Jon Working Hard for a Living

Jon Says: My first business was a car wash (in the 50's, when I was between 11 & 15 years old). I hung a sign on the post at the corner, and washed cars (by appointment) for $1.00 each, including cleaning them out.

My mother must have made the appointments, because between cars to be washed, we kids spent our time in "the swamp" - the low ground between town & the airport, building forts; secret hiding places, etc.

I (having no kids), still think it's important that they learn early the relationship between a given unit of time spent, and what (at the going rate), can be earned by it.

I can't even remember when "allowances" - if we ever had them - phased out, and we started spending our earned money.

I think Dad (Johnnie) may not have agreed on this, but my perception has always been that I put myself through college (& paid for it as I went). I figured the cost then was about $1,000 per year (out of pocket). I earned money for tuition, books, etc., during summers, holidays, etc., and worked for meals in sororities throughout college, except for two terms in the dormitory, and spring term, the senior year of college. In three years (minus spring term of senior year), I became the 'head houseboy' at the Pi Phi house, and, together with the cook and housemother, made the hiring & firing decisions in the kitchen.

I left college into the Army owing nothing (except maybe to Dad for my 'new' - 4yr old, '58 Chevrolet).

When Barbara & I sold "The Humble Home," our first house in Alexandria, VA, we considered ourselves to have completed what might be called the"'acquisition phase" of our life together, and figured it was time (with my eight years [of 20] left in the Army), to begin what might be called a "savings &/or investment" phase. The profit we had made on that first house helped start this.

The goal of this phase was to be able to retire at 20 years service; not to have to move somewhere for further employment; and to be able to live somewhere aesthetically pleasing, i.e. waterfront. We had eight years to accomplish this....and we did.

After 'retirement (reduced pay for reduced service; I carried 'hip pocket' orders for many years); the closest thing to working for someone else was a 4-month stint as a"'personnel consultant - head hunter," during which I earned $1.28/hour on my one entry-level placement of a stock broker. ["Hip pocket orders" refers to the duty to keep the Army posted of whereabouts, in case of being called up for further duty.]

Part of what allowed me to quit that job was selling 'Two Turtles Singing,' and moving across the bay.