From my father I learned to be moderate with spending, he always said that you couldn't spend more than you earned. In his time credit was not common, so it was unthinkable to be able to buy anything without money in hand. My father gathered step by step and in that way he was always able to have our home equipped with the essentials.
I kept that teaching from my father when I started to earn my own money, I bought the things I liked but without exceeding my budget.
My first few paychecks were dedicated to equipping my new home. I had just graduated and had decided to get married. My father-in-law had given me the refrigerator and the kitchen, so the first thing I bought was the double bed and a few things to prepare food.
Every two weeks I planned with my wife what the expenses would be, I didn't buy anything she didn't agree with.
Since we both liked music, I decided to buy a good sound system, which meant postponing the purchase of the living room and dining room furniture. My wife agreed and for a long time we ate our meals sitting on small rugs while listening to music.
Up to that point, the sound system was the most expensive thing I had ever bought in my life. To make it happen we were saving for several months, we went to Caracas and bought a modular Pioneer equipment, with a turntable, a plant and two gigantic horns. To bring it to Maracay we had to hire a cab to the bus stop and pay two extra seats on the bus from Caracas to Maracay, that way the sound system would travel safer.
After the sound equipment the next biggest expense was our first car. At that time, at the end of the seventies, the country had many car assemblers, we could get cars of the main American, European and Asian brands.
My father had recommended us to buy an American brand because, according to him, they were more reliable in the supply of spare parts.
In those years it was very easy to get a credit to buy vehicles, all the agencies offered their financing plans. Since I had a stable job as a teacher, it was very easy for me to get the credit, I gave a down payment of thirty percent and they financed the rest in sixteen installments. I left the agency with my Dodge Dart, zero kilometer, model 77.
It was the first time I had ever seen my budget compromised. However, my income was sufficient to pay the installments, I could even advance some of them, so I finished paying for the vehicle in less than a year.
Soon after, we needed to get another vehicle for my wife. We put together the down payment and since we both liked adventure we decided on an all terrain vehicle. That second car, a Jeep CJ7, 1980 model, was a little more expensive than the first one and they gave me a longer financing, but I still paid it off early. That Jeep gave me a lot of satisfaction, allowed me to see many places and I kept it for more than twenty years.
All the other big expenses I remember are related to the remodeling of the house. Shortly after my last daughter was born, my wife and I decided to build an annex for her future. For several years we dedicated ourselves to that project until we finished it.
In those days things began to change in the country and the economy deteriorated rapidly. When my daughter graduated from university she invited her friends to visit her in the annex, she told them that it was her home. However, there came a time when the economic crisis became unsustainable and my daughter decided to emigrate to Europe.
At times my wife and I have decided to rent the annexe, so we have been able to get by in difficult times. However, when it is not necessary we keep it empty. Sometimes it is not easy to get the right tenants.
At present all our major expenses are related to the maintenance of the vehicles. Both cars are already quite old, mine is 17 years old, and my wife's Terios is 20 years old. And even though we do very little driving now, we are always replacing parts.
But keeping the vehicles in good condition is indispensable for us, we live in the outskirts of the city and the vehicles make our lives much easier. So that expense is more than justified.
I am publishing this post motivated by the initiative proposed by my friend @ericvancewalton, Memoir Monday, in the forty three week. For more information click on the link.
Thanks for your time.
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