My buddy stopped me mid-sentence. “Wait, you spend HOW much on your office?”
I was telling him how I had just negotiated a 20% discount on my lease renewal (drinks on me!).
But he cared less about my negotiating skills and more about how much I paid for my 130 sq ft office.
“Jeez dude. That’s almost what my mortgage costs. That doesn’t doesn’t feel very ‘Financial Zen’ if you ask me,” he nudged.
“Just the opposite,” I replied. “It’s as ‘Financial Zen’ as it gets. I get a higher ROI on my office than anything else I spend money on.”
I continued, “Financial Zen isn’t about being frugal. It’s about spending money unapologetically on things you really care about and mercilessly cutting out the “meh” expenses.”
“I mean you’ve seen our car. We drive a 2005 RAV4 with 85,000 miles on it. What we drive for a daily commuter doesn’t matter to me. It’s paid off and runs great. That’s all I need.”
“Good point,” he replied. “That RAV4 is definitely not ‘keeping up with the Joneses’, but it does feel ‘Financial Zen’.”
“Exactly. Like I tell our members, circle the things on your monthly expenses that give you a shot of dopamine. Those are non-negotiable. For everything else, eliminate it or get it as close to $0 as you can.”
