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Exactly a month ago I was writing this article, and since then we've been making many, so-to-speak, radical decisions at home.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about a phrase I heard a while ago: "It's not that you're poor, it's that you're distracted."
It hurt a little the first time I heard it. Maybe because I saw myself reflected in it. But over time, I've come to understand that many of the limitations we feel (I can't eat healthy, I don't have enough money for good things, I don't have time to learn) don't come so much from a lack of resources, but from a lack of intention.
At home, we've started a small revolution. Nothing that sounds spectacular, but everything that truly matters.
We make our own bread. Not because it's trendy, but because we know what's inside, because we share it as a family, because it's cheaper and tastier than any industrial bread. We've cut down on impulse purchases, cut down on unnecessary outings, and stopped filling the house with things we don't use. We've just cleared out bags and bags of clothes, belongings, things we bought on a whim and that just took up space.
We started to ask ourselves: Do I need this or do I want it because others have it? Is this good for me or does it just entertain me and distract me?
This month I also started paying everything in installments (with that card that gives you Bitcoin cashback). That is, I didn't buy anything on credit. I only spent money I had available to spend. I didn't set anything aside for the future.
I have several purchases made months ago that I had in installments, which I plan to pay off little by little now, to clear my future debts. Maybe it's time for me to show how I'm getting out of debt...!!
We've also chosen to prioritize health: more real food, less packaging. More good fats, less sugar. More movement, less screen time. The funny thing is that many people say that healthy food is expensive... but if we add up what we spend on snacks, apps, delivery, subscriptions, and escapes, we'd realize that the expensive part was being asleep.
And when you wake up, you start to see. You start to see where your money is going, where your time is going. And you begin to understand that maybe you weren't as poor as you thought... you were just distracted, with your eyes elsewhere.
You don't need much to start. You need to start with what you have.
Wealth, for me, begins when I stop living by other people's rules and start building a life consistent with what I believe. Even if that means radical decisions. Even if it seems strange.
Does the same thing happen to you?
23 sats \ 1 reply \ @nullama 6h
I think there's a balance between not consuming extra stuff, and stopping trading for necessities.
I don't think we need everyone to make their own bread. That would be a colossal waste of resources. Some people are great at making bread, cool, they are the bakers. Others are great at designing microchips, etc. That's the whole point of a modern economy.
I do agree that in some places, like in the US in particular, the consumption is just ridiculous.
Having said that, the system is designed for that. If people don't spend their money in things they don't need, then it's hard for a company to grow, say, 10% every year. And that's what makes the gains in the stock portfolios, the index funds, etc. Basically any investments that people have.
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I totally agree, not everyone has the ability to do certain things, personally I would burn my bread, thank God for my wife, she loves doing those things, so for her it's easy... plus at the end of the month it allows us to save some money that helps us get out of debt a little, which is one of our main goals right now.
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23 sats \ 1 reply \ @2053456d48 9h
Great post! Being poor is a state of mind. Stacker news will definitely make all of us rich together (;
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Without a doubt one of the best things that has happened to me lately is finding this forum.
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23 sats \ 0 replies \ @flat24 10h
"It's not that you're poor, it's that you're distracted."
A quite powerful phrase.
It totally agrees with many of the thoughts expressed in these lines.
You don't need much to start. You need to start with what you have.
šŸ‘šŸ¤ 
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23 sats \ 1 reply \ @Akg10s3 12h
I'm on the same page! Only we've started with the financial side first, on my wife's side... We've already done it! We've assigned separate household expenses, and since last month, she's been doing well! For my part, I'm trying to stabilize my spending, but I'm moving forward little by little... And at the same time, I don't want a new approach to spending to derail me from continuing to pile up Sats!
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That's good, my friend, we are together on this journey, a lot of discipline and perseverance
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