Delete comment from: Captain Capitalism
I posted this on RooshV forum after some whining by other Red Pillers who hated minimalism.
I have been there and done that with "stuff." I was 20 and buying a new computer and a used car on credit with little income, which began a long 19 year march of credit cards, car loans and home mortgages. You are TOLD that you need the shit to get yourself to school or work and back again, that you need the stuff to fill your apartment and your home. You acquire more....especially when you throw a woman in the mix (girlfriend or wife that NEEDS the stuff, and make sure it matches). As the purchases grow and accumulate, so does your debt load and obligations.
Propelled by the burden of heavy debt loads and liabilities PLUS keeping a family fed, I worked my 30's away, slaving for douchebag bosses and owners, praying for a cost of living increase and MAYBE a bonus if the dicks in the Board Room didn't fudge the books and show a loss. If a bonus came, you were thankful that the government left you with less than 50% of the bonus after taxes. Think you are getting raises or bonuses on merit? Maybe if you are lucky and have the right bosses. Usually, if there is a profit, the bosses have a pool of money, and they gather in a special meeting to throw the crumbs to their favorite employees. I know...I have been in the room when it happens.
You work harder and longer to get funds to pay on your outstanding debt and liabilities, for retirement, for maintaining your family and stuff. The kids and wife give you shit tests for working harder and longer; the clients and bosses get more demanding as they "do more with less," which means you need to do more for less. After all, you should DO IT because you should be HAPPY you have a job. So, suck it up and stop being a damn diva with an entitlement mentality. Trust me, I heard this out of a President's and a Vice President's mouth at my last two jobs.
You want more stuff?
You are being played for a sucker.
You don't need all the crap, and if you do need something, you don't need it to be new. You don't need more than the basics: food, water, clothes, transportation and shelter. I would advocate reducing your crap because you know what? It all breaks down. It all needs care and maintenance. It all takes resources. It all takes your blood, sweat, tears, creativity and WORK to make it all happen, and do you REALLY want to be like a freaking hamster, spinning on your own self-made wheel? Spinning away to pay the banks. Spinning away to pay the government. Spinning away for shit that you THOUGHT would be great, only to come face-to-face with the grim reality that 1) you could lose your job with an economic downturn and 2) the people that you are supporting hate you for the work you are doing to pay for their shit.
The banks are not your friend. They don’t care about whom you are or what you do. They don’t care about your situation. You took out a credit card, loan or a mortgage, and they want to get paid. If something changes and you can’t pay, you will be assaulted by collectors, served with foreclosure papers, or visited by the repo man.
So....go ahead and buy a ton of stuff. If you have the cash and can afford it, the PLEASE go ahead and enjoy it.
Otherwise, don’t get leveraged up the ass and wonder what happened and why you are a slave to some corporate douchebag boss or banker.
I learned the hard way. I do not own my house; I rent. I could lose my job, but I could find something that pays a lot less and pay my bills. I will not become a slave to the lender again. I will not comply. I am 40 and almost free from my little hamster wheel.....then I will be truly free.
Feb 24, 2013, 1:52:26 AM
Posted to How an 18 Year Old Can Be Better Off Than Most 40 Year Olds Today