Morning tea time when I desperately needed a cup of coffee
to wake/shake myself up (to survive another day at work), I met Mrs Luxury in
front of the cafe.
Mrs
Luxury is 60+.
She
has countless luxury handbags (even she doesn’t know how many...).
She
is always and only in luxury brand clothes.
She
knows and dines in many famous restaurants run by celebrity chefs.
She
lives in a luxurious serviced apartment that requires very high strata levy to
maintain the high standard living condition which she thinks necessary (over
$10K per year).
She
travels on a very high budget (World class cruises, trains, business class flights.
5 star hotels, etc.…).
She
only has high quality food and drinks (very expensive) to match her life style.
She
buys a world brand travel luggage only as others are not good enough.
mmmmmm….
I
am confident enough that these descriptions would explain more than enough why
I call her Mrs Luxury.
Well,
I don’t want to be judgemental or criticizing as everyone has their own
priorities in their lives so it is just fine to me what she likes and how she
lives. Her life style doesn’t bother me to interact with her at all. However,
whenever I meet her and talk to her (mostly, listening to her), I cannot stop
wondering why she is still at work. Why does she spend her precious time at
work, 9 to 5, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year for the last 35 years of her life
when she is that wealthy and especially when she has already passed our
standard retirement age? I really can’t get the logic. Can you? Maybe, she
really loves what she is doing?
One
of the best things I have learnt from my life is ‘do not be shy to ask’ (as
long as it doesn’t invade personal space) instead of guesstimating and making a
story. Therefore, I asked her why she still works. Here are her answers.
Of
course, as most of us, she doesn’t like to come to work every day. She wants to
leave the workforce as soon as she can.
Well….
But!
She
cannot afford to stop working at this moment.
She
cannot stop working till 70 to save up money for her “COMFORTABLE” retirement.
She
needs money to keep her high-standard lifestyle.
She
needs money to buy things which make her happy and they are not cheap.
She
needs to pay for the high strata levy in order to live in her luxurious
apartment.
She
smiled while she was answering my WHY.
Hilariously,
I was even more confused than before the conversation. Now I feel that I am
lost. Is it worth to sacrifice your life to buy stuff and live luxuriously
when you cannot afford it? Maybe it can be for someone but, definitely not for me.
Unfortunately,
she is not the only one around me who is ready to sacrifice her time and life
in order to buy and have more things which give them an instant pleasure and
excitement. One of my friends’ husbands has just started a weekend job addition
to his full time job to maintain her shopping obsession and she has happily
chosen not to spend more time with her husband for buying more stuff.
How
about you? What are your thoughts? I will leave the verdict with you.
I
don’t want to say which one is better for all. Some of us can be satisfied by
indulging themselves with all the luxurious goods and services, and some of us
can enjoy happiness within their means. One of my friends who know my spending
habits emphasised that I should enjoy my life more. I am still not sure what
she really meant and why she thinks that spending money and buying unnecessary
stuff will make my life more enjoyable than spending more time with myself and
loved ones. One thing I am very clear is “Time” is the most important thing to
me and I am not dare to exchange my free time in order to decorate my life to
be looking better. I do not have much stuff to show to others like Mrs. L but,
I am glad that I have achieved financial freedom by living a simple life that
can allow me to leave the job any time I want.
Are
you ready for choosing having more things or more meaningful time?
I
am confident that all is up to each of us to choose how to live so, each of us
needs to be responsible for the consequences.
Today,
work was same boring as any other days (sorry for being so negative but… I
can’t help) but definitely talking with Mrs. L was not too bad. Knowing that I
am about 20 years younger but certainly ready for enjoying my financial freedom
whenever I want made me feel cool. Today, my 10 dollar top from Target looks
better than ever. Hehe…
