Mean Wage Movement
Life’s Hard Enough — I Don’t Want to Be Poorer! | Chapter 5
Is a frugal lifestyle right for you?
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In previous chapters I explained how frugal lifestyles can help the world and described the benefits they offer.
But is this the right path for you? Is it reasonable to minimize your monetary footprint right now? Maybe life is a big enough struggle already, and worrying about restricting your spending would make it even worse.
I understand that being frugal is not something everyone would enjoy. Even if it’s best for the planet, it might not make you happy. And I’m not here to ask you to do something that would lower your satisfaction with life.
The mean wage movement is not appropriate for every person at every time. I only encourage you to participate if you’re drawn to it and it feels safe for you. I think the idea will spread faster if everyone who adopts it is excited about the process.
So, I want to balance my advocacy of frugalism with some considerations for why a person might not want to live that way. If it’s not for you, no worries!
When it might NOT be best to aim for a mean wage lifestyle:
You have always been poor
Even if you make more than the global average income, you may have been considered “low class” your whole life. That can be very tough. Sometimes it’s a generational thing where nobody in your family has been to college or been financially secure. It makes sense why, for your own health, for your own pride, you’re on a mission to change that pattern.
I say go for it! Get that job, get that promotion. You’re just as deserving of wealth as anyone else. Find out what a financially abundant life is like if you think it will satisfy you.
My only advice is: when you get to the top, remember where you came from! Maybe after some amount of time — if you find that the money itself doesn’t make you happy — you’ll think about frugality again.
You’re taking care of other people
If, for example, you’re a parent or a caregiver for a disabled person, your expenses might be higher than average. It’s important to take good care of loved ones who rely on you. If something comes up where suddenly your dependent needs help, you want to have a financial cushion for that.
Sometimes, being as frugal as possible is not the most responsible decision.
You have serious health problems
Some people depend on access to healthcare more than others. If you live in a place where health coverage is not free, or not cheap, then the only way to take proper care of yourself (unfortunately) is to have a lot of money or to get a professional job with good health insurance.
I would never want to hear that someone read my book, gave up their health insurance in order to be frugal, and then suffered because of that choice.
It may not be fair that those of us in 1st world countries have such greater access to medicine than the world’s poor, or that we spend so much on it. But as someone who requires care for a congenital heart defect in order to stay alive, I believe it’s never wrong to do your best to stay healthy with whatever means you have.
Material abundance is very important for some specific reason
If someone is passionate about being an artist, or a maker of some kind, it can be important to have things: tools, materials, a workshop space. These things are not always cheap.
Why would you sell off the possessions that enable you to pursue your life passion?
I can be frugal because my passions revolve more around mobility, flexibility, and travel; having less stuff works well for me. If I required expensive materials to chase my passions I’m not sure how that would change my outlook.
You’re in debt
It’s hard to feel free to live how you want when you owe a lot of money. You might have student loans, credit card debt, medical debt, or something else.
Regardless of how your values have changed and how you want to live your life now, debts are something that a past version of yourself incurred so you still have to manage them.
It might be important to earn as much money as you can until those debts are paid off. It’s worth it for the sense of freedom that comes after.
Of course, this isn’t all-or-nothing. You could read my book and apply 10% of my ideas to save a bit of money or improve your efficiency.
No matter where you’re at in life, it’s helpful to keep track of your cashflow and notice if you spend money on unnecessary, meaningless purchases. Cutting out wasteful spending has never hurt anybody’s budget.
Even though I’m writing for people who actively want to minimalize, you’re welcome to follow along and see if anything is interesting or useful in your own life.
Signs it might be a good time to become more frugal:
You income is far more than what you need to be comfortable
If you’re a millionaire, you’re way beyond the global mean wage and there are clearly ways you can cut back. You’re at very low risk of giving away so much money that it becomes hard to meet your own needs. So, it’s more about wrestling with status, culture, identity, comfort, and other higher-level struggles that are important to think critically about.
You are dissatisfied with how you live your life
Maybe you feel gross about your consumption and know it’s not healthy, but you’ve had trouble making a meaningful change. Consciously reducing your spending is a great way to address that situation, and setting a goal closer to the mean global wage could help you stay focused.
Or, maybe you’re sick of your cubicle job, tired of being obligated to work full time for the vast majority of your life. You know there’s more to life to explore and you want big chunks of free time to do it with. Being radically frugal could definitely help you make that a reality. That’s the main reason I’ve done it.
The satisfaction of living in opposition to climate change and global inequality outweighs any hardship from having a smaller budget.
Activism is your passion, and the single most distressing thing for you is the future of our planet. You’re willing to endure some discomfort in exchange for the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping a cause you care about.
Personally, I accept certain inconveniences and risks partly because living minimally feels better than being wasteful, even when I consider the downsides.
Your income would be enough for you, if you dialed back your spending.
You earn just enough to cover your bills, and you’re barely scraping by. Or maybe you’re accumulating credit card debt because you’re outspending your income by some amount.
Becoming more frugal could remove the constant anxiety about which bills to pay, replacing it with a feeling of confidence that your needs are met, making it possible to save up for an emergency fund. That could help provide enough stability to figure out your long-term financial and lifestyle goals.
It’s best to start from a stable position and carefully become more minimal. It might mean earning more money to pay off debts, saving up a bit of a cushion, or even living excessively for a little while to have that experience of abundance — only to realize “I am as deserving of wealth as anyone else, but it feels hollow and I’m ready to go the other way now”.
The idea is not to suffer as we minimize. Rather, you can let go of things you don’t need and find better, cheaper, more wholesome alternatives for what you do need. You can take your time to do that gradually, or jump in all at once, but it’s good to have some sort of fallback plan or safety net as you take the plunge.
And if you decide frugality is not the path for you right now, I won’t blame you! There are many other ways to make a positive impact with your life. I hope you find what works for you.
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