As I look at that picture, and the smile on my wife's face, I smile myself, even though that depreciating liability of a vehicle cost us more money than we paid for our first house. 🤯
Thankfully, we didn't violate another important financial rule we've had which is to never buy a car that you don't have enough to pay cash for.
Anyway Friend, here's what I learned in this whole process.
Back in the day, I used to work in the car business as a sales rep at an auto auction.
I learned that when you buy a new car, and drive it of the lot, you instantly lose thousands of dollars in value.
I could never understand why any normal, rational human being would EVER decide to pay money for something they KNEW they were going to lose money on.
And then, I did that exact thing myself. 🤦♂️
So what did I learn from living this experience?
Some things, are more important than making your money make you more money.
In the beginning stages of your freedom journey, a hyper awareness and focus on making all your dollars produce a return, is a good thing.
And if you do this, like we did, eventually you can get to a place where you can use your money to bring you other things, like joy.
One of my favorite quotes has always been, 'live like no-one else now so you can live like no one else later.'
We have lived this philosophy and it's worked magic for creating freedom in our lives, and I HIGHLY recommend it if you're not yet in a space of financial stability and freedom.
That being said, I guess it's important to remember that some of the PAYOFF for living this way, is the 'living like no one else later' part of the formula, that you're supposed to get to.
Eventually, it's GREAT and expected to get to a point where you can afford to buy things that bring you happiness without worrying so much about whether it's a 'good deal' or 'good investment' or not.
The first time I drove my wife's new car on a trip to town, I had the feeling of absolute 'delight.'
The comfort of the premium leather seats with perfect power adjustment...
The high tech and high quality dash that made me feel like I was in the cockpit of an advanced fighter jet....
Or when the seat vibrated a bit to let me know I was close to the curb as I was backing into a parking space...
As I experienced these things, with a smile on my face, I remembered a quote from one of my great friends and mastermind partners, Bill Moist (a very successful real estate developer).
He said
"Anyone who says money can't buy you happiness, is shopping in the wrong store." :-)
Money and what it can do for time and experiences with those you love, can and does, absolutely contribute to smiles on faces and fun experiences.
Like Robert Kiyosaki wrote in a book I'm reading...
