It’s All Relative
November 5, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
“It’s All Relative”
I read somewhere that you should not discuss money with people that have more than you or less than you. I thought that was amusing and I thought - oh so true!
If you have more money than someone and you are discussing anything - home repair, vacation, or even simply grocery shopping, you do not have anything in common. You will either sound totally pompous or totally stupid! You cannot have discussions on the same level. You cannot relate!
Home Repair
People will make repairs based on their income level. If you need to make a repair to your home and you are on a budget you will probably try and go the “do it yourself” route. If you don’t really follow a budget, then you will probably hire it done or replace the whole project rather than repair it.
The “do it yourselfer” will probably be annoyed that they have to do everything and you can just hire it done”. If you are the homeowner with the advantage of hiring it done, you may be a little annoyed that you aren’t handy enough to fix it yourself. It’s all relative.
Vacation
So, the mountains of Vermont or the streets of London? Is that a comparison? It’s all relative. To some, Vermont might be the first choice. Especially if you are from London. It depends on what you are used to, what you are accustomed to. If you are a city dweller, the mountains of Vermont would probably be a dream come true. If you live in the country, the excitement of the city will catch your attention.
Shopping
Oh is it lobster or chicken? Is it Gucci or Wrangler? I shared a little of my childhood story a couple of weeks ago that describes the difference. I was talking to my boss one day about his good ole’ college days! He was complaining about eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches twice a week. He was explaining how rough he had it. It was an amusing little story because he has no idea what struggle is.
What do you find to be “all relative?”
Toodles - Blog Happy!
__________________________________________________________________________________
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one…”
- Albert Einstein
__________________________________________________________________________________
Related Posts
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
I totally agree with you on all of it. As i was reading it. i was like.. yup, yup, yup i agree.
@ Danielle
I know I was having a conversation yesterday with someone and I thought - What planet are you on? - People can live in different worlds less than a block apart. It’s all relative
Okay, so do you, like me, have $87.59 in the bank? If so, my finacial peer, let us chat!
Heeeeyy! How did you see my bank statement?? Now you know! We probably won’t be spending $500 on opera tickets now will we.
With regards to the home-fixing situation - I’m a do it yourselfer, but I always have to get someone in to fix what I “fixed” and end up paying twice
Webdesi3´s last blog post..HTML Tutorial: Forms
I just try not to discuss STUFF with anyone. I prefer to discuss thoughts and ideas.
You are sooo right! This is totally true - I’ve never thought of it this way before.
AverageGal´s last blog post..5 Common Business Card Mistakes
@ Webdesigner
I am definitely a do it yourselfer! I need more tools though. I have to wait until my husband leaves for work in the morning because he is not comfortable with my talents!
@ Vered
That might be the safest way to deal with it, but I’m thinking that eliminates a great deal of conversation? I don’t know, I’ll have to give your comment some thought.
@ Rachel
I’ve often had conversations with people where I thought we were talking about the same thing, turns out the topic was similar but that’s where that ended! I guess it’s like your own personal version of anything. Is your glass half full or half empty? or as you would say - just full!
i don,t think you can count your riches by the money you have or being poor by what you don,t have.i have no money but i feel rich and blessed
That is so humble and you know I have to agree. I feel richer and more blessed as well since I “downsized”, certainly less stressed!
Interesting! I’m not sure the problem of relating is about how much money we have … more about attaching some part of our identity to it. I know some people with a lot more money than I have who give the impression they think of themselves as more important, or better than me. It’s tough to relate to that!!
Ian Peatey´s last blog post..Protecting our children
Good Morning Ian,
Money can definitely identify who you are mostly to yourself. For as many people who think money makes them better there are just as many people who think lack of money makes them “not good enough”. In reality, it doesn’t make a difference in the quality of a person. It certainly makes a difference in what activities a person is able to experience. But again, that doesn’t make a person better or less, only different. Thanks for your thoughts.