The Joneses are Broke!

Do you sometimes feel like someone else always has a better life than you? Like the people around you somehow always get the latest gadgets and cars, go on fancy holidays abroad and always have the latest fashion accessories? Do you sometimes wonder how it is that you work so hard, probably earn even more than some of them yet you never seem to own anything half as nice as they do?

One minute your colleague buys a brand new SUV, the next your friend gets a new Louis Vuitton tote. Your neighbour’s kids won’t stop talking about their summer holiday trip to Disneyland, now your kids won’t stop asking when they can go too. And there you are driving your 11 year old Honda Accord in the same clothes you’ve had for 5 years, feeling destitute and miserable wondering how it is that you can never afford to do these things. How do you keep up with the Joneses?

Sometimes we needlessly compare our lives to the lives of people around us. Feeling defeated and unaccomplished we sometimes wonder how the Joneses can afford to live in Parkview? How can they afford such an expensive house? How can they afford to have so many domestic staff? How can they afford those cars? How can they afford to send their kids to those schools? How can they afford that life? We wish we can have as much fun as they do and our life can be as easy as theirs seem to be.

There is a general presumption that the Joneses can afford their fancy lifestyle out of pocket due to their well paid jobs and/or profitable business ventures. We are blissfully oblivious to what happens behind closed doors. Did you know that the trip to Seychelles was courtesy of a ‘travel now pay later’ deal? Did you know that the brand new SUV was bought with an auto loan which will take up a huge chunk of their earnings every month for the next 5 years leaving them with so little to live on? Did you know that the mansion was bought with a mortgage plan to which they will be indebted for the next 30 years? And don’t get me started on the astronomical interest rates. The fact that someone has a lot of material things does not make them rich.

Maybe they have a huge inheritance, multiple sources of incomes, a trust fund set up for them, things we have no access to. But what does that matter? Aren’t we supposed to be living our own lives? Why then do we spend so much time wondering how people fund their lifestyles?

A whole lot of times we do things not because we want to or because we enjoy doing them, but because everyone else is doing it and we desperately want to fit in. Do you really need that bundle of human hair? Do you really need to be made up by a MUA every weekend? Are you really interested in that expensive and time-intensive class or club your friend made you join? Do you really need that new gadget? We need to be more honest with ourselves and refrain from mimicking the lifestyles of people around us.

These days, it is becoming increasingly uncommon for people to say “I’m sorry, I can’t afford it”. How about wearing the pretty dress you already have instead of buying that ridiculously overpriced asoebi you really can’t afford. And even if you can afford it, do you really need to have 5 different types of yellow lace outfits in your wardrobe? You can’t afford that gold jewelry, why not wear costume jewelry? It’s not like anyone would notice. And even if they do, why do you care? Buy that preowned Toyota Corolla, you can’t afford the BMW 3 series. Send your kids to the best school you can comfortably afford, you don’t have to sell everything you own to send them to private boarding schools abroad. How sustainable are your choices? Have the courage to live within your means, do not let your self-esteem be dependent on the opinions of people who do not care about you.

Don’t get me wrong. If you have profitable investments and a lot of money in the bank, by all means spend all you can. If you can comfortably afford the finer things of life, there’s no point denying yourself of them. However, if you constantly wonder how you’re going to pay back all your debts, you need to carefully reevaluate your spending habits today. Always do the math. Needs vs Wants. Priorities vs Needless expenses.

No matter how much you earn, the Joneses will always be there. They will always have nicer houses, live in nicer neighborhoods, drive nicer cars, wear nicer clothes and have nicer things than you. They will always send their kids to better schools, go on fancier holidays and generally seem happier than you. Perhaps it’s time to keep up with common sense and focus on living a financially stable, socially conscious and environmentally friendly life bearing in mind that real wealthy people are quiet about their wealth. They are not afflicted with materialism and do not feel the need to show off.

The Joneses are broke and for all you know, they are actually trying to keep up with you.

You are not as poor as you think.

Have you ever caught yourself comparing your life to someone else’s? We’d love to hear from you.

#discipline #success #money #rich