It starts small.
A dinner you can’t really afford.
A jacket you don’t need but buy because it makes you feel… in control.
Another monthly subscription.
Another swipe to outrun the quiet.
I’ve been there.
Spending money to soothe what I didn’t want to sit with.
Living just slightly above my means—not recklessly, but enough to stay tense.
Enough to always feel like I was catching up to the life I thought I should be living.
We call it “retail therapy,”
but the bill always comes—emotionally and financially.
And the truth is:
Overspending isn’t always about greed.
Sometimes, it’s about emptiness.
Sometimes, it’s about proving you’re okay.
Sometimes, it’s about distracting yourself from what’s not.
But financial wellness begins when you stop trying to look abundant—
and start trying to feel safe.
I started asking different questions:
- Do I really want this, or do I want the feeling it promises?
- Am I spending to elevate my life—or escape it?
- What would peace cost me… and is it actually less?
Turns out, calm is cheaper than chaos.
And living below my means gave me something I hadn’t felt in years:
Room to breathe.
You don’t need more to feel like enough.
You just need space.
Financial wellness is what happens when your lifestyle finally matches your nervous system.
That’s the Cushy way.
