Thanks to the trials and tribulations of past generations, we are experiencing the highest quality of life in the history of mankind! With the evolution of technology and entertainment, everyday amenities can easily be overlooked. I won’t touch on the most important advancements that we currently take for granted which is in the medical field but I will dive into the areas of life where we indulge a little too much. Our generation’s biggest weakness is the constant need for entertainment and interaction with one another. With social media always being at our fingertips and the constant pressure to fit in, we will over extend our finances to say we were at the concert or the ball game to get praise or jealousy from our friends and family. These can be great experiences and some that you will never forget but are we missing the bigger picture
My grandfather’s generation (Born in 1923) is depicted as the Greatest Generation in history! These were kids who lived through the Great Depression, teenagers who fought in WWII and men and women who busted their ass in the steel mills and coal mines. I can only speak for myself but I know I will never have to experience anything close to those hardships. In addition to never facing those hurdles, I will be living in a house with unlimited food and water, central air conditioning in a town that no longer is blanketed with smog due to the lack of environmental laws! If I want to further embarrass myself by comparing everything to my grandfather, my life really didn’t even start until I moved out of my parent’s basement when I was 24 years old and that was after 5 years of college. In the sense of saving any dignity for my generation, I won’t even mention what our grandparents did before the age of 25!
…..Gotta take a break to make my instant cup of coffee from my Keurig! I never said I didn’t enjoy this technology…..
The reason I am writing this post is not to bash every generation that has come after our grandparents but it is to put pressure on them to question their everyday spending. The luxury cars, new phones, $200 pair of Jordans, the $10 lattes… the list can go on! Are those items truly necessary to live your best life? Absolutely not! If you removed those items from your life, would it change your quality and comfort of life? The answer is YES, but not in a negative way. It would remove the stress of finances and replace it with certainty. Many of these luxuries are feel good purchases that help you get over the bad day at work or impress someone you barely know. Most of the people I know indulging in this materialistic lifestyle are self-conscious about themselves. They lack confidence, feel anxiety and constantly look for approval. I often wonder, what if those same people would make conscious decisions with their money? If they could slowly build confidence in their finances, how would that transpire into other areas of their life? With that being said, this post is not to suggest that money can fix anxiety or other issues one may have but understanding and gaining control of at least one area in your life can help. Full disclosure, these thoughts weren’t just pulled from the air, they come from my personal experiences and anxiety I had knowing that my $80,000 student debt felt like a weight on my chest. This weight grounded me and held me back from so many opportunities.
For myself, searching for the answer on how I would eliminate this financial burden was the hardest part of my journey. I looked everywhere for solutions, everywhere except within myself. Once I came to the realization that I was the problem and my habits were the cancer of my finances, I felt the weight instantly ripped off my chest. The feeling of control by having a plan to pay off debt was enough for me to gain confidence in an area that has always terrified me. They say when you set a goal you shouldn’t tell people about it because receiving premature praise will make you less likely to follow through. I went the opposite route and told everyone. This way the next time I spoke to them I knew I would have to update them on my journey. This held me accountable for my goals and over the next 2.5 years I always had progress to share. Those 2.5 years felt long but looking back now, they went by so quickly and they will go quickly for you too!
Now, it’s not the easiest road to travel but it’s definitely a road that will take you places most people in our generation have never seen. If you are doing this alone or without support, I highly recommend joining a local financial group or listening to podcasts daily. This will help you stay accountable and understand that you’re not the only person going through this battle. Dave Ramsey’s podcast was my way of staying focused. Listening to the stories and debt free screams from his guests were enough to keep that fire going in me and eventually it paid off. Without his radio show, I’m not sure I would’ve ever become debt free. He was a crutch I so often leaned on when I felt myself slipping to normalcy when I wanted to purchase an unnecessary item. Find your accountability partner! Whether it’s a spouse, friend, sibling or podcast, blog, local meet up, just get out there and understand you can change your habits and live a better life! I know my grandparents lived the fullest life possible and it wasn’t cell phones, televisions, cars or clothing that got them to that point. It was surrounding themselves with loved ones and building relationships that made them happy. If you can get in the mindset that the simple, common things in your life would’ve been considered a luxury in your grandparent’s era, then maybe you’ll understand how lucky we really are and you’ll be less tempted to stop at Starbucks every day on your way to work.
“Sacrifices. They married in record numbers and gave birth to another distinctive generation, the Baby Boomers. They stayed true to their values of personal responsibility, duty, honor, and faith.”
Tom Brokaw, The Greatest Generation
Im taking a similar approach to savings as I did for paying off my debt. I will stay consistent and be purposeful with my money but I will not put my life on hold. I created FI PITTSBURGH to be focused around the same mentality. This is a place where I want people to understand that it is ok to enjoy today and spend some of your money now. I based our motto around this exact idea. ENJOY TODAY WHILE PREPARRING FOR TOMORROW! The path to financial independence is a marathon, not a sprint. Those who take the extreme frugality approach will likely fail due to exhaustion, but those who pace themselves will see success.
In order to stay frugal but enjoy the gift of everyday life, I try to implement the psychological approach of what I refer to as “The Chocolate Theory.”…….(FREE BEER THEORY was a better way to get your attention, sorry for the bait and switch.) This is based on the premise that the less frequent you have something the more enjoyable it can be. If you eat chocolate everyday with your lunch, it becomes routine and the chocolate loses its uniqueness. However, when limited, the same piece of chocolate only eaten once a week has a greater appeal and the experience of that piece of chocolate is heightened. A good example of how I use this in my personal life, is the way I purchase beer. I currently love Hazy IPAs. For you beer lovers out there, you know these cases are typically around $40. Purchasing one of these cases every two weeks definitely does not fit into a frugal lifestyle. I compromise by purchasing a less expensive beer for the first two cases. These cases will typically run $20. So, on average I will save $40 over those two cases. By the time case 3 comes around, I am eagerly waiting for that citrusy, hoppy golden nectar. Notice how saving on those two cases of beer leads to paying for my targeted beer! Not only do I get to enjoy the taste of my favorite beverage but it is essentially free!….Ok, there’s your “Free Beer Theory!”
The concept is very basic but it can be used in multiple aspects of life. My family exercises this in many different stages and sometimes without even realizing it. The day-to-day decisions: cooking dinner vs going out to eat, the weekly decisions: grocery options – name brand vs off brand, the monthly decisions: going to a sporting event vs watching from home and yearly decisions: vacation destinations – local, weekend trips vs out-of-state, week trips. The beauty of applying this strategy to your life is you can rob Peter to pay Paul. You can decide to stay home for dinner, buy generic brand groceries and watch all the sporting events from your living room and that way you can take your family to the beach for a week. Flip the script, you can pull back on the big vacation and live more vibrantly when deciding on your daily, weekly or monthly options. As long as you stay mindful with the actual costs of these decisions, you can really enjoy life while saving for the future.
Now my thoughts on this approach may be out of the ordinary and some may say you’re only saving $40. My rebuttal would be the fact that I am currently in a marathon and just as running one, the mental aspect can be the largest hurdle. If I make daily purchases with this mindset, that means I am constantly practicing frugality without giving up the things I love. In addition to all of this, every time I purchase that 3rd case of beer I am awarded a small victory. These are the small victories that will push you and keep you striving towards a long-term goal. It can be something as simple as a case of beer that gives you a two week break from the frugal lifestyle you are currently living.
If you are currently struggling with your finances, there’s a good chance you are looking for a win today. The great thing about this strategy is you can start today and instantly see results. All you have to do is pay attention next time you go shopping at a store or online. I am all for a budget and I actually recommend starting one but I remember how exhausting all the researching and allocating for the budget was. So, before you give up without truly getting started, I would like to challenge you to reevaluate your daily spending. Think about what items you can limit in your daily consumption or items you can substitute that will give you similar fulfillment for half the price.