Choose YOUR lifestyle!!
For many readers of Subramoney.com it could come as a surprise if I said “Go and splurge”. I try not to write too much about spending, bargains, etc. – I prefer concentrating on the wealth side. However what you ‘feel’ about money is pretty important.
So you must go and spend money….BECAUSE BECAUSE BECAUSE you want to do it. Do not spend for ‘peer’ pressure. I see people spending for ‘impressing’ others. That I find funny. I guess it is about insecurity.
So answer these questions honestly:
1. Do you do money comparisons while shopping with friends / relatives / siblings / colleagues ?
2. If you got a higher bonus or a jump in salary would you boast about it to people around you?
3. In the last 3 years have you bought anything BECAUSE somebody else was boasting about it?
4. Have you traveled abroad as a ‘tick box’ item?
5. You have not seen something within 50 kms of your house, but are planning a foreign trip?
6. How do you respond to somebody who just bought a shoe for Rs. 34,000 ?
7. Would you buy a Rs. 50,000 bag for your wife ASSUMING that she has no clue about the price and her friend circle does not know a Prada or a Louis Vitton..
8. Will your best 5 friends be able to talk about your biggest 5 purchases?
8.a, Will you be able to talk about the best buys of any of your top 3 friends? or of anybody else?
9. Do you worry what others would think about you when you make a purchase?
10. Do you worry about your vacations, mode of transport, clothes, when you are visiting friends / relatives / colleagues…
Answer honestly and YOU will know whether you are a competitor or no. Please give feedback on the blog, not on FB 🙂 . thanks.
moronbuffett
#5 had me laughing for a long time
Karthikraja K
“What others think” is real dragger for our life. not easy to get rid off.
Saurabh Aggarwal
Just use common sense & most of such expenses can be avoided.Some 4 years back one of my friend working in good it company bought shoes for 12 grand..& has to buy equal amount shoes for his wife , now has lost job for last 2 years , all personal savings gone…& wife has filed for divorce.
Satya
Thanks for the inspiring article.
1. It is clear now. I am not going to buy iPhone 6. Eventhough it is cheaper in UAE by INR 10k. I am happy with Moto-G. Only reasons I need to buy are to show off, have nice photos, my colleagues bought etc.
2. I have been in Hyderabad for past 7 years and never seen Golkonda Fort and Charminar. I want to plan for a family vacation to Agra to have nice photo infront of Taj Mahal. It is clear now. First I will cover Charminar and Golkonda Fort.
Praveen
So is it mandatory to cover all the places in india and then only plan foreign vacation? By that scale, I might do foreign trip only when i cross 50 yrs, by which time my health might not allow me to enjoy it completely
Shankar
Once my office friend visited my house with his family. They kept asking me why I did not purchased A/C in my house even though I explained I did not needed it and don’t want to pay the EB bill.
They started projecting that I am stingy, after that I started getting lot of pressure from my family to get one. Funny thing is my family started inventing new reasons on why we need A/C at home.
This is my secret of how I survived from that pressure. I took average monthly expense for the past 1 year say X. Then with my family calculated how much we might be using A/c through out the year and estimated EB charges, say Y. Then I said if you reduce my 6-month average expense to X-Y, then I will buy A/C.
Since my monthly expense is already optimised it is not that easy to do that. Though I still get the nagging to buy but the pressure is way way less.
Now, my problem is I don’t know how to distinguish whether I really need it? I am not sure because of constant pressure I started thinking it is necessary OR is it really I needed it. Any thoughts how to distinguish it???
Pi
Talking about AC, what I find funny is that my full-time maid, who also stays in my house has been mentioning AC and hot weather repeatedly in our conversations to make me start switching on the AC in the room that she sleeps in. Funny thing is even my own room doesnt have AC running much so far this season, barring one hour in the night. Wonder how much AC she uses when she is at her own house. 😀
rohini
Hello Subra,
Thanks a ton for this post. With the new fiscal year and it showers including increased salary and bonus; has been pushing my and my husband’s sense of entitlement to make stupid lifestyle choices like splurging on a foreign trip. Pts. 4,5 and 10 brought me right back to reality.
Thank you once agian for your nuggets of wisdom.
Deepak
Q1,7,9,10 – yes. Others no. How would you interpret Sir. ?
Chaitanya
My comment is not related to this post. However I was compelled to write here. Few days ago I sort of dissected business model of a value investing trainer and he unpublished my comments. So just posting here. This fella started commenting on Subra’s blog few years ago. He used to participate and slowly diverted traffic to his own blog. His blog started giving free valuations on some stocks. Then slowly changed content to preaching how stocks can gives you freedom from then it went to preaching life and how after quitting job I am happy etc. In between he came up with a service and many subscribed to his teaching course. Now he has come up with magazine and that’s where I said your business model is excellent. Teach about life etc and get subscribers to pay for his freedom. He has now unpublished all comments. On the same day on twitter this fella put some quote on a criticism etc. Sorry Subra I am using your blog but this needs to be put in public domain. People are duped under disguise of passion/teaching keywords. Therefore writing here.
subra
Chaitanya I feel great that somebody ‘diverted’ readers. Good for him. God bless him. Sure most people have a business model – they have to earn a living. Some of us are too lazy to have a business model perhaps 🙂
If u are there on FB go and join AIFW…and name the trainer..I know 2 people and I can guess that you are naming one of them. I do not have a business model does not mean others should not.
Most blogs have a business model. U can like them or ignore them.
If somebody benefits taking my ideas, readers, etc. wow I am impressed. buut not at a loss I guess.
Anshuk
@Chaitanya, kaun hai woh?
MangoMan
@Anshuk/Subra, I guess he is talking about a certain successful investor.
Pi
Kaun hai woh. The nation wants to know.
India wants an answer 😛
Chaitanya
Not there on FB because I never liked it and also banned from office. I see what my wife does, uploading photos all the time and I don’t like it.
I think you too have a business model but which is not disguised like below post. You say something and do something else.
http://www.safalniveshak.com/uncopyrighted-my-ode-to-aaron-swartz/
When I and others dissected the model, which is a good model that you divert the traffic & create a subscription service. If you throw one liners on life, trust & what not. Throw quotes after quotes and then you simply unpublish comments which are unpleasant to you then I see that you are not true to the values you preach. I said to that no one can take away shear hard work, freshness it brought up and it is a skill to write long posts after posts. Why shy away from it? Nothing wrong but then stand the truth that you cannot be rich just by investing in stock market. You need a business wherein people need to pay you, you need a positive cash flow from something be it lecture you impart, be it boot polish you do or create a great product like apple or become Sun phrama or TATA’s.
Yes there are people who got rich by investing in stocks but I still doubt it will be for everyone. unless used a mutual fund route for very long time like 20-30 years and not doing anything but just investing year after year, months after months. Or you need to become expert and get foresight which sector or cycle will play out.
There are all sorts of sundry share recommending services, I am not against anyone but they have enough courage to say it. That’s the point.
nitin bourai
you nailed it subra sir,
read an article today “be modest” and he quoted
todays situation is like you are a diabetic and all the sweets in sweet shop are tempting so its for you to decide.
its all about choices.
i will add few
#1 in place of visiting doctor or physiotherapy for your neck pain or back pain did you ever tried to change your posture, tried ever to walk 2-3 km each day or ever tried of yoga ?
#2 after coming home from a long day did you ever tried to make khichdi or ordered pizza or burger from mcdonald’s,pizza hut
krod16
1. Do you do money comparisons while shopping with friends / relatives / siblings / colleagues ?
No
2. If you got a higher bonus or a jump in salary would you boast about it to people around you?
No
3. In the last 3 years have you bought anything BECAUSE somebody else was boasting about it?
No
4. Have you traveled abroad as a ‘tick box’ item?
No
5. You have not seen something within 50 kms of your house, but are planning a foreign trip?
No
6. How do you respond to somebody who just bought a shoe for Rs. 34,000 ?
I would be shocked.
7. Would you buy a Rs. 50,000 bag for your wife ASSUMING that she has no clue about the price and her friend circle does not know a Prada or a Louis Vitton..
No. I would not buy it even if she knew about it.
8. Will your best 5 friends be able to talk about your biggest 5 purchases?
No
8.a, Will you be able to talk about the best buys of any of your top 3 friends? or of anybody else?
No
9. Do you worry what others would think about you when you make a purchase?
No
10. Do you worry about your vacations, mode of transport, clothes, when you are visiting friends / relatives / colleagues…
No
moronbuffet
@krod16 shaabash mere laal
krod16
@moronbuffet,
Sab aap(buffettji) ki krupa hai maalik.