Is Everything a Bad Financial Decision?

In a world where EVERYTHING seems like a poor financial decision, I’m gonna share a few solid financial decisions for you. Why does it feel like every god damn time that I leave my house, I spend a shit load of money?

A few days ago, I ran to CVS to get a few things: $12.24

I took my mom and girlfriend out for Chinese food: $149.24

We decided to get some custard from Shake Shack: $5.49

On the drive home I realized I was running on empty and hit up the gas station: $50.63 and I only got a measly $1.25 back from Upside for the gas. Still, though, I use it every time I fill up and now I’ve got $38.94 in my account.

Still though, those small bucks add up over time and if I’m gonna be spending $50 at the gas station, I might as well get something out of it..

Total for just an hour of being outside: $217.60

You remember when Chinese food was like, under $50 for a whole shit load of stuff? What in the hell happened? $149?? For 3 people? With zero leftovers?

Anyway, point is: Every trip outside is costly and it seems like every decision has become a financial decision and they’re all fucking awful.

So, here are a few good financial decisions:

DECLUTTER

The less stuff you own, not only do you mentally feel lighter, but everything within the home is more managable. It’s easier to clean. You feel less overwhelmed looking at your posessions, and best of all, decluttering can bring in some extra cash if you sell your things on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or even eBay.

MONETIZE A HOBBY

Usually, I am against this. I don’t think every little hobby should suddenly become monetized. What ever happened to doing something just because you love it? Once we monetize it, the thing we love morphs from a hobby to a chore. GOTTA do this thing so I can make some money.

HOWEVER, in a world where more and more things are becoming monetized, it CAN be a way to generate a little extra money. Just be cautious and try to protect the things you really love so they don’t become a job you loathe.

INVEST YOUR MONEY

Seems a little on the nose here, but investing truly is the best thing you can do with your money. It is the ULTIMATE good financial decision. It’s easy to do (don’t listen to the gurus who tell you it’s complicated and then try to sell you a course), and you can build up a fortune, slowly, over time.

MOVE

I get it. You never imagined you’d be 35 years old, renting a room in a house with other people. You thought you’d OWN a home. Your OWN home. But that’s not the way things worked out. So, you can rent your own one bedroom apartment downtown and pay a fortune, or you can move further out and pay less (but then have a potentially longer commute), OR you can rent a room for considerably cheaper.

For example, I went on Craigslist and found a single room in a house for rent. The room is $940, but we’re in Washington, D.C, where a one bedroom apartment costs $2200 to rent. Yes, it sucks. No, you don’t want roommates at 35 years old. But … look at those savings.

LEARN

A year ago, my toilet started running. I don’t know the first thing about tools, plumbing, or any of this household shit. So, I called a plumber. He said he’d be here in an hour and it’d cost $175. I get it. You’re paying for the convenience. He’ll have the whole thing done in no time at all. He knows exactly what to do and can be in and out in under a half hour. That’s why you pay $175.

But I’m not paying $175 for something I can do myself. So, I got on YouTube, I watched three videos, I took a photo of all the stuff in my toilet tank, went to ACE Hardware and told the woman what I needed. She took me exactly to the right place and I was in and out in a few minutes - under $30.

Now, it took me WELL over an hour because like I said, I’m not handy. I kept hitting play. Pause. Play. Pause. How’d he do that? What’d he remove? Which way did he turn that thing?

Would I have preferred to just have a guy come out and be done in 30 minutes? Hell yeah. But when you become financially conscious, at least I see $175 (minus $30 for the stuff I had to buy) as money that can be invested. I can GROW my wealth instead of pissing it away (get it? Because … toilet …)