How Much Is Money?
PS: This original picture, this was taken in 2022
I saw a video today where someone asked another person they met where they lived, and the person told them, but when the other fellow asked how much she paid for it, she said the house was worth $4 million.
Now, this may not seem like much to someone living in a first-world country, but this house was built in Nigeria, which means 99.9% of the country's population cannot afford such a home.
Surprised, she asked the woman to take her to this house, which she gladly accepted. When they arrived at the house, it was truly magnificent, and the owner took the time to explain to the other lady how much they had spent on almost everything in the home.
Why do rich people like paintings?
She had all these strange paintings in the house that had been imported from other countries, and everything seemed to make the house look like a fantasy.
It was most likely the manifestation of everything she had wished for, and because she had unlimited funds, she proceeded to make it a reality.
The house was completely automated, and it felt like I was living on the moon. Even though I was surprised and elated by the house's elegance, I felt it was simply too much.
It felt like vanity because she would not live forever, and it was simply too much money to spend on a place where you could only stay in one room at a time.
This got me wondering why a lot of rich people actually spend so much money on things like houses, cars, jewelries, paintings, and vintage shenanigans.
They (money) figures were just too ridiculous, and I sometimes wonder why people work so hard and then overspend in ways that are not appropriate.
Sometimes they simply do too much, to the point where it feels like "overdoing it." This attitude is synonymous with almost every wealthy person.
I'm not talking about people who are comfortable enough to buy at lest 80 % of everything they want I'm talking about people who can afford to buy everything they want and yet their 2nd and third generation can still continue to spend this money when they're no longer there.
During the home tour the house owner talked about buying some Versace duvet for $30Ok, and I wondered why someone will buy $300k designers duvet, just for covering themselves when they sleep at night.
But that's the idea: people like this wants to enjoy luxury and exclusivity. The fascination with covering themselves with a $300,000 duvet may appear to hit differently, but apparently a duvet costing $100 or less will still do the same job.
While it does not make sense to spend so much money on such an item, there are businesses all over the world that produce luxury items with extreme rarities to cater to the fantasies of the wealthy.
This is why they prefer limited-edition items. Why would someone like Floyd Mayweather want to own one of the only five Mercedes produced? It is not because he wants a car that can actually function; rather, he wants a car that can express the extent of his wealth.
Over the years, I have seen a lot of displays of wealth in documentaries, real life, and even movies, and one thing has always remained consistent: people have a tendency to go overboard when they are assured of excessive abundance.
People who have enough money want to live as if there is no tomorrow, which is why money is never enough. A person who inherited $15 million will find ways to spend it, and the same is true for someone who inherited $100 million.
While we expect the former to spend all of their money first, you will be surprised that these two people will spend all of their money in the same timeframe.
The more people have, the more their sense of reasoning flies out of the window.
.....although we calling it "having a taste to match your bank account", but most of the time, it's just satisfying the crave or urge for exclusivity and extremity. Oh, and one might think that the difficulty of making money forces you to live frugally once you start earning it, but this is not the case.
People live frugally for two reasons: they have been programmed to do so by a difficult childhood, or they are still afraid that if they spend so much, they will not make enough to compensate for what they do not have.
So, the fear of imminent or impending scarcity can lead to frugal behavior, which is why the only true way to determine whether a person is truly frugal is to expose them to abundance.
It can be anyone
This is simply saying that anyone can want more, especially if they have a lot of money.
We have the tendencies to do so, and that is why I would not blame anyone who is spending their money to achieve maximum luxury; anyone in that position will do the same as well, and that is enough justification for the woman I mentioned to spend her money however she wants. We're probably all the same when exposed to so much money.
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People who have never ending funds tend to waste their fortune. A friend of mine from college lived in her brother's house which he built from all imported goods. He ended up divorced and never actually lived there. He had been a partner in a very successful company and made more money than he knew what to do with. Even the marble floors were heated. I used to hang out with here quite a bit and it was an awesome house, but it was too much for anyone. Much like the lady you discussed.
Even if I had that much cash I wouldn't spend much, I would live in a nice but modest house. I would drive a safe car that was relatively new. But I grew up understanding that money isn't to be wasted, like everyone really should be in my mind. Oh well! I guess I'll never have to worry about that!
Instead on the expensive cars maybe they could help a homeless war veteran. Maybe they could fun programs to get people clean of drugs. Something that will improve the world. Life is short, so best make it count in the right ways...
Being privileged is a blessing. First they got to live in a house that was good, and secondly they were a partner in a successful business. Some houses are just too much, we know it's a luxury and the comfort and pleasure is second to none, but deep down we know it's just too much. Things (houses or wealth) like this can come with it's own unique problems
I probably won't have that type of money, but just like you've said, there's a blessing and fulfilment that will probably come from touching the lives of others with such money while living modest and driving a modest car.
However, most people aren't interested in charity or bettering the lives of others, they just want to accumulate more money.
I'm sorry for replying this late, the network in our area was completely wiped out for over 12 hours
Greetings @josediccus ,
It is a bit hard to believe isn't it. As I read through your well written essay...I thought....Well the first thing we need to learn from this is to never talk price...on the one hand ...people will want to compete and do ...and on the other hand it is just common sense.
Common sense and thoughtfulness of others would have turned the encounter into perhaps sharing a cup of tea....rather than a show and tell.
Enjoyed reading your thoughts.
Kind Regards,
Bleujay
This is true, but a lot of wealthy people wants to show off their wealth and talk about the price they purchased something, perhaps it brings them pride and fulfillment to talk about their mansions and car and many other things. I think that's the pride rich people take, talking about money and cars, and showing it off to others.
Thanks for your reply and support.
I'm sorry for replying this late, the network in our area was completely wiped out for over 12 hours
Honestly, it’s crazy how money can change the way people think and spend. At first, I was like, "Why would anyone spend $300k on a duvet?" But the more you explained it, the more it made sense. It's not just about comfort; it’s about showing off wealth and feeling exclusive.
I also liked what you said about how true frugality only shows when someone has abundance. That really hit me.
In the end, you’re right. Most of us would probably act the same if we had that much money.
Truly it's not about comfort, it's about show off. Because it doesn't make sense for a cover cloth to cost that much, but some crazy companies will create such items, maybe synthesize the coat of some of the finest sheeps in the world and begin to hoard them to rich people, as if it can actually cure cancer.
I'm sorry for replying this late, the network in our area was completely wiped out for over 12 hours
Don't mention the Internet network it is everywhere. I know you aren't the type that reply late. I'm glad to hear from you. Yes, the rich prefer to be associated with scarce commodity that won't be in reach of the poor.
It is well known that people who win the lottery are often poor again within a few years. They have never learned the discipline of how to spend their money effectively, therefore they end up spending it on liabilities and things that devalue.
People who have built their wealth on the other hand, have a better understanding on how to manage their money. Although it doesn't mean that they make wise decisions on how to spend money all the time, it does mean that they can splurge here and there with the knowledge that they can replenish that money. However, even these people can fall into the trap of trying to live the way that they imagine wealthy people live. They are trying to fit a fantasy of their own mind.
You're right. People who win lotteries most likely go on to spend everything and return back to poverty after a few years, I guess like you've said is mostly likely because they didn't have to work hard for the money.
I also agree when you say that even people who work hard are not exempted from excessive spending. I think sometimes people who work hard also wants to enjoy their money so much, that they end up spending it excessively on pleasures that do not really matter.
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Thanks a million
I actually like the way you reason these things, sometimes it feels like I'm the one talking
The thing is, we all just try to live within our means, and honestly, that might just be within hers.
Still, I had to re-read that figure to be sure; naira or dollars, it looked wild!
But true true this life no balance ⚖️
It's weird to consider things like that, but I guess having more money than you need can do that to people. I can't see myself doing that as I would rather make sure that money is working for me or is used for something more than just a decorative people.
I think these people tend to have a different perspective on money than many of us. Spending money easily on luxury items doesn't make much logical sense, especially when the money is hard earned. Status games are appealing to our ego, and is a way to feed off the attention that comes with it, I think.