Two years later, Leo pulled up to a trailhead in his silver sedan. His friend pulled up next to him in a flashy truck—the kind Leo almost bought. His friend looked exhausted, complaining about working overtime just to cover the "beast's" insurance.
Leo pulled out his phone and looked at a crumpled note he’d written: buying a car based on income
Between the payment, insurance, and gas, the SUV would eat 25% of his take-home pay. Two years later, Leo pulled up to a
The payment was $300. He could do a four-year loan. He could still afford weekend trips, concert tickets, and his savings account wouldn't stay at zero. Leo pulled out his phone and looked at
Leo grabbed his gear, locked his car, and headed up the mountain. He realized then that "making it" wasn't about what you drove to the trail; it was having the freedom to actually be there.
At 24, Leo had just landed his first "real" paycheck. His brain was doing a frantic dance between two versions of himself.
He had $5,000 saved. For the SUV, that wasn't even 10%.