Status signaling is complicated and I have been thinking lately how inconsistently I signal. On one hand, I feel very happy with my career and hobbies like writ

Status signaling is complicated and I have been thinking lately how inconsistently I signal. On one hand, I feel very happy with my career and hobbies like writing books and I signal this to people when I first meet them. I try to not be obnoxious, but human nature is human nature. On the other hand, I live in a small town and last spring when I shipped my car across the country as a gift to my granddaughter, I decided to not buy myself a new car. I did this for several reasons: environmental, force myself to walk and get more exercise, and it lets me joke about being poor. For some perverse reasons, I like signaling a lack of material wealth.