Top Dollar

I guess in order to really sell this lifestyle, we have to break it down even further and dig into this idea of value. We've said it over and over in our posts, to ourselves and each other - does this add value? So...how do you define value?

My family used to own a bakery and for a year I decorated cakes for special orders. Customers would come in and talk with me about what they wanted and how they imagined the cake to look. I would quote them a price based on the size of the cake and how long the decorating would take, they would be on their happy way, and I would begin planning for their order. Almost everyone understands that small, family businesses are a little bit more expensive than the big box stores, but that's because small businesses don't have as many customers, can't purchase bulk by the millions, and you're getting a familiar face who you know and trust.

We had tons of loyal, repeat customers. They knew what they were going to get and they knew that quality products not chalked full of fillers meant they were going to know exactly what went into making their bread, noodles, or cakes - they were willing to pay for quality. One day, a customer comes in with his granddaughter and they want to place an order for the girl's birthday cake. She wanted Batman (only a little significant to the story, but cool because I hadn't had a little girl request a superhero). I quoted a price, grandpa agreed and off they went. The order was completed a couple days later and it was grandma who came to pick up the cake. Well...grandma wasn't happy. Grandma didn't understand why the cake cost so much. I told her what I quoted her husband and he said it was fine and that it took more coloring to make all the black icing and thus more time was spent on the cake. She was outraged, and so was I. I had worked hard on this cake and did just what the little girl wanted and when I piped the last bit of icing on the cake, I was sure the little girl was going to love it. But that thought was quickly ruined by someone who didn't take value in my work - my time.

I can tell you this - I value relationships, I value time, and I value hard work. All of these are pretty self-explanatory. I find value in having good relationships - for my relational people to be present when we're together, and that our time spent together brings feelings of love, happiness, and fulfillment. My time spent cooking a meal, baking a dessert, or working on a project have value to me, and I value the hard work of others, because without others working hard, I would be doing even more to stay afloat - my daycare provider is a prime example of this.

What about you? What do you value in yourself? What do you value in others? What kind of value do you give things?

What about your home? Think about the price per square foot of your home. Now look around - how much of that valuable space is being inhabited by clutter...junk...space-fillers?

Living this lifestyle isn't asking you to give up everything you have and live in a tiny house with only 10 pieces of clothing. This lifestyle is about making the most out of life. Living with less means living to the fullest. No longer are you weighed down by the junk that adds no value. No longer are you wasting time maintaining the clutter (we've all dusted around a knickknack that we hate). You now have time to work on relationships, cross off some items on your bucket list, or pursue a new hobby. You can live a life of less stress and more happy. You can value your life at top dollar.