Can you improve your standard of living without making more money?

[whatireallywant]

Actually, I do have to make more money than I'm making now! But that is because for the past two years I've been unemployed/underemployed, and now I make enough to pay the rent each month - if I don't pay the utilities or buy food. I am on the verge of being homeless.

However, I don't think the OP was referring to this. I can improve my standard of living if I made enough money to cover the bills, without spending a lot more money on luxury items. Working out, doing social activities that are free or inexpensive, etc.

And actually, MY problem is not so much "keeping up with the Joneses" if I had the money, it's more like I want to "look hotter than the Joneses"! :biggrin1: So yeah, I'd spend a fortune on clothes and beauty treatments if I had the money... I'm fine with the economy car, etc. but make me look gorgeous while driving that economy car!

 

[D_Thoraxis_Biggulp]

Actually, I do have to make more money than I'm making now! But that is because for the past two years I've been unemployed/underemployed, and now I make enough to pay the rent each month - if I don't pay the utilities or buy food. I am on the verge of being homeless.

However, I don't think the OP was referring to this. I can improve my standard of living if I made enough money to cover the bills, without spending a lot more money on luxury items. Working out, doing social activities that are free or inexpensive, etc.

And actually, MY problem is not so much "keeping up with the Joneses" if I had the money, it's more like I want to "look hotter than the Joneses"! :biggrin1: So yeah, I'd spend a fortune on clothes and beauty treatments if I had the money... I'm fine with the economy car, etc. but make me look gorgeous while driving that economy car!

Is your primping expense the reason you have to choose among food, utilities and rent each month?

 

[maestro071]

Depends what you expect from life, lol. For me it works! But I guess it's thanks to my dick, more than to my brain, lol

 

[earllogjam]

I think when all is said and done, sometimes there just isn't a substitute for money and the freedom it can bring.

 

[whatireallywant]

Is your primping expense the reason you have to choose among food, utilities and rent each month?

No. I have very little if any "primping expense" these days. I use what I bought back when I did have the money.

And I'm just in a bind right now. I'll eventually get out of it. It seems like when I'm at the end of my rope, something happens to get me out of the bind - at least temporarily. But then, I've learned that when I DO have the money, I need to scrimp and save in case of contingencies like being laid off from work and stuff like that.

I still dream of having a fortune to spend on "primping" though!

 

[deleted213967]

As it happens, the latest study I read about (which followed a panel of thousands of people over several years) demonstrated that happiness encounters a plateau once the baseline necessities have been met.

Intuitively, it makes sense: how can you be happy when you are struggling to survive (by the standards of the environment in which you live).

The study clearly showed that subjects did not experience a marked increase in their happiness as their disposable income rose past a certain threshhold.

 

[Northland]

Are there things you can do to improve the quality of your life that don't cost much or are free?

How thin and flexible is your arm? You could slip it into the clothing drop box down at the park and get several free shirts-seriously, I know someone who does this.

 

[javyn]

Yes you can. Many people think you need a big paycheck to retire rich, which is not the case. There are janitors who have retired as millionaires just like there are doctors and lawyers who can't even make the payments on their houses. It's about how you allocate your resources and whether you value consuming less today, or saving for tomorrow. Avoiding taxes as much as possible is also a must.