Why are we so willing to spend other peoples money?

[ultrarunner]

Both my parents went thru the great depression. Tight does not begin to describe their relationship with money. I think both my parents had the first dollar they ever made still locked up in a bank when they passed. I know the thought of financial uncertainty was very stressful for both of them.

My Grandmother made the Depression very real to a very impressionable kid like me... she would point out the homes people lost in the 30's and how my father had a paper route at age 9 and contributed to the family turning over all his earnings... it is something you never forget.

Bought my first home in an area where my neighbors had all bought in the 1920's and never left... the home I bought was also from an original buyer in 1922.

The widows all were happy to show and tell me how things were back then... how the prosperity of the 20's disappeared... my next door neighbor was born in 1920 and a teen in the depression... her father died and her Momma said to her last breath she is not going to loose the house... she took in boarders, did laundry, grew vegetables, sewing, yard work etc... to make the mortgage.

She simply could not understand how people could willing walk away from their obligations...

The family I bought my home went bankrupt... they had a small dry goods store... it took Otto years but he paid back every supplier that he owed... he simply said he could never respect himself otherwise.

It's sad that people like this are far and few between today...

 

[varmint]

Good thread, sort of hashing out life styles and values... My parents too were products of the depression, and my dad's can-do attitude transferred to me (if he needed something, or something fixed, he took care of making/fixing it) which admittedly has gotten harder in an age where many things aren't made to be fixed, or are too complicated with electronics for a back yard mechanic. I fully agree that buying stuff, used to the point of being depreciated, which means that you basically are just parking your money in something useful until you no longer need it and can recover (most) of your investment is good sense, and allows some of us to have, and use, more equipment than is absolutely necessary.

In my case, I have a Kubota L3400 SSQA with a front snow plow, equipped just the way I want it, which goes mostly unused. But if I have to plow out after a 30" storm, I can. I can haul firewood out of the woods efficiently, in 4' lengths. I can replace wooden fence posts without killing myself with a post hole digger. If I have something heavy to move, I can do. I don't use it often enough, but I take care of it, and a battery tender seems to keep it ready for when I do need it. Fuel storage is a concern, but I can use old diesel in our oil burner tank, and buy fresh every so often if it bothers me. Best of all, I think I could sell it for what I have invested- maybe not my time, but money-wise. Just take care of it, and it will take care of you..

Ultrarunner's post above speaks about good people, good neighbors, and not folks you have to watch out for, looking to take advantage of you.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I know too many people that bought the cheapest old stuff out there and paid dearly for it, yet would not even acknowledge that. Paid dearly for it in repairs and worse in having a tool that wouldn't work the day they had precious time allocated for that particular task.

I still think it's Herd mentality and pressure. No one says boo, if you put in a swimming Pool that you hardly use, have a golf membership that you never get to use, have a camping trailer that sits besides your house (depreciating) 355 days a year, but buy a grader to groom your driveway, and you MUST be INSANE!

Seems to me, the herd just hates different!

 

[rScotty]

RE: "Why are we so willing to spend other peoples money?"

Maybe it's just a sign of the times. Maybe nothing is really different. Maybe it's still just forum members trying to help out others. It could be simply that helping takes a different form in today's world.

Think on this: If you went go back 15 or 20 years ago on this or other tractor forums - yes, they existed back then - you'd find that compact tractors then were just as popular as today, but credit was a lot harder to optain for rural purchases. Back then, you'd find forum member regularly recommending that a newby buy a good used tractor. That way he could learn to enjoy basic mechanical skills while saving his available cash.

In today's world, things are different. Easy credit may be a trap, but it is available enough that shopping and buying brand new anythings has become a popular hobby all its own. There's nothing wrong with that; the economy of the world runs on continually increasing manufacturing production.
And something else has changed..... The fun of fixing old things or of getting together with a buddy to work on old machinery doesn't have the appeal it once did. We value our time differently now.

The forum members are still trying to help. It's just that the way to help has switched from encouraging the mechanical side to encouraging more of the spending side of life.
Enjoy,
rScotty

 

[Texasmark]

There is a huge variation of people here. Different means, values and circumstances. You can't expect such a medium to address all that. Very often the wrong questions are being asked.

I have more passion for equipment then I do money. I have no one telling me what I can and can't have. I usually decide what kind of thing I want and then look to see if it exists. Rarely do I see someone with something, and say, I want that!

I go far out of my way to acquire what I have. Most people would not, it seems. Get up at four in the morning, drive six hours to an auction and spend another eight hours there just to get some cool piece of equipment.

So yeah, everyone is different. I guess my perspective based on my passion for this stuff is that you don't necessarily need to do , or get what everybody else has just because the herd says so.

So what's your point?

If it's a request for personal experiences/opinions on equipment they may or may not have what's wrong with that. Diversity is good. Getting perspectives from other folks helps you to understand where you think you are in understanding a subject, in this case, buying a piece of equipment. Beats buying it and then finding out that you bought a lemon which could have been avoided had you asked.

 

[firefighterjohn809]

....
Those $25k combos of tractors on their trailers with a little bush hog are very appealing and seductive.
Now to convince Mom...

Yes, they sure are appealing as we're moving on one now...and Mom is convinced. She sees how much work is done around our small farm, we're not getting any younger, kids no longer home to help, don't need to get injured doing back-breaking tasks...so in those terms it's justifiable to us. Plus, buying new with warranty -vs- used with uncertainty, is a HUGE factor.

I have also taken/read lots of free well thought out advice on this forum making me stop and think of factors I never considered.