How much money is "enough"?
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What does it mean to have 'enough' money?
Hey everyone, it's me, Rima Grace. So for the last six years or so, I've been asking people to share some of the most intimate details of their financial lives. I was in my late 20s when I first started doing this podcast, and I really wanted to understand why our relationship with money can feel so complicated and heavy. And since then, the show has taken me to all sorts of places. We've told stories about financial infidelity and the ways money can quietly erode a relationship. I knew in that moment I could not keep this secret any longer and live with myself. And so I said, well, I have debt that I haven't told you about. We've looked at how something as basic as your teeth can shape your job prospects.
I have this emotional attachment to good teeth. And the thought of not having them again, it scares me, actually. Because it would be reverting to that past Ryanne, who was young and not doing really well in life.
And I've even talked with family members of people involved in extremist groups, trying to understand how things like money and power get tangled up together.
The worse things got, the more he hoarded. I knew it wasn't normal to be tripping over piles of survival gear. when we couldn't afford to take anyone to the dentist for years on end.
And along the way, my life has changed. I've gotten married, I've moved cities, and the world feels different too. Things cost more, the margin for error feels thinner, and there's just a lot of uncertainty in the air. I've been wanting to build a stronger community for a while now to feel a little less alone with our money. And so to really do that, I'm very excited to say that This is Uncomfortable is going weekly. More episodes, more opportunities for us to connect and learn from each other. I'm really looking forward to this new chapter and I want you all to be a part of it. I want to know what sorts of things are keeping you up at night. What's on your mind? What are your money wins or the parts of your finances or the economy that don't quite make sense?
You can always call us and leave us a voice message at 347-RING-TIU. Something that's been on my mind lately is just how precarious the economy feels, even when the numbers don't always reflect that. So many people are struggling to cover the basics. And even if your finances technically work on paper, the ground beneath you doesn't always feel solid. You're bracing for your next rent increase or for your health care insurance to get more expensive or for one medical problem to upend your finances. I'm someone who tends to feel anxious that everything could tip over at any moment. Even when I was a kid, that's where my brain went. I remember being like eight years old and always asking my dad the same question.
I needed to know how much money he made. My dad was a nurse anesthetist, and I could not understand how his salary alone was enough for a family of five. He never told me, but I think I just wanted to grab onto a number, onto something. And I still do this sometimes. Like, I'll catch myself thinking, maybe if I make this much, then I can finally stop worrying. Maybe that will be enough.
Enough, I think, I mean, it's a tricky one.
I could make somewhere over a hundred grand. That'd be good. Half a million dollars.
I base it off of my anxiety. Am I able to feel like there's a safe number in my bank account?
Enough would be $400,000 a year.
Shoot, enough. It's like, my wife not to be working as much. Having enough is really feeling like for our retirement years, we will not have to depend on our kids. I'd say $1 million. That's enough for a couple.
I'm Rima Jerez, and welcome to This is Uncomfortable. We're introducing some new things on the show, including what we call this week's question, where I pose a question about our relationship with money, you know, the kind we quietly ask to ourselves, and just sit with it for a bit. Lately, I've noticed how often people around me are asking some version of this question. How much money is enough? What's enough to feel comfortable or to stop feeling anxious?
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