Work. Something we do for income. A periodic salary at fixed points in time. We all do it, whether it be for an employer or as a business owner, or a Hive blogger for that matter. Anyone and everyone does this for a reason, or with a certain goal in mind. Usually the main reason is to provide for yourself and or family. And everything else is luxury. Having a luxurious lifestyle and showing of material possessions is a goal of many with any extra income they have. In some absurd cases people even take loans for unneeded things.
This can put quite a strain on your budget and limit the amount of saving and investing you can do. Whenever your salary or income increases, it is always tempting to improve your way of living. Upgrade that car. Buy that bigger TV. Eat in that more expensive restaurant. I know I've been tempted many times. But this is not the way to go about things if you want to become financially independent. The complete opposite in fact, you stay dependent.
I often look at things online or in stores that I think I might need, and then I outweigh the pros, cons and actual value it would bring, and often change my mind deciding that I don't need that thing. Just recently I was thinking of buying a heavy duty powerstation because of the more frequent power outages, but then I realized that during every power outage I took the time to do other non-internet needing tasks I was postponing. Or I would just watch a movie with @tanjakolader. Meaning the time during those outages is not wasted. It's not that difficult as some might think to not buy stuff. It's all about mindset, and rational thought. Sure, I'm not planning on saving and investing forever. There are things I would not hesitate spending on, like travel and good healthy home cooked food. But it's definitely better to make these financial choices that seem to limit you now, so you will have no worries or less worries later on.
Do things for yourself when you need them, improve your situation, avoid luxury as much as possible if you can't afford it YET. Redirect those earnings towards lucrative and long term stable investments. Let it work for you. Working till your elderly is not the solution. See you on the other side. :)
How are you managing your expenses?
