Overheard a guy at a co-work space say something that hit me hard

I was working out of a co-work spot in Medellin last month and this guy at the next table told his friend "you don't need to be in a cheap country, you need to stop spending on stupid stuff." It made me realize I was using the nomad life to avoid fixing my own bad habits with money. Has anyone else caught themselves using location changes as a bandaid for bigger issues?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_dakota2d ago

you don't need to be in a cheap country, you need to stop spending on stupid stuff" oof that hit way too close to home lmao. I once moved to Vietnam thinking it would fix my wallet but nah just found new and creative ways to blow cash on bia hoi and banh mi.

the_charles1d ago

oh man that's the thing right there. @the_dakota is 100% right, it doesn't matter where you go if you can't get a handle on the spending habits first. i did a similar thing in Thailand, thought I'd save a ton by living cheap but ended up buying a new motorbike and eating out every night because it was all just so dang cheap. you really gotta look at what you're putting money into, not just the price tag. like for me, i started keeping a little notepad of every single purchase for a week, even a 20 cent coffee, and that opened my eyes way more than moving across the world ever did. it's a tough pill to swallow but the problem is usually staring back at you in the mirror, not the cost of living index.