Will B. Thinking About the Importance of Money

There are certain instances where money can solve problems but just how important is being rich or being poor? I have never been rich, but I have on many occasions been dirt poor.

I would consider myself in the lower middle class, which is neither rich nor poor. After taking the morning to think about this topic I came away with some knowledge of what makes me happy and it doesn’t necessarily have to align with having a lot of money or a job that pays well.

The first thing that came to mind is cooking. This is by far one of the greatest things that you can learn or do that requires very little money to do on a daily basis. Many of the greatest recipes made in fancy or upscale restaurants had their humble start as cheap meals made with the cuts of meats that would be thrown out or easily and cheaply grown vegetables.

I love to cook but even if I did not, I would learn because even a person with low income can eat like royalty if you have a firm grasp of how to cook. If you understand flavor profiles you can turn almost any ingredients into a delicious meal. One of my favorite shows is Iron Chef America and Chopped. Chopped gives the visiting chefs a basket of ingredients that are usually odd and don’t pair well and are expected to turn them into a delicious dish in a short amount of time. In Iron Chef, the chefs are given one ingredient and expected to make 5 to 7 dishes that will wow the judges. So, the point being this one skill or love can have you eating like a person of wealth on a daily basis with hardly spending much money.

Another is making time to create memories with those around you. You don’t need to be rich to fill your mind full of wonderful memories. You could go fishing, hiking, camping, swimming or even a walk to name a few activities that take very little money, if any at all. One of the fun activities I did with my wife on a few occasions is we would have a cooking competition. We each took 20 dollars and went to Central Market purchased ingredients and then cooked a meal, with the winner being decided after both meals were eaten. Fun, cheap and created a wonderful memory that I still think of fondly years later. We did the same thing at Walmart once, but in this instance, we split up to buy each other a gift with 20 dollars in hand. The game was on. It was so much fun.

Another is having a hobby. This can take some bucks to start but depending on the hobby could be cheaply done after an initial investment. That hobby was photography that began when I was very young. When I took it more seriously, some 30 years ago, I started with a cheap camera. This hobby became even cheaper when cameras went digital. No film to buy, and I only printed when I wanted to. Of course, as the years went by, I invested heavily in this hobby and turned it into a profession.

There are so many activities in things that take very little money to do that the list would be very long. Next time you’re sitting with your morning coffee or out on the porch enjoying the sunset, take a moment to think of some of the things you could do and find a friend or loved one to do them with.

This is Will B. saying find a way to do the finer things in life in a creative but cheaper way.