"I saw my salary on a bottle of perfume today"

[Beparanf]

To me, I will choose the second one. If I am happy with what I have and I am certain that it will continue to help me in the future too, then I have successfully achieved financial freedom. But most people these days are caught up with the thought of using luxurious thing and being able to continuously use it is financial freedom to them.

Do you agree or disagree to this? Let me know your thoughts.

Disagree in case that people buying luxury items is real rich that can afford that kind of luxury items. They have the right to spend their money on their own way because that what really financial freedom. That’s how some people makes themselves happy using their money and we don’t have any say to that because we have different preferences in life.

If you are buying luxury item because you want it and you can financially then I don’t see any problem on it. I believe the only problem here is how other people being envy and not the person buying luxury item with their own money.

[1715268606]

1715268606

[Ultegra134]

Well, it depends on the person. I'm not surprised that someone could spend a fortune on a perfume; I've seen some really expensive ones at airport duty-free stores, so if they're selling them, there's certainly a market for them. Just because I wouldn't spend such an amount of money doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't. Mostly for the same reason, people spend excessive amounts on technology items, such as smartphones, laptops that aren't used for the purpose they were made for, smartwatches, and the list goes on forever.

Personally, I'm not fond of luxurious or expensive items, nor does expensive necessarily mean luxurious. I can live without buying a Rolex, the newest iPhone or MacBook, and so on. I prefer living a more modest life. I'd define financial freedom as the ability to not worry about making ends meet, being able to afford a vacation, or buying a new washing machine because the previous one suddenly broke down. It doesn't necessarily have to be a vacation at an extravagant hotel or top-of-the line appliance. The keyword here is "ability" or being able to go forward doing things you desire without too much consideration about money.

[red4slash]

The reality is that we need to live within our means, but we should also strive to improve our standard of living and save some of our income for further investment. If I want to buy expensive things, then my income will not be enough for it, so for me this would be rash actions that will not bring me anything good.

As a result, I strive not to be able to buy perfume with the cost of my monthly salary, but to be able to achieve financial independence, when I could not work, but at the same time my passive income would be enough to to cover all my needs. Our values determine what we will do and what we will achieve in the end.

This is related to prestige, I believe those who do that (buy perfume at a fantastic price) are because of their prestige and environmental factors also influence, yes even though financially they are able to do it.
But for myself I would prioritize function over prestige. Because if we are mostly prestige I believe at some point we will experience something sad.
I would rather invest than make purchases that are functionally the same as cheaper items. Indeed, there are many people now who prioritize prestige, even though they are financially unfit to do so.

[Stepstowealth]

...

If I see my salary on a perfume bottle, I will not be so worried because there are different kinds of perfumes, different levels from the regular fragrances to the more exotic ones. From the record there are perfumes even costing up to $7,700 (Amaffi Power for women), and I am sure that many of us here in our various countries do not earn up to that amount. So it means that there are many people whose salary equals a bottle of perfume somewhere, the only thing is that they have never come across it.

See 12 of the worlds most expensive perfumes and their prices ==> https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/beauty-products/g32747256/most-expensive-perfumes/

[Woodie]

Yeah, you heard me right. Today I was scrolling through some Instagram Reels and I saw a video of a person saying this. I'm still confused. Should I laugh or should I feel sorry for that person?

When you get to a stage where you can blow big bills on yourself then you deserve it as its your money, secondly you don't want society to dictate how one should live.
besides don't believe everything you see on social media, some of it is fake and some of it subscribers pay for it via courses promising you to be taught how to be rich.

So here's how the whole video goes. The man said and I quote" I saw my salary on a bottle of perfume today. So you are saying that someone out there smells like my salary."

If such content makes you feel bad about yourself, if I were you I would stop watching them for the sake of my mental health!!

To me, I will choose the second one. If I am happy with what I have and I am certain that it will continue to help me in the future too, then I have successfully achieved financial freedom. But most people these days are caught up with the thought of using luxurious thing and being able to continuously use it is financial freedom to them.

Do you agree or disagree to this? Let me know your thoughts.

Honestly Financial muscle is some kind of financial freedom if we go by definition, besides what's financial freedom when you have to work hard to get paid $$$$, tbh whoever coined this word should have meant freedom from the government and its bureaucracy

[tjtonmoy]

There's nothing wrong with buying luxury items, even if your salary is not that impressive. You can't say people who have huge investments and high incomes are the only ones who can buy luxury things, and it's not for low-income or low-investment people. Low-salary people who save their money and spend it all on buying their dream luxury watch, phone, or car—I can't see anything wrong with that. And I don't believe saving or investing money is the only way to have a great life because money is for spending too. Very rich people use local products, not branded ones. This behavior is their humbleness and down-to-earth category, but the poor buy luxury; it's their show-off and greedy behavior. Don't you see the irony here?

There is nothing wrong with people buying luxurious things. But only when you dig deeper, you see the bigger picture. An average bottle of perfume could cost $2 to $3. And if you want a fancy one you can go for something that costs $5 to $10. How much do you think those perfume production is? And what's the difference between a regular average perfume and a luxurious perfume? There is a bit of difference in cost and materials for the making. But when you sum it up the difference is not that huge. That does not sell the product instead they sell the brand.

Money is for spending, I get your point. But money is also the thing that makes more money. It is the rich people who brainwash middle class or poor people to pursue luxurious thing. In business someone else's loss is someone's profit. Where do you think those rich people get their money? Do they print it? Of course not. They get it from people by brainwashing them into thinking they should pursue a luxurious life and buy luxurious thing to be more like rich people. And rich people are not stupid to show humbleness or down to earth something like that. Instead of using that money for luxurious thing, they put that money into investment in order to make it more.

I don't know from where you got that idea. Be sure to dig deeper next time. You will get to see the bigger picture.

[Yatsan]

To me, I will choose the second one. If I am happy with what I have and I am certain that it will continue to help me in the future too, then I have successfully achieved financial freedom. But most people these days are caught up with the thought of using luxurious thing and being able to continuously use it is financial freedom to them.

Do you agree or disagree to this? Let me know your thoughts.

Disagree in case that people buying luxury items is real rich that can afford that kind of luxury items. They have the right to spend their money on their own way because that what really financial freedom. That’s how some people makes themselves happy using their money and we don’t have any say to that because we have different preferences in life.

If you are buying luxury item because you want it and you can financially then I don’t see any problem on it. I believe the only problem here is how other people being envy and not the person buying luxury item with their own money.

As long as their salary or wealth can afford things then let them be. Seeing your salary to something’s price shouldn’t be a bad thing but it is okay to feel insecure. What would matter is your next action; will you just belittle yourself of work harder in order to be or to have ‘more’ than what you have at this point. We always have choices. Never dictate someone on how should they spend their money. They basically can buy luxurious things simply because they have the money to do so; they worked hard for it. We just got used with our own setting; buying a perfume below hundred bucks but it will never be the standard. We all have circumstances and differences with financial capacity. Either you accept and just live through it or create better changes for yourself.

[STT]

Theres gigantic inequality I would not be surprised at all.  To some extent this isnt not a new modern world occurrence, think of the ancient spices and alot of them were exotic perfumes imported from lands months away when the world was much bigger and travel slower.  Yet some people could afford the giant luxuries and justify this trade, it didnt turn out negatively as we still remember the silk road being so much of the old world trade its legendary.
  The margins on this product are beyond 99% I think.  I was listening to the prices behind coke and I thought they made alot more then they do its only like 12% and the retailer makes more then the maker themselves.  Makeup and perfume is very high margin, watch all the adverts they put out in peak season year end its not a coincidence.

[Fara Chan]

IMO money spent on luxurious should be used to acquire treasures/assets and building evolutional technologies. I rather spend money leaving a sand of time, so that my name can be heard even after i am gone. Some persons will say rich and wealthy but there is no limit to the amount of money that can be made and if one feels like he has made enough money then he can invest in building a life time foundation.

For instance Bill gate, Elon Musk and Mack are good persona example. They are all billionaires but they dont stop at what they do.

The three people you mentioned are very good examples to look at, although everyone also needs to look at what family they come from, because almost everyone in this world already knows that the three of them have worked and made quite good progress in their lives. The technology they have and have developed in the current era is also quite useful so it is worth looking at them as an example of how to get rich even though each person's abilities are always different in any case.

Using money to buy luxury items that can be used as assets in real life is also not wrong, because these items can also become valuable items in the future if they can be looked after well enough. However, this may be very difficult for those who are still poor because luxury goods that can be used as assets for the future are more sought after by rich people who generally have more money on their hands. So they can easily place money on the luxury items they want and can consider them as a personal collection.

[abel1337]

To me, I will choose the second one. If I am happy with what I have and I am certain that it will continue to help me in the future too, then I have successfully achieved financial freedom. But most people these days are caught up with the thought of using luxurious thing and being able to continuously use it is financial freedom to them.

Do you agree or disagree to this? Let me know your thoughts.

Disagree in case that people buying luxury items is real rich that can afford that kind of luxury items. They have the right to spend their money on their own way because that what really financial freedom. That’s how some people makes themselves happy using their money and we don’t have any say to that because we have different preferences in life.

If you are buying luxury item because you want it and you can financially then I don’t see any problem on it. I believe the only problem here is how other people being envy and not the person buying luxury item with their own money.

As long as their salary or wealth can afford things then let them be. Seeing your salary to something’s price shouldn’t be a bad thing but it is okay to feel insecure. What would matter is your next action; will you just belittle yourself of work harder in order to be or to have ‘more’ than what you have at this point. We always have choices. Never dictate someone on how should they spend their money. They basically can buy luxurious things simply because they have the money to do so; they worked hard for it. We just got used with our own setting; buying a perfume below hundred bucks but it will never be the standard. We all have circumstances and differences with financial capacity. Either you accept and just live through it or create better changes for yourself.

I agree. All of us has our own wants that will make us happy if we achieve to buy or to experience it in our life. We can't judge other person if they are enjoying things that are luxurious given that it may be their source of happiness in their life. Things like luxury can push other people to strive and be better to achieve it, I myself has switched different hobbies and some of those hobbies really cost a lot. It really motivates me to be better because I want it for myself even it's not practical, it makes me happy. I don't care what other person thinks of me, what is important is it makes me happy.

What do you think why do we want to have a financial freedom? To be stable and to be happy, being happy is subjective from person to person.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

Many people can talk about financial freedom in different ways. One person's perspective may be different but the main point remains the same is to have enough money. A man is financially independent if he has enough supply of money according to his wants and needs. Some people think that a person is financially independent if he is able to meet all his expenses normally after suddenly losing his ability to work. But in my case I need money with which I can do whatever I want within my limits. But I wouldn't say I need a lot of money to be financially independent. I am financially independent if I have enough money to cover my regular expenses.

Financial stability, freedom, or independence can come from someone who has a reliable source of income that regularly generates money to settle all needs at any time. It is possible for one to meet all their needs at that very moment, but when they don't have a consistent source of income, there is no way they can be financially stable. Now that the economy is bad in some countries, to be able to escape poverty, you don't only rely on one income source because that can satisfy all your needs. Like the OP was speaking of seeing someone's salary as a price tag for a perfume, if the individual has other sources of income than the one they have, then they can afford the perfume. That's if it's really necessary for them to buy very expensive secondary things when they know that they are not very rich.

[Mauser]

I bring up this to talk about financial freedom. What is financial freedom to you? Is it about having a certain amount of money that is required to have financial freedom or to have an amount of money which can potentially give you freedom in the future?

To me financial freedom doesn't mean to have a fixed amount of money so that I never have to work in my life. Because that kind of money is way too much and not realistic to achieve in my current situation. Financial freedom rather means to have a comfortable life today and not to worry too much about the economic future. For that it's all about having an investment portfolio that generates enough returns in the future to take money out. My first goal is still to have a decent job that pays for all my living expenses and my second goal is to have large enough savings and investing to cover any extras I might want and need in life. This doesn't include luxury perfume or clothes, I don't find that lifestyle attractive and would never spend so much money on these things. Even if I would win the lottery tomorrow I would change my spending habits so much.

[Silberman]

I bring up this to talk about financial freedom. What is financial freedom to you? Is it about having a certain amount of money that is required to have financial freedom or to have an amount of money which can potentially give you freedom in the future?

To me financial freedom doesn't mean to have a fixed amount of money so that I never have to work in my life. Because that kind of money is way too much and not realistic to achieve in my current situation. Financial freedom rather means to have a comfortable life today and not to worry too much about the economic future. For that it's all about having an investment portfolio that generates enough returns in the future to take money out. My first goal is still to have a decent job that pays for all my living expenses and my second goal is to have large enough savings and investing to cover any extras I might want and need in life. This doesn't include luxury perfume or clothes, I don't find that lifestyle attractive and would never spend so much money on these things. Even if I would win the lottery tomorrow I would change my spending habits so much.

Besides the only thing those luxury items do is to delay or even eliminate the possibility of an early retirement for most people, as the number of people which can earn enough money to afford those luxuries is very limited, while the rest that buy those products are trying to experiment a lifestyle for which they do not really have the funds to truly experiment, however at the end of the day each person decides what to do with their money, even if from our perspective they are making a mistake.

[jrrsparkles]

The general definition of financial freedom is affordability to live the lifestyle that you wish for, so it's obvious that the more you earn the higher your lifestyle can become. Just remove the elite class from the discussion who can buy whatever they want and the price tag doesn't matter to them which is even beyond the top 1% apart from that everyone wants to spend on something that is worth the money and itself varies depending on their income generating stability.

my underline quote will be if you buy that an expensive bottle because you want it and can afford it then its financial freedom but you are buying it but you don't really wish to use it then its lifestyle inflation which is created purely from the peer pressure created by brands.

[TimeTeller]

The general definition of financial freedom is affordability to live the lifestyle that you wish for, so it's obvious that the more you earn the higher your lifestyle can become. Just remove the elite class from the discussion who can buy whatever they want and the price tag doesn't matter to them which is even beyond the top 1% apart from that everyone wants to spend on something that is worth the money and itself varies depending on their income generating stability.

my underline quote will be if you buy that an expensive bottle because you want it and can afford it then its financial freedom but you are buying it but you don't really wish to use it then its lifestyle inflation which is created purely from the peer pressure created by brands.

And the scenario presented by the OP is that the price of that bottle of perfume costs the same as the salary of that person.
So do you really think it is just to buy such perfume and suffer your other expenses?
You are delusional if you are just following the hype around you, why buying such expensive bottle for the mere reason of being relevant.

[angrybirdy]

The general definition of financial freedom is affordability to live the lifestyle that you wish for, so it's obvious that the more you earn the higher your lifestyle can become. Just remove the elite class from the discussion who can buy whatever they want and the price tag doesn't matter to them which is even beyond the top 1% apart from that everyone wants to spend on something that is worth the money and itself varies depending on their income generating stability.

my underline quote will be if you buy that an expensive bottle because you want it and can afford it then its financial freedom but you are buying it but you don't really wish to use it then its lifestyle inflation which is created purely from the peer pressure created by brands.

And the scenario presented by the OP is that the price of that bottle of perfume costs the same as the salary of that person.
So do you really think it is just to buy such perfume and suffer your other expenses?
You are delusional if you are just following the hype around you, why buying such expensive bottle for the mere reason of being relevant.

We have our different basic salary based in our work experiences and position, As presented the value of perfume of that person is OP's salary amount. We didn't know how much that person earn in a monthly basis and we didn't know what did that person do for a living, what if He/she can afford to buy expensive perfume without compromising other expenses? For me, It's better to see that as an inspiration and one of a goal, so that I'll work hard and I'll invest in my skills and knowledge so I can earn more and be financially successful.

[Huppercase]

Yeah, you heard me right. Today I was scrolling through some Instagram Reels and I saw a video of a person saying this. I'm still confused. Should I laugh or should I feel sorry for that person? So here's how the whole video goes. The man said and I quote" I saw my salary on a bottle of perfume today. So you are saying that someone out there smells like my salary."
It's kind of funny but also sad at the same time. Where have we come today? There are people trying to live a normal life with what little amount they earn. And there are people using the same amount of money just to smell good.

This life you are seeing right, it's where you wealth end that another person own rose. What he said might be ridiculous but he said what he said and there is nothing absolutely wrong in it. You might see your salary on another person perfume but if you check that same person, his networth night be what another person use to buy or rent a house. That is how life is, hands are not equal and will never be, it's not even about the luxurious life, we can't be financially equal in this life. Bezoz was once a billionaire but today Elon Musk surpassed that amount.

I bring up this to talk about financial freedom. What is financial freedom to you? Is it about having a certain amount of money that is required to have financial freedom or to have an amount of money which can potentially give you freedom in the future?

To me, I will choose the second one. If I am happy with what I have and I am certain that it will continue to help me in the future too, then I have successfully achieved financial freedom. But most people these days are caught up with the thought of using luxurious thing and being able to continuously use it is financial freedom to them.

Do you agree or disagree to this? Let me know your thoughts.

[Just for context, I am not talking about holding money. I am talking about investments that could give me passive income that will continue to come in the future and give me financial freedom. As long as I can survive with that amount of money and not worry about the future, then it is financial freedom to me.]

There is a financial freedom and been wealthy as fuck. I see this post as a normal motivational speech I use to hear from people trying to impress people about on how to achieve a financial goals only to end up selling you books they wrote to sell for people.

You can invest today in hope to have more money in the future but then unexpectedly you hit something more than you expect, there is no way that your life will remain the same. Everything about you will be extraordinary even the way you talk will change because money brings out the real kind of person you are, have more money and see if you will stop at financial freedom or leave more to life.

[Lorence.xD]

The general definition of financial freedom is affordability to live the lifestyle that you wish for, so it's obvious that the more you earn the higher your lifestyle can become. Just remove the elite class from the discussion who can buy whatever they want and the price tag doesn't matter to them which is even beyond the top 1% apart from that everyone wants to spend on something that is worth the money and itself varies depending on their income generating stability.

my underline quote will be if you buy that an expensive bottle because you want it and can afford it then its financial freedom but you are buying it but you don't really wish to use it then its lifestyle inflation which is created purely from the peer pressure created by brands.

And the scenario presented by the OP is that the price of that bottle of perfume costs the same as the salary of that person.
So do you really think it is just to buy such perfume and suffer your other expenses?
You are delusional if you are just following the hype around you, why buying such expensive bottle for the mere reason of being relevant.

The thing is there are some people who are already born rich and their lifestyle is to buy things that don't need to think about their price. And there are people who are wanna be rich just to look cool from others' judgment despite struggling with their financial status. You can literally afford that expensive perfume since it is the same value as your income, but if you think of your essential needs, bills, etc. do you think it's wise to buy an expensive perfume for the reason that you can afford it? Of course not, that's why I agree that you don't need to join the hype or copy someone's lifestyle that isn't even applicable to an average person's financial status. People's desires and wants are easy to attain almost everything in this world is anyone's dream, so it's better to think of your funds cause money can be spent easily.

[uswa56]

The thing is there are some people who are already born rich and their lifestyle is to buy things that don't need to think about their price. And there are people who are wanna be rich just to look cool from others' judgment despite struggling with their financial status. You can literally afford that expensive perfume since it is the same value as your income, but if you think of your essential needs, bills, etc. do you think it's wise to buy an expensive perfume for the reason that you can afford it? Of course not, that's why I agree that you don't need to join the hype or copy someone's lifestyle that isn't even applicable to an average person's financial status. People's desires and wants are easy to attain almost everything in this world is anyone's dream, so it's better to think of your funds cause money can be spent easily.

Some people buy things without thinking about the price, it is certain that these people have achieved financial freedom and also for some people who want to look rich but they have an income that is only enough for the needs they need, it is certain that they will have difficulty in making ends meet. their needs because a lot of their income is spent on things they don't really need.

I agree with what you say, we don't have to imitate other people's lifestyles, we just need to do what feels comfortable for us. We don't have to force ourselves to follow other people if it doesn't have any benefits for us.

[Subbir]

we don't have to imitate other people's lifestyles, we just need to do what feels comfortable for us. We don't have to force ourselves to follow other people if it doesn't have any benefits for us.

What is the standard of living of a person who lives perfectly here, if he wants to live a better life then it is natural that he will spend more in life than others. Now if you want to live a very luxurious life then a bottle of water but you may have to spend a lot it totally depends on your living arrangements. Again it turns out that if you live in a city where the standard of living is so high then you will never be able to live well with little or few money.