Preparation is Key
You know the feeling of impending doom? Have you ever seen the red flags AND actually listened to them? Do you know the unmitigated joy you feel when you actually are proactive and the timing of everything falls into place? Yeah, neither did I…..until the past few months!
I had a feeling months ago that my job was in jeopardy, you know the proverbial ‘writing on the wall’. I started to work my budget and prepare to take a job that might pay less, which did happen in actuality, because I could just sense that something was wrong. I also spent my free time decluttering, organizing my life, selling said decluttered items on websites like Poshmark, and honing in on my budget. I called it my ‘just in case’ plan. I think we all need to have some sort of plan for a possible job loss or unforeseen medical emergency or career setback. But, my thinking wasn’t just to have extra savings (you know, those three months of living expenses put away that should be part of your emergency savings) because what I wanted was to create a new lifestyle to assist me in the change I knew was coming.
By all accounts, everything in life was relatively normal, yet I was feeling an inner turmoil and dissatisfaction. Despite the normalcy, I was driven internally to unload my stress, but the stress of what? Turns out it was the stress of having too much stuff. Too much stuff that I had to manage, clean, organize, catalog, and maintain. Things that I spent money on and now realize those things were no longer serving me. I was grateful to everything I owned. I was, and still am, grateful for my life and everything in it. But, I knew it was time for change. Working from home gave me access to all my things and those things, in turn, stressed me out and made me feel wasteful, selfish, entitled, and a poor steward of my money. I wanted to do better. I wanted to be better.
The purging of my stuff became, not to sound cliche, but a rebirth for me, an awareness of how I wanted to move on with my life. I still look around my house and wonder, “Does that (insert random article or household item/clothing/closet dweller, etc) really fit my lifestyle today?”. I have developed a new way to observe my surroundings. I want to live in a home that is calm, peaceful, easy to clean and keep up, and aesthetically soothing to my senses. The past few months have been a journey in my personal life, but I also knew that my professional life was a ticking time bomb.
The Dreaded Walking Papers!
When I was let go AKA fired from my job AKA given my walking papers, I realized I was prepared for the news. I had put wheels in motion in so many ways in my life that I felt like I had a good handle on the saying, “When the Sh*t Hits the Fan” because I was ready for it. My boss told me the deal and was pretty non-emotive about it, not surprisingly, and I found myself pumping my fists. Most big life changes or challenges we aren’t able to prepare for so, in this example, I actually found myself proud to have put forethought into my professional life. It felt life a victory, and I know deep down it truly was just that!
What I learned through this brief period in my life is that being proactive with my low buy rules, setting proper expectations on myself for spending and saving and in my career, and listening to my intuition were key to me finding peace in a situation that many find unnerving and terrifying. I have a new job lined up to start in a few weeks. For now, I am unemployed and still pushing through my to do list, finding gratitude in the small things of life, and I’m still pumping my fists because I’m being given the opportunity to explore a new career path, to meet new work associates, and to keep exercising my brain even when I am not sure I can put much else into it on some days!
Forbes has an informative article here https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2020/10/29/the-ultimate-guide-to-a-no-buy-year/?sh=6bb85716244f on how to do a no buy year, which many also refer to as a no spend year or no shopping year or even just a low shopping year where you limit specific categories of spending. Implementing a low buy or a no buy and frugal lifestyle can truly help you prepare for a job loss. But, for any lifestyle change to work, you have to be willing to implement those changes, adopt a new mindset, and take action that may not be popular or may contradict how you currently enjoy living your life. One thing we can all agree on about life is that it is unpredictable. If implementing some proactive frugality can help you prepare for a life altering event, why not give it a try?