A quick chat with my neighbor about his old truck taught me more than any book

I was helping my neighbor, Frank, change the oil in his 1998 Ford Ranger last Saturday. He's retired, lives off a fixed income, and that truck has over 300,000 miles. I asked him why he never bought a new one. He just smiled and said, 'Every payment I don't have is money that works for me.' He explained that he puts what a car payment would be, about $400 a month, into his investment account instead. He's been doing it since he paid the truck off 15 years ago. He didn't say it to brag, just as a simple fact. It hit me that planning isn't about big, fancy moves. It's about the small, boring choices you stick with. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice like that really change how they look at their money?

2 comments

2 Comments

stella_shah898d ago

But what if you need a reliable car and can't fix everything yourself?

murphy.lisa8d ago

Just learn to fix it yourself... how hard can it be? It's only thousands of dollars in tools and years of experience.