There's a saying "not wanting something is as good as having it" but should more aptly be "not wanting something is better than having it" No stress of maintaining it, nor worries of losing it, whatever it is.i'll check these links out, thanks. i've made a lot of money and spent a lot, and it's never fulfilling. i've stayed in 400-dollar-a-night suites in Dubai and bought new nice cars, but i think the USA is a prime example of becoming a "slave" to these types of luxuries...do i need to work until 85 years old so that i can have the newest iPhone and a new car traded-in every 2 years? some people say yes. i've found it more fulfilling to 'live within my means' and a couple of years ago when i decided to become an Expat and leave the USA for good, i realized that instead of working all the time and getting a remote job, i can just reduce my expenses to near-zero. in this, i found some interesting concepts.
cellphone bill of 120 bucks for unlimited data and 40 bucks more for a financed new phone? transition to T-Mobile for $45/month with international texting/data, and then once i have residency in Argentina drop the US phone number completely and my phone expenses will be something like 5,000 Pesos or less than $5 USD
paying 1,400 bucks per month for a small place to live in the USA? nah, now i can split $600 total with my girlfriend for a bigger apartment in lovely Mendoza in the trendiest area, with no street dogs and super safe all night/day. i can now live for all my expenses here in Argentina, for 2 people and 1 dog, food and gym and everything, for less than the cost of the last rent i paid in the USA.
just a couple examples of what i find more freeing - spend less, need more, and now i don't have to work as much, and i can pursue more meaningful things. a contrary opinion is Robert Kiyosaki here: https://www.richdad.com/live-below-your-means
Made me think of this skit. People confusing debt with wealth and no time to enjoy it.i worked with guys who would make good hourly but spend half of it on the weekends, paying $100 USD a night for crappy drinks and bar food. it never made sense. and when i was making a ton of money overseas some of my co-workers would finance huge houses and cars (that they got to use 2 months a year) and then they got stuck working constantly to pay their bills, while i went around Europe with a backpack and a 6-year-old phone. i found it much more fulfilling to spend my savings on plane tickets and travel experiences, instead of "new stuff" that lost its glitter after a couple months.