My father just passed. I, along w/ my mother, siblings, extended family, and friends, buried him on Saturday. So, in lieu of his seemingly untimely demise, I am going to blog all week about enjoying life.
One of the easiest ways to enjoy life is to live within your means. So often we are stressed out because of money. That is usually because we spend money that we don't have on things we don't need so that we can impress people we don't even like. This is not very logical to me. We have to stop trying to keep up with the Joneses and start doing the simple things that are inexpensive but that make us happy. Don't get me wrong, sometimes, it's nice to splurge. You earned the money. You deserve it. But please tell me why we need new phones every 5 months? Do you really need a MacBook, iPod, iPad, iPad2, iPhone, AND the Beats By Dre headphones? Heck no, especially if you haven't got a job or an income that can support that kind of a lifestyle. Do you have to get a new outfit every time you go out with your friends? Then you're struggling to pay your rent or cell phone bill or your savings account has fewer cents in it than you have pounds on your body. I can say this because I've been there. But by the end of this month, I will be completely out of debt (minus those student loans, which were more of an investment than anything). And I'm not getting back in it. This is a new day. My entire view on life has changed. Instead of spending on the 64 GB iPod, why not buy the 32 and toss half of the rest in savings. Then put half of what you still have toward your savings. Finally, put that last bit toward charity. This is not a directive, just a suggestion. But why not do it once a month? Spend less on what you don't need so you can invest in your personal development. In short, spend smarter and be selfless. It's all about discipline and compassion. Believe me, in the end, you'll be happier.
No comments:
Post a Comment