Before I discovered the concept of financial independence I was living dollar to dollar.
I was the classic example, of which most of society is, of running the hedonic treadmill. Each increase in pay followed by an equivalent, if not more, increase in lifestyle.
Bigger house, more travel, more expensive food, and so on.
As you have seen me discuss on many occasions, this is no way to create life options. If you spend all your money you can’t quit a bad job at the drop of a hat. If you don’t have savings and have high expenses, you can’t take on that lower paying, less stressful job. You can’t take a sabbatical to spend time with your young family. You can’t go part time. No amount of nice things is worth that amount of restriction on what you can and cannot do.
When I first discovered financial independence, I went very quickly from living dollar to dollar to not spending any discretionary money. I did a full U turn, zooming straight past that elusive middle ground.
I was miserly. Night out with friends? No thanks. Spur of the moment holiday? Not for me.
I was hell bent on saving as much as possible to reach some arbitrary FI number so I could retire. No matter the sacrifice. Nothing was going to slow me down.
Thankfully I grew out of that phase after about a year. I came to my senses.
Just as dangerous as it is to be on that hedonic treadmill, it is equally, if not more dangerous, to stop living your life at all by not spending.
The point of financial independence is to have enough money that allows you to live your best life.
If you are not living your life on the way to financial independence, then you are doing the opposite of what it is all about.
It’s so important to find that balance. It is not a race. Enjoy the journey.
Prioritise your spending on the things that matter the most. Prioritise your time on the things that matter the most.
If you’re spending on things that don’t matter to you much, then you are giving away your time.
If you’re not spending on things that matter to you, then you are giving away your freedom and enjoyment.
If you are new on the financial independence journey, it is a long path. Make the path more enjoyable now, otherwise it is going to be a long and miserable journey and when you reach your ‘destination’, your life will not magically improve.
If you need help with optimising your lifestyle, then get in touch today.
The information contained on this site is the opinion of the individual author(s) based on their personal opinions, observation, research, and years of experience. The information offered by this website is general education only and is not meant to be taken as individualised financial advice, legal advice, tax advice, or any other kind of advice. You can read more of my disclaimer here