It's Not About the Money...

…It’s about sending a message.

Words uttered by the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight just before setting fire to a monumental pile of cash. A powerful scene that gives the viewer insight into the character’s true motivation. But chaos and mayhem aside, is it realistic? How dependent am I on the comfort of money? And maybe more importantly, do I even have a message to send?

Before answering that question, I suppose it’s important to frame it with the proper history.

From humble beginnings, I am the guy that grew up on baloney sandwiches laced with government cheese, and somehow ended up wearing hand-me-downs even though I was the oldest sibling. Many a school year I was the child that hadn’t gotten new clothes and was wearing last year’s fall fashion to homeroom on day one of class. The only thing I knew about Nike was that I didn’t have any (Alas a swoosh-less upbringing, woe is me), and it seemed everyone else did. My parents, God bless them both, somehow fed and clothed a family of four on a mere $17,000 a year. That being said, I wasn’t aware I was poor until I got around kids in school that weren’t. Trust me, I believe the ignorance of my youth was a good thing, and of course a credit to my parents.

Through my teens, even after I started working, the lure of upgrading my lifestyle with brand names eluded me, or perhaps I eluded it. 

In my twenties, things took a turn as I began earning more dough. I drank Budweiser and Jaeger, and thought them to be the height of alcoholic beverages. My mall trips consisted of safaris wherein I would attempt to find the World’s most classless and ugly shirts. Remember those button-ups that were imitation silk, the bright ones with the swirling dragons and flames that were lapping up from the shirt tails? Ya, I kept those things in market for several years. And I apologize.

Fast forward some ten or so years, and all my running shoes have passed the swoosh test. I no longer eat government cheese, but instead opt for dropping about a hundred dollars a week on restaurant grub. My clothing choices now include a selection of about 100 printed t-shirts, and for more formal events a few vests and slacks (though most of these are recycled work clothes that no longer get worn). Guinness and Gentleman Jack can be found taking up space in the bar these days. Needless to say I’ve gotten quite a bit more comfortable embracing America’s new favorite pastime; consumerism.

Though sometimes I wonder, why did things change? Supposing it’s normal to alter one’s spending habits as you earn more income, my theory is as follows: I can be a fairly persuasive person, particularly I can talk myself into anything. Had a bad day? Resolve it with a spending spree. Stress on the job? Relieve it with a nice drink. While you’re at it, don’t waste your cash on your regular fare, upgrade! Why, because you deserve it pal!

Naturally, because of the path I’ve followed in this regard I find myself asking as of late, could I go back to the way things used to be?

My answer is a simple one: I think I’ve lost my taste for government cheese.

Kidding aside, I think I could, but only if I had to. If by some uncontrollable event, I no longer had the means to enjoy my current standard of living. Please don’t misunderstand me either. I’m not writing this to brag about where I’m at vs. where I came from. Everyone that has the ability to read these words is without a doubt better off than a majority of the rest of the world (Fact is as of 2012, even the bottom 10% of U.S. income falls in the top 30% of global income distribution).  Additionally, we all have our own vices. Some of you might even be reading this on the latest IPhone. I’m not even going to call out the fact you’ve probably wasted hundreds of dollars running out to the Apple store to buy the newest model, even though your previous phone was probably without defect. I believe nearly every American is guilty of this type of behavior to some degree.

At the end of all this contemplation I suppose I’m not so bad overall. At least I’m to the point where I’m thinking about what my hard earned cash goes towards, and that’s a step in the right direction if nothing else.

So I suppose we’re to the point where I have to get to mine. Getting back to what I referenced about having a message… Simply put I believe mine is as follows; it’s worth taking a look at what demands your dollars attention. Just because you’re spending within your means, doesn’t mean what you spend has meaning.