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Lifestyle, Money

17 daily habits of millionairs.

17 Habits of Millionaires

If you weren’t born rich but still want to get rich, you’re not alone. Who doesn’t dream of becoming a millionaire! Thomas C. Corley spent five years researching self-made millionaires. He concluded that most millionaires had these 17 habits. He wrote this book about that. If you do these 17 daily habits, you might also become a millionaire! Let’s look at his list.

1. Read every day.

88% of the millionaires surveyed read for at least 30 minutes a day. We are not talking about a novel or a gossip magazine of course. They mostly read informational books, self-help books, biographies of successful people and history.

2. Sports.

We all know that exercise is healthy. 76% of millionaires exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. This mainly concerns cardio training and less about strength. Examples are jogging, running, cycling or walking.

3. Be around other successful people.

You become who you surround yourself with. Hang out with successful people who have a positive outlook on life to help you move forward. Better still is to associate with people who are pursuing big goals, are enthusiastic and passionate about their work. What really works against you is negative people who bring you down,  who criticize and do not believe in you.

4. Volunteer.

This is important to build a network of people with the same mindset. It is also important to give before you can take. People who are willing to work hard and also volunteer understand that you can’t just consume. You have to do something in return.

5. Dream setting.

More than half of millionaires dream. They write down their dream life, think of what they have to do to achieve the dreams. Then they set goals to make these dreams come true and then take the action. Repeat this for every dream on the dream list.

6. Pursue your own dreams.

And especially not someone else’s. Rich people follow their own path. If you do what others do, you will get the same results as other people. Pursue your own dreams and you will achieve your own result.

7. Get enough sleep.

Almost all millionaires sleep at least 7 hours a night. These days it seems cool to sleep as little as possible. People boast about that. It is increasingly clear how important a good night’s sleep and a regular routine are. This makes you sharper and less tired during the day. This allows you to concentrate better.

8. Get up early.

About half of the millionaires get up about 3 hours before the start. In those three hours they can work undisturbed on the things that are important. Before the start of the workday, there is no meeting  that took longer than expected or traffic jam that suddenly makes you run out of time.

9. Multiple Sources of Income.

Almost all millionaires have at least three different sources of income and many have more. This includes rental income, dividends and profit from investments, income from your job or profit from your own business.

10. Find a mentor.

Many millionaires have one or more mentors. This mentor ensures that they stay on the right track and learn them what to do and what not to do.

11. Help others.

And especially others who also want to be successful. Someone who wants to achieve goals, is optimistic and motivated.

12. Be positive.

This seems to come back in many different forms so this one will be important. Millionaires are positive. If you are aware of what you think for a while, you may find that you often have negative thoughts. Try to be aware of it and have a more positive attitude towards life.

13. Don’t follow the herd.

Corley resolves that the millionaires he interviewed don’t follow the herd. They created their own herd and became leaders.

14. Practice good etiquette.

Examples include sending thank you notes, acknowledge important events such as birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. Also think of good table manners and dress up during social occasions.

 15. Spend time thinking.

Don’t get distracted by your phone or TV or music in the background. Take fifteen minutes to half an hour a day, every day, to think. Think about how you can make more money, whether you are happy with your job, are you satisfied with life as it is, etc.

16. Ask for feedback.

Feedback helps you to understand if you are on the right path. It is crucial to grow. Only ask for feedback from people who give feedback instead of criticism.

17. Don’t give up.

One of the traits of many millionaires is that they don’t give up. They are persistent and when they fail they get up and just try again.

This list contains all kinds of things that can be done on their own, but if you add them together and want to pursue them daily, it is a big list! For example, if I want to get up three hours before my working day, I will no longer get 7 hours of sleep. And if I want to read every day, there is less time for jogging. I think we can therefore conclude that millionaires are very hard workers. They didn’t become millionaires by sitting on the couch watching TV and doing some half-hearted work. They work really hard for it!

What do you think of this list? Are you on the right track?

Until next time!

Elske

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Lifestyle, Minimalism

Start your minimalism journey today

All we ever want is more, more, more. More gadgets, more clothes, more money, more house, more cars. More. More. More.  Not today. Here is a case for minimalism and tranquility.

This is a different post then the usual. And it is at least as important if you want to take control over your finances. If you agree with me and dream of a tranquil world of connection and time for each other as well, read along.

You probably have enough

If you read this, you probably have enough. You have a mobile phone, computer or tablet. You are connected to the internet. Chances are if you have these two things, there is also a roof over your head and enough food on the table. Let’s take some time to appreciate that.  If you are satisfied with who you are and where you are and you realize you have every need met, you start to want to consume less.

There is enough stuff, no need to add more. There are enough clothes, no need to add more. There is enough food on the table, no need to add more. There is enough space in the house, no need to move to a bigger place. There simply is enough. Realizing this hopefully makes you want to consume less. Take control of what you want and you will notice there is enough for everything you need. If you desire a life of less stress and hurry, by spending less, you can work less hours. This way there is more room for what you want most. Time to spend with loved ones and experience traquility for example.

The essence of being financial independent is a stress free, worry free life.

I dream of a world with less stress and hurry and more calm and connection. How nice it would be if we just had a little bit more time to spend together without multitasking in the meantime. Actually taking our time to listen and be there together.

This is the biggest reason I want to be financially free. If I don’t have to worry about my needs being met, I can be my best self. I can take my day off and just spend it as I want. No need to hustle 7 days a week. No need to stress about paying the bills. I often take a complete afternoon or an afternoon and evening to just chill with a loved one and really take the time to be together. This is so valuable, you can’t put a price tag on it.  

Be content with what you have

What if you were satisfied with what you have? Find gratitude in the here and now. I try and practice this every now and then. It gives a lot of tranquility and peace of mind. I am where I should be and that is perfectly fine. It gives me time to actually be here and take a breath. It makes me less stressed and more calm. By no means I am perfect or even good at this, I just practice and am aware of it sometimes.

As I look around me while writing this, the house is a mess. There is cat hair everywhere. Laundry to be folded, mess to be cleaned and food to be prepared. Also I am tired of a long day at work and really want to take a nap. I can label this as ‘not good’ or ‘ I failed’ or ‘this should not be happening’. But all of the mess and tasks I am behind on , it’s OK. I do my best and if I don’t finish doing all today then I’ll do it tomorrow. No need to stress about it. So I label it as it is: OK. Try it, it is relaxing.

Declutter and have less to be even more content

Also by realizing you have enough, try and look at what you have in excess. Declutter your house and car. Get rid of the items that you no longer use and want in the house. If the house is clean and all the stuff in it actually has a place to stay, it is easier and faster to clean and organize. This way, there is more time to spend doing the things you value most.

Minimalism

For me, this being tranquil with the situation is the essence of minimalism. Not decluttering or having as little ‘stuff’ as possible. Not to count your possessions. Be content with what you have and have a more tranquil life with more time for important things. Take control over your life by being deliberate with what you spend your time, resources and money on.

I want you to practice together with me in being content with what you have and try and feel being perfectly fine with everything being not perfect. Try and consume less and make time for the things that are most important to you. Spend time with your family and friends.

If you have the energy, try and declutter a part of the house and give every item a home, its own place to stay. All items that don’t belong in your home anymore should leave the house. Do this as often as needed. In the beginning, this will be often. As you practice this should become easier over time. For me, I’ve been decluttering a couple of years now and every time I do a round of decluttering, it’s faster and there is less to declutter. This feels good and you deserve it too!

Do you want to read more content like this? Leo Babauta, creator of ZenHabits is a huge inspiration for me. I highly recommend reading his blog.

Are you getting on this journey with me?

Till next time,

Elske

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Lifestyle

How to read more books. My tips.

Do you want to read more books? I don’t know anyone who says: “I wish I had read less”. Or even: “I read enough books”. Most people want to read more than they do. Getting to read more and finding time for it is a different story. I always want to read more books. even though I allready read quite a lot.

Do you want to read more books just like I do? Then read along and use my tips to read more.

Subscribe to the library.

This way you can get all the books that you find interesting. Because you have to return them, you tend to read a little longer and more often (at least I do). After all, the books must be returned on time. This way you also read books that you might not otherwise buy. Your subscription is valid anyway and the amount of books you can borrow is quite high. Sometimes there is a gem that is really beautiful or good, but the book was not promoted or at the top of the best seller list.

Listen to audiobooks.

This way you can listen to a novel but also informative books. More than half of what you see in my dear diary series of audiobooks was listened to on the way to work. I listen to an audiobook every morning on the way to work. Now I have a fairly long commute of about 50 minutes one way, so I get through them pretty fast. The audiobooks that I listen to on the road can all be listened to via the same library subscription.

The library catalog is very extensive, but I also like to listen to English bestsellers. These are often not included as books or audiobooks. During cleaning, I look for one that is available on YouTube. That takes a lot of mobile data if I do it in the car, but at home it is of course no problem via the WiFi. You will be surprised how many audiobooks can be listened to for free on YouTube. You could of course download a special audiobook app. This often involves monthly costs.

Make it a habit to read.

I almost always read a few pages at night before going to sleep. If I am still busy in my head, reading will prevent me from thinking about it. I notice that it makes me sleep well. Win-win! On my days off, I often read half an hour before I get up. When the weather is nice, I also read in the garden. All in all, I have quite a few reading moments.

Read fun and interesting books.

If you don’t enjoy a movie or series, then you stop watching. You might give it one more episode or until the next commercial break. If it still doesn’t work then you go to something else. Strangely enough, this is often different with books. Then you commit yourself to read the book even if it is impossible to get through. Can’t get through? Put it away. A book is made to serve you, not the other way around! If the book doesn’t serve you then you don’t finish it.

Read more than 1 book at a time.

Put a book on the couch, one on the bedside table, one in your bag on the go. Have an audiobook ready on your phone and one on your laptop. Make it easy to read. Alternate different genres. If you read two fiction books, you can easily get confused. For example, read a book about investing, a philosophy book and a novel. You can continue in the book that you are most looking forward to at that moment. When you go through a book slowly but want to read it, you don’t have to read it before you start a new one. You can just read another book in the meantime.

Keep a reading list.

With every book I read, there are usually 2 to 4 books that I also want to read. I keep a list of books I still want to read. This list is getting longer instead of shorter the more books I read. It doesn’t matter. I can go to the library’s online catalog and look up books I would like to read. I make a reservation on the ones available. What I can’t find I look up as an audiobook on Youtube.

Learn to read faster.

Point the line with your finger. Your eyes follow your finger better, which increases your reading speed. Also eliminate the inner voice reading to you. You can read much faster if you don’t use your inner reading voice. This does take practice. More tips here.

Lastly

You probably notice that, despite reading a lot, I spend very money little on books. This has a number of advantages. First, I save a lot of money without reading fewer books. Second, because I borrow a lot of books from the library, I have a fairly empty bookshelf. It remains neat and tidy and clear. I don’t feel guilty if I haven’t read a book. I haven’t paid for it anyway. Third, this is also better for the environment. Fewer books needed because the same book is read for many different people. And lastly it also sponsors the local library.

A disadvantage is that some books cannot be found in the library nor as an audiobook online. If it’s a good book I’ll miss it and it’s a pity. One solution could be to make an exception for such books and buy them anyway, or to ask for books or gift cards for my birthday. Of course you can also buy used books. And then resell again;)

Do you also like to read? And do you have any books that you think I absolutely should have read? Let me know!

Untill next time,

Elske

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Investing

DeGiro Commission free list is new!

Note: I am trading at DeGiro on the Dutch website. On the Dutch website, the commission free ETF list is updated. On the English website, this is not (yet) done. DeGiro is a Dutch broker. I didn’t verify but assume they will roll out the updated version of the Free ETF selection in other countries soon. Back to the article.

Good news. DeGiro Commission free ETF list has been renewed. There are a number of ETFs removed that were not popular and a number of ETFs were added that are popular. There is also a new page where you can easily search and filter through the list.

What is DeGiro Commission free ETF list?

DeGiro offers stocks, ETFs, leveraged products, mutual funds, bonds, options and futures. To trade these you pay transaction costs and service costs. This is normal and happens at every broker and bank where you trade in these products.

DeGiro Commission free ETF list is a selection of no less than 200 ETFs (Exchange traded funds) that can be traded once per calendar month without transaction costs. You can therefore buy or sell the products from the list for free on the basis of fair use policy. You only pay the TER (Total Expense Ratio). These costs differ per product and are usually between 0.1% and 1%.

Note: some ETFs are listed on multiple exchanges. You can then, for example, choose to buy the same ETF via Euronext Amterdam or via Xetra. Sometimes the ETF is in the commission free list through one party, but not through the other.

What has changed in DeGiro Commission free ETF list?

A number of ETFs have been added which are popular with DeGiro investors. There are also a couple removed that were no longer popular. Did you regularly buy an ETF from the core selection and does it go off the list? They will remain commission-free until May 14 (in the Netherlands). Use it to your advantage.

So what makes me very happy is the amount of ETFs with a high ESG rating (Environmental, Social and Governance). Previously, I looked for ETFs with a high ESG score, but was unable to find them. That could have been me though. Now there are more and they can be found very easily. The new page where you can easily search and filter through the list, you can also click whether you think such a high score is important. Then the list is shown. Super nice!

What does the new page look like?

In Dutch, will update when available.

For the link to the new list click here.

You can filter on a number of things.

  • The expense ratio is the percentage you pay per year to own this ETF. You can filter on the percentage with this tool.
  • Then you can select the region. For example, if you think that economic growth is mainly in Asia or Europe, you can select it.
  • The ESG rating measures a company’s resilience to long-term, industry material environmental, social and governance risk. These range from leader (AAA, AA), average, (A, BBB, BB) to laggard (B, CCC, etc.)
  • In addition, you can select the stock exchange or search for your desired ETF in the search bar by name, abbreviation or tracking code.

If I click on the AAA and AA for the ESG rating, I get no less than 44 different ETFs that are leaders according to the ESG rating. If I also want to pay less than 0.2% TER, I still have 12 left. Now I no longer have to look this up separately for each ETF, but can filter them out.

Do I want to know more about a particular ETF? Then I just have to click on the link provided. Then a PDF opens with all relevant information about the ETF.

Conclusion

All in all, I think the core selection, especially the selection and the clear ESG rating, offers a much better user experience. This way you can easily select what is important to you. What do you think of the core selection? Do you also invest with the Giro? I wonder if you are also consciously working on this ESG score!

Until next time!

Elske

I am not a Financial advisor nor am I YOUR financial advisor. I am not a trained financial professional. This blog is for entertainment purposes only.

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Money

Leveraged products

Are you new to investing? Read Start investing step 1 and step 2 first.

Turbos, sprinters, speeders are names for leveraged products. They are very similar but are offered at different institutions. For example, ING has the sprinters and ABN Amro has the Turbos. Leveraged products allow you to trade stocks, indices, commodities, currencies or bonds. You trade with leverage. With this you can achieve big gains with a relatively small investment. The risk is therefor also higher. You can lose your entire investment. With leveraged products you can predict whether the price of a stock (or bond etc.) will go up or down. Do you think a product is going down in value? Then you go short. Do you think a product is going up in value? Then you go long.

It works something like this:

Imagine that a share now costs 14 euros. You think it’s going to go up. You place a long bet. The issuing institution (for example the bank or broker) lends you 12 euros per share. You pay interest on that. Your own investment is 2 euros per share. If the share rises from 14 to 15 euros, the profit on the share is normally 7%. In this example, you made 3 euros from 2 euros. The profit on the stock is 7% but your profit is 50%.

You can also be wrong. The share goes down from 14 to 13 euros. Your 2 euros is then only worth 1 euro. You lose 50%. Will the share drop to 12 euros? Then you have lost your entire investment. That’s where the stop loss lies. The share is automatically sold at the stop loss. This way you can never lose more than your initial investment plus the interest on your loan.

The greater the leverage, the greater the profit you can achieve, but also the loss and therefore the risk. The leverage indicates how many percent it changes compared to 1% change on the product. Does your product increase 1% and is your leverage 5? Then your profit increases by 5%.

Benefits of leveraged products include:

– You can make a lot of profit with relatively little investment.

– You have a fixed maximum loss.

– You can bet on both falling and / or rising positions.

Disadvantages of leveraged products include:

– You pay relatively high transaction costs.

– You pay interest.

– The risk of losing your investment is high.

You can imagine that this is not suitable for the beginner investor. Are you reading this for the first time or do you find it difficult? Then don’t do it. This is not suitable for the novice investor! To invest in leveraged products, you need to follow the financial news carefully and predict what a particular product will do. Expect that you will spend a lot of time on this. If you are wrong, you lose a lot. I do not invest in leveraged products myself and do not recommend it. The information on this page is not intended as investment advice.

Do you want to read more? Have a look at the following websites:

– https://www.ingsprinters.nl/videos

– https://www.degiro.nl/leren-beleggen/beleggen-in-hefboomproducten

– https://www.lynx.nl/kennis/artikelen/hefboomproducten-sprinters-turbos-en-speeders/

– https://www.abnamro.nl/nl/prive/beleggen/beleggers-academy/gestructuren-producten.html

Until next time!

Elske

I am not a financial advisor, and therefore not your financial advisor. I am not a financial professional. This blog is for entertainment purposes only.

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Lifestyle, Money

House Flipping

Earlier I wrote this piece about the 4% rule. I received feedback on it, namely the following: ‘If you are alone and want to be able to live on an average salary of about 25,000 euros per year, you have to adjust for inflation of 2% and an estimated return of 4% and 0.1 % for the broker already make 6.1%. That means that you have to get around a capital of 410.000 euros. And even if you manage to set aside 2000 per month, it will take you 205 months or 17 years. Although there is a snowball effect in it which makes it faster in practice, it does indicate that the horizon is too long to comprehend. “Really super extensive and calculated feedback! Thank you!

And I totally agree with this! Saving to retire is not cool, fast, easy or fun at all. It takes a long time and with a normal salary (which I assume in this blog) it takes a very long time. You have to be very frugal for it and you will regularly wonder what you are doing it for.

You can abandon the idea all together, but you can also ask yourself whether it can be done faster or differently. One way to become financially free faster could be to earn more and invest that extra income as well. Another way is to see if your living expenses can be reduced. Most people think about this, the ideas are open doors. Another way, by no means an easy way, is flipping houses.

Graham Stephan talks about it, Robert Kiyosaki (author of Rich dad, poor dad) wrote about it and Peter a.k.a. Mr. Money Mustache loves it. Real estate. Why? Real estate can yield a lot very quickly. In this blog I specifically zoom in on house flipping.

What is house flipping?

House flipping is buying a house, fixing it and then selling it for a profit. This can be a very lucrative activity if you are a handy carpenter.

In the fall of 2020 there was a house for sale that I was interested in. It was a fixer-upper. A number of things had already been done, such as a new kitchen and the living room / kitchen had a new floor, new ceiling and freshly plastered walls. The rest of the house was, well, let’s say, habitable. Water, gas and electricity worked and the house was not yet about to collapse, but everything else had to be done. It was really a fixer-upper for a handyman. It must be added that it is also a large house. Suitable for double occupancy. The garden was even worse. What once must have been a beautiful garden was an abundance of weeds and the entire garden was difficult to pass because the vegetation was everywhere. All and all it looked bad and you had to see through to see the potential.

At the time, I was unable to purchase a fixer-upper. It was probably financially successful with the sale of my current house, it was a real bargain. The house was for sale for 175,000 euros. The highest bidder was about 60.000 above the asking price which is normal in this region at the moment. Someone was the new owner of a potentially beautiful place. Now, about 6 to 8 months later the same house is for sale again. The renovated living room / kitchen is untouched, the rest of the house and the garden has been given a major facelift. New bathrooms, kitchen of the other part, walls, ceilings, floors, doors. Everything has had a beautiful facelift. Everything on the outside has also been beautifully painted and the entire garden has been made bare, with grass and gravel. Not super pretty, but it looks fresh around a newly renovated home.

Now the shocking part: the house is for sale for 595,000 euros. That’s 360,000 more than it was sold for half a year ago. It will probably sell for about 50.000 higher than asking price. Imagine if a renovation of that house cost anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000. Then the house is sold for 635,000. For more than six months of work, you will have made a nice profit on your project between 100,000 and 300,000 euros. If you want to make a lot of money quickly, this is a smart way.

Totally unrelated cat pic <3

I want that too!

Like I said, this is not an easy way. There are many things you have to work hard for. First, you need a mortgage and therefore a mortgage lender. You need the amount for the costs of the buyer yourself and a fixed income so that you can get the mortgage. Alternatively you need the money on hand in cash. Also you have had to work for it pretty hard and long if I’m correct. Then you also need a starting capital for the buyer’s costs. Either you pay for it in cash or you go into debt for it. Both are a risk. Then you need time to renovate (how do you arrange that if you have a job to apply for the mortgage?). Good connections help enormously (people who are handy and who can help, your own construction company so that you have staff who work with you, etc.) To set up something like this it may take you years before even buying your own property, just like a house to live in. However, if you do this trick once a year or once every two years, for example, you can – if you earn between 100,000 and 300,000 each year – live off of the profit. In addition, the skills that you have acquired as a handyman are useful for the rest of your life. The more you are able to do yourself, the better (read why).

Now it is easier to buy a home that requires less work but is cheap, only needs modernization and can then be sold for more. The chances of buying a house that is already fine for a bargain are smaller. The profit that can be made on this is usually also less. How about buying such a fixer-upper, renovating it and then renting it out? You can include the rental income as income for your new mortgage. Before you know it, you will be a slum landlord! (just kidding, don’t milk your tenants).

Once again, I want to emphasize that this is not an easy way to make money. However, it is something to consider or to work towards if you are working towards financial freedom. The road to financial freedom is a boring, slow road with probably sometimes (serious) setbacks. There is some serious risk-taking involved in this. But becoming financially free is a lot faster by working hard on a challenging project like houseflipping, it is worth considering.

Have you ever heard of house flipping? And would you do it yourself?

Until next time,

Elske

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Lifestyle, Minimalism, Money

Living without money

Is it possible? Can you live in our society today without money? I researched it! To be fair, I didn’t try it out. It is one step too far for me, but we can learn from the principles. Through various websites I read article from writers who live or have lived without money. However, that is by no means easy. We spend money in a number of categories. Below is a list of the possible solutions in each category.

Living

You could of course get by with a tent and a sleeping bag… but you have to be really motivated and hardcore. Cashless living is a lot more difficult if you want a roof over your head. On a blog I found an example of someone who lived without money and who had a house. He paid the rent of nomadic travelers who came to stay with him in while traveling and donated towards the rent. These people often also brought food that they shared.

If you want to live cashless but have a (substantial) starting capital, you can choose to buy a house without a mortgage (or, for example, a tiny house or caravan) and live in it.

Services

If you live in a house and not in a tent or your sleeping bag, then a number of things are important. Electricity and gas, and for me also internet. Carolien Hoogland says in her TedTalk that she has lived without money for a year. She wrote a letter to the energy company requesting to receive “free” power and gas for a year. In return, she researched better marketing around green electricity and shared this with the energy supplier. The energy company agreed, and so they managed not to spend money for a whole year on electricity. With a little creativity, even that is possible! Dare to ask.

Food

A basic necessity of life is food. You can of course grow your own food. After a start-up period of buying seeds (or growing vegetables by cuttings and using seeds from vegetables from the supermarket) and soil and possibly pots, you can then grow your own food and harvest your seeds for the following year. You do need space for this. You can also pass by restaurants and ask for leftover food that would otherwise be thrown away. You could also go dumpster diving (getting food from waste bins at the supermarket) or ask at the market at closing time if there is anything unsaleable that would otherwise be thrown away. If you want to eat for free you can be less picky. You eat what you find or what you get. You can also organize a potluck. Then you invite people to eat with you and everyone brings something.

Taxes

In the Netherlands it is very difficult to not pay taxes. That is not surprising. Many essential things are paid from the tax money. We all use services payed by taxes on a daily basis.

Don’t want to pay tax after all? You can have yourself made sovereign, then you are supposedly stateless and you no longer have to pay taxes. You can no longer get a passport and driver’s license, you are not allowed to work and you are not entitled to allowances and benefits. Issues such as receiving care if you do not have health insurance and are not officially a resident of the Netherlands are difficult topics. Not paying tax is therefore very difficult in practice. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.

Clothes

I think clothing is the least difficult part of this list. Clothing is donated by almost all of us. If people know about your cashless living project, you can ask them to think about you before donating clothes. If you are skilled with the sewing machine, you can make your own clothes if you get something that does not fit properly. The only thing people often wear until it breaks are socks and underwear. Here, too, it must be possible to get your hands on for free. Think of asking for a supply for your birthday.

Transport

The bicycle is free and so is walking. Do you have to be further away? Hitchhiking is not common in the Netherlands, but you can go a long way. Carpooling can also be an option. Do you have to be on time? That may be more difficult. If you live without money and do not have a job that requires you to arrive on time, the need for motorized transport is a lot less.

Others

How about all the other stuff? People donate well-functioning things all the time. Let your network know what you are looking for and chances are you will get what you need. I myself regularly accept things from people who have to get rid of it. I have already received a tumble dryer, bookcase and sofa. Absolutely for free! If you search for free stuff in your area on your version of craigslist, probably it is full of all kinds of other things that people want to get rid of.

And if you need something that normally needs money in return, you may be able to barter or work and get paid-in-kind.

What lessons can we take from living without money and still remain normal.

You live more with the community that exists or that you create around you if you decide to live without money. You depend on people but on the other hand you live more freely than ever. At least, that’s what the people who do it themselves or have done for a while say. If you do this for a while, I think it will change your view of money. You become more creative and settle for less.

As far as I am concerned, what we can get out of this is that not everything always has to cost money. I don’t think I could live without money. I don’t have that ambition either. I do know that I could make do with less. Let’s face it, a lot of things we spend money on are not necessary. All that is really necessary are housing, food and certain services such as electricity, water, gas, internet and some insurance, and even all these points can be disputed and negotiated and saved.

In the Western world we live in such an abundance of luxury that we are no longer used to anything else. It is good to reflect on that from time to time. We pretty much all have everything we need to survive, and most of us have enough to live comfortably or even thrive, grow, and live meaningful lives. What a privilege!

By living more frugally and applying the philosophy of cashless living in different areas of your life, you are good for your wallet. That is good for your future self. If you have money on hand in the future by saving it now, you will be a bit freer and experience less stress. And if you are now used to spending less than you make, you will learn to be satisfied with less and you will not immediately have stress when things go downhill financially for a while.

By living with the things you already have, by exchanging more with each other instead of buying everything new and by being more creative with your resources, you also help our planet. And what really emerges as a benefit is the sense of community. You can rely on each other and you can trust that it will work out. People are more generous than you think!

I’m going to try not to spend money this month on things that aren’t needed. I don’t need clothes (note to self). I’m also working hard to grow a lot of my own food, even though my garden is small. This month I will review all fixed costs and switch to different providers where possible. Only the transport to and from work, I cannot change that much. I cannot carpool, take public transport or work from home due to working in a semi hard to reach place. I do drive 100km/h on the highway. That quickly saves 2 km per liter of petrol compared to 130 km/h. At the end of the month, I will let you know in my dear diary of april how it went. Who knows, maybe I want to keep this up longer!

Let me know if you could live without money in a comment!

Until next time!

Elske

Elske 1
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Lifestyle

Dear Diary

March 2021

Bitten by a tiny goat!

This month i cuddled little lambs, sown vegetables, baked bread and got a new window!

Books

I have read and listened to a number of books.

I spent all month on Kate Adkinson’s Life After Life book. What if it had turned out differently? What if you make a decision differently? This book took me with Ursula, a girl who was born in 1910. Every time she died, she took another life. Every time it turned out differently, until she changed the world. The book took me through the history of the second world war from both an English and a German perspective. Including the pleasant read, I also got a history lesson. I thought it was a nice book to read. A bit long-winded here and there, but the interesting philosophy made up for it.

I listened to “Animals can get the plague, and then?” By Esther Ouwehand. Clear explanation of why we have to drastically reduce the livestock population in the Netherlands. The next pandemic could just come from the Netherlands. Just like the Q fever and the bird flu, which also come from the Netherlands.

I also listened to the audiobook “Rich dad, poor dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. It’s about a boy with a father who has many degrees and diplomas but does not seem to make any financial progress. His best friend’s father has no degrees nor diplomas, starts his own business and becomes very rich. What can we learn from it? If you play not to lose, you will not win. If you play to win you will occasionally lose but the chances of winning are higher.

Learn and become financially intelligent. Make sure you put your money into things that will increase in value. If you start to earn more, don’t spend more but put the surplus aside in investments. Once you have more money, it is easier to make more of it quickly. More and more often you have the chance to double it if you have a starting amount. Work to learn and not work to earn. Make sure you learn as much as possible on the job. Take every opportunity to learn. Have you finished learning? Go to the next profession. Preferably something financial or as a salesman. In these types of jobs you learn to communicate, sell products and deal with setbacks / rejections.

Use 5% of your income every month to invest to increase your financial intelligence. For example buying (and reading) books, attending seminars or courses for example. He suggests to just keep working, but to ‘mind your own business’. Meaning to create your own side hustle and passive income. Get started today.

I listened to “Never too busy again, a clear mind in an overcrowded world” Tony Crabbe. This book provides tools to create more peace.

The audiobook “A new earth” by Eckhart Tholle impressed me. I really have to read this to get the full essence of it. The writer shows that much of what we do and the dissatisfaction in ourselves comes from our ego. When you are in the moment and let go of your ego, that creates “being.” Inner peace. Interesting but a bit woolly for my taste.

Expenses

This month I had a small single-glazed attic window replaced by a much larger one with double glass. I am going to finish the walls around it (one day), but the window will bring much better insulation and much more light to the attic. Beautiful!

Before and after

I also made some expenses at the hardware store (paint, brushes, rollers, etc.) and I bought more clothes than I need. All clothing is second-hand.  If that makes it less bad 😉

Garden

In March, the garden starts to come back to life. I spotted the first insects and the first green buds appear on the bushes and trees.

I have sown tomato, cauliflower, broccoli, basil and wild strawberry on the windowsill and outside the first plants of snow peas, winter peas and sugar snap are already standing proudly. The onions are already getting green and the potato is in the ground. The arugula and radish are already on the rise. Everything is still very early and the warm and cold days follow each other, as is only possible in March.

In April there will be a lot more in the windowsill and in the garden. I can’t wait!

What have you been doing in the past month?

Elske

Elske 1