How many people are rich

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm with you there. That's a big dividing line for me, to have enough money to not HAVE to work.

Now that we're living on a single income, with a new life to feed, I'm definitely feeling like we were perhaps just above that "rich" line as DINKs. I mean, we couldn't go out and buy a new car every couple of years or anything, but we could travel fairly freely, deal with large sudden expenses without worry, and indulge in entertainment options (movies, APs, dinners, concerts, et. al.) with regularity. All while enjoying many many every day conveniences - cable with DVR, smart phones, 2 cars, 2 computers, the list goes on and on.

Add to that, we are in a position where, while going jobless is not my first choice, neither would it be disastrous. It would take a very very long unsuccessful job search to see any real "adversity", and even then the "adversity" would for a while take the form of dropping unnecessary conveniences. Lightyears from homelessness.

Being on one income, I would no longer call us "rich". Though a promotion or two, and a change in our real estate [non]fortunes have the potential to change that.

But then, I kinda have a fuzzy distinction between "rich" and "wealthy". I tend to view "rich" as simply being well off enough to not have to rely on debt for your chosen lifestyle, while "wealthy" happens when you can really spend freely. Like I said, fuzzy, but I've definitely never felt "wealthy".