On Living Life

Living life is a rather broad topic.  Perhaps this post should more aptly be named 'On Living the Life You Desire'.  No matter what our age, we all have an ideal of what our lives should be.  It seems that these days, we always want more.  When we meet one goal, we add another.  When we meet one salary level, we want to reach higher.

We often hear that our value should not be based upon material possessions, and I whole-heartedly agree.  However, it seems that when someone is telling me that money isn't what matters, that person is rich.  Now one thing that annoys me is a rich person telling me not to worry about money.  He or she has no idea what it is like to have to shuffle funds in order to pay bills, or to give up groceries for the week so that a child can go to the doctor.  Even at my age, with a child in college, leftover medical bills from surgery, a child in braces, and the monthly bills, money can be pretty scarce.  I realize that I am fortunate that I can meet my obligations, but we still sacrifice things we would like to do in order to pay the bills.  I seriously doubt that Oprah and Suzy Orman sacrifice much.   

That being said, I have no desire to be 'Oprah' rich, but I would love to have the funds to pay off some debt, make some changes to our house, and to travel.  Would that make me any happier than I am now?  Probably not, but it would be fun!  I am working to be content with what we have.  That doesn't mean that I won't continue to work hard, and to dream about travels to far away places, but I will also be grateful for my home, my job, and all that we are blessed with.  I have enough.

I have noticed that young people today seem to want what their parents have worked for for years.  My ex-husband and I started out in a little trailer we bought from his uncle, and then moved to a small house when we were expecting our first child.    We lived in that small house through the births of our three daughters, all the time making improvements as we could afford them.  After several years of three girls and one bathroom, we finally upgraded to a larger home.  Having lived in a trailer and a small home, I truly appreciated the space and ammenities that came with our home.  Now newly married couples seem to want the large family home as soon as they marry.  What happened to working their way up?

Another change that I have noticed is that things that used to be reserved for the wealthy are now commonplace.  When I began working as a hairdresser in 1987, and several years after, acrylic nails were only for the upperclass women.  These days, women of all income brackets have artificial nails.  I am not saying that this is a bad thing; it's just a change in society.  What about Coach purses?  Now, I have friends who own Coach, so I am not being critical.  I just can't justify (nor can I afford) paying that much for a purse.  Heck, I could purchase a piece of furniture or a full summer wardrobe for the price of one purse.  Again, in years past these brand-name handbags were carried only by the rich; now women of all classes carry them.  Some, whether they can afford them or not.

I like nice things as well as the next person, but I can say that I rarely buy anything that isn't on sale.  I am an awesome bargain hunter.  There are certain clothing brands I prefer, mostly because they have a full line of petites.  When one is five feet tall and lacks curves, finding clothes that fit is a major coup.  I just have to head straight to the clearance racks.  I also don't mind paying a little more for high-quality clothing, but I won't pay high prices for poor quality.  $45 for a thin t-shirt that happens to have 'Abercrombie' on it?  No way.  I think I have finally taught my girls that they need to look for quality rather than an impressive name-brand.  I don't want them to get caught up in trying to impress their friends, especially when they cannot afford it. 

I buy things because I like them and they make me feel good.  I don't buy things simply to impress others.  I don't care if my outfit is from the Loft or Target.  If it's cute, it's cute.  If people want to judge me because I drive a Ford and shop at Target, so be it.  I am comfortable in my own skin, and I don't need a stamp of approval from others. 

One of my goals toward living the life I want to live is to get some bills paid off this year.  I slowly whittled down my medical bills, and I hope to get the braces paid off.  Unfortunately, the college bills are just going to keep coming.  My dream is to make money through writing that can be put toward bills.  At this point in my life, I don't want to stress over money.  I have over-spent in the past (buying things I really couldn't afford), and it just isn't worth the stress that comes later. 

What life do you want to live?  One that includes massive credit card bills from buying over-priced merchandise?  Or one that offers freedom from financial stress because you made smart choices?  It isn't easy to make the right decisions.  I know.  I have many friends who make a lot more money than we do, and sometimes I just want to be able to buy the same things or go the same places.  We can't.  And that's okay.  We have a great life, and we have enough.  Do you?