Dear Diary
I had a rostered day off work today. It gave me an opportunity to catch up on beauty sleep and also reflect on life. There were a few topics of thought that consumed my day. Namely, financal position and dysatisfaction with the mundanity of life.
They are very much intertwined for me. You see, working provides me with money that I appreciate dearly. I eagerly await my paycheck each fortnight and sometimes wake up early just to look at my bank account – yes, it’s like a ritual. The flip side is that work constrains me, like having shackles around my ankles. I can’t just do what I want when I want i.e. stay out late on a work night or book a holiday during school holiday periods. I never jump out of bed excited for work. I only go because I have to for the financial reward.
I have designed spreadsheets that predict my recreational leave balances for future dates. This brings me as much happiness as looking at my paycheck for it signifies freedom. There are many ways the leave can be used: multiple short holidays, hoarded, extended holidays, use with maternity leave, or an unofficial savings account to cash in on termination of employment. You need to have a well thought out game plan to optimise this precious resource.
Combine my longing for more zest in life with a long term financial desires and things just don’t mesh. The current advice is to invest in property. This means committing to a mortgage and working solid for the next one to two decades depending on how hard you’d like to work and what sacrifices you’d like to make. This formula doesn’t agree with my life philosophies. I don’t like having to go to my draining job with jaded people for the best part of my waking hours only to feel tired for activities I do enjoy outside of work. Voluntarily signing up for that for another ten or plus years? No, thanks. I like the idea of being able to hand in my ID badge whenever I like. It’s comforting knowing I’m at work by choice (or be it my addiction to the paycheck).
But he who fails to prepare is not prepared, right? So, by not voluntarily enslaving myself within society’s rat race spinning wheel am I sentencing my future self to destitution in the future?
When you enter the spinning wheel it’s hard to get off. Debt can be insidious in that it impacts every aspect of your life if you don’t manage it well. I must admit that it does have a good side in that it generally makes people predictable, reliable employees and responsible adults. But when you’re preoccupied with work and life commitments it’s hard to catch a breath and actually reflect on your life and allow yourself to reassess what you want it to look like. Some people I cross paths with seem to be empty, frazzled shells with no passion for life.
Don’t get me started on how having children would obliterate my future financial plans! A mortgage is crippling enough to consider at this stage.
After a day of pondering I settled with accepting that right now is not the time to invest in real estate. There is merit in keeping things simple. Also, the phrase ‘know thyself’ comes to mind. Being tied down is not my idea of fulfilment.
On the man front, not too much to update you with. To be honest they haven’t been on the forefront of my mind today. The Musician has booked me in for two weekends time (this coming weekend he has a bucks celebrations). Mr Obsessed (- with my now married friend) has been texting general conversation. Karate Kid is upset that I didn’t go to his group movie event last weekend. And, I haven’t received any job offers to provide my wonderful company for a wealthy bachelor at an extravagant restaurant on the paid dating website, yet…
Anastasia
The Contemporary Princess 