I just spent the past two weeks traveling for business. My goal was to see just how much money I could save when my employer is paying most of my discretionary living expenses. When I started the trip, I expected to spend extra money on food and entertainment. However, I soon realized that my living costs plummeted while traveling for business. I spent a total of $37 on food. That’s some breakfasts, lots of coffee, and snacks. Everything else was paid for. And I mean EVERYTHING. This saved me a ton of money.

High Life Personal FinanceSo, what’s the downside? Well, I spent these two weeks driving a new hybrid vehicle, living out of a nice hotel, and eating at some of the best restaurants in town. These two weeks gave me a taste of the high life. When I got back to my house (finally!) I found myself missing the steak dinners and the new car. When I got back into my Ford Escort I started to pick apart its faults: noisy interior, squeaky breaks, terrible shocks, and the list goes on…

But that didn’t last too long. I’ve been working hard toward my goals and I was able to snap myself out of it. However, I realized how easy it would be to get sucked into living the high life after just a small taste. I could go out and sign the loan papers for a new car today. I could put a steak dinner a night on my credit cards. It would take me a lot of dinners to fill up my $50k in credit card limits.

The unfortunate thing is, many people get a taste of the high life and aren’t able to snap out of it. I think you and I both are lucky to have found the path to financial freedom. I’m a long way from achieving it, but I know I’m stumbling in the right direction. I’m glad you’ve decided to join me and I’m looking forward to continue along this path with you.