Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to chirp about being broke. No joke. It's not that I don't make any money, I do. It's that it seems as though I never make enough. Apparently, according to some perceptive government bureaucrat, my wife and I are what they call "working poor," in other words we live paycheck to paycheck.
Now, I don't want to come off as a total complainer, so let me say there are some advantages to living paycheck to paycheck. For example, the stock market collapse of last year barely affected me, that's an advantage, right?
There are some not-so-good things, like we can't afford to buy a house, but even that negative consequence has some advantages. For example, If my roof leaks, I don't have to worry about fixing it. Or if my water heater, furnace, etc. break down, it's not my problem. It's the landlord's problem. That's peace of mind, right there.
Also there is an upside to the pseudo "poverty mindset" that settles in after living paycheck to paycheck for a few years. You kinda get used to it. I was broke yesterday, I am broke today, I'll probably be broke tomorrow. It can be stressful, that's for sure, but I don't think it's any more stressful than what some people are worrying about these days. You know, imploding mutual funds, collapsing house values, and a President who seems to be pretty convinced that everyone should pay more taxes.
Everyone but me, that is.
2 comments:
I've often wondered if living paycheck to paycheck would be liberating. The nurturing of possessions and investments does get stressful and sucks much of he fun out of life. And science has shown that people inherently value experiences over objects, so we would all be better off if we just hit the road on a Harley and experienced life the free way.
But...children drastically change the equation. I could easily see myself living the "free" life if kids weren't in the picture. But the urge to provide them with "everything" drives one to extreme and unnatural ends.
No doubt. Kids change everything. So the question is, what's better for them, to provide them with "everything" they "need" or to teach them the kind of contentment that can only be learned by living the simple life?
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