Champagne Lifestyle, Lemonade Money

How many of us live a champagne lifestyle but have lemonade money in our bank account? 

How many of us use the champagne lifestyle to not deal with our lemonade money life?

Why is it that we want a champagne lifestyle when we clearly have lemonade money?

Why do we dream of champagne lifestyle when lemonade money is our reality?

Are those with a champagne lifestyle really and truly happy bunnies?

Are those with lemonade money really miserable?

Is there a happy medium?

Is there something missing when all we think about is a champagne lifestyle?

When my cleaner told me 20 years ago that I had a champagne lifestyle with lemonade money, I did not want to hear this because it was the Truth.

  • I was living way beyond my means.
  • I was bored, empty and unhappy.

So this was the plan –

  • Find a way to live like the champagne drinkers.
  • Hang out with other champagne drinkers.
  • Make sure I lied my way through life.
  • Find a solution to make this lifestyle possible.
  • Find a coping strategy and ‘look the part’.

Got it ALL – It was called Plastic cards and shop, shop and more shopping.

I could not stop and it would be fair to say I was addicted to shopping. I could keep up with the champagne lifestyle and lemonade money was ok as plastic was my new secret weapon. In fact, everyone I knew was using plastic except my cleaner who had a huge amount of common sense, that I did not like.

Champagne Lifestyle helped me deal with the void in my life. By that I mean, I felt very dis-connected from who I was, what I was really feeling or how to deal with my up and down moods.

  • Super up on shopping days.
  • High on champagne and fine dining.
  • Time off for expensive spas to forget about the problems.
  • Mega down when I saw the credit card bills.
  • Not happy using loans to pay off plastic.
  • Mood low when cards were maxed up.
  • Finding solutions became boring.
  • Facing lemonade money bank account was a feeling that never went away.

Yes – It was official – I had lost the plot. I had lost ALL common sense and was not willing to get a reality check.

Fast forward to today

Living a champagne lifestyle was not the Truth.

My choices were why I had lemonade money in my bank.

Living this way was to avoid the deep hurt I felt every day.

There was comfort in my uncomfortableness.

There was no willingness to address the irresponsible lifestyle.

Action Plan –

  • Get super simple.
  • Get back to basics.
  • Get practical.
  • Deal with the buried hurts.
  • Stop avoiding any issue.
  • Express how you feel.
  • Never hold back what you feel.
  • Keep feeling and expressing your Truth.
  • No more holding onto the past.
  • Learn from the mistakes.
  • Stop living in regret.
  • End all blame.
  • KNOW that there is another way.
  • Commit to Life.
  • Stay consistent.
  • Use your common sense.
  • Develop understanding.
  • Let go, Let go and keep letting go of anything and everything that no longer truly supports you.

In other words – TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL YOUR CHOICES.

The above works and after 8+ years of consistently living in this way, I can honestly say that there is another way and it sure is not a champagne or lemonade lifestyle.

Gone are those days of feeling empty, bloated and dis-connected.

In are the Glory days of making life simple and living in a way that inspires others and simply getting on with it in the KNOWING that we are all here to evolve.

 

 

 

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Comments 38

  1. Yes, it is about responsibility. How can we have a fancy car and a big house, go on fancy vacations, but be in debt up to our eyeballs? It looks good but it is not taking true responsibility for our lives.

    1. There is zero Responsibility when we live as you describe here Ken Elmer. The thing is most live this way so it is the ACCEPTED normal. This un-natural way of living is putting stress on the body and it is having an effect on our true health and well-being. We choose to pay little attention to this and with the ease of getting credit cards most including myself in the past got the game by juggling, winging it every month and living way beyond our means. My super sensible way of living means it is easy to say No Thanks to the stores overtime they offer me this or that card. I am way past that and will never use plastic again to live a false life because that is exactly what it is.

  2. I can feel the discomfort when I read ‘There was comfort in my uncomfortableness.’ Living in comfort stops us feeling the uncomfortableness and reduces our awareness of this, then we don’t make any changes because we numb ourselves. It’s very interesting to investigate our lives in this way and see what comes up.

    1. Great Gill Randall that you can openly say that you actually felt ‘discomfort’ and that living in this comfortable way reduces our awareness and we stay numb to what is actually going on. It is a convenient way to live as on some level it suits us. Having comfort in any way means we truly do not want to commit to life in full. My understanding of that is that we want to have pockets in our life where we get relief – a sort of self medication. We hold back in our expression. We play nice or pander to others and all this can be comfortable even though on some level it is uncomfortable.
      A classic example is we need a holiday to self medicate as life gets too much and we seek relief. Of course there is comfort in food, entertainment, distractions and even keeping those images in our head. When things get tough we seek comfort with the images, the pictures we have about anything and everything and it keeps us going but in Truth it offers us nothing. Unless we are evolving then what is the point really?

      1. “Unless we are evolving, then what is the point really?” What a statement. What a question. How many of us are ready to accept and live that? It feels to me that this is exactly why people end up on this website – because they want to be ready; they want the truth. It is clear this site is all about responsibility. All about evolution. There will be no comfort or platitudes here. Evolution or nothing. Read and embrace, read and cringe, read and click away: either one – it’s not wavering in its message.

  3. I have never heard this phrase before now ‘Champagne Lifestyle, Lemonade Money’ but I have lived with debt, I have lived feeling better when out shopping and I have lived wanting what or how others live in the thinking that they have it made. Now heading towards my late fifties I have very little debt, I do not shop to make myself feel better and I am committing more and more to my life and valuing it beyond anything else. I live a simple life and yet I am the most content and satisfied that I have been. When I complicate things, because sometimes I can’t quite seem to stay with a simple loving life, things become messy, uncomfortable and responsibility seems to have disappeared out of my radar. From your blog I will be committing to letting go more and more of what does not serve me anymore and deepening my relationship with responsibility.

    1. You say Sally Green that this blog has got you willing to commit to deepening your relationship with Responsibility. This is huge and yet it can be quite simple.
      Our world is so geared to making things complicated and it just gets worse and we can play ball with it or start to live in a way that is basic and simple. Living consistently by expressing Truth in everything is what I would say is real Responsibility. We need to take into account how our choices affect others be it an email, text, what we eat for dinner or what time we go to bed. All this affects us and others and our planet whether we want to believe it or not, its just the Truth.

  4. This is an amazing read – firstly because it literally spells out exactly how the world thinks and lives, always wanting the next thing to fill them up and in this process also making it harder for it stop – because the next thing becomes brighter and glossier, bigger and better.
    And secondly it makes it very personal and for me really gives me a sense of all the decisions I have made around money. When I had none – some days growing up as a boy we had to eat salad cream sandwiches – for breakfast lunch and dinner – and yes it was just that – 2 slices of bread and salad cream. I knew we had no money on these days and the thing is it was miserable – because there wasn’t any joy on these days or the days when we had money.
    And so the seed is sown and the boy wants to earn money so he can spend it freely – no responsibility for what comes in goes straight out. Later in life I earned a reasonable amount of money and yet could never save and always had credit card debt too. Go figure – earning well and still spending beyond my means. But still no Joy?
    So what is amiss and what changes? Well learning very slowly and steadily to take responsibility not just for money – but all areas of my life. I am worth it absolutely and I no longer need to spend a fortune to give myself an upbeat moment.
    I can bring a lot of joy and fun in to my life by looking after me every single day. And thanks to this website, it’s author Bina Pattel, Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine – my life has changed beyond words and it improves and becomes more amazing every day.

    1. Great big fat comment Lee – thank you. Salad cream sandwiches – not tried that one but gosh how our early days affect us in later life is an understatement.
      You mention about no joy and I get what you are saying having been there. I was filling up a void and I had the attitude I can because I can. That simply means I was arrogant and could spend because I can. I had plastic to support me and it was ONLY after I met Serge Benhayon that I started to take true Responsibility for my life and the choices I was making on a daily basis.
      So today I would say my life has joy and I no longer have the champagne lifestyle or lemonade money in my bank account. So could it be possible we are sold a way of living that guarantees no joy?
      My understanding is to live a life of true consistency is a life of true Responsibility. Gone are the days of shop till I drop and shopping just as a hobby to escape from my ugly life.
      In are the glory days of shopping for what is needed that will truly support me to evolve and if not, no thank you. Game over. I no play the plastic card game or any other buy this buy that stuff.

  5. I love the title of this blog Simple Living Global, its exactly how I used to live. Living a life far beyond my means meant that I had huge debts, bills not getting paid, direct debits not getting paid which meant I was then charged by the bank which compounded the debts, always worrying about money which all culminated in me having to do two jobs, one starting at 11am and finishing at 8pm and then starting at 9pm until 7am. Why did I get myself in this mess? Simply—irresponsibility. I wasn’t prepared to look at what I was earning and live my life according to my budget. I wanted ‘things’ that I couldn’t afford and more importantly, things I didn’t even need, like that new gadget that they tell us we cant do without, like that newer car because my ego wants it. I would rather eat take away food because I was too lazy or too tired to nurture myself properly. Plainly put, I had too much comfort in my life and there I was going to stay. Things started to change only after I started to attend the presentations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine. He showed me there is another way to live and that way is to take responsibility for all of my choices, all day, every day. Whatever my circumstances, whatever life throws at me, I know that it is my choices that have created the situation I am in so if I know its my choices that have led me to where I am then I can make new choices to lead me to where I want to be.

    1. Great real life sharing here Tim and thank you for saying it as it is. This is a sad story and how many do we know who could relate to this. Working two jobs and having compounded debts because of a life of Irresponsibility as you say.
      Living our life according to our budget is not easy because the world is tempting us with plastic cards and interest free this and that to buy now and pay later.
      I know of paying off something way after I had gone off it and wasn’t even using it.

      Being sensible and aware that your choices got you in the mess and now your new choices can change that is taking RESPONSIBILITY. Most of the world is in a trap and even those who have the champagne money and never need to have a lemondade lifestyle have their own other issues. No point being envious, jealous or seeking their life. It is well worth working with what you have got, not what you want or what you don’t have. In that somewhere worth putting APPRECIATION in there.

  6. The title of this blog alone cuts through so much. The idea that it’s either champagne or lemonade – one is ‘good’ one is ‘bad’. I realise reading this how much stuff there is for me around money, and it feels a bit cringey because I know there’s a gap between where I’m at and what this blog shows is possible. The powerful thing about it, though, is it’s not a lecture, it’s an invitation, plus practical suggestions from someone who’s done it themselves. The biggest to-dos I’m taking away as I address my own stuff from here are: ‘keep it simple’ and ‘consistency’.

    1. Great JS you got the cringe factor reading this blog. The title does cut through so much as you say and there are some very useful practical tips that are lived. There is not fluffy add ons to try and pump up the blog or try and get more people commenting. Far from it. Say it as it is and someone like you may just like it and apply it to their own life.
      Keep it Simple and Consistency are key to our evolution and living a life of true consistency is a life of RESPONSIBILITY. Can’t get better than that if you ask me.
      Think about it – this is SIMPLE LIVING and that just happens to be the name of this company and website.

  7. Correct JS we are ‘bombarded’ as you say and because we keep quiet with our dis-honesty there is no change. Never heard of a magazine diet so thanks for sharing. It makes no sense if you think about it.
    Hiding on the money front as you say is how most of us live. There is something about money that tends to make people very uncomfortable.

    I like your words when you say ‘zero plan, zero responsibility’.
    That word RESPONSIBILITY is like a thread on this website weaving through the blogs.

  8. I have not heard of this phrase either but I know of a family member who lives this way. I used to recall feeling I was the ‘lemonade’ person and she was the ‘champagne’. There was no balance between us both. I had common sense but I was stuck in the lemonade and there was this feeling I was not worthy or deserved any more than that.

    It is only in the last couple of years I am breaking some of these beliefs I inherited and no doubt passed down from generations to generations.

    I’m changing this way of living by bringing a balance in all areas of my life. There is still a way to go but appreciate I made the decision and commitment to make these changes. Another great blog Simple Living Global.

  9. How many countries have a balanced budget or a economic system that is actually sustainable?
    The USA is about 15 trillion dollars in debt and it increases every year.

    I have lived in the USA for 65 years and have had my own business here. I have never understood how my government can still be operating and continue to operate being so far in debt. If I had a business that was continously increasing in debt, I would seriously consider doing something different.

    So whose problem is this?
    Most people would agree that the national debt is not ok. But the individual credit card dept is staggering too.

    I feel it is time to take responsibility for our own lives first. Living beyond your means is a dead end.
    If something is not working do something different.

    1. Great post, Ken. I have often wondered how countries’ bank balances seem to be irrelevant to their spending – technically insolvent and relying on debts not being called in.

      A taxi driver once told me the reason he is ‘good with money’ is because he got cash in his hands every day and that was it – that’s what he had to live on, no more no less. His idea was for everyone to be paid in cash when they started work so they could get used to money and respect it. Sounds like an effective approach for responsible living.

  10. Looking at the money statistics on http://themoneycharity.org.uk/money-statistics/ it states ‘people in the UK owed 1.52 Trillion in personal debt at the end of January 17’… that’s 1.52 TRILLION.

    ‘Per adult in the UK it’s an average of £30,105 this is a staggering amount of debt’

    It is undeniably clear that spending does not fill the emptiness we feel …

    What is missing in our lives that we need to spend so much… be in so much debt?

    With this amount of debt going on for us what Simple Living Global is presenting in this blog is huge, could this be the way we can turn the tables on our immense debt situation and fill the emptiness from the inside out?

    By each one of us taking responsibility for all our choices.. for our lifestyle?

    The Action Plan listed above in this blog is a simple one which the author turned their life and finances around with, now that’s worth having a go… surely?

  11. 4th April 2017 – Daily Mail

    Credit card debt rising in England at highest rate for 11 years.

    3.3 million are quoted as having card debts that they can’t pay back.

    Some customers are paying £2.50 for every £1 that they repay.

    £20 million a day is spent on credit cards. (March 2017)

    Some lenders offering credit cards on little or no income.

    The Financial Conduct Authority are looking at ways to deal with the crisis including –

    Having fees waived or reduced.

    Banks blocking persistent debtors from over-spending.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4377304/Three-million-card-debts-repay.html

    Having debt that we can’t repay creates a lot of anxiety and stress.

    From my own experience I know that I used to feel really low and demoralised when I could not pay back my debts. At one time all I could offer companies was £1.

    My irresponsible and wild spending lead me straight into the situation.

    However it was possible to repay the debts but it required a change of lifestyle – a change in priorities.

    Questions started to arise –

    Was spending £50 on a concert or a theatre show for 90 minutes necessary when I had debts that I could not repay?

    Could I start making my lunch and bringing it to work, rather than spending £10 a day buying food outside?

    Was paying into that pension fund really necessary, at that time, when I was struggling to eat?

    The decision to repay the debts only came about when I realised that I no longer wanted to keep living a life of misery going round and round in circles with no way out.

    Having read this blog, I can really relate and in particular this question stood out –
    ‘Why is it that we want a champagne lifestyle when we clearly have lemonade money?’

    I was living in this way, which I now call self-abusive, so that I did not have to take responsibility for caring for myself and address un-dealt with hurts. It was easier to spend than be honest with myself about how I was truly feeling.

    Deep inside I craved an inner rich life that was deeply honouring and respectful and I did not want to put in the work that would enable my life to be that way. I am certainly on the road to that now and any debts I now have are for essential items and I have very sensible repayment plans in place.

    1. When I was on welfare benefits, I was regularly offered an increase of amount to borrow on my credit card.. why is this an option when income is very low that spending is encouraged or offered?
      I didn’t accept it as I knew I wouldn’t reach my repayments if I used it, the spend amount I had on the card was enough of a worry.

  12. This money stuff is so big even for those who have the champagne bucks. I have recently seen people with big money have a fall and others with heaps of money live in such a way that is damaging their health – like living with ill health and no heating in a big house. Makes no sense to me but I do have an understanding that they came from extreme poverty, made money and simply choose to hold onto it. It seems like they have no real love and care for themselves or their body.

    Another observation was someone who we would call highly professional and earning big bucks, secure pension and plenty of champagne monthly disposable. They told me their life was spinning out of control and they are not able to cope with the RESPONSIBILITY of what having money brings. They feel exhausted and overwhelmed in every area of their life and cannot think clearly and make decisions. This has led to lots of complication and overspending, but they cannot recall where the money is going.

    So what I am saying is even some who have the champagne bucks may not be better off, as some of us like to think when we have lemonade money.

    All I know is I am not choosing to live irresponsible anymore and it works.
    Today I went to town and focussed. Got the two things needed and back on the train home.
    In the past, that would have been a day out on plastic with excess eating and shopping until I could not carry any more bags, whilst thinking when could I do it again.
    Thank God those shopping days with lemonade money are well and truly gone.

  13. I read today about a diamond-encrusted handbag by an exclusive brand recently fetching £293,000 at auction.

    And yesterday I saw a pair of cashmere slippers costing £900.

    And this with the backdrop of the UK election and discussion about the amount of money needed to pay even just for the basics – health care, pensions, security, education etc.

    £158 billion budgeted for pensions
    £142 billion on healthcare
    £86 billion on education
    £112 billion on welfare
    £52 billion in debt interest

    Borrowing £18 billion each and every year.

    How can we spend this much and it not be enough?

    How much waste must there be?

    It makes me think of how much money I have wasted over the years. Being frugal in places and then frittering money away elsewhere.

    I wonder how many others do the same. And how many of us live day to day as the UK does – beyond our means?

    I wonder how many of us could simplify everything and find a richness in that simplicity.

  14. In the business pages this week was a story about an ice-cream selling for £99. It’s called ‘Billionaire’s Soft Serve’.

    The ice-cream takes 4.5 hours to make and weighs as much as a whole tub.

    It is wrapped in 24 carat gold leaf and contains a host of extravagant ingredients including a rare type of chocolate, plus edible diamonds.

    Another opportunity to clock the supply and demand cycle – what is going on if we are being sold an ice-cream costing £100, that is considered to be worth spending half a working day making?

  15. A finance watchdog – the Bank for International Settlements – has discovered $14 trillion in global debt hidden via clever accounting using offshore structures, such as contracts called ‘swaps’ and ‘forwards’.

    The discovery, reported in the Telegraph, means the debt in the international system is double what they thought it was.

    And it matters. If inflation and exchange rates shift, this debt becomes a massive burden and could trigger a future funding/financial crisis.

    The BIS study says all this was hidden away in ‘footnotes’ of bank reports and the truth is that ‘contracts worth tens of trillions of dollars stand open and trillions change hands daily, yet one cannot find these amounts on balance sheets. This debt is, in effect, missing’.

    What is this showing us about the system?

    Why are these non-transparent choices made and by whom?

    Have we learnt anything from the credit crisis or do we go round the merry-go-round again?

  16. I read in the Metro (21 November) that we ‘fritter away’ £31,000 in our lifetimes – about £43 a month on things we don’t need or don’t think twice about.

    This gave me pause for thought about my own spending and on where I’m spending money without really valuing that.

    I am taking a closer look at this.

  17. I used to live a Champagne Lifestyle with Lemonade Money.

    When I look at it now I was in an enormous amount of emotional pain and so each hit to spend was coming from the pain and me wanting to take my focus away from it.

    I wasn’t aware of this fully at the time, but after a while I could see that I was completely addicted. It has taken a lot of work to respect myself and my finances so that I no longer spend in this way.

    Firstly I had to get honest with myself in terms of the mess both my life and finances were in.

    Then came a strong sense of not wanting to continue living my life in that way and then came the commitment to repay the debts.

    I have sought support from others throughout this time and it has helped me make choices as to how to spend and what my priorities are. There is more to address, but what I am really appreciating today is that I have money in the bank and have no desire to disrespect or disregard it, or myself, in any way and spend wildly.

    What I have come to realise is that our relationship with money is no different to our relationship with ourselves and so if we are disrespecting ourselves, it is likely to show up in how we are with money.

    Today I feel content as I have everything that I need and anything else that I need to do the work I am here to do on Earth will be provided, as I keep taking responsibility for my life and making sensible choices.

  18. The Week – Issue 1148
    28 October 2017

    The UK Treasury have proposed to give people in serious debt “six week grace period” to get their finances back on track.
    Jane Goodland of Old Mutual Wealth notes – it is merely a sticking plaster.

    £203 billion amount of unsecured debts on credit cards, car finance and other loans.

    14 million is the number of people just “surviving” financially.

    6.5 million UK adults with no cash savings at all.

    3.1 million people have taken out one or more payday or doorstep loans this year.

    So as the title of this article says – Are we Dicing with Debt?

    Would it be true to say that perhaps some of these quoted in the statistics are living a Champagne Lifestyle but with a Lemonade Budget?

    I can only speak from lived experience and the thought of clearing a debt, only to find there is something else out there tempting you and then you are back to square one, went on for decades.

    I realise many people live like this and at the time I thought I was the odd one and there was a lot of embarrassment and shame, if I am being honest. Looking back and reflecting on it now, it was ridiculous and utterly irresponsible in every way. It is a game and a trap and we all need to get out of it once and for all, if you ask me.

    Today I can say I am not paying a loan or credit card off and it feels great. It is realistic now to not spend, when it is not needed and the best thing is I simply am not interested.

    I put that down to personal choices. I no longer have a desire to want anything unless it has purpose and meaning for me. That does not mean I go without, but I like having less and using less and being more content means there is just no drive to buy and spend like before.

    I feel I have a grand Responsibility to reflect to others what is possible and not get caught on the wheel of debt, which is difficult to get out of.

    I also am not hooked into expensive stuff as if it holds more quality because I know it does not.

    Supermarket clothes for me sometimes look just as amazing as the high street, so that says it all really.

    We have become a nation that can access anything we want, so we demand and the credit card and loan companies supply. They charge whatever rate they want and we pay and then we judge them for doing so. But what if we stopped the demand, like I have done?

    What happened to good old fashioned, save the money then buy it?

    How about a new way of asking, is it really needed and what is the intention before purchasing something?

    Could there be another way?

  19. A letter from my bank this January offering me a loan so I can ‘take full advantage of the new year’.

    What system are we in that encourages you to take on debt?

    And uses ‘you can have whatever you want and have it now – why wait?’ and ‘you deserve it’ marketing to hook us in?

    Wasn’t the original purpose of a bank to help us look after our money, not encourage us to spend it?

    What is the role of our banks in today’s society and in the future?

  20. Daily Mail – 12th August 2017

    An article in the Mail speaks of how banks have now become embroiled in the row over reckless car loans, after some mass mailed customers long term monthly loans to buy new cars.

    Some letters were said to be offering loans without a credit check.

    People’s bank account balances plus their income and expenditure were said to be assessed, without their knowledge, to see which model they could buy.

    Undercover reporters found car dealers who were offering long term finance to those who said they were unemployed, working part-time or on low incomes.

    Could we agree this is the height of irresponsibility.

    Irresponsible spending and lending can actually lead someone to lose their home and so lose an essential basic of human life.

    It is not about the now gratifications, but one act of irresponsible spending or lending can lead to another and another and another. This can be an addiction that has dire consequences.

    In 2016, British households borrowed £13.6 billion to buy cars.

    Why is this going on?

    We could keep pointing the finger at the lenders, BUT if there was no market of irresponsible borrowers, the banks would not have anyone to lend these reckless loans to – full stop – and that would be the end of that.

    If we care enough and want to see true change we can only start with ourselves in looking at whether we are living with excess and if so why?

  21. Talking to a banker today, I asked him how the world of banking would be if arrogance didn’t exist.

    He was unequivocal.

    He said there would be no bankers.

    There would be no deals.

    He said most deals only happen because of ego.

    He gave one example of a person he knows, who is buying property simply because he wants to be able to say he has 1 million properties.

    All that money. All that time and effort. With all the problems in the world that need resource and attention.

    I wonder how this will change over time. What it will take for a shift to happen.

    It makes me want to go deeper in how I value money and to weed out all arrogance in my own life.

  22. Talking to a local councillor last week, she was sharing the challenges of us wanting a champagne lifestyle, locally, when there is lemonade money.

    The government talks about our ‘age of austerity’ and this is being felt at a local level. There is not enough money for the local schools, there is not enough money for the regular bin collections and road cleaning, there is not enough money for the local medical services.

    And yet we want it all, without contemplating what it takes or the part we play.

    An example – people are apparently complaining about the bins not being collected. They pay their taxes and expect these services.

    It made me reflect on our expectations and on our behaviour.

    If there isn’t enough money for everything we have come to expect, what are we going to do about that?

    Take the bins. Are we going to buy less? Are we going to use less packaging? Are we going to more carefully compress the packaging we do have so that the bin needs collecting less often? Are we each going to take great care of our rubbish when we are out and about so that every single tiny piece of it makes it actually into the bin and not somewhere nearby or on the street?

    If we play our part, we will need fewer people to clean up after us all and less often.

    And take the schools. Why isn’t there enough money? Why are class sizes going up along with the pressure on our teachers? What else is happening that is draining the budget? And what of that spending can we each influence? An example being our own health and how much care we take of it ourselves so we are less reliant on the health service, which currently costs billions.

    If the money isn’t flowing, isn’t this something for us all to look at?

  23. My husband went to New York recently for a work trip. He was struck by the incredibly high living costs.

    The average salary of people renting in the city is $400,000 per year. A one bedroom apartment rents for $4,500 per month.

    How does this situation come about and how does it affect people?

    He described the office workers where he visited as being totally sold out to the system. So focused on getting ahead.

    He described the same-ness of the people he met. Wearing similar clothes, shoes, watches, haircuts. Coming from the same college, saying similar things from a similar perspective using similar words.

    Choosing the path they know will bring them to a level of success. Moving in a way to assure that.

    Does the cost of living in New York feed this? Everyone striving to keep up. A cycle of pressure and reward, where the reward is never quite enough for the average person to get ahead. Some people really ‘making it’ so others see and want that.

    What happens to those who can’t keep up? Or who want to step off the hamster wheel?

  24. 21 August 2018

    The Citizens’ Advice Bureau tweeted that UK households owe £19 billion to essential service providers and government.

    £7.47 billion – Tax Credit Overpayments
    £2.84 billion – Council Tax
    £2.66 billion – Benefit Overpayments
    £2.20 billion – Water
    £1.42 billion – Rent Arrears
    £1.09 billion – Electricity and Gas
    £0.61 billion – Fines, Fixed Penalties, Compensation Orders
    £0.36 billion – Telecoms

    Why so much debt?

    Is it because we are living beyond our means?

    Is there something that we all can learn from this blog by Simple Living Global on how we treat money?

    Is there a more responsible way to live?

    Could it be possible that we are not placing essential payments like Rent and Council Tax and Utility Bills as a priority?

    I have seen so many times, how people have been evicted from their accommodation due to not prioritising how they spend.

    Some of it is down to poor financial education and some of it is down to the fact that we live recklessly and then expect governmental systems and charities to help us out.

    One thing I know is that I had to learn the hard way and get into lots of debt, but then pay off every penny. This took a long time, but I can most certainly say that I have learnt the lesson. The fact that no-one saved me and I took the responsibility to repay everything that I owed, means that I would never do that again.

    There is something about when we come to realisations and we take responsibility for our part in anything.

    I find that it is very empowering and allows us to make new choices, that do not repeat harmfull patterns of behaviour.

    I love the way the author of this blog by Simple Living Global has shared their experience and the reasons why they were living irresponsibly.

    How many of us feel deeply hurt and end up getting into debt as a result?

  25. I had a conversation this week with a wealthy person. A millionaire.

    We were talking about money and the impact it has.

    He shared that despite being super-rich, he worries about going back to not being rich.

    He keeps his bank balance in his current account above a certain number so he can feel at ease.

    He values the ‘basic’ things money can buy. Like not having to weigh up whether to walk in the rain or pay for a cab.

    We agreed that money can own you if you are not careful, and that your life views and behaviours are skewed by it.

    He said in wealthy circles, the comparison is terrible – the sense of measuring yourself against what others have and feeling them measure you.

    It reminded me of this blog and the fact that so many of us have an unresolved relationship with money, whatever our wealth or ‘level’ in society.

    It is motivating to re-read this blog and consider what else there is to see and adjust in my own relationship with money.

  26. Speaking about money with a friend recently, it has been very enlightening.

    Over the last 6 – 8 years I have streamlined my spending quite a lot with minimal spending on excess, however this conversation got me to see that there are more areas that I can get even more practical with that can help reduce my spending.

    I am actually looking forward to applying what was shared and already in the last few days I have found that my thoughts have changed and I am actively considering whether I need something and whether it is a wise purchase, before I go ahead and spend.

    Thus far I have found that I have spent less already.

    There is always so much for us all to learn and if we are open to it, there is so much we can learn from each other.

    I really appreciate my friend sharing their experience and wisdom tips and I very much look forward to us exchanging savvy shopping tips.

    This in itself will have a ripple effect because as I learn, I am then able to share this with others especially in the line of work that I do, which then supports others to also be able to take care of their finances more.

  27. In a department store yesterday, going in for one item and hoping it was still there, as I saw it a month ago in the sale clearance.

    At the till, I got talking to the lovely assistant and she asked me to come back and visit her as she does not often find customers like me.

    Well the price I paid felt wrong as I was certain I had read a lower price.
    So I went back to the items on display and yes I was right.

    So we got to meet again and not only did I get the correct price but she gave me a further discount for the inconvenience.

    The point is I got 70% off the original price in the end.

    Not attached to getting it and leaving the timing until I could go to the store confirmed it can all work out without effort and push.

    Looking at my past lifestyle as this blog presents, just the price tag would put me off.

    I would be sniffing around the similar high end items and pay 5 times more than I paid yesterday.
    It was mad thinking and a crazy irresponsible way to live if you ask me.

    Next – I went with a list of 3 things as that was my main focus.
    One refund and 2 items from different stores needed if in the sale and if not, get back and no big deal.

    Well of course the other item was also in the sale, perfect size, colour and fit and the bonus was half price.

    Job done and straight back. The desire or hook to do more shops or even the thought of spending more money was just not there.

    This tells me what is possible when we have purpose and meaning in our life.

    The days of champagne lifestyle and lemonade money come from a void – a life that was lacking and was empty of true purpose.

    I realise now it is my consistency to having this true purpose in life that holds me steady and even if I had millions, I would still shop in the sales when I need to and get what I want full price, if it is needed.

    No frivolous spending for me going forward and what an utter waste of my time shopping, when I have less and less I want in life, because my life is full of meaning now.

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