I'm trying to see everybody's point of view on this. Spexy is one of the more thoughtful people on this board and I think she's saying that a guy doesn't have to be Mr. Moneybags to get her attention, but he has to have something going on. And that's cool. But to your point, as I was once pretty much in your boat many moons ago, any girl who tries to judge a guy by what she can see in his driveway or what's on his wrist... what's in the driveway or on the wrist today may be subject to removal by the bank tomorrow. And when I was younger, if I sensed that a girl was on my jock because of my car, watch or whatever, I was going to dog her. In my (rather twisted) sense of the world back then, she was a whore and would/should be treated as such. Michael Milken, Donald Trump and the fictional Gordon Gekko were my heroes... so what does that tell you? If I met a girl in Georgetown at Winston's on a Friday night, I'd gladly take her to Ocean City on a Saturday/Sunday weekend get-away. She was my "entertainment"... and that's all she was. She was only with me because her friends saw me pull up in a new Jag and I was wearing a Rolex. But since there'd be 20 other girls in the bar next weekend, just like her, there wasn't any chance or need for me to call her back again, was there? So I was a superficial, shitty person and she was a superficial, shitty person too. And superficial, shitty people attract other superficial, shitty people. Don't be a superficial, shitty person, Grower. It took me years to rid myself of being like that. Now I'm with a pretty (but not gorgeous) girl who has two Masters degrees, but she doesn't make much money working with special needs kids. She gets by and she's not consumed with how much I make or what I have. If I buy her something nice, it's not because she expects it, it's because I like her. I know I'm not buying her affections and she knows I respect her too much to try. I'm jaded and fairly paranoid now, so that (to me) makes her a trustworthy, good catch - plus she can cook! Considering how I've lived most of my adult life, I probably don't deserve someone like her... but I'm happy to have her.
Keep doing what you're doing, young dude! If you're not consumed by money, cars or whatever, then a girl who is, isn't the one for you anyway. The right one is out there. Trust me on that one.