Another day, and no dollars. I love being broke all the time. The income is not the problem; it's the cost of living in my area.
In my city, a one-bedroom apartment is nearly $2,000 per month. A large coffee is $3.00, and a pack of cigarettes is $4.00 on the average. It sometimes occurs to me that if I stop smoking and quit drinking coffee, I might be able to pay off a chunk of these pesky student loans with ever-accruing interest. Nah. Never mind. I enjoy living on the edge.
I am told that the majority of couples our age (between 20 and 30 years old) are in debt. *Wow*.
It must be all of those lattes that we charge on our credit cards. "WTF? $200 on my American Express?!" Yeah. That's right. That extra foam you requested finally caught up with you. They're even charging you for air now.
Furthermore, at $1.50 per organically-grown-fair-trade leaf, those "specialty" salads will cost you more over time than your car payments. And I *just know* that the 99-cents/lb. apples wouldn't *taste* the same as the apples that are $2 a piece.
My generation is also very spiritual. However, we don't go to church. No, that would be too mundane for us. Instead, we crave a 2-hour session of bikram yoga taught by Swami Prkbfgrjkuoooeim--the famous yoga guru of the East. If you've never had your chakras aligned before, you don't know what you're missing! The $250 fee will seem like a bargain. (Yoga mat and bottled water not included.
Because we are so spiritually aligned, we are very in tune with our pets' needs. For example, Fluffy's new raincoat: $25. Finding Fluffy ripping the yellow slicker to shreds: Priceless. Organic vegetarian cat treats for Fluffy: $20 for 6 ounces. Finding the dog licking the empty container: Priceless.
These are examples of something called "living beyond our means"--a concept that no one in our generation seems to understand. Why pass up an opportunity for a luxury item when you can just charge that item to your credit card? "Save for it? God no! Everyone knows that all of the stores will be sold out of this fantastic gadget next week! Duh." Besides, how in the hell can I *survive* without an automatic wine-bottle-opener?
Also, what's the sense in repairing items that can just be re-purchsed? It gives me another chance to browse the mall, just in case I happened to miss something crucial on that last 8-hour excursion. What if I missed the debut of that new Limited Edition Estee Lauder Midnight Blue eye shadow? Never mind that I don't even wear eye shadow. Never mind that blue eye shadow looks hideous on *everyone*. I can get the new shade of midnight blue for *free* with a meager $150 purchase of anti-aging products! Who can pass up *that* kind of bargain?
Looking on the bright side, I won't be able to afford to shop for groceries anymore; which means I'll finally be able to fit into that $500 size zero skirt I saw at the Ralph Lauren boutique.
Three years ago, I was lucky enough to come to my senses, and I purged 2/3 of my material possessions. Yes, I am actually able to live a very happy life without most of my precious "stuff". The items that I still own are things that I use on a regular basis, or items so beautiful and sentimental that I could not bear to part with them.
I just read an article about an older couple who did this. They were actually brave enough to sell their $1.5 million home (which believe it or not, included a *ballroom*) and they bought a medium-sized house. They held an auction to sell 95% of their material posessions; which earned them a profit of $25,000. They used the earnings from the auction to purchse the bare minimum of furniture at Ikea for their new home. The only items in their moving van were a leather couch, their clothing, and some artwork that held a great deal of sentimental value.
Why did they do this? Simple. A colleage was visiting their home for a meeting with them; and he was standing in their grand hallway, staring at all of their posessions in awe. The wife asked him, "Is everything okay?" His eyes still as wide as dinner plates, the colleage said, point-blank, "You guys are *rich*." The couple realized that they had become something that they were not; something that was sadly less than their authentic selves. They realized that they did not even feel comfortable in their grandiose museum-like home that was decorated "just-so".
I'm glad I've managed to start another new trend. Maybe this is finally the one that will make it into People magazine. Plus, it makes my life worth living to know that somewhere there is a really impeccably dressed homeless woman wearing a Ralph Lauren skirt.
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sociologically_speaking posted on Jul 05, 2006
| views: 574
Comments
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SuccessWarrior said on Jul 05, 2006....
It's amazing what we are *told* to value. Everything except financial stability. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 05, 2006....
congratulations on realizing that the only joneses you should worry about keeping up w/ are the ones you decide you should. :> ed -
sociologically_speaking said on Jul 05, 2006....
I agree with both of you whole-heartedly. I definitely don't want my life to become a meaningless jumble of material goods. -
anonymous said on Jul 05, 2006....
my organic lettuce is actually pretty cheap. A little less than $5/week and I get 3 big salads out of it. Farmers markets are your friend :) My organic tea costs about $5/month. I don't really drink coffee. And yes, the fruit I buy tastes a lot better than most fruit in a grocery story. You are mistaken about that, but you are right that simplicity is grand :) -
LtCmdrWorf1 said on Jul 05, 2006....
I read a soulcast message yesterday that spoke of a “conversation Tab.” I have yet to figure out what that is, how to find it, or if I need to subscribe to another service to get one. I say that to let you know that only way I know to answer your question, Left as a comment, is to leave a response disguised as a one, a comment that is, on your latest post. Yes, the metamorphosis of God from a vengeful, wrathful busy body to one of love and respect for what God God’s self created is not all that remarkable. In the beginning, after God’s spirit moved over the face of the waters, and we were kicked out of Eden, God must have looked down and said, “these people of my creation need guidance, a code of ethics if you will. So he picked one person, Moses. This is of course the short form because we know that Moses spoke with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. My point though is that God always seems to talk to only one person at a time, except in the Torah where God feels the need to let people know that certain behaviors will not be tolerated. The prophet Isaiah has a lot to say about the messiah and where he will come from and what he will do. We, basically, find out about this is the New Testament when Christ tells us that he has not come to change the law but to set it right. And he says that we should follow the laws of the prophets, mainly Moses it seems. There is obviously a lot more to be said here; I think that you, and I could probably have a very lengthy discourse on this topic and many others, but right now just know that I share your assessment of the situation as it now stands. Peace and Long Life. Worf -
WallaHan said on Jul 05, 2006....
Good blog. There is nothing wrong with being rich, but there is everything wrong with being rich and stupid. -
lidstrom82 said on Jul 06, 2006....
Some of the richest people in the world are also the unhappiest. Materialism is crazy-go-nuts. If most of us had a chance to go to 3rd world countries, we'd be pretty astonished with the luxury of even working class living conditions we have, compared to everything other nations do not have. -
elleb84 said on Jul 06, 2006....
you should definitely find a career working with numbers since you clearly live by them... -
sociologically_speaking said on Jul 06, 2006....
anonymous, i agree that most organic produce, etc. tastes better. i was just raving for the entertainment value. plus, some people are really hard core into organic stuff, etc., and that can get a little scary. -
sociologically_speaking said on Jul 06, 2006....
WallaHan, Thanks for the compliment on my blog. Give me an example of a few "rich and stupid" people; this sounds like it could be a very entertaining topic (lol). -
sociologically_speaking said on Jul 06, 2006....
lidstrom82, I completely agree with you that there are a lot of rich and unhappy people; they never seem to be able to have enough to be happy; they always want more. They're chasing the illusion of happiness rather than true happiness itself. Personally, it has been one of my goals for a long time to go to some underdeveloped countries to help out. What I'm doing right now also benefits an underserved population. I'm not going to be prestigious--unless I write a book; or publish groundbreaking research--which many sociologists do. -
sociologically_speaking said on Jul 06, 2006....
elleb84, Actually, I do work with numbers; statistical analysis is part of what a sociologist does (more about that on a subsequent blog entry though). -
anonymous said on Jul 07, 2006....
What a booring life -
redneck115 said on Jul 07, 2006....
I am 27 yrs old, have no job, and I still live at home but I know that one day, I will have to do something with my life . -
MoneyAlone said on Jul 11, 2006....
The driving force behind American capitalism is consumerism. It's a machine to create an ever larger scale of production and consumption. Read Rich Dad Poor Dad. Most people will never become rich because they spend everything they make. And the temptation to buy is difficult, if not impossible to resist for most ppl because the marketing machine is a science. And yet, the American rat race creates the world's largest economy and prosperity because it gets the most rats to run the hardest. We work more. We create more. We consume more. We waste more. In the end, a larger economy means more money for the gov't. And more money for the gov't means better war/defense technology. Thus, I don't see the American model of capitalism going anywhere soon. -
sweetums0001 said on Jul 18, 2006....
I have come to terms with this very thing myself, recently. The day I discovered that I was spending upwards of 50$ a month at the car wash was the day I finally came to my senses! WTF?? I didn't think it was possible. -
babyextreme said on Jul 18, 2006....
er . . u enjoy being broke while u r living in such a costly world? wow sounds impressive . . hehz mind sharing a few pointer in how u do dat? Anyway being rich isint everything in life . . what matter most is live life 2 da fullest . . :) -
anonymous said on Aug 23, 2006....
spam removed -
Lovethebeach said on Aug 29, 2006....
I have no desire to live rich... I would like just to be able to afford the necessities in life....food, decent housing, etc. Too many people out there take necessities for granted. I live on mac and cheese and would sooner die than spend 5.00 on lettuce or 50 a month at the car wash.
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anonymous said on Aug 29, 2006....
I have no desire to live rich... I would like just to be able to afford the necessities in life....food, decent housing, etc. Too many people out there take necessities for granted. I live on mac and cheese and would sooner die than spend 5.00 on lettuce or 50 a month at the car wash.
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UnsmoothOperator said on Oct 15, 2008....
Results of modern advertising.I am happy you saw the light.
Comment on "Living on the edge"
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