A lot of people have been re-examining the way they live their life. I have personally been looking at creative, and at some times, extreme ways of reducing cost or increasing income. This is basically all we can do to make our situations more comfortable. I am very glad I did this, because I hadn’t really looked at my life, but I rather went along day to day and not using my critical thinking skills to evaluate my performance.
Whenever you are the leader of a project you create a plan, execute the plan, and monitor performance. Look at where you are. Look at your surroundings. Make an assessment. It isn’t enough to look at the car you drive and choose one with a greater MPG rating. Look at how far you live from work. Why do you own a car? Vehicles account for an estimated 25% of our earned salary. Is that worth it? To some it may be. For me, it is worth having a way to escape the city, but I’m not making payments on the new Audi. In fact, I’m not making payments at all. I’m not talking about anything new here.
Home ownership. The great American dream… of 1950. It is also time we re-evaluate our housing situation. The dream has always been to own a 4-5 bedroom home with 3 bathrooms. A fake stone façade surrounding the two car garage. There are only two of us. But we may want kids. Some may need and can afford a large home, but this is simply not true for all Americans. As we are learning, there are many things that are reserved for only the top 10%. The idea of celebrity has vastly contributed to this false idea of need. I’ll save that for another time. To put it simply, there are other options that are not out of reach. Giving up a small amount of these masked needs can lead to a life where you own your own home and have it paid off in 5 years (or pay cash). If you’ve never heard of Tumbleweed homes, this is just one of the many options. I’m not saying you must live in a van, but that is always an option. It’s better than a tent, and it can save you $800 a month.
We must look at our lives in simple terms. Throw out all ideas of cell phones, laptops, microwaves, and even paper towels. The terms of life are simple; Shelter, food, water, and morale. Those are your needs, so figure those out and go from there. People have been living quite differently and very successfully for thousands of years before us. We are the first generation to have a lower life expectancy than our parents. Something happened. We are beyond assigning blame. Would you like to flourish? I am. We started this world with three basic needs to be met. It was tough living creating, finding, cooking, trapping, growing, and exploring, but we did it. All these new technologies came to make this living easier. Laundry machines, telephones, assembly lines, typewriters, electricity. These were created to enhance our lives. How have your 20″ rims enhanced your life? How has owning an iPhone 4GS enhanced your life? Maybe it has, maybe it hasn’t. I will tell you for a fact, I do not miss my smart phone. I do not miss the $100 payment or the constant need to look at it for updates. I do not ask that you change, but I do ask that you evaluate for yourself.
I’m 29 years old and single. I used to live paycheck to paycheck. I have drastically increased the amount of money just lying around by changing nothing but my view of consumerism. I’m not an accountant; I hate math, but it is not difficult to see. Stop looking to others for a standard of living. There are options.