I'm not uber rich, but wealthy by the average household standard. I still shop used and I don't buy many flashy things. I think it's funny that people who don't know much about me think I'm a middle-class type guy because I shop for clothes at Target and groceries. I don't have a maid and I do my own housework, most of the time. One of my friends one time offered me a job that paid $150k, and I told him that would be a significant pay cut. He seemed to think I was lying.

Several years ago, my biggest financial mistake was buying an exotic car. I calculated anywhere from $3-$10 a mile depending on how it was, and something I might take for granted in my daily driver, like a road being repaved or a new speed bump in a parking lot were suddenly things that made me figure a different route. I had to stop by a grocery store on my way home one day and a speed bump in the parking lot damaged one of the plastic coverings on the bottom as I only had a 5" clearance. More than once, I caught people sitting on my car taking pictures.

I think that was a learning experience, and I spend a lot of time saying "Do I really need this?" before I buy something. I have bought many things I never used and would forget a purchase that I made online to be surprised by it showing up. Hobbies are like that, too. I felt guilty once because I spent $200 on a second-hand aquarium that came with everything. It was certainly worth more, but I felt like it was too expensive to just "buy."