A Squealing Penny

 

Pat asked the other day if I am going to have my Summer off... or if I am teaching.  The short answer is, I am getting ready for the start of my accelerated Summer session.  But, thinking of Pat's question, gave me reason to ponder further:

We are not required to teach in either of the two Summer sessions that the U has.  But, we may do so if desired.  In the many decades I have been at the U, I have NEVER forgone the opportunity to earn extra pay by teaching in a Summer session.  It never even really occurred to me to NOT pick up a class.  

Now, my parents were both significantly impacted by the Great Depression.  Both were born ahead of its start, and both experienced their latter childhood and young adulthood during the Great Depression.  This lead both of them to be financially careful in life.  And, they also attempted to instill in their offspring, the value of being careful and wise about money.  

I took my parent's concerns about finances to heart, myself.  I have always been a frugal.  I am often times thought of as being quite a bit of a penny-pincher.  I am not really sure if my frugality is a good thing or not, but I accept that is how I am and I suspect I will always be.  

One of my sisters, by contrast, has lived a life fairly close to "polar opposite" to my parent's suggested carefulness about money.  This sister would spend freely, and often, and often without thought.  And, she and her husband always had considerable credit card debt and loans for the very many new vehicles they drove, and always bought the "trendy" newest gizmos and things nearly the second they were produced.  My sister's husband eventually had an affair, and they divorced, my sister was able to receive an annulment, and eventually remarried a nicer fellow who is generally more frugal, even though she likes to try to get him to spend more freely.  

So, to the point of Pat's question.... yes, I am teaching this Summer.  In THEORY, I think our retirement "portfolio" is probably pretty "ok", and I do try to do all the things recommended by the U's retirement consultants plus a bit more.  But I try to not think about it much because I have a tendency to imagine apocalyptic sorts of scenarios about it.... imagining all sorts of potential plagues (ha), depressions, inflationary spirals, and health care implosions that could easily cause us to become destitute and homeless in old age.  It is unfortunately a way that I am "wired" I guess.  Instead, my wife, who is more comfortable with those sorts of things, acts as our official "overseer" of these matters about retirement, and she will on an occasional basis attempt to reassure me that things are "fine".  

The penny-pinching fear/anxiety is probably a significant part of why I have only ONE TIME purchased a new vehicle (all others have been used.... and the one new one I bought long ago.... I regretted, not because it wasn't nice, but because I felt I squandered away hard earned funds on something utterly frivolous.  It is why I comparison shop exhaustively for damn near anything I buy.  I will gladly buy and wear used clothes at rummage sales, Goodwill, etc.  

PipeTobacco