Don’t give a stuff and why it will make you rich
I just read a cool post over at Frugal Babe‘s blog, where she tells about the day she found out that Guns N Roses isn’t the name of a song and ended up making a fool of herself.
The experience taught her how stupid it is to care too much about what other people think.
Nowadays, she cares a lot less – and she is even proud about it:
I’m proud of my frugality, and I’m completely open about buying used stuff, driving old cars, and making do with what we have. Even my bike that I use to get around town is old. My parents bought it for me 20 years ago, and I think it was an antique then.
Disease of a Materialistic Society
Image.
I’m sure of it. That little word has caused more debt and bad financial decisions than any other.
Repossessions of cars, forced sales of properties and general financial chaos. All because we care too much about what other people think.
Freedom
The irony is, once you stop giving a damn, life is so much better.
If you care about what other people think about you, you are a slave to their perception (or rather, how you think they perceive you). Your actions are governed by how you can best impress a crowd.
When you don’t give a damn, you free yourself to do only what you really want.
It’s a lot more fun to not care too much about what people think. Of course that’s easier said than done when you’re in 6th grade, but at least I figured it out eventually. I do still care somewhat – I don’t wander around town unshowered in a pair of sweatpants (well, I have a four month old, so maybe I do, but not often). But keeping up with the Joneses isn’t even an issue for our family, because for the most part, we don’t notice what the Joneses have, and if we do, we can usually figure out a cheaper way to do it.
The Millionaire Next Door
To anybody who hasn’t read this book, do yourself a favor.
The Millionaire Next Door was written by two guys who spent over 20 years interviewing American millionaires.
They were surprised to discover that the vast majority of these people were the type of folks you’d never guess had money. They were just about the least image-driven people alive.
If you’re wondering how to spot one, he’s probably the odd guy (with that old messed-up car), who lives next-door…
September 23rd, 2008 at 06:50 am
Amen to this article!!!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 07:03 am
Great article!! I love it.
Thanks
September 24th, 2008 at 06:19 am
Well said!
September 26th, 2008 at 04:16 am
Great post. Ain’t it the truth?
September 26th, 2008 at 07:32 am
Whilst striving to make an escape from the ‘rat race’ you become different from everyone else. We have found that we don’t fit in with the people around us anymore. We don’t give a stuff! We’re the ones who are going to be finacncially free.
Great post. I’m going to read a lot more.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
@Coral
When I just started out I also didn’t feel like I fitted in. I was always turning down invitations to go places and do things with my friends – because it was too expensive.
However, now a few years later it is different. After getting out of debt and saving up a bit, my “frugality boundaries” have shifted a bit.
Not by much, I still live very frugally. But I can now allow myself a lot more stuff than I used to (especially on sport and fitness), and still save.
Once the bug has bit you though, I think you will always be different. It’s a good type of different. It’s a get the most out of life type of different. I love it.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
[...] Liberta-Freedom says: Don’t give a stuff and why it will make you rich [...]
October 2nd, 2008 at 01:35 pm
Great post and so true! I think it can be safe to say that affluenza is one of the biggest social diseases ever. People seem to have gotten into a competition against each other. A competition that no one can every win because there will always be someone who has more ‘stuff’ than you.
I feel bad for the people who are not aware of this problem and how the advertisers exploit their insecurities. I’m not saying I’m perfect – far from it – but over the last couple of years I have made a determined effort to not keep up with the Joneses and focus on the real things that are important to me like friends and family and going after my goals.
Hopefully a lot more poeple will wake up to the reality of the situation before it is too late.
October 4th, 2008 at 02:21 pm
[...] Don’t give a stuff and why it will make you rich at Liberta. Francois points out that life can be much better when you don’t worry about how other perceive you and your “stuff.” [...]