This is the third time in my life where I have risen above money (and then came tumbling back spending money like crazy). I don’t think that is going to happen to me this time because it is a whole new world out there. What I used to think was important before is NOT important to me anymore.

Of course money is important. If you’re lucky, however, you will come to a point in your life when you realize that you’ve purchased all that you will ever need in your lifetime. You’ve scaled back to just your necessities and enough money is passively flowing through that you don’t have to worry about paying your bills anymore. Yes. I’m at that junction.

Outside appearances just aren’t important anymore. Not to me and certainly not to anybody else. Nor does what you own, what you drive, how much money you make, where you live, how you life. Why? They’ve got more important things to think about than a comparison rate with you. People today have different fish to fry. They’re worried about staying alive, not catching a deadly virus, buying food, keeping a roof over their head, and paying a utility bill. You know? Sort of what real life survival is like.

I hadn’t realized how much our lives have changed over these last few months till I heard a ‘What Me Worry?’ influencer go off and admit to contracting a rare dose of reality. Yup! Does it every time. Once you become woke, there’s no going back.

It’s sort of like experiencing this Helen Keller moment:

Hubs and I scaled back our budget. We eliminated a few things off our bottom line. No pick up or more meals out. Only home cooking for 3 squares a day and a snack (I bake our own daily snacks). No vacations (all cancelled). One car vs two. No more satellite or cable TV. Only free will do now and there’s plenty of free wireless TV stuff . More DIY (now that we have the time). That includes home repair & upkeep, car repairs and cleaning projects. Hobbies changed. Lifestyles changed. Interests changed. Shopping has changed. Priorities have changed. More staying at home while making the home as comfortable as possible. No ones coming over anymore to judge, so we can relax more!

Hubby lost all of his work and had to file for social security earlier than we had planned. That meant a lifetime of a reduced income. No worries. We restructured our lives to equal our new income and the transition was easier than I thought. We had to seriously sit down and ask ourselves what was important to us. The pandemic helped us answer that question much more realistically. The stimulus check came in handy to pay off some long time debts and rightsize ourselves once again.

I spend my days looking for my birds. I’ve started attracting hummingbirds in addition to the wrens who come here each year to build their nest inside a very quaint bird house. I have my garden now to tend to. I’ve been enjoying watching everything grow. It’s been fascinating to learn new things about good garden dirt and how long it takes seeds to bloom and what each plant looks like when it does bloom. I’ve even learned a lot about fruit trees as I’ve saved the life of my own peach tree! I’m looking forward to spending a few days in the early fall canning as much as is possible. Again, another new adventure, interest and hobby.

Kitchen zoomed in view of my hummingbird feeder and birdhouse

And then, there’s that cooking and baking thing going on around here. Sometimes the meals are so good, there isn’t any time to go get my camera. The meal becomes an image etched onto my brain ready to be brought up as a memory at any time. Nope. Money isn’t the center of my universe anymore. There are so many other things to tend to that once I set the income to expense ratio to self-sufficency, I’m on the path of complete financial independence. And I’m not even a bazillionaire.

Birds, gardens and cheesecake. Those are my new focal points.