Fortunate or unfortunate?

[Charade]

I was having a discussion last night and stated that I've never been in the situation where I had to worry about scrimping money just to exist. Granted, I'm not rich and have alway managed my money fairly well and have maintained a good paying job.

The question is, am I lucky or fortunate for being in that circumstance or would I be unlucky or unfortunate if I had not? What is the norm?

IOW, is it lucky or fortunate to succeed or unlucky or unfortunate to not?

 

[budbeerlady]

I am not an english pro but I would use the term fortunate for your circumstances.

I didnt think it was unfortunante to have to return pop cans some days for gas money, it was life. So in my mind I am fortunante to not be in that position now.

 

[BuckNaked]

I personally think it is good to have to really, truly scrimp at some point.

We've always been good with our money too, lived below our means, lots of savings, etc., but money was never really "tight" until we moved to DC.

We were still paying a mortgage on our home in Alabama, but lost our housing allowance, had to pay tuition for DD's school and much higher daycare costs for DS, and to top it off, they overpaid us for the move by $1600, and said they were taking it all back over a three month period, which really hurt.

We didn't want to touch our savings, if at all possible, and we wanted to try to keep putting money away, so that we wouldn't "get out of the habit" of saving, so we really struggled during that first three months. Granted, we didn't have to, we chose to in order to keep up our savings, but there were still times when we had a long weekend until payday and $20 in the checking account.

I hated it when it was happening, but in the long run, it was good for us. We found out how little we could live on if we had to, and once the debt was paid back to the Air Force, we actually started saving a little bit more than we had been before.

 

[Mr. Malaprop]

I don't believe in luck or fortune (fortunate). I am in the position I am in today due to hard work/effort.

 

[orljustin]

I don't believe in luck or fortune (fortunate). I am in the position I am in today due to hard work/effort.

Good view. If more people thought this, we might avoid the entitlement attitude that exists in some today.

 

[BuckNaked]

I would say that I was lucky I was born where I was and into the family I was, but other than that, no, I don't think the success we enjoy is just luck.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I personally think it is good to have to really, truly scrimp at some point.

I agree. What I learned from being poor (and horrible with credit cards) when I was young has helped me be a good steward of my finances now. I clearly remember the weeks on end where dinner was ramen alternated with mac and cheese. I remember walking 5 miles from the Metro station because if I spent $1.00 on the bus I'd run out of money. I remember never answering my phone because it was likely a bill collector.

I went through all of that during college and vowed never to be in that position again. I'm careful with my money and really value everything DH and I have achieved together. I don't know if I'd be as thankful if I hadn't struggled so much.

 

[minkydog]

I don't believe in luck, but I believe someone can control their fortune to a degree. As you said, you have planned well and so far, been fortunate not to have had to scrimp for money. I would say that due to good planning, you have been fortunate. I don't think that without your good planning you would be in the same position.

sometimes unfortunate things happen. Your house burns down, your stock goes bust, you have health problems. Those aren't necessarily due to poor planning, but if you have not been a good planner those things can rocket you into poverty.

Some would say that my family has been unfortunate--my DH is disabled with a lung condition, my DS is disabled with severe brain damage. But I beg to differ--we feel very fortunate. Life is what you make of it. We planned well in our early years, got our educations, a 401K, & good insurance. The house is half paid off, very little debt. It's been rough at times, but we are so very fortunate. We can still do things together that have meaning to us. We can travel. We can enjoy the outdoors. Yes, there are serious health problems and DH will likely not live to be "retirement age". But for now, we have each other and we make the most of the time we have. No luck involved

 

[freckles and boo]

I would say that I was lucky I was born where I was and into the family I was, but other than that, no, I don't think the success we enjoy is just luck.

My opinion exactly.

 

[NMAmy]

sometimes unfortunate things happen. Your house burns down, your stock goes bust, you have health problems. Those aren't necessarily due to poor planning, but if you have not been a good planner those things can rocket you into poverty.

ITA. I have been in a position where I was just barely surviving. Instead of patting myself on the back for how much better things are now, I'm grateful that I have not had health issues or natural disasters that have taken that away from me.

I think the fact that I did have to go through that has made me much more compassionate with others who are struggling.

 

[JennyMominRI]

I don't believe in luck or fortune (fortunate). I am in the position I am in today due to hard work/effort.

I think it can be a bit of both,but for the most part I do believe that what be get in life is related to what we give..In all areas..
We could be in for some very tough times this year due to catastrophic illness...I certainly wouldn't blame that on a lack of hard work..Sometimes things happen.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Some would say that my family has been unfortunate--my DH is disabled with a lung condition, my DS is disabled with severe brain damage. But I beg to differ--we feel very fortunate. Life is what you make of it. We planned well in our early years, got our educations, a 401K, & good insurance. The house is half paid off, very little debt. It's been rough at times, but we are so very fortunate. We can still do things together that have meaning to us. We can travel. We can enjoy the outdoors. Yes, there are serious health problems and DH will likely not live to be "retirement age". But for now, we have each other and we make the most of the time we have. No luck involved

I'm very impressed with your attitude and you said things that I very much needed to hear right now..It probably wasn't your intent, but Thanks

 

[shirleyb]

I have had tough times in the past (some due to our fault, some out of our control), however, I consider myself fortunate that I have a wonderful family, a good education, and a good career.

I know, that if worse came to worse, my family of 5 could survive in a one bedroom apartment. We'd be together, and that's all that matters. We too, have had times where we've eaten lots of rice, because that's what we could afford, and it hasn't hurt us at all.

We live well below our means now - we make about 6 figures, but have 2 vehicles with each over 100,000 miles (no car payments), our house is only worth about $125,000 and our mortgage is $69,000. So, as you can imagine, our expenses don't keep us too strapped right now, and that's the way I like it.

 

[Alyssa88]

I don't believe in luck or fortune (fortunate). I am in the position I am in today due to hard work/effort.

I completely agree, unfortunately hard work isn't helping me pay my tuition, and trust me I work VERY hard. Sometimes I think luck may play a role. I was not fortunate enough to born into a priveledged family who were able to save money or at least co-sign my loans. I was fortuante enough to get a job which offered so many hours and allowed me to study, so I can save up and maintain excellent grades.


I do believe that it is because of hard work that I got into my university and I got good scholarships. I think it is because of hard work that I do get such great grades and can save sme money. I work very hard, but I started off a little lower on the socio-economic ladder, I can still end up in the same place but it takes extra hard work.

 

[DaisyD]

I don't think it is luck at all. I think it is making the right choices and working hard at it. We have never had to scrimp either. I give DH all the credit for working his way through college, making a smart career choice, and working very hard at it.

 

[Nascia]

I think it is a little of both. Dh and I consider ourselves very fortunate. We both came from blue color families. Our parents worked very hard, but could never be in a comfortable position financially, we were always scrimping and saving just to get by. Both families were very supportive, sacrificed and moved into good school districts so that we could get a solid education. They were very involved and constantly on us about grades, our activities and futures. We both went to good schools and colleges, he's already earned his masters and I am working on mine now. We are able to live fairly comfortably now on his salary alone.

That being said, I know several people that will never achieve financial freedom. They are hard working, but they never had the same opportunities we did. The schools they attended did not give them a solid education and basically made college enrollment impossible. They didn't and many still don't know how to use the internet or are unable to locate other resources that can help them better themselves. Their parents were either not involved, uneducated or unwilling to sacrifice for them. They will always work in low skill low pay positions.

I guess my point is that although you have worked hard to get where you are now, if your circumstances were different at birth (different parents, different socio-economic status) the outcome may have been completely different. I would say that you are very fortunate and have worked hard to ensure that you stay that way.

 

[chobie]

Both. I was lucky to be born into a family that valued education and saw to it we lived in neighborhoods that had good schools even though my parents could not always afford to live in those neighborhoods. I have worked hard since I was 12 at jobs, and as an adult at jobs, school and being parent, but I have been lucky to have family that has helped along the way. Had I grown up in a family that like some of the kids my husband has taught over the years has, I don't know if hard work would have been enough over come all the obstacles that were thrown in my path. I have seen kids who were homeless, who have had a parent commit suicide , who had to work as much as possible while trying to attend high school to help their parents support the family. It seems to me to be kind of hard to be studying for the SATS and all the other things needed to get into college when your home life sucks.

So both.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I'm in the Both camp too. I was lucky to be born to parents who valued hard work and taught me to do the same. We were lucky that we didn't have major health issues to deal with and that everyone was able to do that hard work. Dad worked 2 jobs most of my life and Mom worked from the time I was in first grade. I learned pretty early on that if you want Disney vacations, they don't just fall out of the sky. You have to work hard, pay your bills and if you're lucky AND work hard enough, you'll have some extra left over to make that trip to see the MOUSE.

 

[Chicago526]

Both. Luck to be born in a middle class family that valued hard work, and passed that value to their children. Hard work has helped me to continue to stay in the middle class.

Oh, and luck with good health. You can do all the right things to prevent illness and injury (not smoke, eat right, exercise, wear seat belts, etc.) and still get sick or injured. Some things you just can't control, and even with proper financial planning can leave you up poop's creek without a paddle!

 

[Bob Slydell]

I don't think you necessarily have to be in a position to scrimp and save in order to have a good mindset in terms of budgeting. DW and I have honestly never really struggled financially, but we've both been raised to be pretty conservative with money and even when our income continually increased, we've always maintained that philosophy. Yes, we've been fortunate and lucky in life, but we've also always focused on giving ourselves options in case of unlucky situations.