When I graduated from college I thought I was balling with a $40k/year entry level job. Now 6 years later, not only do I make a lot more, but my budget is still pretty much the same as it was back then. What happened to it all? Where did it all go?

<hr><br><br>Edit: Sorry guys not trying to brag, I’m just frustrated. I did try harder to get higher paying careers so I guess it all added up. After I took my first job making $40k/yr I pivoted my career towards higher paying industries. I did get a new job making a lot more than I was 6 years ago but not 7 figures lol. I do have over 1M in my investment accounts but that is not liquid. I know a lot of you are in the same position as you were 6 years ago. <br><br>I grew up frugal. We didn’t have a lot of money. I always had to be careful with what I bought because we didn’t have a lot. I was probably 16 and was buying fast food when I realized I’m actually paying for it. I was also reading my paycheck and realized tips are taxed. That’s when I realized I’m paying for it. It clipped something inside of me. I realized I don’t need things. I don’t need to spend money on anything. My money is mine and I earned it. I was clipped into reality. It’s been harder since getting married. It’s been even harder with having kids. I’ve had to come to the realization they’re not actually mine. Kids are collective. It’s not just them and me. It’s my entire family. We call them our children. There’s a lot of wisdom in that.<br><br>I didn’t get a job in college because I was a major in my field. I had to study. I had to work extra hard to make sure I graduated. I really had no life in college. But I was free. I took on a $30k loan to pay for that. I took on the loan because I didn’t want to work. I worked multiple jobs in college. I worked as a teacher assistant, I worked at a call center, and I worked as a handyman. I was too busy to work. So I took on a loan.<br><br>I graduated with a degree in computer science, and I got a job as a software engineer. I graduated at the end of the year so I didn’t get a job until the next year. I had 3 months off and was able to travel. I backpacked in South America for 3 months. I had enough money from my careers in college to pay for all of my school expenses and pay for my trip. College was expensive but I was able to save enough money to pay for my trip.<br><br>In South America I was able to travel, but I was limited by money. I did everything I could to save money. I ate at street stands, I took buses over taxis and cars, and I stayed at hostels. I realized I was backpacking and staying at hostels because it was cheap. I did it enough I was able to navigate almost every single major city over there. I didn’t know Spanish and I was able to get around. Most people don’t like not speaking the language of the country you’re in. It’s so much harder. But for me, I didn’t care.<br><br>After college I got a job making $40k/year. To me at the time, that was a lot of money. From college I had around 20k in my bank account. I saved 40k in 2 years. I didn’t even need a car. I lived in a major city and was able to get around using public transportation. I got sick one time when I was drunk and got a taxi. I woke up the next morning and said to myself “what did I do? Why did I do that?”. I had a moment of weakness. I recovered and was able to not make that mistake again. I was so careful because I was raised that way. I didn’t like spending money.<br><br>Now it’s been almost 6 years. My career has taken off. I’m making over 500k / year. But I’m still living with the same mindset. I have a budget that looks almost like it did when I first graduated. I don’t spend a lot. I don’t need things. I realize that a lot of people don’t have that view. Most people out there don’t think about money. They’re not clipped into reality. They go through life thinking whatever they’re doing is reality. I was probably 16 when I realized how cheap life actually is.<br><br>When I graduated from college I had no idea I was going to make over 500k / year when I was 27. I didn’t know that. But now I’m here. My budget looks the same. I still don’t need things. But I spend a lot more money than I used to. I don’t live in a big city any more. I have to drive a car to get around. So I buy a car. I don’t like spending money but I’m willing to spend money to get around. I still don’t spend a lot. If I have to buy something it’s not good enough to just buy it. I have to get the best deal. I have to exploit prices. I have to get the cheapest option.<br><br>In some ways I’m grateful for my bootstrap upbringing. In a lot of ways I regret it. I wish I didn’t have to think about money. I wish I could just live. I wish I could clipped out reality. It’s not easy. It’s been hard my entire life. But I don’t think clipped out reality is how most people live. It seems it’s the clipped clipped reality. It clipped clipped it. It’s over clipped.<br><br>I love being frugal. I love saving money. It feels so good to be able to get things for nothing. But I realize clipped reality is a curse. It’s not something you want to live with. I’m learning to live with it. But it’s hard.<br><br>I realize a lot of people have a budget that looks like it did 7 years ago. It’s probably a lot different from mine. I probably spend a lot more money than most people. I don’t clipped clipped reality. It’s still reality. I realize I’m different from a lot of people. And a lot of people are different from me. I have to accept that. I’m grateful for my reality. I’m grateful for the view. I realize a lot of people have a different reality. I clipped it. I don’t regret it. It clipped me clipped it. It clipped it.