Working for Butter is waaay less stressful than working for Bread

[Iceplant18]

I wanted to share an interesting thing I noticed over the years of taking steps towards the wonderful world of Financial Independence.  There was a time when the debt of my house and cars created a monthly expense that was near equal to my total income.  Basically meaning I had to work constantly just to maintain the lifestyle at the time.  The classic paycheck to paycheck lifestyle.  I call that working for bread.  Over the past 5 years or so I have taken many steps including living more minimalistically as well as paying down debts, selling the cars, refinancing my mortgage into lower interest rates, etc.  Nowadays I'm not making any more money than I used to.  However at this point only about a half of my income goes towards the lifestyle around me.  The rest of the money I earn is going towards, well, whatever I want it to.  I call that working for butter.  And you know what?  I enjoy working for that butter soooo much more than I enjoy working for the bread.  Same job, same time, same requirements, but it's less stressful.  All because I know in the back of my mind that the money I'm earning isn't a requirement just to survive.  It's fun money.  It's play money.  It's money that in many respects I really don't need.  I need bread to survive.  The butter just makes it sweeter. 

[arebelspy]

Awesome.  I love the visual this gives me.

Now imagine being FI and the bread (and maybe even a little butter) comes automatically to your door daily, without working for it.

Truly any work at that point is for jam and honey and peanut butter and whatever other crazy toppings you feel like, or for none at all, but just enjoying the bread.

Thanks for sharing.

[Luck better Skill]

  You hit a key point.  Even limited independence or disposal income releases so much stress from one life.  I am far from FI but have been making more then I spend.  So I taste that butter too.  One of the great happiness it bring me is the ability to help others.  I have not articulated it as well, bread - butter, nice analogy.

[hybrid]

I had a good discussion with my daughter about something similar.  I am bringing in a decent amount of butter now (and yep, it sure does taste good), she is still working mostly for bread.  I had to remind her that I have a 21 year head start on her, and that she will likely be much farther ahead of her father if she continues to apply herself and be smart with her money.  But yeah, it is a little frustrating for her right now because she isn't getting a taste of the butter yet, she is steadily retiring student loan and car debt.  I found MMM when there was already some butter on my bread, my sole disappointment is not optomizing sooner to put a lot more there than I could have.

Reminds me of MMMs recent column about which part of the wave you are surfing on.  Psychologically speaking, it's a helluva lot easier up front.  So I have to remind my daughter to keep doing what she is doing and she will be on the front of the wave herself in the not too distant future.

[meadow lark]

Now I want toast.  Thanks a lot!
  I love this analogy.  Definitely working for bread, but in 5 years it will be all about the butter!

[chardog]

So would working to just make minimum payments on high interest dept be like working for moldy bread?

[arebelspy]

So would working to just make minimum payments on high interest dept be like working for moldy bread?

You're not even working for bread there.. you're working for someone else's bread, which you don't get to enjoy.

[footenote]

So would working to just make minimum payments on high interest dept be like working for moldy bread?

Hard tack.

[Peter]

I think this is a really apt analogy. Particularly when you consider the mustachian lifestyle where necessities are the bread and occasional treats and life's simple pleasures are the butter. If you have too much butter on your bread it will just taste gross.

Non-mustachians aren't satisfied with bread and an appropriate amount of butter or jam. They want TWO loaves of bread. Or gluten free rye bread at 3x the cost. And they want a whole tub of expensive "heart healthy" margarine to go on top of their rye bread. Then when they can't eat it all they just throw the leftovers in the garbage!

[chardog]

So would working to just make minimum payments on high interest dept be like working for moldy bread?

You're not even working for bread there.. you're working for someone else's bread, which you don't get to enjoy.

Ah, yes.  That's a better analogy.

[milla]

I love that! Working for butter...
Maybe that's been the issue in our house. My husband and I both work but he works for the bread and all the money I make is the butter. It's even directly deposited into the butter account! I wonder if changing that would help him feel a little more free?

[Adventine]

I really like the analogy. Butter. Jam. Cream cheese. Marmalade. Kaya. Mmm... I should go have breakfast now.

[MrsPete]

Cool analogy!

[odput]

So would working to just make minimum payments on high interest dept be like working for moldy bread?

You're not even working for bread there.. you're working for someone else's bread, which you don't get to enjoy.

Wouldn't it be more like working for the bread you ate last week (that probably had butter on it)?

[a.g]

Great post :)

[FiveSigmas]

So would working to just make minimum payments on high interest dept be like working for moldy bread?

You're not even working for bread there.. you're working for someone else's bread, which you don't get to enjoy.

So, is taking on a high interest loan in the first place like stealing a loaf of bread?

Five years of servitude for a loaf of bread... And heaven forbid you miss a payment: that's another 14 years.

OP: Great analogy, BTW!

Edit: grammar.

[makincaid]

I actually feel like this as well.

I have recently reached the point where my safe withdrawal rate would provide enough to cover my basic living expenses. At this point I am pretty much working fund luxuries, like travel, and future increases such as medical care.

It's good not to stress so much about loosing my job.

[Stachsquatch]

I dig this visual. Thanks for sharing!