How to be skint but still appear rich
I’m always envious of those people who always seem to have enough. They have enough time, enough money, enough to satisfy their basic needs and more. They’re never flashy but always seem, somehow, to be rich.
We all know people like it, and in my experience, rarely are they the people who earn lots of money. Not for a second am I suggesting that there is any kind of ‘simplicity’ in having no money.
Being without money is one of the least simple things in this world, and anyone who suggests otherwise is having themselves on. But it doesn’t take a lot of money to seem rich, in the best sense. To be rich, you need enough money to eat, sleep, clothe yourself and provide for your family.
But why is it that some people have these things and seem rich, while others have all that and more and yet seem constantly under the hammer?
The blogosphere did answer my questions once more, though there were two schools on the subject. School One has articles on how to dress rich on a small budget, or tips on mingling with the rich at charity bashes.
School One is about the appearance of wealth. School Two is about being ‘rich’ without having copious amounts of money.
So here a couple of hints I found:
Understand what makes you happy
Exercise makes you happy. Good health makes you happy. Family and friends, and doing what you enjoy makes you happy. To the extent that money allows all of these things, money makes you happy. To that extent and no more (or less). If the pursuit of financial goals is taking away from your health or time with your family, a rethink may be in order. Have you and your family got enough? If so, what are you working so hard for? Farnoosh Torabi has a great article in living it up on very little.
Get some peace of mind
Disciplined saving and budgeting can give you more than a nest egg in 25 years time, it can give you peace of mind now. Knowing that your future is well-provided for will make the present far more enjoyable. Acknowledge that some sacrifices are necessary for this to pass, and appreciate the peace of mind these sacrifices earn you.
Learn to be content
Human biology is built around the next. We are not necessarily programmed to be content, evolution required us to constantly be searching for a new challenge, a new obstacle to overcome. Contentment is not a state of being natural to us, yet it’s the goal we endlessly search for. The cyberspace is full of people searching for contentment, Google it and see just how many. I liked the BlogHer entry on the issue.
Personally I don’t feel any need to meditate every morning to get some richness into my life. Maybe seeming rich while being skint is a combination of School One and School Two.
It’s about having a pair of shoes that make you feel a million dollars, and being happy having that pair. It’s a combination of little luxuries and time spent with family. Tony Blair would love it- the Third Way of contentment.
How do you get some richness into your everyday life?
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