As is the case for most of us, my life has had its ups and downs financially. There have been times when I could afford just about anything I wanted. Other times, I was scrounging through the change drawer to find parking money. I’m happy that I’ve been able to experience these peaks and valleys. They’ve ultimately taught me a very valuable lesson. The value of money.
It’s nice to not have to worry about paying $15 for your lunch or perhaps $100 for a night out with your significant other. There’s no denying that having money is better than not having it. It’s a “necessary evil” as they say. This is true, but you can easily turn that evil into something good if you know how to use it.
Regardless of whether you have extra income or you don’t, the main goal when you think about money should be freedom. Whether that’s freedom to buy your kid an ice cream cone or take them around the world, the feeling you experience is similar. There’s a euphoria that comes with our ability to buy what we want, when we want.
I’m not saying you should be frugal every day of your life. It’s important to have experiences you can remember. My wife and I stayed in Charleston for our ten year anniversary. I booked the room and spent entirely too much for a “normal” trip. But this wasn’t a normal trip. This was her and I celebrating our life together and all that we had accomplished up to that point. It was well worth the money spent for us to have a shared experience we’d always remember.
The key is to separate the big life experiences from the normal ones. Think about it like a diet. Anyone that’s ever tried to diet (or give up drinking) is faced with the same challenges. “But we’re going on the boat this weekend. I’m going to eat and drink what I want.” Sound familiar?
None of us wants to stop eating necessarily, but it’s important for our health and to regulate our weight. Even though cash is now pretty much virtual, think of your wallet as your waistline. If you think you’ve spent enough, you probably have.
This is extremely hard to do of course. Turn on the TV or open your phone and you’re bombarded with opportunities to spend, spend, spend. From the newest Ninja juicer/blender combo to the latest Blackstone grill, we’re constantly being asked to throw down our credit cards.
I’ve been out of the workforce for about a year now. This was a choice my wife and I made and although there have been challenges, neither of us regrets the decision. That’s not to say it’s always been easy. Trust me, it’s been hard. Let’s just say, when you’re having to stick within a budget, a bag of rice from Aldi or a spaghetti dinner comes in handy.
When I am ready to get back to work, I’ll have an additional respect for the money we bring in and where it should be spent. If my year long sabbatical has taught me nothing else, this lesson alone will have made it all worth it.
We work too hard for our money to spend frivolously without a care for where it’s going. Take a breath, relax and really understand what you’re going to buy before you do it. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a small fortune in the bank, that doesn’t mean you have to spend it on vacations, cars and designer clothes.
Money provides us with security and freedom, which are both priceless. Neither one of these can be purchased but they’re far more valuable than anything you can buy.
It sounds like a riddle doesn’t it?
The good news is, it’s easy to solve.
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