Lots of people in this forum can afford the handbag, the supercar and the early retirement. If it makes them happy I say go for it.
Again, less environmental impact overall to have handbag, supercar + 1 child versus 3 children and Mustachian lifestyle otherwise.
Remember Bloop, we talked about this. The point of promoting frugality here is not to insist that no one ever spend on luxury goods, the point is that the whole world pressures people to spend, and this place is supposed to at least get people to *consider* the alternative of not spending. That way people can challenge the urge to spend, and then determine if something is truly in line with their happiness, and not just a socially programmed consumerist urge.
There is value in pushback against spending, and this is one of the *only* places you can find it.
It's not about telling people what not to buy, no one here has the power to do that. It's about helping people curate what they *really* benefit from spending on, for the sake of their own happiness and well being.
It's about challenging the thinking of "I can afford it".
You have to remember that the vast majority of people here and out in the world aren't overly happy with their jobs, so when someone comes here and says "I've been contemplating renovating my kitchen, it works perfectly fine, but it could be nicer looking". The first question shouldn't be "can they afford it?" the first question should be "are they happy with their life and job?"
You seem to be very happy with your work, you make a lot of money, and you don't spend a lot, except on what really matters to you, which is great for you, but that's not most people, that's not even most people *here*.
If you took a minute each time you read a post about frugality and face punches, and "clown cars", or whatever it is that seems to bother you, pause for a second and think about it not in terms of how it applies to YOU, but in terms of how it applies to the average person who makes far far less than you do and is miserable in their job.
Just because *you* might not need to be constantly challenged on spending doesn't mean that countless other people don't benefit from it. I know that I don't need to be admonished for my luxury spending, so I don't bother talking about it here, and feel no need to justify it.
However, most of my friends and family could use a constant voice of dissent challenging them on their too expensive cars, their way too high grocery bills, their expensive take out habits, their monster spending on beauty, golf, subscriptions, etc, all while complaining about money stress.
When I read something here that doesn't apply to me, I can easily think of dozens of people it does apply to, I don't get huffy that *I* don't need to be pushed to be more frugal, I feel grateful that others are being pushed to challenge their spending so that they can enjoy the freedom and happiness I feel from only spending on what truly enriches my life.
So seriously, if you just take a single second to look at this place through the lense that most people are NOT happy with their jobs, it will really stop bothering you so much.
MMM has made this point abundantly clear on his blog. "I can afford it" directly translates to "I will to work longer at my job for it".
Topic: What's the stupidest thing you're lusting after right now? (Read 1302775 times)
