2025 is going to be the year I don't buy anything*! (will review at the end of the year to see if I succeeded ... of course I'll still buy food, etcetera ... just no more unnecessary possessions.)
*Specifically: No more life-sized dolls, no more dakimakura, no more cars!
Q: Why do I say this?
1) I already have everything I need and more. I have a house, 2 cars (I don't need 2) and lots of possessions that bring me pleasure. I don't need any more!
2) I'm mindful that a time will come, when I need to sell up and move on. Any possessions I have will either need to be sold or destroyed. I won't be able to take everything I've got with me. I've already destroyed a lot.
What I buy (mostly) I must destroy (in time)!
3) Long-term, I won't need possessions where I'm going (nothing lasts forever). I only need to look at my parents to confirm this, they acquired so much in their lifetime, but at the end of their life, they abandoned it all when they went into care homes, and I was left to tidy up the mess. I won't leave a mess behind!
4) Buy nothing and be happy? Yes. Possessions only give temporary happiness. True happiness comes from within, it does not need stuff.
"You, the possessors are possessed!"
5) Anti-government and anti-tax. Pro-freedom! I hate the UK Government. Tax, tax and more tax. They are so greedy but spend so little of their tax on the UK people. Money for illegal immigrants - yes! Money for stupid foreign wars - yes! Money for corrupt foreign governments - yes! Money for politicians to line their pockets - yes! Money for UK taxpayers in their time of need (like my parents) - no! I want to stop acquiring possessions, stop generating tax for the government**, only buy gold, and come to a point where I can liquidize my assets (sell up), buy gold with the proceeds, and then retire in freedom. No accounts for the government to tax. I'll just sell gold as and when I need extra funds. The future plan is to live as off the grid as possible, with a minimal (cheap) house/flat to use as a postal address.
- Say I earn £100k a year and am taxed 40% (£40k), that leaves £60k.
- Then there is council tax, another 2k. That leaves £58k.
- Then 20% VAT on everything you spend and more (fuel is effectively 50% tax, my flight to Thailand is 40% tax), which means you're being taxed over 50% and it doesn't stop there!
- Then if you need a care home at the end of your life, they take all your assets and money to pay for the care (but haven't you already spent enough in taxes in your lifetime!?)
- And when you die, there's inheritance tax.
- £200'000 on cars
- £50'000 on life-sized dolls
- £10'000 on dakimakura