February 1st, 2011
THE COST OF LIVING OUTSIDE THE BOX
Of course if you have been following our Life Change Experiment you will know it has really been about breaking out of ruts and challenging the traditional way we think about life and ourselves.
However one of the biggest questions I get asked is about the practicalities. ‘How can i break free of my rut, if my rut is paying my bills’
Well one of the first things we discovered is that many of the expenses we work so hard to pay for, were actually related to maintaining our place WITHIN the rut itself.
Things like
- Costs and expenses of keeping the status quo, going to our work, paying child care, transport etc
- Costs and expenses of keeping up appearances, fitting in at work and socially, staying current, hanging out at the right places, eating out, functions etc
- Stress relief, treats, shopping and entertainment therapy (Designed to reward ourselves and mask internal stresses associated with knowing deep down you we stuck in a rut.
Of course as soon as we had the courage to step out most of these factors disappeared all together.
Its very easy to say ‘Well I have to pay for this or that’ – We start to believe that we, or our dependants, cant possibly live without item or service ‘X”.
That the only solution is to stay stuck in the rut and bite the bullet…….BULL@#$T!!
We started to ask ourselves harder questions.
- Is this ‘item , service’ worth ruining my life, relationships, freedom in order to have it
- Could we possibly survive without this if there was a national disaster and we had to?
- Do people in 3rd world countries still wake up everyday despite the fact they don’t have this option
- Is there an alternative that I can have, that does not compromise my freedom and happiness in order to pay for it.
- Is there something I can change about my lifestyle now that allows me to have this without compromising my freedom and happiness in order to pay for it. E.g move to a less expensive area
In the end we wanted for nothing, missed nothing and enjoyed a whole new sense of personal freedom we had never done before.
Interestingly even certain habits we had reinforced for years such as having a bottle of wine at night simply disappeared of their own accord, without any effort from us.
We then discovered many people out there living fascinating lives and either making income on the move or managing expenses to the degree they don’t need to.
I am now determined to find the balance that allows me and my family the freedom that is so rightly ours to enjoy, if we are prepared to think just a little bit outside the box.
Over the next 6 months we will be looking at other people who have found a lifestyle and income that allows freedom of choice. Something that lets you spend quality time with your family, pick when you work, where and how much. Yet still provides for your needs.
Something that for me will continue to allow us to live outside the box without having to sacrifice future options………..The hunt is on……Suggestions WELCOME me@bessiebardot.com
HOW TO TRAVEL and pay ZILCH for accommodation
This is a great article passed on to us by Rita. We actually tried several of these things on our travels. You would be surprised at how fun they can be.
http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/world/984582/how-to-travel-and-pay-zilch-for-accommodation
2 Comments on "17-05 The COST of living Outside The Box – How to Make it Work"
Hi Bessie,
My suggestion is work out the top 5 things that you would get out of bed on a cold winter’s morning to do & the top 5 things you’re good at. Hopefully there’s a cross over and one of them will be able to make you money
Lots more sharing of life “outside the box” but as you know, I prefer to talk than type. Hopefully we’ll cross paths again one day. xx
The Amyloidosis Foundation estimates that approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with amyloidosis each year in North America and that blood cancers overall have increased more than 40% in the last decade.
Comment Now!