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Not enough people critically question their day-to-day spending and life assumptions. I find the easiest way to save money is to avoid competition. Everyone wa

Not enough people critically question their day-to-day spending and life assumptions. I find the easiest way to save money is to avoid competition. Everyone wants a 2 bedroom house within commuting distance of work. I bought a 1 bedroom flat within walking distance of work, converted the kitchen into a second bedroom (moved kitchen to living room), couldn't happier.

moonchrome 4y ago
And how are your kids doing? Who's living in a 2 bedroom house solo - that sounds like a lot of maintenance for a lifestyle where you don't need to be spending your time at home.
- looseyesterday 4y ago
  I grew up an equally-sized 2 bedroom in a city centre and its totally fine. Neighbours have kids in a similarly sized house and are not planning on moving. They are wealthy asians with apartments being standard in their part of the world. The American obsession with terraced housing is bad for the environment and highly inefficient.
  - have_faith 4y ago
    > terraced Do you mean detatched housing? (which takes up a lot more space than terraced). I live in England though where small compact terraced housing (relative to the US) is very common in the housing stock.
halhen 4y ago
Picking a neighborhood where you are relatively well off seems to usefully calibrate those assumptions. Maybe it has to do with status, which is relative. Earning well and living in a regular middle class neighborhood of teachers, carpenters, and office workers, I don't feel stressed about keeping up with the Joneses I'm surrounded by. I can afford enough relatively (to my surroundings) nice things. My social circle is not full of wealthy people, so living in a regular middle class area is also not low-status. I also feel like that the kids feel more secure about the things they do and have than they would be if they were always falling behind their friends, doing and having exactly the same stuff.
- looseyesterday 4y ago
  Yes living below your means is a key to happiness. Too many people end up pushing what they can afford without planning for tougher times. I think one of the biggest positive impacts on me was my parents deciding to raise me until 16 in a developing country. They had a middle class income, but my country of origin they could afford to put me in the best schools and pay for plenty of out of school activity. That changed my mindset of what was possible. By the time I came back to Europe, I went to a free school, but performed much better than my peers, I believe mostly due to my own expectations for my future.

moonchrome 4y ago

And how are your kids doing? Who's living in a 2 bedroom house solo - that sounds like a lot of maintenance for a lifestyle where you don't need to be spending your time at home.

looseyesterday 4y ago
I grew up an equally-sized 2 bedroom in a city centre and its totally fine. Neighbours have kids in a similarly sized house and are not planning on moving. They are wealthy asians with apartments being standard in their part of the world. The American obsession with terraced housing is bad for the environment and highly inefficient.
- have_faith 4y ago
  > terraced Do you mean detatched housing? (which takes up a lot more space than terraced). I live in England though where small compact terraced housing (relative to the US) is very common in the housing stock.

halhen 4y ago

Picking a neighborhood where you are relatively well off seems to usefully calibrate those assumptions. Maybe it has to do with status, which is relative. Earning well and living in a regular middle class neighborhood of teachers, carpenters, and office workers, I don't feel stressed about keeping up with the Joneses I'm surrounded by. I can afford enough relatively (to my surroundings) nice things. My social circle is not full of wealthy people, so living in a regular middle class area is also not low-status. I also feel like that the kids feel more secure about the things they do and have than they would be if they were always falling behind their friends, doing and having exactly the same stuff.

looseyesterday 4y ago
Yes living below your means is a key to happiness. Too many people end up pushing what they can afford without planning for tougher times. I think one of the biggest positive impacts on me was my parents deciding to raise me until 16 in a developing country. They had a middle class income, but my country of origin they could afford to put me in the best schools and pay for plenty of out of school activity. That changed my mindset of what was possible. By the time I came back to Europe, I went to a free school, but performed much better than my peers, I believe mostly due to my own expectations for my future.