You packed a lot of good stuff in to that story. It is a bit hard to unpack.
Sure it is not easy to change but people are born again all the time. Often the born again are very smug and feel superior. Just like ex-smokers.
Being, living in the present is good or even great but it is not an excuse for not planning for the future. If you can compartmentalize or selectively disconnect it can help a lot. Worrying or second guessing will shorten your life and often make you decision making worse.
You put some finance numbers in the story and I am not going to address them directly but I believe the point is the cost of living is rising faster than earnings and I think that is correct for a broad swath of our society. This has to be dealt with by both the individuals and society.
The individuals will have to make hard choices and society need to chart a better path forward.
You mention some ways individuals can cut costs. For you it seems cutting cost lets you have more time for important things that don’t produce income. That you can do that is awesome. Everyone should look at doing that.
Being busy…….I hate this. Hustling and always being busy can be an opiate for some. It can distract them from their problems and let them feel they are doing all the can. There is a phrase work smarter not harder but it should really be work smarter and harder not more. Being busy does not mean you are getting anything done. No where is this more important than gig work. If you are not being paid by the hour then being on the clock is meaningless. It is about what you accomplish not how much time it took.
I work with a lot of people how claim they are so busy they can’t get all their work done. They don’t seem to accomplish much either. I offer to help them as I tell them some days I have a lot of spare time. It is rare anyone accepts my offer to help. A couple things, one, they really can’t identify a task they could or are willing to delegate or two it is something that is really unnecessary or very low value and should be eliminated or revised.
If you are busy, make sure it is not with just busy work and it is adding significant value. That goes with gig work. If you have gigs that really only net 10 or 15 dollars an hour, you need to find better gigs. Maybe you low income gigs are part of a plan to market yourself for better gigs, sort of advertising and resume building then ok. Don’t get oversubscribed with low paying jobs.
High cost of living. Yes, the cost of living has been rising faster than incomes but the cost of living is not the same everywhere. If you live in a high cost of living area, move, I am serious, figure out where you would be better off.
You will have to explain it to me because I don’t understand why you would stay in Austin or why anyone would have to stay in the Bay Area or New York or LA. My some of my coworkers live in New Orleans, I live across the lake in Slidell. We have similar length commutes but mine has much less traffic. I have a bigger house that cost less and we have better public schools (they sent their kids to private schools) and we have lower property taxes. Our streets are better maintained. The big difference in their favor is the “Cultural Scene.” They are not artists, they are engineers and professionals but the Cache’ of living in the midst of it is what they are paying for. Even though I am less than an hour away if I go to some event in New Orleans I am treated like a tourist not a local. I am guessing that it is the same for New York and the Bay Area and maybe Austin or San Antonio.
Look at what is important to you but also be realistic about what it costs. Sure live in the present but balance that with an eye on the future.
TEK
