I See Dead People
"I see dead people." The plot twist of plot twists. Do you remember the moment you got to the end of The Sixth Sense and that little boy rocked your world? I won't spoil it if you haven't seen the movie yet, as it's only been out for 26 years now.....I don't freely reveal spoilers until year 30!
Today's post is my plot twist! My favorite moment yesterday was seeing all the feedback from yesterday's post. It caused quite a stir, and not in the most positive ways. In short, I challenged people to take their $10/day of wants spending and use it to add the most value possible to their lives.
The responses were right in line with what I anticipated:
"That's far too much money!"
"That's a lot of money over the course of a year."
"Sounds materialistic."
"How about we just be responsible?"
"You're telling people to waste money."
"Why would you tell people to spend so much?"
I knew my post would generate such a response, as the idea of spending $10/day on wants may feel over the top. After all, that's $10 today, tomorrow, the next day, for weeks, for months, for years. I think most would agree that this idea sounds excessive. I intentionally framed it through the lens of $10 per day because it psychologically triggers something in us. $10 per day on wants sounds aggressive...perhaps over the top.
Here's my "I see dead people" plot twist. This was the setup for today's post. Most people spend far, far more than $10/day on wants.....they just don't think about it that way. I'm talking about lifestyle purchases. Personal spending, dining out, drinks, coffee, hobbies, entertainment. A little of this, a little of that.
To make my point, I opened my client folder on my MacBook and randomly clicked on clients. Below are the average daily wants spending over the last six months for ten random clients:
$12/day - Young couple, no kids, VERY strict budget
$17/day - Young couple, small child, financially conservative
$19/day - 30-something couple with multiple kids, very generous!
$44/day - Definition of "normal"
$50/day - Definition of "normal"
$51/day - Definition of "normal," Told me $10/day is too much
$63/day - Sacrificially and joyfully generous
$65/day - Told me $10/day is too much
$72/day - Becoming more normal
$99/day - Living it up
If $10/day seems excessive, what do we do about the fact my sample ranges from $12/day from a young middle-class couple with a very strict budget to $99/day from a different family? Also, how do we reconcile the fact that two of the people who criticized my $10/day idea are actually spending $51 and $65, respectively?
Here's where I land:
We often spend more than we realize.
We often spend on things that don't add value to our lives, making it feel like we're spending less.
$10/day IS a decent amount of money, so we ought to live with contentment and gratitude.
It's hard to keep up with the Joneses.
Intentionality is key!
Yes, spend money on wants that add value to your life, but don't fall into the trap of more. Be intentional. Be selective. Be content. Be grateful. Be responsible. Be generous.
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