Adulting is full of conflicts. It is expected to live responsibly and stay within one’s means while also defining what it means to live life on your own terms. As people cling to their cash, there is no shortage of memes telling people they can’t take it with them and to buy those concert tickets, hop on that plane and generally don’t replace opportunity with regret.
The obvious answer to achieving these things is clearly winning the lottery. But for those of us less fortunate, there are deliberate decisions to be made that shave down the expenses of everyday life that can be refocused toward more affirming activities.
People have an incredible ability to live up to their means. If this is understood, then it becomes clear it’s not always about clinging to money, but redirecting where and how it is spent that will help someone live a larger life.
Here are a couple of ways to do that:
Guzzle less gas to guzzle more cocktails
Public Transport costs are a fixed expense and a significant budget thief for most people. However, it can also be one of the more flexible things and a good place to start shaving costs, particularly for drivers.
Daily commutes involve firm numbers, particularly how many miles it takes to get to and from work each day. The key variable is how much fuel a car uses to cover those miles. By taking the average miles per gallon your car receives and determining how many gallons are used to drive to and from work, it is possible to multiply that number with the cost of petrol and determine how much is being spent per day, per week and per month.
The next step is making sure the next car purchased has much better petrol mileage. It can be hundreds, sometimes thousands, in savings every year. New Smart Cars will get up to 68 miles per gallon on the motorway– with the added benefit of being low in emissions.
The miles per gallon savings can also help offset the sting of a new car payment.
Fight the fear of missing out
Entertainment marketing is stronger than ever. Whether it’s shows, concerts or movies, everything is sold as a can’t miss event for anyone with a pulse.
This makes it easy to spend a healthy chunk of a monthly budget as well as a significant portion of quality free time spending money on tickets, fees and any number of additional costs.
Self-assessment is key to making the most of your time and money when it comes to these things. Would you rather go to a handful of concerts of bands that each have a song or two you like on Spotify, or would you like to have enough money to spend several days in a condo on holiday? It only takes a handful of choices to unlock that option.
The key is this: If you’re not all in, then you’re all out.
That’s the most significant way to prioritize both money and time to live up to one’s means in the largest, fullest way possible.
