@clearaflagrantj how do you survive never spending any money on nonessentials
I haven't nixed discretional spending completely, I just realized that I had been incredibly wasteful with frivolous purchases. There was a period in my life where I'd regularly drop $100-$400 a week on clothes and had no reservations with buying tech shit. Moving out and spending 30% of my salary on necessary expenditures (rent/insurance/utilities/groceries) and another 30% dedicated to retirement really put things into perspective. I may make $1150 a week gross but after taxes and deducting the above 60% my discretionary spending came out to only $200/week. Suddenly dropping $300 on a fucking blazer became a whole lot less appealing.
And another big motivator for saving was the fact that if I save up more money that means retirement comes sooner. Budgeting is exactly like a diet. When I'm losing weight I tell myself that hunger means I'm doing good and I should relish the pain. Abstaining from frivolous spending is the exaxt same pleasure.
Not wasting money on shit you don't really need allows you to spend money on things you truly want guilt free. I still buy shit I don't really need, I'm traveling this weekend, I plan on buying an overpriced computer monitor, but these are things I have considered are worth it. Wasting money at the mall will not fill that gaping void of depression in your chest, only alcohol and sex will.
how does it feel to have become an ascetic and have transcended to a higher plane of existence? ---
