Text/Anonymous

After I turned 40, I continued to "buy, buy, buy" for almost five years. . . At the age of 45, I suddenly came to my senses, my consumption dropped significantly, and I truly returned to a simple life.

So, what happened in 45 years? This year, after years of psychotherapy, I finally cured my mental illness. I also practiced yoga to make it even better, and continued to clean up the inside. Therefore, true peace of mind is finally restored. After that, it was very simple, and I saw through consumerism at a glance (of course it’s not just consumerism, but also many other things); especially after experiencing the epidemic in the past few years, I can see it more clearly and thoroughly.

And there are still many people around me who haven’t cleaned themselves up and continue to buy and buy. They are still paying for consumerism at the age of 4 or 50… So, it seems that this matter has nothing to do with age. It has a lot to do with mood.

Looking back, I realize that a lot of money was spent unnecessarily:

1. Wedding-related: No need to spend any money. Ceremonies, banquets, rings, wedding photos, honeymoon trips… these are not directly related to the lives of two people, they are just following certain social conventions. What is really relevant? house. To live your life, you must first have a stable place to live. Going back in time, I would rather invest all the wasted money into the down payment of the house. This is the most practical thing.

2. House: Although it is the biggest luxury item (superior to the first-tier), it is actually an investment. You will not regret it. A house is the foundation for a peaceful life. Returning to my own house every day is warm and comfortable, so safe and comfortable. It doesn’t need to be too big. I used to think of a flat floor or a villa, but now I feel it’s not necessary. Making yourself feel safe and comfortable is not about size.

3. Car: I bought BBA almost ten years ago. In fact, just buy a cost-effective domestic car. About 100,000 is enough. Nowadays, there are more choices, but the cost of maintaining a car is still high and wasteful. If your family is small, you don’t need to buy a car.

4. Insurance: I once bought a lot of insurance because I felt insecure. After a few years, I grew up, and after researching, I found out that it was a pitfall (if you want to research, search Li Yuanba’s posts about insurance, it’s very impressive), so I surrendered the policy decisively. Probably a loss of two hundred thousand. However, I still retain term life insurance + critical illness insurance, and follow his suggestions to add million-dollar medical insurance, house property insurance, and accident insurance, all of which are very cheap. Those who surrender their policies are all scammers (the two scammers, the lifetime type and the return type, which also have the highest commissions), the type that pay a lot of money but don’t have too much insurance. Insurance pays attention to cost-effectiveness, with low premiums and high coverage amounts (consumer insurance is the most cost-effective). At the same time, I agree with a point of view: those who need protection the most are middle-aged people, who are old and young. At the same time, their wealth accumulation is not enough, and they cannot afford any accidents. After retirement, wealth accumulation has been completed and there is enough money to deal with it, so there is no need for protection. Just spend the least amount of money to provide maximum protection in middle age.

5. Travel: Most overseas travel is done incidentally on business trips, and it is relatively economical. I only spent money on it three times, and each time it cost a lot of money. Now I see no need. I am not a travel enthusiast. Every time I go out to play, I am very tired. It is not about taking a rest, but just following the trend (standard for super first-line equipment). If you are calm and stable, you don’t need to follow this trend at all.

6. Skin care products: I used to buy all kinds of imported brands, but recently I tried domestic products. I was surprised to find that domestic products have better skin texture and are extremely cheap. I started to switch to domestic products (old brands such as Pechoin, Fupei, Dabao, etc.). In the past, a bottle of essence cost more than 1,000 yuan and eye cream more than 2,000 yuan. Now a set can cost 100 yuan. But I really like the lamer cream. I apply it every three days for stability. 30ml can last for a year. This consumption has been greatly reduced.

7. Cosmetics: I usually wear light makeup and use primer + liquid foundation + powder as my base. In the past, a CPB set cost about 1,700, but now the equivalent set in Japan is less than 200 (Janebo Primer 40 pieces 40ml + Shiseido Perfect Artistic conception foundation (50 pieces, 25g + perfect artistic conception powder, 100 pieces), hahaha. At first, I used the eyebrow pencils that cost more than 100 yuan each. Then I used the domestic ones that cost 9 yuan each. Now I use three small gold chopsticks that cost 5 yuan. They are very easy to use. I haven’t used up the imported eyeliner and mascara before, so I’ll try domestic products after I use up.

8. Toiletries: Domestic products are also cheap and easy to use. I have been using moisturizer after bathing for more than ten years. It used to cost several hundred dollars a bottle, but now I use a large bottle of an old domestic brand that costs more than ten yuan. It is very useful.

9. Clothes: Duoduo has many domestic brands of clothes, which are low-priced and comfortable to wear. The frequency of purchases has been greatly reduced. Spring and autumn clothes can be worn in different styles. If this is not consumerism, what is it?

10. Sanitary napkins and pajamas: Domestic prices are much lower than imported ones. Again, the quality of domestic products has improved, and our country's light industry is very developed.

11. Food: I used to be a foodie. Occasionally, when my peers get together, they go to internet celebrity restaurants with an average per capita of more than a few hundred (mainly because they are still particular about it). The taste is good, but I no longer feel it is necessary or worthwhile. Buy groceries and cook meals, and try to minimize eating out and takeout. When shopping for groceries, choose Duoduomaicai and Meituan.com, which are much cheaper than supermarkets.

12. Jewelry: I have always liked buying all kinds of jewelry, but now I have finally stopped buying them. When you have peace of mind, you don’t need these things at all.

13. Bags and shoes: One pair of sneakers a year, nothing else. The bag is casual, just for carrying things, and does not need to label itself with a brand.

14. DIY: After acquiring various DIY skills, I discovered that the cost of many things can be so low.

DIY hair care originated from Tony’s crazy promotion of care, which was not only expensive but also time-consuming. I searched for relevant information online and found the relevant raw materials for less than 100 yuan. I spent half an hour steaming a hair mask before washing my hair. After doing it ten times in a row (the cost was about 5 yuan each time), my hair was shiny and extremely beautiful. Smooth. The frequency can be selected freely.

DIY straightening: My hair is a little warped, and I used to go to the store to straighten it. Since I was crazy about the care, I also DIYed the straightening, and I don’t want to make money for them. A certain Duoduo brand's mini splints only cost a dozen yuan each. It takes two minutes every morning, and the effect is better than Tony's. It is very cost-effective.

Semi-DIY yoga practice: not completely DIY. Moubo hired a personal trainer for 299 per year to teach 60 postures and provide many supporting videos to follow. The personal trainer's guidance was very detailed and patient, and he effectively corrected many movements. This method has high subjective participation, practice frequency, and ponder the movements, which requires a high degree of self-discipline. I have been practicing for nearly 5 months now, practicing for two hours every day. I went to see offline personal trainers twice during the process, and the results of the body posture and flexibility evaluation were pretty good, and I didn’t get any distortion during practice. At the same time, he pointed out that his strength was too weak and started to do fitness DIY.

Semi-DIY fitness: It is the same as yoga but not completely DIY. You can find a personal trainer, 166 for three months, and formulate a fitness plan and diet plan. Each movement has video learning, and the coach is responsible for correcting the movements. Spending hundreds of dollars to purchase some equipment also relies on self-discipline and requires active and conscious learning. It feels no worse than the personal trainers I used to find before, and the most important thing is that the subjective participation is high. In the past, I just followed offline coaches without thinking. I spent too little time and had little sense of accomplishment. Everyone knows how much offline personal training costs.

Finally, to summarize: Now my consumption has dropped off a cliff, which is amazing, but my quality of life has not declined, and my savings have skyrocketed. . . Go to bed early and get up early, do fitness + yoga every day, eat light and healthy food, your energy will be better, and you will feel more comfortable. In the past, too much money was wasted on unnecessary people and things. The root cause was that I was not at peace inside and was easily led astray by external influences. In the past, I spent a lot of money on various kinds of expenses, including psychological treatment and study, which amounted to about ten or two hundred thousand, but I have no regrets: it helped me become a better version of myself. Without this investment (and of course the huge investment of time and energy), I wouldn’t have the peace of mind and wouldn’t be where I am today.

~END~