Prioritizing Abundance

Your definition of abundance determines your quality of life.

As a kid growing up on a small family farm/ranch operation in rural Montana in the 1960’s and 1970’s, I would have never known that we didn’t have what a lot of other kids had (from a monetary standpoint).  Oh yeah, I remember times in my childhood when I would see a toy on TV that another kid had, and for an instant, be a bit envious.  Looking back now I am amazed to see how much we *did* have.  We always seemed to have an abundance of food.  We had heat in the winter.  We had lots of free time and play time if we took care of expected chores.  And we had a lot of FUN!

Sadly, I grew up.  I grew up and forgot all the reasons why abundance seemed to be everywhere as a child.  I accumulated loads of material possessions and lost them twice over.    I made and spent more in my lifetime than my parents and grandparents could have ever dreamed of.  I went through a boom-and-bust life and always blamed the companies I worked with for my woes.  I remember panicking every time I thought another layoff was coming.  I was always stressed out, in debt and, unfortunately even though I had lots of material goods, didn’t seem to sense that same “abundance” I mentioned above.

I finally figured it out.   Prioritizing abundance is the key!

I am not sure where this world is headed.  I know I can be a bit harsh with my doom and gloom at times, but man… look around, right!?  I think it’s time for all who know and see to begin prioritizing their abundance before it’s too late.

A couple things I’ve learned through all of the booms and busts I’ve experienced in my life are these: A: It’s super easy to spend more money when you make more, but extremely difficult to spend less money when you are forced into that situation and have lots of debt. B: It’s always much easier to experience a bust on *our* terms rather than someone else’s. In other words, we control the downsizing.

I left a 30-year career I loved (just in time before all the “covid” nonsense).  A career that provided an incredible income and benefits that many can only dream about.  I made this decision out of a desire to get back to the type of abundance I used to experience as a child.  How did I do it?  Well, in a nutshell, I sort of planned for it over the course of 10 years and then implemented my plan once I made the decision to give up on the goal of making money for money’s sake and get back to things that matter. 

I still must work, but I make 1/5^th of the money I used to make.  I can still save a bit, buy a treat now and then, pay my small mortgage and living expenses, and eat like a king.   I have prioritized my abundance to include things like:  Sleep, Food, Exercise, and happiness instead of worrying about “retirement” (which may never come for a lot of us), the next new vehicle I’m going to buy, and a myriad of other things that seemed to be important to me at one time. 

You can do it too!

I found the way I was able to secure the type of abundance that matters is by whittling away at all of the waste and unnecessary “fake abundance” I used to relish.  I took a whole bunch of trips to see family and friends over about 5 years, spending a small fortune while doing so. I knew I had to do it because, eventually, trips of any kind would be a luxury for me.  I began game-planning my new life without the same income and benefits I had.  And then… I put in my notice and went for it.  I took that leap of faith.  And, almost 4 years later, my life has been grand! 

You may be asking, “how can I prioritize abundance in my life Rob”? 

Well, it’s different for everyone, but I’ll just mention some of the things I’ve done to make it possible to live on a poverty level (according to government statistics) income and still live a fulfilling life without begging government to redistribute someone else’s wealth to me.  Mostly, it has to do with minimizing waste! I estimate that I’ve saved thousands of dollars over the last 4 years by doing just that.  I’m going to list a few ideas/tips for you below.  It’s definitely not an extensive list and, it may be a bit similar to a few other things I’ve mentioned in other posts throughout the last couple of years.  My hope is that each of you will start prioritizing abundance on *your* terms rather than someone else’s.  Again, it’s much easier to make these decisions on your own rather than be forced to make them because of some bad luck, a natural disaster, democide (death by government, look it up!), or whatever else this insane world has in store for us.   

1:  Limit paper towel usage.  I used to go through one roll a week, minimum!  Now I use one roll every 3 to 4 *months*.  6 rolls of paper towels are around 20 dollars here, where a bag of reusable rags or tea towels or even a package of sponges only requires one initial investment and you can rinse, wash, and reuse these items multiple dozens, if not hundreds of times before having to replace them.

2:  Invest in some handkerchiefs!  I know, it sounds kind of gross, but I no longer buy boxes of Kleenex that are 4 or 5 dollars apiece.  Handkerchiefs are incredibly inexpensive and I only use mine one time and then I wash them so they stay clean and sanitary. Some people use toilet paper and this is less expensive than kleenex as well, but I’ve found that handkerchiefs are awesome and you avoid the “blow outs” you can get with kleenex and toilet paper as well.  Don’t get me wrong, I still use toilet paper for, ahem, other things. Haha.

3:  Eat the food you buy at the store no matter what!  If that head of cauliflower you paid 4 dollars for looked good when you bought it, but you let it sit in your fridge until it turned black, you just threw away 4$.  Find a use for *every* food item you buy, even if you must throw it in a pot with a bunch of other stuff and some water and make soup. 

4:  Walk instead of driving everywhere.  I can walk to the grocery store where I live if I just need a couple bags of groceries.  I could care less if people stare at me and think it “strange” that someone is out walking.  Not only do you save money on gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, you keep your legs and hips healthier which may keep you from needing a hip replacement in your life.

5:   Invest in gift bags instead of wrapping paper.  I know it’s not as much fun, but reusable gift bags are an incredible investment (if you save them!).  If you have family around you and you all gather for gift giving occasions, use gift bags and then divvy them up to each family member for the next year. 

6:  Limit your use of AC.  Two generations ago, AC was *not* a thing.  The earth has *not* warmed up more than it used to be.  People lived in places like Florida, Texas and Louisianna without AC for many years. The difference between them and today’s people is they would spend time sitting outside under trees instead of in a hot building!   Find a temperature range that you can “live with” and don’t use AC unless the temperature goes out of that acceptable range.  Same goes for heat.  Set your thermostat at the lowest temperature you can stand in the winter and then leave it alone.  If you are cold, wear a sweater.

7:  Save jars to store food items in.  There are still some amazing glass jars out there (some varieties of pickles, pasta sauce, etc).  The ones you want to keep are the ones that have what looks like a rubbery seal on the lid.  These jars can be reused indefinitely to store food and other items in.  There’s no need to spend money on storage containers in a lot of cases.  Yeah, containers may look prettier, but we’re prioritizing abundance, right?

8:  Reuse aluminum foil!  I know, it’s a pain, but in many cases, you can reuse aluminum foil at least one time before you have to throw it out.  Just wipe it off with a soapy rag, rinse and let it dry flat (and try to store it flat) and then use it again.  A roll of aluminum foil can cost up to 10 dollars!  The same goes for ziplock bags! Don’t throw them away after just one use. You can rinse them out (in most cases) and hang them to dry. I now have ziplock bags that I’ve used dozens of times and they are just fine. I wish I had the money I used to spend on those too!

9:  Grow at least one thing you eat!  I know I’ve said this numerous times over the last couple of years, but there’s no reason why people, no matter where you are, can’t grow at least a tomato plant or some basil or lettuce.  It’s worth the effort and if you grow from seed, it’s very inexpensive and, if you save seeds, it’s *free* food!

10:  Get rid of your grass!  If you pay for water where you live and you have a huge lawn, consider getting rid of all or some of it and putting in shrubs or other plants that require little to no water.  Better yet, if you have been paying to grow grass (and aren’t in a crazy HOA), plant vegetables instead and pay to grow things you can actually eat.

Again, this isn’t an extensive list.   Every single thing I’ve mentioned (along with dozens of other things that I haven’t listed) are things I’ve done in my life to prioritize the type of abundance I want.   I get plenty of sleep.  I eat very well, and (most importantly), I have an *abundance* of happiness and independence.  The only thing “they” can take from me is my home because I still have a mortgage.

You can do this too. You can make the decision to unplug from the matrix. It just takes a bit of courage.

Sorry for the longer than usual post.  I hope you have found it beneficial!  Now, get out there and start prioritizing abundance in your life!  I promise you will be healthier and happier if you do.