The journey of life, time flies, and in the blink of an eye, we who have entered middle age may suddenly look back and find that we have left many unnecessary footprints on the road of consumption.
In recent years, more and more people have sighed after entering middle age: "It turns out that there is a lot of money in life that there is no need to spend at all. This kind of perception has aroused widespread resonance and prompted us to re-examine our consumption outlook and lifestyle.
First, the change of consumption concept
When people reach middle age, with the accumulation of life experience and the change of life stage, the concept of consumption often undergoes a profound change. When we are younger, we may be more keen to follow trends and buy famous brands as a way to express our personality and improve our self-image. However, over time, many people have come to realize that these external material possessions do not lead to lasting happiness, but can instead become a shackle to their financial freedom.
In middle age, people are more inclined to pursue inner satisfaction and quality of life. They begin to appreciate simple pleasures such as spending time with family, enjoying a healthy lifestyle, and engaging in personal hobbies.
This shift in values makes them pay more attention to the real value and long-term impact of goods or services when they consume, rather than short-term material satisfaction. As a result, luxury goods, over-packaged products, or purchases that once seemed essential are now unnecessary expenses.
2. Identify unnecessary expenses
Unnecessary expenses are not always obvious, they are often hidden in our daily consumption, silently eroding our wealth.
Driven by merchant promotions, friend recommendations, or momentary emotions, I bought non-essential and infrequently used goods, such as all kinds of idle fitness equipment, fashion items, etc.
Spending too much on food and entertainment, especially eating out, buying high-priced coffee, and frequently changing digital products, these seemingly small expenses add up over time, but they are considerable.
Blindly following the trend of investing and managing money, buying expensive membership services, paying for unthought-out courses or training, etc., often results in little or no gains.
Buying an insurance product with overlapping coverage and harsh payout conditions is not only a waste of money, but it may also not be effectively compensated when you really need it.
3. Achieve smart consumption
According to factors such as income, savings goals, and living needs, make a reasonable monthly and annual budget, and clarify the upper limit of various expenses, so as to help you be restrained when spending.
Ensure that core expenses such as daily necessities, health care, children's education, and pension savings are protected, and then consider other discretionary consumption. Compare prices across brands and channels, save money with coupons and promotions, but avoid buying non-essential items for the sake of cheapness.
Invest in investments that improve your vocational skills, quality of life, and physical and mental health, such as refresher courses, healthy eating, regular check-ups, and moderate travel. Prepare sufficient cash flow in case of emergencies, and at the same time, make diversified and prudent investments according to your risk tolerance, so that your wealth can withstand inflationary pressure while maintaining and increasing its value.
epilogue
When we reach middle age, we understand more and more that the abundance of life does not depend on how much material things we have, but whether we have peace of mind and whether our life is fulfilling. Recognizing that there is a lot of money that is not necessary to spend at all is a reflection of a mature consumption concept and an important step towards financial freedom and a better quality of life.
By changing the mindset of consumption, identifying and cutting unnecessary expenses, and implementing smart consumption strategies, we can not only reduce our financial burden, but also focus on the things that truly make sense, so that our lives can return to their original nature, and we can be full of wisdom and calm.