Who doesn’t like a well stocked pantry and refrigerator? It is a wonderful thing to never hear, “We are out of toilet paper. Use a paper towel.” The thing is, we over buy. We buy so much that we simply don’t need and we most certainly will never use. And this goes way beyond toilet paper and dried pasta.

We buy into so many huge purchases including education, houses, cars, retirement plans….

Now, I am all for abundance. I have no desire to live frugally. But how much shit have I bought into that I didn’t need and really never wanted? Too much.

I love the house I live in, but I wish we had never bought it. We would love to move on, but the house keeps us here. Of course we could leave, but we wouldn’t get the money out of it that we put into it. We have to continue to play the game of waiting for the market to improve. We are making a choice to do that and we are OK with it, but if we didn’t “own” this house, our choices would be much simpler.

The same idea is true for those that bulk buy education, cars and even things like retirement plans. All of this bulk buying limits you more and more. If you can’t use or sell it for what you paid for it, you will keep it and not move on. I think higher education is a great example here. Again, I am not saying higher education is bad, but think about how much money is spent for a bulk purchase of a degree for a very specific career. What if you hate it when you actually work it day in and day out? Most likely you will be stuck either because you owe money for loans or simply because you invested so much time that to switch careers would seem wasteful.

Why do we do this?

If I think back to being 18 and the things I wanted then, I know I would hate them now. I was so into accounting and numbers. I am good at those things, but they drain me to the point of tears now. I am thankful everyday that I didn’t bulk buy an education to become an accountant, because I think I would shoot myself if I had to do that every day as my career. I have enjoyed so many things as I have passed through different phases of my life and I have loved that I could self study and become successful at whatever was fun and exciting for me at any given time.

That is how I have become about my house. I wanted the big house and yard… 15 years ago. Now, I want to travel and stay in different places different times of the year. Had we simply rented what we wanted 15 years ago, we could easily move on. Oh, I hear you saying, “But buying is cheaper than renting.” BS. Maybe at one point in time and if you paid cash for a house, but I can tell you we have put a lot of money into this house. And for your next statement about tax savings…more BS. If I didn’t have the mortgage, property taxes, sewer assessments, upkeep and repairs, I wouldn’t have to make as much money and therefore save way more on taxes than the write off from the interest.

Again, if you want to buy a house, a higher education or 200 packs of toilet paper, go ahead. It is your choice. Just think about it. Think about what you really want. Don’t make decisions because everyone else does it or based on how things used to be. Houses are expensive. Education is expensive. You might save a little, but is it really saving if you are a slave to it?

I have decided that instead of bulk buying, I want to start bulk living! I want to live a life of great size and importance! I want the freedom to grow and change. To like new things. To study new things, again and again. Bulk living instead of bulk buying is a new motto for me.

Except for toilet paper. I will always bulk buy toilet paper (I hate using paper towels!).