What I Stopped Spending Money On
I interviewed a guy once who applied for an entry-level position he was badly overqualified for. When I asked him why, he was remarkably honest about it.
“My wife is pressuring me,” he said. “My last company went under. I was making really good money, but it was never enough. That place was flashy, the suits, the watch, the car. I always picked up the check. Now she wants me to give all that up and just pay the bills.”
We talked for a while. He knew his stuff. Kids, sports, business. Then he said, “This would pay the bills. I’m just not ready to go backwards at this point.”
I ran into him a few years later at the grocery store. He walked over and shook my hand.
He never did find the job that kept the old lifestyle going. He lost the house, the cars, the suits, and the watch. He told me that when it happened, almost everyone turned their backs on him. Standing there with nowhere to live, it hit him: nobody actually cared about any of that stuff anyway. So why was he sacrificing his family for it?
He has rebuilt since then, and he sounded genuinely happier than he did in that interview.
I’ve had my own version of this, just on a much smaller scale. For a long time, I used to buy coffee for my coworkers every single morning. I told myself it was just a nice thing to do. It was partly that, but if I’m being honest, it was also that I liked being the guy who did it. The guy they looked forward to seeing each morning.
So what’s something you stopped spending money on once you stopped caring what people thought?
- The name brand when the store brand is identical?
- Picking up the check every single time?
- The gym membership you kept “just in case”?
- Specific things you only buy before company comes over?
If somebody names one you can relate to, drop a reply and let them know.
The porch light is on. Pull up a chair.
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