Not Even Close Bud - YouTube

Yes, I am on the CA's paycheck, but NOT at 18 year longevity. I personally charge my friends with shooting me if I EVER make it to that regional pay level.

Without going on a long and worn out diatribe, don't live beyond your means, EVER. Doesn't matter if your a 40k/year FO or a 240k/yr FX/UPS CA.

As alluded to, I grew up blue collar and worked service type stuff through high school/college. Paid for everything myself. Many financial lessons learned. Which just simply means that after my humble financial obligations are met, I have disposable/discretionary income to spend. Like tipping a van driver more on a holiday, buying beers for the crew on the overnight or the coffee in the morning, etc. As opposed to a giant mortgage, filling that giant mortgaged house with crap I don't even need, paying a stupid payment on a car that's not worth it, having the latest and shiniest phone/laptop/tablet, etc.

Am I or do I consider myself some kind of financial genius? Hardly, just lessons learned from an early age, that's all. So I guess I'm lucky.

1) That paycheck can be here today, and gone tomorrow. It's happened to me, multiple times. Plan accordingly.
2) When, NOT if, but when the chance comes to go to the carrier I want to finish out my career at comes, I'm not being held back by what in most (but not all cases) is a hefty pay cut in year 1, and possibly year 2 and 3 as well.

Probably not, as my flying didn't start taking me there till the 2005 time frame. As well as so far my company has used 3 different hotels in OKC since then. Rest assured, you would have go it.