The Addison Cafe

For some, this post will be a glorious act of confirmation. For others, a bubble-bursting, eye-opening, wake-up call.

Maybe you only have $500 bucks in your savings account and you feel broke. Or maybe you have $30,000 and you think you have nothing to worry about. Either way, as much as we draw anxiety or comfort from the number on our monthly bank statement, there is another number that will tell us the truth; and nobody will tell you that number. You’ll need to figure it out on your own. It’s called net worth.

You have probably heard that number before, but have you ever calculated it? Take all of your assets (the value of what you own like your car, house, etc, plus all bank and retirement accounts and cash) and subtract your liabilities (your debt; all your loans and anything you owe money on). The goal is to have a positive number, and to watch that number grow in time.

Net worth is the true measure of financial well being. A doctor might have a huge house, two nice cars, and 50k in the bank. But he might owe 250k for his student loans, not own the cars, and have barely made a dent in the mortgage. Technically, the bum on the street is more well off than he is. Material possessions only give the appearance of wealth.

The sooner you find out your net worth, the sooner you can realistically work towards financial freedom. And THAT is the goal.

I don’t think I need to spell out the lesson here. Funny how the pursuit of money isn’t always (rarely, actually) the same as the pursuit of happiness.

I think it’s obvious that Domino’s isn’t the cream of the crop when it comes to pizza. But they aren’t trying to be; that isn’t their niche. They provide an acceptable product at a lower price…kind of like WalMart. And that’s ok with me. In fact, going through my college and newlywed years, I enjoyed many Domino’s pizzas at an affordable price.

However, my cheap pizza bubble was recently burst when I ordered a large two topping pizza. When I went in to pick it up, there was a giant banner outside that said something to the effect of “Customer Appreciation – Large 1 topping pizza for $5.99″. In the past with deals like this, I would order the special and just pay a buck or two for an extra topping. So you can imagine my surprise when I walked up to the counter and asked if I could take advantage of the offer and pay for the second topping and was told, “Nope. You have to mention the offer on the phone”.

Me: “But you didn’t tell me about it, so how would I know?”

Them: “You have to mention it on the phone.”

Me: “Yeah, you just said that. Is there any way possible you can give me that offer?”

Them: “No, you have to mention it on the phone.”

Me: Blank stare.

Them: “That will be $17.99 please.”

So I had to pay 18 bucks for the “customer appreciation” pizza plus a topping. I didn’t feel very appreciated. And you know what? I haven’t been back since.

On the other hand, T-Mobile doesn’t need a “special” to show appreciation to their customers. They just do it, every time I call.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “What you do speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say.” Thanks Ralph.