I'm going to give a very brief background on who we were:
By the time I was in my mid-20's I was a rising professional with two college degrees, a promising career in architecture, etc. I built my first house immediately after graduation with a $1 down payment. Yes, $1. I also bought a new Mustang that year, and had $35,000 in student loans.
I had a tough childhood, and was never taught proper finances. To me, if you could afford the payments you could afford the product. I'm the first person in my family to graduate from High School (neither parents, or grandparents graduated from HS). My father (Vietnam Vet) left when I was seven while we were living in Germany (he was stationed there). Prior to, and after that, I moved A LOT. I ended up living with a relative that was a "military styled survivalist" quite a lot growing up.
My wife, who is 6 years younger than I, grew up in an affluent family filled with success. Her family is the sort of "middle America" family that most people think are only fictional. Everyone is college educated, very successful, pillars of the community sorts with huge social networks (wine tasting parties, yard parties in the kinds of neighborhoods you see in the movies about "perfect middle American life", etc). She has a Bachelor's degree, and worked in banking for 11 years prior to quitting for our "downshifting" lifestyle. To her, debt is equal to sin.
She was the "mother hen" to her siblings. I barely knew my sister (12 years my junior).
Her parents divorced, but remarried (the same year, LOL) and have been remarried over 20 years now.
My parents divorced, and remarried many times to many people. At one point, I know my father was married to a woman who was younger than me and in prison at the time of their marriage.
Basically my wife and I came from "opposite ends" of the social spectrum. Opposites attract, right? Anyway, we are so similar in our world views as to be able to complete each other's sentences. She is, without a doubt, the best thing that has ever happened to me...as you will see.
