Saving Now vs Enjoying Life šŸ¤” šŸ’ø

How to tell which one is right...

Read Time: 3 minutes

šŸ‘‹ Hey guys - Noah here,

In today’s edition, we are looking at
šŸ’ø The paradox of saving money vs enjoying life
šŸ¤‘ A solution to allow for both enjoying life + investing

šŸ’ø Saving Money vs Enjoying Life

In some episodes of my recent TikTok series ā€˜red flag green flag’ I asked many people for their opinions of this statement…

ā€œThey think it’s better to spend money now and just enjoy your life, and worry about saving money in the futureā€

Most people said this was a green flag. šŸ¤”

In fact, I would say that most young people would say that investing for your future isn’t worth the sacrifice their current life enjoyment.

After all, you only live once right? You may as well live life as it comes…

šŸ’ø What if we rethink the question?

People often view the problem as one of two extremes…

ā€œI have to live a very boring life, living below my means, saving AS MUCH as I can so I can retire with lots.ā€

or

ā€œI will just spend my money however I feel now and worry about retirement when I’m olderā€

But it doesn’t have to be like this. The key is actually finding the balance. āš–ļø

But Noah, how do I find the balance?

I’ve figured out three steps to help you figure this out for yourself.

Three steps to both MASSIVELY enjoy your life, whilst saving and investing wisely.

Step One: Get Over Your Want Of Materialistic Things… āŒ

I recently saw a BRILLIANT post from my good mate Jatz….

We live in a consumerist culture.

Marketers and social media will always tempt us into wanting the next best thing.

When we fall into this trap, we end up in a cycle of constantly wanting more and more. It’s never enough. And we can never truly find happiness…

I like to read the Bible, and I think this verse sums it up well.

"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 5:10

I recently have listened to comedian Jimmy Carr on a bunch of Podcasts. This quote he said on one of them really stood out to me…

ā€œThere is nothing you can buy in a shopping mall that you will give a fu*k about in 10 years. Nothing. There’s nothing for you there. Fast forward, do something for you in 5 years time. Don’t buy the thing. You don’t need it.ā€ - Jimmy Carr

However, I do think there are cases where it can be smart to splurge your cash and live in the present moment…

Step Two: Find The Things It’s Worth Spending Money On…

I believe there are areas it’s worth not holding back on. Areas you should spend BIG on today.

Above any other purchase I’ve made, I will never regret the purchases I’ve made that fall into these categories:

  • āœˆļø Travelling (especially with friends or family)

  • šŸ‹ļøā€ā™€ļø Health + fitness

  • 🄳 Any sort of experience (festivals, theme parks, days out)

  • šŸ‘Øā€šŸ‘©ā€šŸ‘§ā€šŸ‘¦ Purchases for my family, friends and girl friend

  • šŸ’ø Charity

Notice how many of these things are not materialistic?

I’ve certainly bought one too many pairs of shoes in the past and regretted it.

But I’ve never regretted spending that extra little bit on things that will stay with me forever.

Last October me and my Girlfriend went around the USA for nearly 3 weeks. This is a purchase I will NEVER regret! The memories will stay with me forever.

Or the time when me and my friends finished our exams… We all combined funds to go on an awesome holiday in Cornwall. We rented out a house with a hot tub, pool etc…

I still look back in wonder at this holiday today! It was such a rare and valuable thing to do, before all my mates went off to Uni. Spending that money is never something I will regret.

So I urge you. Think about the areas you can spend on today that GENUINELY will bring you a long term, deep sense of happiness.

Make a list of the things that deeply matter to you. You saw my list.

Then be ruthless in cutting out other expenses that you don’t actually need.

Things I don’t actually need:

  • Nice brand’ clothing, fancy cars, basically anything that I would buy to get others to ā€œlike meā€.

  • Fancy cars

  • The latest shoes

  • Expensive jewellery

You then find a balance. āš–ļø

  • šŸ¤‘ Use the money you save on not buying dumb things to invest.

  • 😃 Spend in the moment on things that bring you deep senses of fulfilment and belonging

Step Three: Realise Some Of The Best Things In Life Are Free

Finally one thing I’ve started to realise lately is that, some things in life can bring us so much joy - yet they don’t cost a penny.

They might cost something, but not money. Instead they will cost your time, dedication or will power.

Free things that bring me happiness

  • 🚶 Going for a walk with your family or loved ones.

  • šŸŽ¬ Meeting your mate at yours and watching a movie

  • šŸ“š Reading a good book (we all have tons in our homes)

  • 🤲 Meditation or prayer

All of this things cost us leaving behind our short term desires, but can bring a FAR DEEPER sense of joy.

Conclusion

It’s important to find a balance between living life in the present and saving for your future.

  • Being more intentional with how + where you spend your money.

  • Finding happiness doesn’t always have to come though spending money, you might have to spend something else.

  • Living in the moment and saving/ investing is doable! It requires work.

If you want to start learn step by step how to sort out your finances + build a new stream of income, consider applying to join my Skool community waitlist here.

If you have any questions or thoughts, please reply to this email. I reply to everyone.

  1. If you haven’t yet, join the ā€œTeaching What School Doesn’tā€ Skool community. It’s free and has tons of extra value on managing, investing and making money. šŸ’ø

  2. LOADS of you have been using my free Budget Calculator.

  3. I reply to every email, so send any questions through! I’d love to help you.

See you next time!

Disclaimer: None of the above is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly education and should not be taken as investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and always do your own research.