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YOLO For 80 Years!

By Frugaling 3 Comments

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Electric Daisy Carnival EDC

There’s a conundrum that we all face as humans: we are born and must die. For many of us, that’s the most frightening thing imaginable. It stops us in our tracks, and we can’t cogently plan for the future. We are literally scared into avoiding death because death is scary. The irony!

The cyclical loop of fear allows our minds to run wild and appreciate only these few moments right now. We don’t know how many more we’ll have. But unfortunately, that tends to come with some significant financial consequences. The attitude can quickly become: charge it now and worry later; heck, you might die before you have to pay it back.

Because death is an unknown – we don’t know until it’s too late – many try to appreciate only the present moment. The Millennial generation, with the help of popular musician, Drake, have a helpful acronym that’s all about living in the now: YOLO. The vowel-laden term stands for, You Only Live Once. In that spirit, we are tasked with spending, eating, and drinking to enjoy the moments we do have. The hope is that when death comes knockin’, we lived our lives to the fullest. Nobody wants to die without living it up.

YOLO has inspired countless teens and 20-somethings to travel the world, and eschew traditional day jobs. And who can blame them? Countless generations before them searched and scoured the world for self-discovery, too! Life seems short, might as well enjoy it, right?

What seems absent from these aspirational lives and depictions is the reality that for most people, life expectancy is about 80 years. Most of my grandparents lived well into their 80s and 90s. That means that while we are trying to live life to the fullest by spending our way into blissful oblivion, we seem to be discounting the fact that humans tend to live long lives. Really LONG lives.

A lot can be done in 80 years, and it needn’t all occur at 18, 19, and 20. In fact, it’s rather depressing thinking the only time to travel and party like a rockstar is at such a young age. Life is full of adventure and opportunity – it doesn’t end at 30, 40, or 50.

YOLO isn’t inherently a bad term, but it’s important to remember that we have 80 years to do it. And if we have 80 years to YOLO all over the place, shouldn’t we plan beyond this one moment? We compete with unknown variables of death, desire, and saving for a long future. Evolutionarily, we have come to appreciate the present moment to procreate and build foundations for progeny.

While these archaic evolutionary bases of behavior affect our behaviors today, our society has changed significantly. We no longer deal with daily threats. Most of us aren’t running from lions, tigers, and bears – oh my!

Regardless of these competing demands – one for YOLOing and the other for living well into old age – there’s an emotion we all seek: spontaneity. Sustainable, life-long adventure requires healthy budgeting and savings. To take that random road trip, we must save and stop spending on credit. This choice necessitates a reinvention of spending habits. YOLO cannot become yet another excuse to party lavishly and become a gluttonous individual. Millennials and people everywhere have an opportunity to better themselves and the world around them. But they can’t do it while swimming in toxic debt.

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Aging, death, debt, Frugal, Life, life expectancy, Millennials, saving, YOLO, Youth

A Nerd Learns To Resist Early Upgrades

By Frugaling 13 Comments

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New Apple Macbook - Photo by Jun Seita

Defenses are weakening as devices age

My smartphone is aging. The screen doesn’t always respond to my finger, the camera is mildly fogged over from scratches and dust on the inside, and the metal bits have little divots from drops. Sometimes when I press the “home” button, nothing happens.

My laptop is sluggish, too. The U key is sticky, the processor is beginning to struggle amidst a wealth of recent programs, and certain features aren’t available to my 4-plus-year-old computer. Every now and then the computer freezes up and I constantly have to be vigilant.

I’m a massive tech nerd, and when I begin to see cracks in performance and usage, I immediately jump to one conclusion: time for an upgrade. I can quickly rationalize the “need” for new. Look at all of these aforementioned faults and — hey! — I’m a digital writer/blogger. I need these things, right?

Lusting for the latest

In college I upgraded computers about every year at great expense. Smartphone upgrade plans didn’t matter to me. I spent the full price when necessary and negotiated early upgrades when possible.

The smell of freshly molded plastic was a beautiful sensation. I lusted after that unboxing process — from the plastic wraps to physical perfection. Hundreds — no, thousands — were spent to maintain this status and newness. I couldn’t stand to keep something that no longer was the point of affection for others. The commercials had changed to newer, “better” devices, and I unconsciously moved in unison.

Juxtaposed with my love for the latest and greatest was a powerful disgust that developed for the old. That technology became embarrassing and frustrating for me. But now, I’m holding back for the first time in my life.

Learning to resist the urge to upgrade

Admittedly, this process of buying less and refusing to upgrade early has been slow. After years of buying conspicuously, I’ve turned a new leaf. I don’t want to buy new immediately anymore. Here’s what keeps me grounded:

Value comes in time — it’s not a flash in the pan.

I want to purchase devices that last and take advantage of that worth. And there’s a lot of time to take advantage of lasting material goods. Think about it, life expectancy for those in the U.S. is about 78.7 years. That only leaves a set number of devices, objects, and material possessions over the course of a lifetime. Make them count.

Climate change is worsening

There are other reasons to resist the spending. Constant changes in technology and devices contribute to far greater climate change. Those electronics and material goods are likely made in China, shipped or flown across the Pacific Ocean, and trucked and trained to their final destinations. From the packaging, production, transportation, and actual purchase, tremendous amounts of energy must be used. And most of it is from fossil fuels — the kind that contributes to climate change.

Forever young only exists in music lyrics

I cannot help but notice that the same magazines, newspapers, and websites that advertise beauty products also share the latest gadgets. The beauty culture encourages us to stay young; forever, at great cost. Similarly, our beauty culture has disconnected and made us feel fearful about aging. Our devices are no longer timeless investments — they are planned for obsolescence. Be wary of these messages that try to subtly obliterate your older device.

That money can go to a million better places

If the preceding reasons weren’t enough, it costs a lot of money to upgrade constantly. Save the money, put it to work in the stock market, donate it to charity, or fix your bike. Nearly anything is better than spending it on a slightly newer device.

Can our devices get worn in, and could we actually begin to appreciate this character and value? How did we become so fearful of having something old?

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Aging, Apple, climate change, Computers, debt, Devices, Electronics, Laptop, Macbook, smartphones, Upgrade, Value, Youth

Stopping Time Is Expensive, Isn’t It?

By Frugaling 20 Comments

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Buzzed Haircut

I started cutting my hair in the second year of college. Nascent tingles of frugality seemed to start that year, and I was looking for a way to save time and money. Buzzing my own hair solved both, as I probably saved $10-15 every time.

Going on my 7th year (and hundreds in savings), I can’t help but notice how many phases I’ve gone through. My hair’s been slicked back, spiked up, buzzed off, and everything in between. I’ve experimented and built up some skills over the years. Each style gives me a different drive.

Ostensibly, based on every kind word I’ve ever received, I look good when my hair is in between that spiky and slicked-back phase. It kind of has a natural tousle. I feel more confident “wearing” that haircut, too. If anything, this is the look I like when I’m dating.

But today, with buzzers in hand, I debate — once again — whether I should buzz it all off. It’s like hitting the reset button on my head — physically and emotionally. Instantaneously, I look like a Marine reporting for basic training. I don’t know that the style suits anyone, but it’s simple to maintain. Rinse off and you’re ready to go.

Each time I cut my hair, I’m forced in front of a mirror for long periods. I scan over every area of my scalp, and trim the sides by hand. It takes careful precision and patience. What starts out as necessary often becomes obsessive.

I start to see how I’ve changed and aged over the years. I didn’t look like this 7 years ago. I didn’t have fraying sides or a mysterious patch in the back when I first started. My hair was darker, too.

Stand in front of a mirror for any length of time, and my eyes begin to pour over every fault. The extraterrestrial divots of bad acne, the crease of a scar from childhood, and discoloration speck sit atop my face. History via epidermis.

I can’t help but notice, and wonder how to “fix” myself. My consciousness asks, “How can I improve this person in front of me?” Briefly, nearly every time, I think about who I want to be and how this physical presentation has aged in strange, foreign ways. Frankly, resisting it is what I’d like to do.

When I think about why I ask these questions and try to improve my physical features, I come back to the same conclusion: I want to be attractive. I want people to like me. I want to be able to date freely, and not have some strange physical feature that makes me stand out too much — that makes me “odd.”

As I probe my mind for why I think this way, I can’t help but reflect on a culture that encourages us to age slower, and if worst comes to worst, reverse it. We value youth and agelessness. Even more, we seem to be quick to ostracize those who are… different.

It’s in the resistance to aging that things seem to go awry. Suddenly, we spend countless dollars on creams, ointments, and cleansers to freshen our bodies. The average markup on cosmetics is about 78 percent. We’re desperate for something that once was us.

I hate to admit this, but I’ve already purchased many of said products before. There was a tanning cream when I was younger, with the hope of making me less pale and gaunt. All it did was make me look more like an oompa loompa. There were tens of creams and remedies and medicines for acne. They just made my skin red like a Skittles package. I went through expensive scar reduction bottles. And then those whitening strips that bleached my teeth to unnaturally white levels.

It went beyond youthfulness, as I wanted to be good enough — to be worthy of attention. The only way I knew how to make that happen was by spending money. There was one colossal problem: this was money I didn’t have, as I was using student, car, and credit loans to finance these adventures in attractiveness. My debt grew with this desire for outer worth.

$10, $20, $30, $40, and $50 at a time, the money drained out of my pockets and into the coffers of beauty and “hygiene” companies. I can’t imagine how much I spent on these products in total, and part of me is thankful to be without an amount. Just imagining how that money could help me and others causes my gut to wrench.

Most of us can logically say that change is inevitable, and resistance is futile. But that’s the tough part, beauty, attraction, and youthfulness are powerful, emotional drives. They push psychological buttons that aren’t rational. Before we know it, we can virtually or physically pull out our wallets and let corporations take us for all we’re worth. Stopping time is expensive, isn’t it?

I slap on a 2 clip and flip the switch. The gentle vibrations hum up my arm, and the sound of a little lawnmower ignites. Momentarily, I hold the buzzer up and wonder if I should do it. Do I really want it to be so short, simple, and plain?

It’s not till the first clump falls off my head and into the sink that I realize what motivates me to do this. I’m saying no to the system that says beauty looks one way. I’m saying no to products that would wash, condition, and spike my hair. I’m saying goodbye to resistance. I’m saying hello to fault, age, and the very probable/highly likely/I-don’t-know-how-it-won’t-happen chance that this hair won’t always be here.

It’s practice for the big day.

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Age, Aging, Attraction, Beauty, Buzzers, Cosmetics, Creams, hair, haircut, health, money, Products, time

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