Money Lasts Forever When Your Livin' In the Honey

I made an agreement with myself two years ago, when I skipped town in the Honey, to spend money only on essentials!  I had about eighteen thousand dollars with me when I left.  That may seem like a lot of cash to some people but that is all I had after liquidating my entire life at the age of forty!

I was not feeling too confident about the amount at the time because my lifestyle of the past would have easily spent that amount in two months!  Of course that included expenditures of the typical western world such as mortgage payments, insurances, vehicle payments, toys, vacations ...need I go on?

My first test had been fixing up the Honey.  That meant making everything work and making it nice enough that I could live in it, without buying anything new unless it was essential!

No easy feat as I was in the generation that was now the biggest new habitual consumer.  I knew that must be true because they were playing 80's songs in the stores now!  Ya... listening to The Cures, Love Song while shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond made me want to buy something that would make me feel like I did then!  Hmmmm like when I owned a used waterbed --"I need these silky red sheets!". 

Though I wanted to follow my habitually, perceived bliss and go shopping for everything that would be perfect to make it amazing, instead, I reminded myself that it would actually make more work for me as there would be more stuff to get rid of!  Yes I said work, and work I was done with --at least for awhile!

I had decided to get RID of everything I owned except what would fit and could be used in the Honey.  That said, I put impractical things in the Honey, that I didn't want to part with and I could justify because they were useful, like two extremely heavy Le Creuset pots!! Dumb to have in a motor home!

Instead of buying new curtains I made them out of a favorite tablecloth that had been sitting lonely in a drawer with the ten others that I would be getting rid of!  You get the idea...

You know, in actuality that wasn't my first test!  My first test was not buying an iphone when they came out!  I love mac products!  Again I reminded myself that my BlackBerry was truly, good enough for my life of rejuvenation that was calling me!  The idea was, every dollar unspent would allow me more time traveling, playing and rejuvenating after a busy life!  And I was NOT about to wait until I was 80 to do it!

Essentials I had determined, were quality food, gas to get from place to place, propane for hot-water and cooking, and repairs.  Thats about it!  Plus red wine! -because you gotta have that! 

Essentials do not include more clothing, because, as was later proven, my teeny-tiny closet in the Honey still held more clothes then I would actually wear!  Getting rid of a closet full of clothes felt even better then taking a big crap after turkey-day!

And don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!

So on it went...I personalized the interior of the Honey with all my favorite things.  I collaged the ceiling above my bed with the Van Gogh art book that I didn't want to sell for 50 cents at the garage sale.  Yay, it would finally be viewed!  I hung up all the cool baskets from a past trip to Bali for my fruit and vegetables.  On and on it went until all my favorite things had purpose were packaged up nicely in a little 21ft gift to myself, called the Honey!

Do you know that the first night I slept in it, I got tickles in my tummy!  It occurred to me that I had not felt that type of tickles since being a kid on Christmas Eve!  But I bought a house twice and didn't feel tickles, and new cars and didn't and motorcycles and didn't.  What an odd phenomena? --this must mean something ...good!?!

The Honey was ready, everything was working and felt great!  I allowed myself one indulgence of perceived control over fear, I made one exception to the essentials.  I bought a hand/foot pump for the honey and hooked it into the system.  I wanted to ensure that I would always be able to get the water out of the water tank even if the battery went dead.  I recently removed it after having never needed it.  What was I thinking, I had a saw!


Well that all began two years ago, though it seems like a lifetime ago!  ...and guess what? I still have money left!!