Over the years, as we make more money, we have a bad habit of buying more stuff. Bigger house, bigger cars, fancy new furniture, bigger TV’s, and so on. Lifestyle inflation, it’s called. Nearly all of us are guilty of this phenomenon, even if we don’t realize. If you’re shaking your head and saying “Not me!” defiantly, take a step back for a moment. Think back to when you were 18 or so, whenever you set out on your own. You probably had a small, rough apartment in a not quite nice area. Furniture was limited to whatever you were given, or could pick up secondhand for cheap. Clothes? You had enough, but just barely.
Now look around today. If things are nicer now, then you’ve experienced lifestyle inflation as well. I’m not telling you to feel bad about it. It’s nice to have a nice place to call home, and have some luxuries. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. But it’s important that you remember what the cost of all these luxuries really is. Every fancy new thing you buy costs money, and means you have to spend more time at work. Not exactly the way to a simple life.
Redefine what you need
Most two-income familes in the United States have at least two cars. One for the husband, one for the wife. They need to get to work, after all. There just isn’t any other way. An excessive amount of furniture fills most homes, too, when you think about it. Do you absolutely need a couch, loveseat, and recliner in your living room? How about the den – do you need to seat 6 in there as well? Then there’s the eat-in kitchen, which has a table & chairs, along with a fancier set in the dining room. You need all these things, right? There’s no other way.
Wrong.
You want these things. You think you need them, because you don’t know any differently. If you really wanted to cut expenses and simplify your life, could you take the bus to work every day? Maybe. I’ll bet you haven’t even checked the bus routes.
If you don’t entertain regularly or have a huge family, perhaps you could get rid of some of that furniture. There’s no need to have the ability to seat 12 at any given time, when you only have family of four. Give it away, sell it, whatever. Your house will feel more spacious, and you won’t have to worry about replacement costs when the time comes.
The same thing with all those TV’s you likely have. How many get watched at a time – one or two? Why in the world do you need 5 or 6? Get rid of them, and simplify. Redefine your needs, and you can declutter your home so much easier, and save money. Simplify your home, simplify your finances. All from just redefining what it is that you actually need.
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