Personal Priorities

A BMW with a payment prompts my pity rather than envy. However, if you have a paid-for home, I will likely sing your praises.
This again speaks to personal priorities.

I think there is an assumption by people who don’t control their spending that those who do must not know how much fun it is to be them. What some spendthrifts fail to realize is that frugal people derive pleasure from different things. For example, most millionaires are frugal. When Thomas Stanley looked at the lifestyle activities of millionaires in the past 30 days, he found that 93%  socialized with their children or grandchildren, 88% entertained close friends, 86% planned investments, 78% studied investment opportunities, and 67% took photographs. Those were their top six leisurely activities. Shopping at high end retail stores ranked number 20 (26%). You get the picture: there’s a clear trend for millionaires, most of whom prefer to spend time with family than things.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with nice stuff and experiences. I also have no ill-will for those living by a different philosophy, except when their burdens becomes societies burdens. However, financial independence is a much more laudable objective to us than any thrills I would derive from purchasing pretty much anything. We have the endgame in mind. That’s what occupies our interests and passions.