Work till 70 for a luxurious life?

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…