noodles and hot dogs for a few years, looking back in these retirement years, man, was that a great tradeoff . I had a very good lawyer. By the way, she sold that home and went through that money in 6 months. No kidding.

West

 

[twocorgis]

Though we've been totally debt free for about 4 years now, I remember paying off each and every debt with tremendous satisfaction. The greatest moment was making the transfer which payed off the mortgage. Since then, and now on a limited fixed income, the idea of debt horrifies me. I guess when you've worked so hard to pay it off, and you remember that burden so vividly, it makes it so much easier to never allow it to happen again.

Congratulations Richard. It does take a little self discipline, doesn't it. If your attitude is like mine, I've discovered that quality is much more important to me than quantity. Those guitars that didn't get much play?.........well now people own them who'll play them.

And Sandy, in 1997, my first wife left me with over $40,000 ('97 dollars) credit card debt that I had no idea she'd incurred. I only owed 7 more years on that house, and she wanted it badly. So we made a deal........I took all of her credit card debt (which she'd have never paid anyway) and gave her all the equity in that home. In return, she signed off on no claim to my pension, or my 401K. It worked, though I lived on Ramen noodles and hot dogs for a few years, looking back in these retirement years, man, was that a great tradeoff . I had a very good lawyer. By the way, she sold that home and went through that money in 6 months. No kidding.

West

Boy Jim, that sounds like my ex, only she ran up more like to $140K between credit cards and the HELOC while I was trusting her to handle the finances.

I took over the finances, and put as much of the CC balance on the HELOC, and started chipping away. I also had a good lawyer, and did a lot of the legwork myself, but it worked out great. I agreed to suck up all the debt (which she was incapable of paying), and she agreed to leave, and moved back to Maryland near her family. We didn't have any kids, so that's the last I've seen of her.

My friend Ken is a Marital mediator (think divorce lawyer lite), and he told me that it's expensive but worth every penny. He was right!

 

[West R Lee]

Small world, and proves no matter where we live, we all go through the same joy and misery Sandy. That $40,000 was just the debt I took with me Sandy, but then there was all the debt she constantly incurred for the 13 or so years we were married. I was constantly trying to save, and it was one step forward, and 5 steps back.

But after we split, and after I assumed all of that debt, Mrs. West and I had to learn how to budget. Oh I'd always tried to do a budget, but not like we did. When my wife and I were married, she was actually more frugal than I was. So for us, once we learned how to really budget and how to sacrifice, well saving became easy. To this day it remains that way. Oh there have been many times we've had to make adjustments, primarily while the kids were in school, but when they got out of college, we didn't see the surplus as extra spending money, we saw it as extra savings. And therein lies the discipline.

And you might ask.........but how do you buy a new, expensive guitar? I budget for it. I find something to sell or I save money. And Mrs. West has her luxuries as well.......a trip to Europe comes to mind, but it too was budgeted for by us both.

So Sandy, if you're like us, that divorce was in more ways than one, the best thing that ever happened to me.......aside from our kids and grandkids of course.

West

 

[JohnW63]

< Que the dramatic music> "It seems I've lost my lust/passion for buying guitars".

Ok.. the next logical step is to find enlightenment and decide to gift a number of the guitars you still have to your friends in a guitar related forum that have always been here to help you. Even if they don't have 10,000 posts. Think how much of a burden we could lift from your shoulders. All the humidifing and cleaning, and restringing and worrying that you've ignored this or that guitar for too long. I could go on, but, I think you get the point. Just let me know when I can assist in this process.

( Press play on " Bridge over troubled water " and watch his resistance weaken and my glorious plan take shape. )

 

[walrus]

You guys are making me feel inadequate because I've been happily married for 40 years this May, we've always been frugal, and I'm debt free, looking to retire in a few years. Cripes, my wife even donated a kidney for me!

Where did I go wrong?

walrus

 

[richardp69]

You guys are making me feel inadequate because I've been happily married for 40 years this May, we've always been frugal, and I'm debt free, looking to retire in a few years. Cripes, my wife even donated a kidney for me!

Where did I go wrong?

walrus

I haven't done so well in the marriage department either but it was mostly my fault.

I like hearing about couples like you that were able to make it work. Great job Walrus and Mrs. Walrus!!!!

 

[West R Lee]

You guys are making me feel inadequate because I've been happily married for 40 years this May, we've always been frugal, and I'm debt free, looking to retire in a few years. Cripes, my wife even donated a kidney for me!

Where did I go wrong?

walrus

It actually sounds as if you both were quite adequate. Congratulations Walrus. I envy you my friend.

West