HOLLYWOOD—Living in the lap of luxury is for the rich and famous. Not really! You would think that celebrities spend all of their money on luxuriously over-sized houses. So, you think they just live in Beverly Hills? Perhaps they live in cabins in the woods, or in a simpler life on a farm with their pet alpacas. Let’s look at some of the rich and famous that live a simple life. Elijah Wood whose net worth is $35 million, actually purchased a property for $ 1 million.
About 23 years ago, at the age of 20 something, he went on an adventure that would change his life forever. As Frofo Baggins, in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Wood gained fame, fortune, and everything in between and although he has since amassed a small fortune of almost $35 million, he chooses to live a modest life in a modest home. Perhaps he missed the memo about everything being bigger in Texas, because his Victorian-style home in Austin, which cost him south of a million dollars, is only about 3,200-square-feet. However, after spending as much time as he did living in a hobbit-hole, this house, probably, feels like a mansion to Elijah.
Now take Warren Buffet, net worth of $102.1 billion, yes billion. He purchased his property for $31,000 with 65,000 square-feet. This man is an incredible businessman, very savvy, and a series of well thought out investments, throughout the decades, has made him one of the wealthiest people in the world. Most people with that kind of money, would own a private island somewhere, or live in a house the size of a small town. He was asked once why he has remained in the same home for so long, to which he answered, “I’d move if I thought I’d be happier someplace else.” Imagine the tenth wealthiest person in the world; Buffett has been more than “happy” to continue living in the same house in Omaha, Nebraska that he purchased back in the 1950s, for just over $31,000.
Oh, Mark Zuckerberg whose net worth is $116.1 billion purchased a $7 million home. Really, it’s pocket change for him. The billionaire along with his wife and two children is very content living in a “quaint” home in Palo Alto, California-one of the most expensive places to live in, the luxurious home of American High tech, Silicon Valley. Keep in mind although his place was only $7 million, he also invested more than $50 million buying the properties that surround his home, only to demolish them and rebuild smaller ones. The added privacy given by the surrounding houses has created a homely atmosphere that all parents would be happy to have for their children.
Actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds who were under the impression that living in New York was expensive, clearly, only looking at New York City and its suburbs. $2.3 million would be enough to buy a small home in NYC, however, in Bedford, New York, “Blyan’s” mansion can be found, it was enough to purchase a 74,052-square-foot-piece of land, on which is the home where the two spend time relaxing with their 3 daughters. With a combined network, approaching $200 million, this couple has chosen privacy over living in the big city.
Not everyone wants to show their wealth, some people try to downplay it. Actress Jennifer Lawrence whose net worth is $160 million, purchased her property for $879,000. As a result of the tremendous success of the “Hunger Games” series, Lawrence was seeing her bank account reach numbers she had only dreamed of, but she wasn’t letting it get to her head. In 2015 alone, Lawrence made $52 million and was named by Forbes, as the world’s “best-paid” actor but, that year, she was still living in Santa Monica, relaxing humbly in her 1,413-square-foot condo that cost less than a million dollars. Not bad for someone with a not so small fortune of $160 million. Not everyone wants to display their wealth, seems very smart these days to keep it under wraps and downplay it.
Rose’s Scoop: Hope everyone had a Spooktacular Halloween and enjoyed the festivities. The weekend was quite sad, with the news of the passing of Matthew Perry, who passed on October 28, 2023. The “Friends” and “Fools Rush” actor was very vocal about his trials and tribulations in his career. He was single at the time of his death at the age of 54.
