Do you ever hear people say, or see people write sarcastic things like this:

“Great idea…instead of coming home to relax in front of a nice tv, you can learn to appreciate a small shit tv…glad I learned to live like shit so I can retire early…”

I definitely get this sort of comment the most from my detractors, relating to anything from coffee, to phones to going out to eat often. They seem utterly transfixed on this ideal lifestyle filled with these extravagant luxuries. Suggesting that by removing these luxuries I will live in a deplorable state of perpetual unhappiness. That I will be depriving myself so much, it would take a gargantuan effort to keep it up for any length of time. They go on to suggest that recommending this to anyone will surely cause them to quit saving, as the sacrifice will be too great.

I can chuckle whenever I hear this nonsense. Not only do I live a life filled with beautiful homemade food, wine, weekends outdoors and strong relationships making me happier than I have ever been, but it turns out this decadent lifestyle doesn’t cost much at all.

This is back to a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes people happy.

Having a brand new BMW is obviously better than driving around a decade old Yaris…right?

If you answered yes, then shame on you.

You clearly haven’t been reading this shuffler’s guide to brands and pricing. That’s OK, I forgive you. But try to keep up.

If we are talking about happiness, then the surprising answer is neither car is better. In the long run you will end up just as happy in either of these vehicles. However, one of these vehicles will leave you with much more money to buy your freedom and allow you to use more of your time to bring you actual happiness.

It turns out that science has quite a lot to say about happiness.

As shufflers , we could never hope to attain the world’s knowledge in our tiny little lifespans. Thankfully there are smart people, from history and to this day that have spent countless hours researching this stuff, all to be tested and checked by other smart people, then taught at schools and universities and some of it is eventually summarised into easily digestible nuggets for the masses.

Combined with the modern marvel that is the internet, we can easily attain and use these nuggets to our benefit! Relating them back to our lives and finances.

One of these nuggets is Hedonic Adaptation.

Hedonic adaptation is the process by which our brains adapt rather quickly to changes in our lives to maintain a stable level of happiness. So when you get a brand new car, you are happier to begin with, but after a while you get used to the car and it just becomes a part of your every day life. Likewise, if you experience some sort of awful life event you are sad for a while but you get used to it and move on.

See below for a pretty representation of this process that I put together myself.

Now I’m not suggesting everyone go out and break any legs! Because this will indeed make you very sad right now, and for the next few months while it heals, possibly robbing you of mobility and wealth in the process. But I am suggesting you reconsider the purchase of any expensive new toys or momentary luxuries, because at best, they will only give you a temporary happiness spike while robbing you of your cash.

I missed something out in the above. You see that base level happiness line? That is the line of happiness that we revert to when there isn’t anything too noteworthy happening in our lives. This base level happiness isn’t fixed, it is part genetic, but it is also based on our environment, upbringing and the things we do in our lives to truly improve our happiness.

So what does this teach us?

It may be intuitive to you that you have become accustomed to a certain luxurious lifestyle and anything below this level of luxury will make you depressed and sad. However, this intuition is only true in the short term. Long term, you will be no sadder or happier by cutting away luxury. If that luxury you are buying is resulting in less bonding time, less exercise and less financial security, you are indeed making yourself sadder in the long run. Focusing on the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs and not spending our way to misery, we can raise our baseline happiness for true long term gain.

And how will this help you become richer?

As it turns out, the old saying:

“the best things in life are free”

is actually true!

Now that you know the truth about new pairs of shoes and new handbags only bringing you short term happiness, you can make more rational long term decisions! You can focus on raising your baseline happiness using the Maslow hierarchy of needs.

In the process you will become a kick ass shuffler, rejecting consumerism, becoming healthier, richer and a better world citizen.

That’s what I call winning at life.

Shuffling long term.

Pat the Shuffler

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