At my local Publix Grocery Store when I lived in Florida, I would go to the specialty cheese area to search for our family favorites – Jarlsburg (a mild, but addictive swiss), Boars Head Smoked Gouda (smokily delicious) and Landana 1000 Day Aged Gouda (absolutely orgasmic).
Sometimes the cheese I wanted was hidden among stacks of other cheeses.
As I searched, the woman who worked the counter would help me while also recommending other cheeses to me. She’d offer me a free sample while pitching her recommendation.
Before I tried a sample, I always asked her the sale price and the regular price. Sometimes the cheese was as high as $21/lb!
Anytime the regular price was over $10/lb, I wouldn’t even try the free sample. I’d respond with something like this:
“Thank you for offering but I pass. Because if I like the cheese then I’ll want something that is way beyond my budget. I am not going to pay filet mignon prices for cheese.”
As a result, I kept my grocery spending in line with my budget, I enjoyed delicious, moderately prices cheeses and I didn’t pine for exorbitantly priced cheeses.
I was content and satisfied.
I’ve carried this approach forward through many areas of my life:
- My modest house is in a middle class neighborhood. While it is luxurious to me, many people would find it lacking modern updates like granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, extra bedrooms and the latest upgrades. I purposely told my realtor I did not want to look at houses that were over my budget, in prime locations or brand new.
- My car, the Orangemobile, makes me smile every time I think of it and even more when I drive it. It is tiny, fuel efficient and entry level. I. Other words, it’s perfect for a single guy who drives alone 100% of the time. I have never driven a Mercedes, a Lexus or a Tesla. If I had, I might be disappointed that I don’t own one.
- A good friend is always encouraging me to get a professional sports massage. He says with all my exercise that it would make me feel great and be a huge benefit. I imagine that’s true. But instead of committing $50-$100 for one massage a week, I’d rather use that money for the week’s groceries.
It helps that I live in a neighborhood where 1/4 the houses are exactly like mine. Many of my neighbors in these homes drive similar, entry level Japanese cars. They work mid level jobs like I once did and appear to live the way I did when my wife was alive. They go to work, take care of their homes, play with their kids, make dinner at night and occasionally order a pizza or go out on date night. They don’t have maids, they don’t dine at expensive restaurants 7 nights a week, their entertainment is often free and in their front yards.
So not only do I not pursue things outside of my budget, I don’t even have to see these things in my face constantly. It is a beautifully simple and satisfying way to live.
In many ways, it reminds me of the life I had up until age 7. In my hometown of Tamaqua, we were all poor. Most families were blue collar. Everyone had grown up together for generations and we loved simply. There were 2 or 3 “rich people” in town who loved in “mansions” or even had a cleaning lady (the funeral home owner, the car dealership owner and the doctor come to mind).
The rest of us considered it a splurge to get pizza from the bar once a week or to visit the local ice cream and miniature golf joint once a month in the summers.
It wasn’t just good enough. It was wonderful.
And so, just like with the cheese, as I carve out my life today as a widowed man, I purposely limit my choices to maximize my satisfaction. It hasn’t let me down yet.
*(The other 3/4 of my neighbors are the “rich ones”. They have the bigger houses with 2 car garages, 3000-4000 sq ft homes, Lexus SUVs and Luxury Trucks parked in their driveways with boats, jet skis and ATVs jammed in the garage along with the spare fridge, unused furniture and other crap. I’ll dedicate a separate post to them later.)