The Best Things In Life Are Free (…Or Are They?)

My skin is tingling right now.

I can feel tiny little pin-pricks in my forehead.

And my face is flushed the color of a beetroot.

And I ache. Boy, do I ache. From all the walking I’ve just done. Through the countryside. In the sun. With my girlfriend.

And you know what? Sitting here, sun-kissed and tired, I just realized that it was one of the most enjoyable days I’ve had in years. And even better it cost us virtually nothing apart from a packed lunch.

So while some people are only happy when they’re out buying new shoes or visiting an over-priced theme park, some of my absolute favorite things cost next to nothing.

Becoming totally immersed in a good book. Admiring the beauty of nature. Sitting around the table with my family and laughing till my cheeks hurt. Those little loving text messages your partner sends you. The taste of my freshly picked strawberries.

For me, at least, the best things in life really are free. I don’t need to spend (much) money to enjoy myself.

If I won the lottery tomorrow I wouldn’t feel the need to buy myself a Ferrari or a mansion to feel happy. The biggest benefit to me of winning the lottery would be the freedom to be able to work or not work as I saw fit. The freedom to be able to head out in the sunshine rather than to the office. The freedom from money worries.

For me – money buys freedom not things.

So somewhat ironically while the best things in life are free, I would maintain that in our Western, consumer culture we still need money to buy us the freedom to be able to enjoy these things.

Because after slogging my guts out at work for 12 hours, the strawberries never taste quite as sweet. The jokes are never quite as funny. And I barely notice the hunting kestrel or the butterfly hatching as I race home through all the traffic.

Which, I suppose, is the whole point of financial freedom. Or financial independence depending on which phrase you prefer.

It’s about earning money but not spending it. It’s about living frugally so you can save as much of your income as possible.

For many people that seems a ridiculous situation. Why earn so much money only to not enjoy it? Why not buy all those things that most of the population desires?

The fact is though that you are buying something with your money. The more money you have invested, the more passive income you have. And the more passive income you have, the more freedom you have. It’s just a different way of looking at the same problem.

So don’t be put off by the naysayers. Don’t let them mock your frugal attitudes. Don’t let them knock you off course just because they can’t understand why you think spending $5 a day on coffee is ridiculous.

To them, freedom is spending power. To us – the few who have seen the alternative – freedom is something totally different. Not just different – more.

And besides, people obsessed with consumer culture, spending money and always having the latest and the best will never appreciate the freshness, the sweetness and the juiciness of those ripe, ruby-red strawberries you take so much pleasure in. Unless they cost $20 a punnet 😉