[Tyler_JC]

Has your standard of living improved over the past 10 years?

It's a simple question.

[Baldwin]

A little bit yes. The family has more disposable income. Most of it goes directly to the bank though.

Since college is a year away for me and 2 for my sister, things will get tighter....

My grandfather's condition is slightly worse off. His investments haven't quite bounced back entirely from the market crash in 2001. However, his executive level pensions and such insure he won't have to ever worry about losing his two residences for the rest of his life. Even at hs worst point after the tech buble burst, he is still better off than us at our best point.

[Narz]

Hell yeah. 10 years ago I was in reform school. Now I'm free.

[Tyler_JC]

So far most people say they are better off. We shall see how the results develop.

My hypothesis was that most doomers have seen their world sinking for a while and therefore would conclude that it can only keep getting worse.

The more optimistic crowd has probably seen a decade of improvement and doesn't see the world crashing down in the same way that the "worse off after 10 years" crowd does.

[Baldwin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'S')o far most people say they are better off. We shall see how the results develop.

My hypothesis was that most doomers have seen their world sinking for a while and therefore would conclude that it can only keep getting worse.

The more optimistic crowd has probably seen a decade of improvement and doesn't see the world crashing down in the same way that the "worse off after 10 years" crowd does.

[PeakOiler]

Yes.

This little house on 2.3 acres are paid off, and in two months, no more car payments!

Being debt-free will certainly be different.

[Tyler_JC]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Baldwin', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'S')o far most people say they are better off. We shall see how the results develop.

My hypothesis was that most doomers have seen their world sinking for a while and therefore would conclude that it can only keep getting worse.

The more optimistic crowd has probably seen a decade of improvement and doesn't see the world crashing down in the same way that the "worse off after 10 years" crowd does.

[Ludi]

Much better off. Ten years ago I was living in a leaky rental house in Burbank. Now I'm spending half as much per month to buy a house on 20 acres (land owned free and clear). I'm better off than I've ever been in my life.


I don't think "doomerism" has much to do with people seeing their own situation sinking over the years. I certainly don't get that impression from the doomers here.

[Chaparral]

No question about it: courtesy of leverage and real estate appreciation, I am stratospherically: two orders of magnitude, better off now than ten years ago and in many more ways than just money.

Ten years ago I was obscessive-compulsive-competitive, just like every other over-leveraged Luxury-car driving fellow stuck on the freeways while conniving on the cell phone to snag that next rental property. A little knowledge of the future, voluntary simplicity, powerdown, the value of time and leisure versus more material possessions have all added to my quality of life.

[katkinkate]

Slightly better off. Better paying job. More $ in my investments. Hopes for the future looking shaky though.

[Baldwin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('katkinkate', 'S')lightly better off. Better paying job. More $ in my investments. Hopes for the future looking shaky though.

[I_Like_Plants]

10 years ago: I lived in a room in a shared house, had no car and was just about to buy a junky pickup truck. I ate modestly, thought a can'a vienna sausage heated in the uWave with mustard was a real treat. I was considering going to work at Radio Shack, since I was basically unemployed. I wasn't making enough to pay taxes. I had no debt.

Now: I live in a nice apartment in Silicon Valley, drive a Prius, make about what an engineer does, make my own hours, have decent credit, and if I feel like it, darn it, I go downtown and have sushi. I have tons of debt, worry about it ALL the time, and am basically trapped working my ass off until I either pay down enough that the rest will be easy, or something happens like injury, sickness, mental breakdown, in which case I won't be able to pay it down and then will be headed towards a future of rented rooms and sketchy under the table jobs, that I'm probably headed for anyway.

Obviously, I was far better off 10 years ago. I'd go back if I could snap my fingers and have it happen.

It was credit and the Internet that are the changes in my life that made things go so far downhill. Everything new is bad - I treat technical innovations in general like the offerings of a vacuum cleaner salesman.

If however I'd gone somehow backwards into an Amish type living, I'd have ended up better off. Proably own land or interest in some farm, healthier, fitter, have actual friends, etc.

Tech = bad, never forget this.

[eastbay]

Go back 12 years. In debt to the tune of about $200,000. Now that's some grounds for serious doom. But strangely the future looked bright to us. We had just got married and had a baby on the way. We were in a 900 sq ft condo and happy as can be. I remember celebrating one day about 8 years ago the fact that we had finally reached zero net worth. That was a very happy day.

At that time my 4X4 pick-up got 11 mpg and we didn't care because gas was (almost) free back then and we hadn't yet heard the term, 'peak oil'.

Now, the debts are gone, the condo is sold and the house is paid off. Our monthly expenditures are very low. Plus, thanks to this site and what we've learned in the past three years about oil depletion, our net worth is climbing like mad. Unless something really catastrpohic happens to the economy in the next two to three years we will be happily adding on another zero thereby possibly helping our family get through this disaster.

Interestingly, the way we live... our 'lifestyle'... hasn't changed that much with the exception of now riding a bicycle or the 150cc scooter rather than a Harley. The cars we now have are gas sippers... but unlike many, we don't view that as a lifestyle change.

The idea that dommerism is created by an unfavorable personal financial position is probably false. I believe it's created instead by a clear and accurate perspective of reality based on the evidence.

[topcat]

Hard to quantify:

More money in the bank,
Less hair,
More fat,
Less muscle,
More bills,
Less debt,
More years older,
Less stupid,

Bottom line: I got married six years ago!!!

[I_Like_Plants]

Zero ... net.... worth.... (makes drooling sounds like Homer Simpson does when he contemplates a donut...)

[Prince]

I answered "not sure" because there are various means to interpret "better off". Am I financially better off now than I was 10 years ago? Well, 10 years ago I was fresh out of high school, and in the years since I'm graduated from college and make a decent living. So naturally, as one grows from a teenager to adult he/she will be better off.

However, in terms of health, happiness, awareness, and personal drive I was much better off at age 18. There's not a day that goes back that I don't wish I could go back in time and do everything in the last 10 years over. My life is decent, but a few choices at age 18-24 would have made it a lot better. I guess we can all say that. Also, I don't have nearly the drive and motivation now that I had 10 years ago.

Also, I think we have ask ourselves under a general consensus if we're better off now than 10 years ago. Given all that has happened in the world in the last 10 years, I don't think, as a whole, we can honestly say that times are better now than they were back then.

[Evltre]

Financially yes - thanks to PO - finally kicked my "expensive designer boots habit" and out of debt! Earn more (well not at the moment, I'm a student - but until quitting end of last year I was!) and hubby earns more too (10 years ago HE was the student!)

Am more wealthy in other ways too - knowledge, skills, understanding, compassion, etc

All in all, MUCH more non-tangible wealth, a bit more of the hard cold kind.

[I_Like_Plants]

OK good point, but while I consider myself much better off 10 years ago, if you'd asked me if I were better off in 1997 than in 1987, I'd have said I was better off, I was making less, but had more free time, and less worries about getting fired from a job I didn't have - I did odd swapmeet sales, the occasional piece of artwork, etc.

So let's see.... in my case, I was best off when I was working the least, making the least, but keeping a roof over my head and had the most choice about what I was going to do each day when I got up in the morning.

[dissimulo]

I've never been more successful, wealthy, secure, or happy. Life is great.

Ironically enough, that is why I worry about the future.

[strider3700]

10 years ago I was heavily in debt looking to get further in debt halfway through university. I've mostly worked since then so of course I'm better off then I used to be.

Really look at the economy the last 10 years. It's hard not to be better off at least on paper.

Now go ahead and ask if I think I'll be better off in 10 years. 2017 isn't that far off.