Today we went out for desserts that cost $20 each. Spoiler alert. They’re beautiful, and totally not worth the Instabait price tag. Even though I could afford it.
I went to two great schools. I know a lot of people who earn a lot of money. A lot of people on Instagram have asked… how do I resist keeping up with all the spending around me?
Remember that social media is a highlight reel
It was really weird during the time when my husband was unemployed, when so many people came up to me when they followed me on my Facebook and private Instagram, saying that I was refreshingly honest. You see, I had been sharing about our ups and downs. And people rarely got a glimpse into the stress that is unemployment. So remember. MOST people are not 100% transparent with social media. Most everyone has an image to keep up with, myself included. And for most people – they show only the good side. Why do you want to spend so much money keeping up with the 5% of time people are successful, 100% of your time?
When I see people spending money, I remember that for many of them, they are spending wealth, not accumulating it
Even a $20 dessert, for the most part, takes away from my own wealth. Only a few types of wealth building typically exists within the United States (there are others if you assume different constructs around the world). 1) Inheritance. 2) Investment (stocks, real estate, etc.) 3) Build a company and maintain equity share. The people you want to follow for wealth inspiration are doing that (granted, having an inheritance isn’t always work, but it can be if people decide to manage it well). Wealth builders are not using up the majority of their time spending the money away.
I don’t care what other people do. I focus on my own journey
A lot of people initially get turned off by what I do because they automatically assume I judge them for their spending. Far. Be. From. It. If you’re my friend or acquaintance, I could care less what you choose to do with your money. It’s yours! Go do whatever you want to do with it, and I hope you are happy. I want you to be happy. My journey is mine. That’s really all I focus on
More money doesn’t equal joy
My FI/RE journey has always been about buying freedom and quality time. It’s not about the accumulation of wealth or the worship of money. If I did that, yeah, God would be very mad at me. My focus has always been about giving back and seeking joy. And money is a tool for that – you CAN have a positive relationship with money. However, money is an enabler of joy. It is not joy unto itself. I speak from the position of someone who has money today. It doesn’t make you any happier after a certain degree of comfort. No one will ever feel like they have enough. Find a joy that does not depend on money, and you will be free
If people judge for me for what I do, it’s more a reflection on them, not me
Certainly people probably have private judgments on my choices of being frugal. If it was voiced negatively, I remember… the energy you give to the world is what you get. Negative people are negative because they hurt on the inside. I’ve been there.
My money, my choices
Unless you owe someone money… no one has the right to tell you what to do with your money. That’s it.
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