You must have noticed, today's lifestyle expenses are rising.
There was a time when earning more money meant peace of mind.
Today, many people earn more than their parents ever did — yet feel constantly stressed.
Rent feels heavy.
EMIs never end.
Even a “decent” salary feels insufficient.
This isn’t just inflation.
This is lifestyle inflation powered by influence.
Let’s unpack what’s really happening.
The First Rule of Money Most People Ignore
One core rule stands above everything else:
Your money should make you more money.
Keeping money idle — especially just parked in a bank — may feel safe, but over time it silently loses value.
Money isn’t meant to sit; it’s meant to work. Even savings should eventually turn into growth, not just storage.
The problem isn’t lack of income.
The problem is how money is treated mentally.
Most people see money as an end goal, not a tool.
Why Expenses Grow Faster Than Income?
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Expenses aren’t rising because you need more — they're rising because your expectations are rising consistently.
People enter adulthood with a pre-decided lifestyle script:
1st job → iPhone
2nd year → Car
3rd year → Destination Wedding
4th year → Foreign Trip
This ideal lifestyle is formed before understanding real costs — rent, groceries, healthcare, responsibilities.
Reality hits later.
By then, habits are already locked in.
EMI Culture: Comfort Now, Pressure Forever
Easy credit has quietly changed behavior:
Multiple credit cards
Phones bought on EMI
Lifestyle funded by future income
The danger isn’t the purchase — it’s impulsive buying.
Impulse feels like instinct.
But impulse isn’t wisdom.
Most impulsive purchases feel unnecessary just a few hours later — yet the EMI stays for months.
Social Media: The Silent Expense Multiplier
Earlier, luxury was distant.
Movies showed it, but it felt fictional.
Today, luxury is personal.
A classmate buys an iPhone.
A colleague posts a foreign trip.
A neighour brings an expensive SUV car.
Someone from your own background upgrades fast.
And suddenly, comparison becomes unavoidable.
The mind doesn’t say, “They’re different.”
It says, “We were equal once.”
That comparison quietly rewrites your spending standards.
Why Even High Income Feels Middle Class Now
I read a shocking reality insight in a newspaper:
Even ₹40 lakh per year can feel middle class in Bangalore today.
Why?
Because “luxury” is no longer defined by comfort —
It’s defined by what you see others displaying.
Extravagance has moved from rare to normalized.
The Fog in the Mind (And Why Clear Thinking Is Rare)
Constant exposure to:
Junk food
Alcohol culture
Late nights
Digital overstimulation
…creates a mental fog in our mind.
Fog reduces the ability to think long-term.
When thinking weakens:
Spending becomes impulsive
Discipline feels restrictive
Immediate pleasure wins
That’s why meditation, silence, and simplicity are making a comeback — not only spiritually, but psychologically as well.
How Earlier Generations Spent Less Without Trying
Joint families used to share:
Homes
Vehicles
Resources
Today, everything is individual:
Separate houses
Separate cars
Separate expenses
More independence = more costs.
Not wrong — just expensive.
The Western Influence Nobody Talks About
Many habits weren’t native:
Drinking as “cool”
Spending to fit in
Credit-driven lifestyles
These were normalized elsewhere long before — and imported in our country without context.
What was once considered a bad habit is now seen as social necessity.
That shift alone has raised lifestyle costs dramatically.
How to Control Your Unneccessary Spending?
When you tie your identity to values — not trends —
your behavior auto-corrects.
Strong identity reduces:
Impulsive spending
Peer pressure
Wrong compromises
Not through force — but through alignment.
Obsession With Work Isn’t the Problem
Being obsessed with meaningful work isn’t unhealthy.
Lack of direction is.
People who are deeply involved in their work:
Compare less
Spend consciously
Seek long-term outcomes
Work-life balance fails when both work and life lack quality.
Give Back or Burn Out
Money without purpose creates emptiness.
Many sustainable business families follow one rule:
A fixed share of profits goes back to society
Not for tax benefits.
Not for PR.
But for grounding.
Giving back isn’t charity — it’s psychological balance.
The Real Reason Life Feels Expensive
Life feels expensive because:
We compare more
We think less clearly
We buy faster
We attach status to spending
The solution isn’t earning more.
The solution is thinking better.
Final Thought
You don’t need a richer life.
You need a clearer one.
When clarity increases:
Expenses fall naturally
Pressure reduces
Money starts working for you
And.. that’s the real upgrade, my friend!
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