When listening to the parents makes no sense....

My relationship with my parents has always been quite the interesting one. Sometimes they're cool people, sometimes they get on my good nerves. I'm sure the feeling is mutual. They've always gave me advice: some of it great; some of it not so great; some of it I wonder how many episodes of the Cosby show they watched.

But the one thing I could never listen to my parents about was regarding money. Both of them think they know about money; neither one of them know anything about money. As a matter of fact, I think my parents are probably two of the biggest money wasters I have ever encountered. Notice how I said money-wasters, not money-spenders.

From the bling to the fancy suits and accessories to some jewelry that my dad says is worth thousands (and I honestly think he got hosed if he's correct) to the fancy furniture that really is just for show and no one actually sits on...see my point?

So today, my dad got on my case for having two lights on in different rooms but I was in another room. What he didn't understand was I was going back to the original room I was in, but was making a pit-stop at other rooms for a couple minutes. It happens all the time: you're in the kitchen, you need to retrieve something from the bedroom and maybe you stop by in the bathroom.

So I got a mini-lecture on how I'm wasting money...his money to be exact...and the whole time I'm thinking....am I really? But the kicker was this statement:

"You have all these lights on and wasting energy! That's money! We don't live like that!"

Oh really, Negro?

Let's take a looksie at what he has done with his money:

• He owns several pieces of jewelry starting at $2K. Personally, they don't look like anything that was bought at anywhere else but a pawn shop. He got hosed.
  
• Buys--not leases--but buys a new car every 2-3 years. For why?
• Buys a computer and somehow destroys it within 3 months because he gets downloading happy.
  
• His closet is full of the fanciest suits known to man in every color of the rainbow...each suit starts at roughly $700, with matching accessories (shoes, hats, etc) bringing the total cost to $1K. He has close to 30 suits, if not more.
  

Now, let's take a looksie at what he is planning to do with his money:

• Buy another home, even though my late grandmother's house is in shambles and needs to be fixed. There is no A/C, no water heater...hell, there's not even tile on the floors...but he wants to purchase another home? Are you high?
  
• Buy another Corvette (do you know how much they cost? They start at $80K) even though the one he currently has could be restored to greatness.
  
• Buy another piece of wasteful Informercial selling kitchen equipment...and it'll be discarded within the same month. Don't believe me? Come and visit my parents' kitchen. It's full of shit.
• Wants to purchase a Blackberry even though he doesn't text. But Blackberries have the 'look' value...the 'I have money or I'm important' value. Negro, please.
  

You see where I'm getting at?

So while my father gets frustrated that I don't take him seriously, it's really hard to. He tells me I don't know the value of a dollar but I can guarantee you I have more money saved up in my accounts than he does. He wants money to impress whereas I need money to live. Why in the hell am I going to spend $5K on a pinky ring when I can use that money to fund my retirement?

I'm very frugal and I do have a few nice things that were paid for in cash. However, if I prefer to drive a Toyota instead of a Cadillac, it doesn't make me cheap. It makes me smart. If I prefer to wear my Swarvoski Crystal engagement ring (which was expensive yet affordable) instead of my blinged-out diamond wedding band (which is very expensive and I'm not wearing it too often), it makes me very, very smart. I'm sure my fiancee would appreciate it, too.

So, Dad...when you say you don't live like that...unfortunately, you do. The next time I leave a couple of lights on and you're about to get on my tail about it, please a take a gander at what's inside your closets and then tell me I'm the one wasting money.

Thank you kindly.