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Home > I feel rich! It is so freeing not having to consider how much things cost.

I feel rich! It is so freeing not having to consider how much things cost.

July 25th, 2009 at 05:20 pm

I have been shopping with girlfriends for 12 hours straight today. Going from store to store to store. Stopping for a delicious lunch at a great restaurant, espresso at the pricey coffeehouse and dinner. We saw so many beautiful items it pricey boutiques, took 5 taxis (at 4 people average taxi ride cost 25cents per person).

I felt comfortable, completely content, and RICH. I could afford great stuff the boutiques. It was not always worth it, but if I truly wanted it, I could afford it. I did not care if traffic increased our fare by another 50cent. I did not care how much a delicious restaurant meal would cost us -- whether it would be $3 or $4 or $5 made no difference at all. It is so liberating to choose things based just on taste and interest with 0 thought for the price. We took chances and tried new dishes we are not sure we'd like because if we didn't like it we could just order another one without incurring any significant financial consequences. So we discovered new dishes ones easily.

We were so relaxed, and upbeat and confident and had a ton of fun today. I miss this life. It is a different feeling, mindset. Saving and buying based on need seems such a remote concept at the moment.
True, I still have to consider prices at the department stores and boutiques(it can be quite expensive, even by US standards), but not even caring to look at the supermarkets, restaurants, drink shops... considering taxis simply a matter of convenience with no financial implications... That affects ones perceptions and experiences and even attitude.

It does not feel wrong, it feels like this is what life could be like... I am not sure how to explain. I am not saying that I would spend every day like this if I could... but knowing that I could... that is a powerful thing. I had this life for 6 month once, and now another little taste of it is making me crave it again.

This may sound shallow... but this is not just about having fun morning to evening (which is quite amazing) it is about this sense of freedom that not having consider cost brings. I know this is completely opposite to the intent of our community, but I just had to post this different prospective. I am trying to sort out my feelings about this rare and interesting experience/feeling.

11 Responses to “I feel rich! It is so freeing not having to consider how much things cost. ”

  1. Apprentice Bliss Hunter Says:
    1248557599

    Hey sounds like a great experience !!

    My next travel destination will be Peru and I'm looking forward to seeing my money stretch SO much further over there....

    I think it's all relative... there are Americans/Irish/Eurpopeans who can live that life all the time because they are rich....

    Me and you may not be rich in our home countries... but travel to the other side of the world and we may be just that - rich ! (at least for a while)

    Enjoy I say !!

  2. whitestripe Says:
    1248559862

    i love reading posts like the one you just wrote - sometimes its a bit boring to read how much someone saved by buying 12 rolls of paper towel. and i admit i even blog about that stuff.

    it sounds very freeing for you.

    would you consider moving? it is relative i guess - would you earn what you earn in china as opposed to the US?

  3. baselle Says:
    1248580143

    Its not really the opposite of the intent of our community if you consider the final goal of most of us. You could save forever, but the goal of most of us to save is financial freedom, the condition that you describing above.

    Its a great feeling, and remembering that feeling as you save, back in NYC, can maybe inspire you.

  4. miclason Says:
    1248583352

    When I travel to the other side of the world, is the opposite, things are more expensive for me! LOL!

  5. scfr Says:
    1248619606

    Thanks for an interesting post.

    I agree with baselle. If you look at many of the blogs here holistically, efforts to save really are about freedom at the end of the day.

    For me, my sensible spending/saving/relocating to a lower cost area/intelligent investing efforts are steps that have given me the freedom to: 1) spend half of my working hours for pay and half of my working hours as an unpaid volunteer helping dogs get rescued, 2) give my husband the go-ahead to pursue his far-out & expensive dream of trying out for the senior golf tour, 3) be able to help out family members, including regular contributions to my niece & nephews college funds & knowing that my DD brother will never end up in a crappy group home because we have to rely on government assistance for his care, 4) not having to worry about being forced to go without the necessities and some comforts in my retirement.

    You're right that the individual blog entries are often focused on the steps taken in order to reach the ultimate goals, but many here at SA have very important reasons driving those savings steps.

    For many of us, it's about a secure retirement. I've seen comments by many of our bloggers about being able to afford to have one spouse be a stay at home parent or just to be able to afford to have a child. Some want to save enough to start their own company in order to have more independence, or support their spouses desire to start a company. Some want to take their annual pilgrimage to Disney World (not that I'm going to mention any names or anything ... LOL). Some want to give to their place of worship. Etc. Etc. Etc.

    Freedom means different things to different people, and it's defined depending on what is important to each of us. I see freedom as a constant, recurring theme of most of the blogs here, even if an individual entry may be about coupon-clipping or resoling shoes. Those things are the means to the end.

  6. disneysteve Says:
    1248628781

    I don't know who you could be referring to, scfr. LOL!

    I agree with the others. There is nothing at all wrong with spending money if you have the money to spend and have all of your financial ducks in order.

    Our synagogue recently started a new fund-raising program. My wife and I were among the first 4 members to contribute, out of a congregation of nearly 600 families.

    And yes, we go to Disney World pretty much every year. We leave on a 2-week visit on August 14th and we're busy planning out our activities for that trip including a number of things we've never done before like going to the Cirque Du Soleil show, La Nouba, and taking an airboat ride in the swampland south of Orlando. Those things will cost money, of course, and we'll be happy to spend it and enjoy every minute of the adventures we find ourselves on.

  7. Ceejay74 Says:
    1248634289

    I'm of two minds...in one sense definitely financial freedom means being able to buy whatever I want. But another part of it is to find the nonspending parts of life to be richer and just as fulfilling.

  8. disneysteve Says:
    1248639752

    I would not say that financial freedom means being able to buy whatever I want. That isn't my definition at all.

    To me, financial freedom means not having to work for pay. It means having enough saved to live comfortably without needing to work. I don't ever expect to have enough money to buy whatever I want. I don't think I'll ever get out of the frugal mindset and shopping around, comparing prices, buying in bulk, checking sales, etc.

  9. fern Says:
    1248655631

    It is a great feeling, but of course if you did it every day, you'd no longer be able to do it becus you'd have spent all your savings.

    I think you're just reacting to long-term frugal living and spending. At least that's what happens to me. I feel more than a bit deprived at times, and so i need to cut myself some slack becus a balanced lifestyle now and in the future is best, not one of either extremes.

  10. Zeerty Says:
    1248858658

    Brooklyn Girl: you can live such a lifestyle because you have a western salary. If you move to China, you would not be bringing in the big bucks to support your current spending trend.

    So with the short time you're still rich, does the freedom bring you happiness?

  11. Nika Says:
    1248865667

    Zeerty, it does. Except I miss my husband.

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