When we bought our current home in 2001, we inherited the seller’s white appliances.
At the time, the appliances we inherited were in better condition than what we had. We left our appliances in the home we sold for the buyer. Well, as trends go, white appliances went out of style. Stainless steel became the new “cool” thing.
Over the years, when our white appliances including our microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator died, we purchased new “cool” stainless steel units.
Today, all of our appliances are stainless steel except our stove. Our stove is still the older, “ugly” white one. Our kitchen looks a little weird, because our “ugly” white stove sticks out like a sore thumb. (Quick question: Do sore thumbs really stick out? I’ve never noticed one in my life.)
We actually had a problem with this stove two years ago. I know my wife was secretly doing a happy dance. She was finally going to finish the job and get a new stainless steel stove!
Her happy dance ended when I ordered and installed a new heating element. My repair cost 20 bucks and our “ugly” white stove came back to life. 🙂
You see, I don’t really care what color our appliances are. All that matters to me is… do it work? If something is working properly, it doesn’t make much sense to replace it simply because it will look better.
Sure, I could easily go out today and get a new cool looking stainless steel stove. It would finish off our kitchen and everything would look better. However, I won’t replace this “ugly” white stove until it dies.
My wife will probably bury me with the damn thing!
Why won’t I replace it?
Because, to me, it’s a symbol. It’s a symbol of the Cashflownaire lifestyle.
It’s a symbol of the idea that we don’t do things for approval. We don’t live for appearances. We’re not the f@#king Joneses.
I also won’t replace this “ugly” stove, because I’m trying to teach my daughters something critically important about lifestyle design.
The lesson is this…
You can have ANYTHING you want in life.
You just can’t have EVERYTHING.
You have to decide what’s most important to you.
You can have a house packed with super cool trendy things, or you can arrange things so that you live with autonomy. Autonomy is defined as freedom from external control or influence.
The ANYTHING I want in life is autonomy.
P.S. I’d much rather have a Cashflownaire membership, where I’d learn how to be a complete financial Badass, than a new stainless steel stove.
You can become a Cashflownaire here:
https://dividendrealestate.com/membershipspecial/
By the way, when you become a member you have instant access to the first six newsletters. These newsletters are jam packed with ideas, strategies and lessons you can use to create autonomy in your life. This membership may be the single best investment you’ll ever make. Really.
