How many hours do you work for YOUR lifestyle?
Being broke has its pluses. Among them, it has forced me to reevaluate everything I have ever known about work, money and the world. For instance, have you ever wondered what it really costs to live? Let's say you couldn't work for an entire year, how much money would you need just to survive? Or, how many hours would you have to work at a later date in order to repay that debt?
Well, I sat down an crunched some numbers. It's pretty shocking what we civilized humans spend our money on. Sure, we go to work to get money to survive, but I discovered that a lot of the money I need to keep going is money that I spend on work itself; clothes, getting to an from work, relaxation after work, etc.
Take transportation. I live where I can walk everywhere...except for work which varies and is usually across town.
Car loan: $150/month
car insurance: $70
Gas: between $60 and $90
Monthly total: About $300
Yearly total: About $3600
That doesn't sound like much. But, when you've got a shitty job, and get taxed by the state, feds AND county (here in Multnomah) then it adds up like this: I work about 34 hours per month just to drive my car to and from work. Is that insane? That's nearly a week's worth of work, just to drive to and from work. Hmmm, something's not right here.
I broke all my bills down like that, and it's rather interesting.
8 hours a month: Cell phone
41 hours a month: rent
3 hours a month: gym membership
23 hours a month: food
Sure, if I made more money this would change, right? Maybe not. Why don't you try? We all know as we make more we spend more. I bet my gym membership is pretty cheap compared with most people's. And my rent is good too. Come to think of it, my bills are pretty low.
In all, I figure I need about $13,000 a year to survive like I am doing now, and that's a really low estimate. If I get into nursing school and can't work for a year, I will be repaying some student loan company that money for years to come. How can I reduce that? One way is to get rid of the car. That brings my cost down to $8400. See how that works? That sounds a lot better. No Netflix, no gym, reduce my cell phone plan, buy food in bulk, etc.
Is that torture? Not when I'll be busy with other things, like school.
I posted a few months ago about a woman I interviewed who grew her own food in her backyard. I think I'd rather do that than wipe old ladies' butts for 20 hours a month to pay for food. Plus, I hate grocery shopping.
I'd rather run around the park a few times than drive a cranky old man to home depot three times a week. And, I'd rather take the bus and read when I have to go downtown rather than deal with heinous traffic, and clean old people's toilets for an entire week.
There are lots of ways to look at this. What if I liked my job? What if I made more money? Well, I know the answer to that one...
I'd have more bills of course. I'm already dyin' to go to a better gym. I'd consider private yoga lessons. Buy more than 2 buck chuck. We'd get cable. I'd finally get new clothes. Get a season pass at Mt. Hood. Buy new kiteboarding equipment. Buy a house. At least rent one. We went to look at one for $200 more a month just yesterday.
But is that really what I want from life? Part of me says yes. That's life here in these states. Work, buy, work, buy. My neighbor has a better couch than i do. I want that, too! But the part of me is saying that there is something else waiting for me if I can just get my shit together.
Is there a place where I can grow my own food and not worry about it being poison? Walk where I need to go and not worry about the environmental and social impacts? Where I can swim in the ocean for exercise instead of a creepy gym where nasty men leer and it stinks? Have enough time to homeschool kids so they don't get shot, and not worry about the cat being squished by cars zooming down the street? Am I totally dreaming?
Yesterday I found two new websites with women dreaming of the same things.
http://anti9to5guide.com/, and expatwomen.com.
Plus, I've been reading a lot. When I am not wiping old ladies' butts, I am waiting for them to poo, and I can read. I've been learning history, something that I never really had time for. Seems that lots of people before me have thought these same thoughts.
While traveling around, I've met people who are untethered already. Kiwi was one of them--he's not an American though, as you might have guessed he's a kiwi. He's in his mid-20s, from some remote village in New Zealand. He just breezed through Portland for a visit on his way up to Canada in his borrowed El Camino. Know how much he owes per month? $0. He works construction projects around the world to eat and just keeps going. He gets nothing in the mail.
Meeting Brandon was good for me because he's got the same nagging sound in the back of his head, telling him there's another way to live. For some reason he's unsatisfied too, and no amount of digital cable and SUV will get rid of that feeling.
I'm not buying into this century's mentality that working like we do is right. I don't think consuming everything that someone says it hot or new or needed is my way to happiness.
What if we did this instead:
-Pay off debt
-Downsize,not upgrade
-Learn to live with less
Sooner or later, we'd reach a point where we could actually work less! What would you do with leisure time?
Art? Read? Exercise? Buy a hostel and live off the land? Learn a new sport?
the end.
Well, I sat down an crunched some numbers. It's pretty shocking what we civilized humans spend our money on. Sure, we go to work to get money to survive, but I discovered that a lot of the money I need to keep going is money that I spend on work itself; clothes, getting to an from work, relaxation after work, etc.
Take transportation. I live where I can walk everywhere...except for work which varies and is usually across town.
Car loan: $150/month
car insurance: $70
Gas: between $60 and $90
Monthly total: About $300
Yearly total: About $3600
That doesn't sound like much. But, when you've got a shitty job, and get taxed by the state, feds AND county (here in Multnomah) then it adds up like this: I work about 34 hours per month just to drive my car to and from work. Is that insane? That's nearly a week's worth of work, just to drive to and from work. Hmmm, something's not right here.
I broke all my bills down like that, and it's rather interesting.
8 hours a month: Cell phone
41 hours a month: rent
3 hours a month: gym membership
23 hours a month: food
Sure, if I made more money this would change, right? Maybe not. Why don't you try? We all know as we make more we spend more. I bet my gym membership is pretty cheap compared with most people's. And my rent is good too. Come to think of it, my bills are pretty low.
In all, I figure I need about $13,000 a year to survive like I am doing now, and that's a really low estimate. If I get into nursing school and can't work for a year, I will be repaying some student loan company that money for years to come. How can I reduce that? One way is to get rid of the car. That brings my cost down to $8400. See how that works? That sounds a lot better. No Netflix, no gym, reduce my cell phone plan, buy food in bulk, etc.
Is that torture? Not when I'll be busy with other things, like school.
I posted a few months ago about a woman I interviewed who grew her own food in her backyard. I think I'd rather do that than wipe old ladies' butts for 20 hours a month to pay for food. Plus, I hate grocery shopping.
I'd rather run around the park a few times than drive a cranky old man to home depot three times a week. And, I'd rather take the bus and read when I have to go downtown rather than deal with heinous traffic, and clean old people's toilets for an entire week.
There are lots of ways to look at this. What if I liked my job? What if I made more money? Well, I know the answer to that one...
I'd have more bills of course. I'm already dyin' to go to a better gym. I'd consider private yoga lessons. Buy more than 2 buck chuck. We'd get cable. I'd finally get new clothes. Get a season pass at Mt. Hood. Buy new kiteboarding equipment. Buy a house. At least rent one. We went to look at one for $200 more a month just yesterday.
But is that really what I want from life? Part of me says yes. That's life here in these states. Work, buy, work, buy. My neighbor has a better couch than i do. I want that, too! But the part of me is saying that there is something else waiting for me if I can just get my shit together.
Is there a place where I can grow my own food and not worry about it being poison? Walk where I need to go and not worry about the environmental and social impacts? Where I can swim in the ocean for exercise instead of a creepy gym where nasty men leer and it stinks? Have enough time to homeschool kids so they don't get shot, and not worry about the cat being squished by cars zooming down the street? Am I totally dreaming?
Yesterday I found two new websites with women dreaming of the same things.
http://anti9to5guide.com/, and expatwomen.com.
Plus, I've been reading a lot. When I am not wiping old ladies' butts, I am waiting for them to poo, and I can read. I've been learning history, something that I never really had time for. Seems that lots of people before me have thought these same thoughts.
While traveling around, I've met people who are untethered already. Kiwi was one of them--he's not an American though, as you might have guessed he's a kiwi. He's in his mid-20s, from some remote village in New Zealand. He just breezed through Portland for a visit on his way up to Canada in his borrowed El Camino. Know how much he owes per month? $0. He works construction projects around the world to eat and just keeps going. He gets nothing in the mail.
Meeting Brandon was good for me because he's got the same nagging sound in the back of his head, telling him there's another way to live. For some reason he's unsatisfied too, and no amount of digital cable and SUV will get rid of that feeling.
I'm not buying into this century's mentality that working like we do is right. I don't think consuming everything that someone says it hot or new or needed is my way to happiness.
What if we did this instead:
-Pay off debt
-Downsize,not upgrade
-Learn to live with less
Sooner or later, we'd reach a point where we could actually work less! What would you do with leisure time?
Art? Read? Exercise? Buy a hostel and live off the land? Learn a new sport?
the end.
Comments
We are getting more done in less time. Society seems to just take more possesions than the time off. Look how we live compared to just 20 years ago. Everyone has a cell phone, dishwasher, and various luxury features in cars such as power windows, cruise control.
I think everyone should evaluate what a possesion is actually worth to them and if the time they spent working was actually worth it. It is worth having a few luxuries if it makes you tick, as opposed to being a minimalist with no real fun.