Is it all worth it?

[DazeOff]

I was browsing one of my favorite websites (besides Nappturality, of couse), Reddit, when I came across this bit of awesomeness. It's long, but REALLY worth the read:

Original Poster's question:
I‘m 25 years old and I look at my friend’s profiles on Facebook and all I see is new cars, big screen TVs, and exotic vacations. Many of these people have lower income than I do, so I know they can’t be saving too much money. Meanwhile, I save a significant portion of my income for retirement. I have plans for what I’d like to do when I retire, and as a result I don’t indulge in too many excesses right now. Understand, I don’t hate my life and I do spend money on things that I enjoy, but savings always come first.

99% of me says, ‘Be responsible’ , your sacrifice now will pay off many times over in the future. However the 1% wonders if it is all worth it, am I living my life wrong? What if I’m saving all my money for a time that never comes? What if I die early or am otherwise disabled before then? Why don’t I have my fun now, while
I’m young and able?

How do you justify known current sacrifices for uncertain future gains?

Edit: To clarify: I don't really feel the need to buy new cars, big screen TVs, and exotic vacations at this point in my life. Instead saving money and financial security makes me happy. I just feel at odds with the world sometimes who prioritize spending over saving.

Top Answer:
I am an early retiree. I have been living that life for some time. Many years ago (before it became popular) my wife and I chose to live significantly below our means so we could achieved financial independence. I am now living what you are planning, so I think I can provide more of a sense of the big picture.
Here's the piece you (and a few others in this thread) seem to be missing... Living below your means isn't about postponing gratification. In other words, it's not about giving up products and experiences when you're young so you can have them when you're old. That's not it at all.

What it's really about is freedom. Most people are, in many ways, slaves. I was a slave. Beginning at age five I was forced to get up in the morning and go somewhere I didn't really want to go, and do things I didn't really want to do. Elementary school. Then high school. Then college. Then work. And throughout all those years there was an undertone of fear. Fear that you'll get in trouble with Mom and Dad if your grades suck. Fear that your performance in college won't result in a decent job. Fear that you'll lose your job, and that your family will suffer, if you don't kiss up to the right people, or meet your quotas, or because some a-hole above you decides to eliminate your job... always that nagging worry and fear in the background.

When it comes right down to it, usually you really don't want to be there. And many of us really don't want to be doing whatever they make us do. Maybe you're even forced to do sh*t you don't feel right about, just to survive (cutting corners, speed over quality, turning a blind eye, not being totally honest...). Dealing with a-holes. Dealing with office politics. Dragging your a$$ out of bed at 6 AM. Forcing yourself to go to bed at 10 PM so you don't feel like sh*t at 6 AM. Driving through horrendous traffic. Other people having the power to wreak economic harm on you, and your wife, and your kids (which is a very bad way to be harmed because it involves having decent food, safe shelter, safe transportation, etc.). Many people live just a few weeks, or months, away from financial ruin or homelessness. Always on the edge. Always needing to rely on others for access to a job, or for a loan, or so you can meet your job expectations, or ____ . This isn't living a life that is free. Not really. It's living a life in economic bondage. It can be a rather benign type of bondage, but it sure as hell isn't freedom because your choices are limited, your time belongs to someone else, and there's always that undertone of worry and fear. "What if?...". "How long can we survive?...". "Will I meet my quotas?....".

So this isn't about postponing cool sh*t from youth to old age. Not at all. It's about escaping from the economic bondage of a wage slave. It's about freedom. It's about removing all that fear and worry from your life. It's about removing all the bullsh*t from your life. It's about getting out from under those above you who have the power to harm you and your family by eliminating your job, or by tossing you to the curb because maybe they don't like your attitude. It's about realizing that nobody should have the power to harm you like that. It's about wanting to get out from under somebody else's thumb. You're legally free to walk away from your job tomorrow, but if you don't have the economic freedom to do that, you're not free at all. It's about being free to sleep as late as you want, stay up as late as you want, and spend your time doing whatever you want. It's about realizing that there is no security unless you make it.

So it's all about freedom - not "stuff". The sooner you start working toward untying those bonds, the sooner you will be free. The more you deny yourself now, the sooner you will be free. And you really need to do it when you have the opportunity, because there's no guarantee that you will even have a job five years from now. And after you have attained your freedom, there's nothing that will stop you from continuing to work if you're lucky enough to have a job you look forward to going to (or have a job at all). But it will be YOUR choice.

So that's what it's really about, or at least that's what it was about for me. And I've got to tell you, achieving financial freedom was the best decision we ever made. I thank my lucky stars every day that we decided to go that route. Most of my peers will die at their desks without ever having experienced what it's like to truly be free. Yet I live every day exactly as I choose, and with no economic worries, no stress, and no fear. We become so conditioned to the worries and fear that we think we are free when we're really not. It isn't until you truly experience this freedom that you realize what you have been missing. The relief and overall sense of peace and happiness is astounding. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't worth it.

I hope this helps.

---

Wow...
That's where I wanna be, so that's where I'm gonna be.

[naturallykristin]

I love it!!! That was one of the most inspirational financial messages I have ever read. That man is describing my life: up at 6, usually sleep by 9, working 2 jobs, going to school full-time, never taking vacations, spending more time away from my daughter than with her, feeling like if I lost just 1 of my jobs today homelessness wouldn't be far behind... It is so stressful and scary. I HATE my current situation. I want financial freedom. I always talk about how all people are still enslaved to consumerism and politics, but I never realized I was enslaved due to my financial bondage. I need to make some changes...

Thank you for sharing.

[naturallykristin]

OMG I am sitting at my desk crying right now (darn pregnancy hormones!!)! I needed to see that though. I needed to see that I have the power to change my situation, and I can make it better. Maybe not today, but I can make the decisions today that will allow me to have freedom. Freedom... wow, that word just sends chills down my spine. I want that!

[DazeOff]

I love it!!! That was one of the most inspirational financial messages I have ever read. That man is describing my life: up at 6, usually sleep by 9, working 2 jobs, going to school full-time, never taking vacations, spending more time away from my daughter than with her, feeling like if I lost just 1 of my jobs today homelessness wouldn't be far behind... It is so stressful and scary. I HATE my current situation. I want financial freedom. I always talk about how all people are still enslaved to consumerism and politics, but I never realized I was enslaved due to my financial bondage. I need to make some changes...

Thank you for sharing.

You're welcome! *e-hugs* You and I are >HERE<.

And yes, that dude broke it all the way down. I'm not free at all right now. That message was a huge light bulb moment for me!

[skittles04]

I agree with a lot of what he says, and I'm always searching for ways to simplify my life and save money. (Although the closest I've come is getting out of debt. I still have to work on my savings and start(!) a retirement fund.)

At the same time, I don't want to wait until I'm 50 or 60 to start enjoying my life. I want to travel and do all that cool stuff now, dammit. I really want to get to the point where I can live on half or a third of my take-home pay. That way I can save money but still allow myself some indulgences.

**Also, the original scenario in the OP is one of the reasons why I only visit Facebook once in a blue moon. Too much flexing... Especially when you know for a fact that things aren't as rosy as they seem.

[nickib]

At the same time, I don't want to wait until I'm 50 or 60 to start enjoying my life. I want to travel and do all that cool stuff now, dammit.

Me too! I'm 23 so retirement seems SO FAR AWAY. I can't wait that long before I start travelling etc. I'm not going to deny myself indulgences, I'm just going to be selective about the ones I choose. Instead of blowing money on "stuff" I wanna save for experiences. Difference between new shoes or a night at the ballet; a car or a trip to Brazil.

On top of that I want to make sure that I'm saving for these indulgences, rather than going into debt to get them.

But yes, the man's message was solid. I want that ASAP

[Sahha]

I wish there was an "Amen" button!! I save diligently but also make a point of doing fun things so when I grow old, I will have something to smile about (besides the snotty grandkids)

[Vavoon]

see i was just having this argument with random fb guys
you know, the whole 9-5ers vs. entrepreneurs. i hate the way those entrepreneurs used the the term "slave" in one sense because they were assuming that the amount of hours you work in a day meant you were giving up a piece of your soul. if you absolutely love what you do, then giving up your time is not = giving up your soul. but that's a whole new other topic.

i agree that we need to save. however! it's hard to find a balance.
I am turning 24 next month and they took out my first retirement money out of my paycheck and i feel broke already!

at my age, i need to save 173$ a month (50 out of every paycheck before taxes) so i can retire peacefully at age 59 (which i have started to do!). you have to start saving up now! at the end of my career life, i don't want to have nothing to show for it. this is why with every paycheck almost 60% of it goes to savings, 20 goes to bills and the rest is for pleasure. you don't need a big check to have fun - this is why groupon/living social/lifebooker was invented!

however, i will party hard, travel, do what i gotta do! to live life beautifully.
thank you

[naturallykristin]

see i was just having this argument with random fb guys
you know, the whole 9-5ers vs. entrepreneurs. i hate the way those entrepreneurs used the the term "slave" in one sense because they were assuming that the amount of hours you work in a day meant you were giving up a piece of your soul. if you absolutely love what you do, then giving up your time is not = giving up your soul. but that's a whole new other topic.

i agree that we need to save. however! it's hard to find a balance.
I am turning 24 next month and they took out my first retirement money out of my paycheck and i feel broke already!

at my age, i need to save 173$ a month (50 out of every paycheck before taxes) so i can retire peacefully at age 59 (which i have started to do!). you have to start saving up now! at the end of my career life, i don't want to have nothing to show for it. this is why with every paycheck almost 60% of it goes to savings, 20 goes to bills and the rest is for pleasure. you don't need a big check to have fun - this is why groupon/living social/lifebooker was invented!

however, i will party hard, travel, do what i gotta do! to live life beautifully.
thank you

We're about the same age, I'm 25, but there is no way I could afford to save any of my check, let alone almost 60%! LOL, I wish!!!! I barely make ends meet, and owe too many companies money right now. I need to start saving though. I feel like I'm in a hole with no way out. I'm going to find one though. Some how...

[LBellatrix]

He's telling nothing but the TRUTH...Let me just drop this book here right now for y'all to pick up: Your Money or Your Life

I'm closer to 50 than I am to 30 and while I am by no means financially independent, I'm freer than a lot of people I know partially because for most of my adult life I've lived way below my means. If there's one thing I wish I'd done differently it's that I wish I'd actually drawn out a formal plan for becoming financially independent by a certain date. In my case I just kind of did it (lived below my means) because I don't like having a lot of stuff...I knew when I was young that I wanted to live what folks are now calling a minimalist life and that's the only reason why my closets weren't as full of clothes and shoes as my friends', and why I've only owned one stereo system in my life (and it's only because I won it). I bought my car with cash 15 years ago and I'm still driving it and it works just fine at almost 149,000 miles; when it goes I'll either buy another car with cash or do without (which means I need to live someplace where I'm able to walk to what I need, which is another lifestyle choice you make).

Unfortunately that whole wage-slave (and, prior to that, grade-slave) thing is real and it's built into us from an early age. This notion that there's only one way to live your life and that's to be a cog in somebody's machine...it's just not true! And what's really interesting to me is that this isn't something that only rich white men can do. I really believe anybody can do this if they just take the long view and work out a plan. Everybody's got different life circumstances, of course, but how you spend and save your money is much more within your control than you know.

And here's another thing that's gotten me into trouble over the years so I tend not to say it out loud very often: Mortgages cost money. Cars cost money. KIDS cost money. ALL of those things are CHOICES. Nobody is forcing them on you. If you want to be financially independent by 40 but you also want to have two kids and live in a shiny suburb, you have to figure out how much you can put away, and how much you can *not* spend, in order to have all those things. It might require you taking a second job. It might require you living with roommates. Are you willing to be seen as "less cool" now in order to be "ultra cool" (or, in my case, "crazy" vs. "crazy like a fox", lol) later?