It seems your dad was a very smart fellow and that you followed in his footsteps speaks highly of you too. So many people fail to do anything and that only leads to failure, or lack of opportunity later. Making consistent effort, showing ownership and responsibility, and sometimes going without, is the way to move forward in my opinion. It's not always easy, but it's easier to squirrel something away in small amounts over long periods than to not have reserves of funds later, when the ability to earn them is gone...I take the same ethos in and around knowledge too...Never stop learning.
Thanks for your reply...I think there's a few lessons to come from it and it's a great example of how a little effort can bring greater reward.