Haha. And the Americans get taxed less. And their dollar buys ~ 1.5x what ours does.

But, you live in a beautiful city. And a great country. (Nothing against the USA)

Money isn't everything. I don't know too much about your job, but if you enjoy the work and the people (for the most part), consider that too.

I have a secret about money: Live within your means.

The problem nowadaze is that too many people have too much debt. And they lose sleep over it. You don't need a $35K car to get around. You don't need a 3000 square foot house in which to live. Don't get those things unless you can go to sleep without worrying about the debt. When the lights go out at night, you can't tell if you live in a 1500 square foot house or a mansion. But you do know if you are comfortable with your financial situation or not (on this topic, I would suggest getting a good mattress and boxspring set, even if it does cost a lot). If you live within your means, you won't have to worry about money so much and you can enjoy other areas of life.

I will tell you my experience: I have said many times "I want that. Life would be so much better if I had that." And I've worked to get things. And my life hasn't changed too much because of those things. The best things in life are still friends, family, and my dog. Sometimes my wife wants to spend all weekend cleaning and buying things for the house and doing things like that. Outside of the companionship that we give each other, I look at that as a wasted weekend. Nothing against cleaning and shopping, but I like to mix-in visits/activities with friends and family. We are here for such a short time that, in the end, I think our biggest regrets are not spending more time with certain people. The happiest people I know are not the richest people I know; they are the people with good relationships.

This is all in my very humble opinion.

Take it easy,
Joe

P.S. I think all of us here should be thankful that we've chosen a profession that is in high demand. And it is a lot of fun too!

>
>Looking at these rates depresses me. Now I can see why so many of my friends have headed south for jobs. :-)