@Aunt Bea: “Every extra dollar, saved on our own car, plumbing, house repairs, lunches from home went into those 529s. We didn’t live outside of our means. We paid for everything in cash except our mortgage-used cars, dinged washers/dryers. We refinanced our mortgage and were able to pay it off 10 years earlier than anticipated. We didn’t live in the best neighborhood and I shopped the secondhand store for our business attire. Dry cleaning, nope. I drove a 17 year-old Camry until it died, and have a $32 Timex watch. Apple phones-nope, embarrassing flip phones for the kids. No cable tv channels, but library books, puzzles, and game boards.”
Hello there, @aunt bea. Have we shared this moment before? In many ways you and I are, as the young people say, “twinning” right now. And I am totally jealous of your 22 year stretch with that Camry, though I know the truth of it (21 years here).