It all started with a tweet by @AustinAaron of a great quote:
“Anyone who lives within their means, suffers from a serious lack of imagination.” – Oscar Wilde
I re-tweeted it, which prompted a reply from Ian Lee:
If managing your money well means you lack imagination, so be it. At least these people are not in debt.
Good point. But I wasn’t thinking about debt as the only way to live beyond your means. In fact, there are a lot of ways to enjoy the good life (or at least a little bit better life than you can ordinarily afford) without racking up debt to do so. Here are just a few ideas, all in 140 characters are less:
- Have rich friends who enjoy your company and include you in their activities.
- Find last-minute travel bargains by not planning vacations too far in advance (Priceline FTW).
- Who says you have to OWN a jet to enjoy the benefits of private flights? FractionalJetOwnership.com. (Timeshares are a similar concept.)
- Travel light. You can travel the world w/10 lbs or less (plus how to negotiate convertibles & luxury treehouses).
- Barter. Liquidate unused inventory/time in exchange for goods/services you might not ordinarily spend $$$ on.
- Closely related to #1 & #5..do favors for people – amazing how many will reciprocate w/ cool stuff.
- Negotiate. Most things are negotiable – most people just don’t ever try. “Is that the best you can do?” works great.
- Buy in bulk. Amazing how much money you can save w/ a 2nd fridge and/or freezer in the garage, for example.
- One man’s trash and all that — Freecycle.org
- Some people have some pretty nice couches (some aren’t even couches): CouchSurfing.org
What are some of your favorite ideas for enjoying a little luxury without spending a fortune?