Health & Family Alternate strategy to achieve rewarding lifestyle and wealthy retirement

Discussion in 'Living Room' started by proper_noobie, 18th Aug, 2015.

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  1. Peter_Tersteeg

    Peter_Tersteeg Mortgage Broker Business Member

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    @wobbycarly there was a B grade movie made years ago that addresses your point. A guy with an average IQ is frozen, wakes up 200 years later to find he's the smarted guy alive (it was a B grade comedy).

    The premise was that the educated couples put children on hold for career, financial and lifestyle considerations, then couldn't have kids. Meanwhile the rednecks and trailer trash were popping them out like ping-pong balls (yes I know it's a bit offensive, but I'm trying to paint a picture).

    Essentially intelligence is humanities evolutionary advantage, but in a twist of reverse Darwinism, the morons were breeding like rabbits, getting dumber with every generation. The genius' were taking themselves out of the gene pool due to their intelligence.
     
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  2. Chilliblue

    Chilliblue Well-Known Member

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    Peter, happy to lend my two any time
     
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  3. proper_noobie

    proper_noobie Well-Known Member

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    In my family, social and work circle, everyone has kids so not wanting them seems to indirectly offend the people who have them.

    I'm often asked who's going to take care of me when I'm old, don't I want my blood line continuing, do it for your parents, it's different when they're yours, you were a child once, it's selfish to not have children etc.

    Therefore it's pleasant to hear the thoughts of people who don't immediately wonder what's wrong with you if you haven't had one.
     
  4. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    It's not necessarily one or the other though. As long as you have the funds, you can do (nearly) everything you want once you have children.

    We're considering having children in the not too distant future and I can see how it would be a bit of a struggle going from two incomes to one and having to feed another mouth.
    However, we'll have a not insignificant property portfolio by the time we have a child. Sure, it will slow down the accumulation of further IPs, but very slowly, the portfolio is snowballing and will allow us to continue to purchase without any external money being put into it.

    So basically all of my salary can be money to live on without saving any of it and we'll still get ahead (quite slowly).

    I've got family in Europe, so I'm happy to know that once we have children, we could fly over there once a year if we wanted to.
     
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  5. HUGH72

    HUGH72 Well-Known Member

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    I don't know why you would expect a lot of hate for your post, life's full of choices and you have had yours. I don't understand why anyone would feel the need to try and convince you otherwise.
     
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  6. JacM

    JacM VIC Buyer's Agent - Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat Business Member

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    This film is called Idiocracy and is well worth a watch. Yes they took it a bit to the extreme to drive the point home, but the reality is that we are pretty much on the path they depicted which is troubling.
     
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  7. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    Planet of the Apes also seems to fit the synopsis. ;)
     
  8. Bayview

    Bayview Well-Known Member

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    I only ever wanted one child.

    Now we have 3; 3rd was an accident which came at a very bad time financially for us.

    But, I wouldn't swap them for the world.

    My brother and SIL vowed to never have kids; never wanted them; and now they have two girls they adore.
     
  9. geoffw

    geoffw Moderator Staff Member

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  10. 158

    158 Well-Known Member

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    I understand @D.T. 's decision to not have kids as one of no interest, which is fine by me. Bringing up kids that are unwanted is hard on both ends of the spectrum.

    What I don't agree with is basing a decision of kids or no kids on financial grounds. To me, that shows an elitist ignorance on the subject.

    pinkboy
     
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  11. KMD

    KMD Well-Known Member

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    I too didn't want to have kids only because I thought I had no maternal instincts but I did have two beautiful boys who are now wonderful adults. At no stage did they ever stop me from doing what I wanted. I have always been on an average if not below average wage and we still managed to go on holidays annually and buy properties. In my case it was being authentic and doing what I wanted to do.
     
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  12. Vacant

    Vacant Well-Known Member

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    My (now) wife and I had a tough decision to make 5 years when we were both 22. Basically, it came down to a short window of opportunity to have kids. We made the decision to go for it and now we have two happy healthy boys (although 2/3rds of the second pregnancy were spent in hospital or on bedrest.) I have not regretted it once.

    At the time I was earning $18 an hour and she was studying and waitressing. Unfortunately study got put on the back burner when our son was born and so did her work. By the time he was born we had bought a PPOR for $282k. I had received a pay rise, up to $20 an hour, and was creating my own business on the side which this year has become my sole employment.

    In those years we have averaged at least two weeks overseas and have since upgraded to a nicer PPOR although we had to sell our first house to fund it.

    Not a raging success story as far as property investment goes but it has been a fantastic lesson in budgeting. We survived the last few years on $600 per week, built a business, renovated and made a fair profit and have started a family. I think kids has changed my priorities from playing rugby and sinking beers to spending time with family and creating a promising future for us.

    Planning to spend the next two years getting the business humming and then we'll be in an excellent position to start building our portfolio, especially when the kids go to school and we get a significant second income.

    Your situation is what is is. You can change aspects of it but learning to make the hand your dealt work for you is far more important in my opinion. Your mindset is the thing that will either propel you forward or hold you back.
     
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  13. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    It's a crazy messed up world and you can do what ever you want, don't be afraid to people where to go if they don't agree with your choices. People probably tell you your crazy for investing in property too!
    "opinions are like *******s, everyone's got one but nobody likes the smell of anyone elses"

    It's big call to have kids but you don't want to be undecided and then miss the boat for being able to have kids naturally.

    I worked with a guy who didn't have kids, he described it like he never grew up, he missed that step in life. He also had 3 boats and a caravan! So he was fishing and exploring islands on weekends while I was changing nappies! (we still have fun when not changing nappies)
     
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  14. Mombius Hibachi

    Mombius Hibachi Well-Known Member

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    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/
     
  15. lightbulbmoment

    lightbulbmoment Well-Known Member

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    Have kids and lead happy family life with not much excitment or dont have kids have a different gf every night of the week and do whatever you want hmmmmm decisions....
     
  16. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    F me! That would be harder than having kids!
     
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  17. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    It's a reasonable assertion and you are not the only one who has talked about the progressive dumbing down of Australia. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. I went to uni with one of the dumbest kids I have ever encountered and was floored to find out his parents were a doctor and a physiotherapist. Sometimes even the smartest parents have stupid children. Conversely, there are some quite average parents I know who have brilliant kids who excel at school. This does give me some hope :)
     
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  18. miked

    miked Well-Known Member

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    I resent you calling that movie B grade!
     
  19. Bayview

    Bayview Well-Known Member

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    Two things;
    1. Having kids is definitely lots of excitement
    2. A new GF everynight would probably be very expensive.
    :D
     
  20. The Falcon

    The Falcon Well-Known Member

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    I think the thread title is somewhat misleading, what I am reading from the OPs position is ; if you have weak earning power then don't have kids. And fair enough too. They aren't cheap or easy....but neither are most things that are worthwhile. That said, OPs friends do sounds like a pack of dropkicks, and if that was my reference point I wouldn't want kids either!

    By way of reference, out my very close friendship group (since H.S. days), 5 in total, 3 have kids and 2 don't. (I am included in the 3). The other 2 with kids both have live in au pairs whereas we aren't the live in help type. None of us have trouble getting out on a Friday for Dinner and drinks sans kids/wives, annual overseas boys trips (eg. HK Sevens). So not much change on that side of things...fortunately, our spouses are pretty good - now this is a key point! A precursor to happy life with kids is a great spouse. Without one...forget about it. Now, other side of the coin, we have a very happy and funny little character in our house who has just turned 3. She wakes us up at night from time to time, but thats nothing. The joy and laughs she brings make up for this by about a factor of 100. And I was one who had zero interest in kids until about 4 years ago (then 33).

    To each their own. Either choice is valid :)
     
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