Broke and Poor but Rich in Life Experience - It is a state of mind

Being self employed, living in expensive cities and moving a lot has put me in the “broke” camp numerous times in the last 15 years. I have lived in 3 states and 5 zip codes in the last 7 years - Seattle, WA / Flagstaff, AZ / Sedona, AZ / and 2 in the state I am in now. Moving this much while trying to keep self-employment income going is challenging, however, the reward of experiencing new places is priceless.

My Scooter with San Francisco Peaks behind

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING BROKE & POOR
Broke - in general being broke is temporary, although temporary it is scary. I was broke for countless reasons - high rent, slow paying clients, self-employment taxes, high health insurance premiums and more. Self-employed people and families with children & mortgages sometimes experience this. You may have savings or assets but are cash broke and have no spending power due to high costs of living.
Poor - in general terms this is more of a constant situation with no assets or savings. Being poor can become a state of mind because of the perpetual nature. This can also stem from being born into poverty and not having the tools or leg up needed to get out.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS
In a society that worships money it can be taxing on the psyche to be broke or poor. There are messages around us on a daily basis that in order to have a full life you need money and a lot of it. If you focus on what others have and what you don’t your spirit begins to break and you remain stuck in a negative state of mind. Not to say this is the fault of a person experiencing perpetual poverty, it is wearing on the human spirit and difficult to get out of.

WHAT MONEY CANNOT BUY

1. Health - probably the most important because you cannot have quality of life without it.
2. Friends - friends are free and if they cost you money then they are not friends.
3. Family
4. Happiness - someone can be wealthy but cannot buy themselves out of misery.
5. Enlightenment
6. Experiences

SEATTLE, WA
I lived in an apartment on the south slope of Queen Anne Hill overlooking the city with the Space needle 4 blocks away. Every morning when I woke up I had coffee on my balcony looking at that gorgeous city. I cannot tell you how many of those mornings my bank account was at ZERO. To buy a house with that view in that location would be 1 million dollars, I didn’t need a million dollars because I was already there, making it happen, with the same view as millionaires. I was broke but rich in my experience, and I will have those moments for the rest of my life.
Costs of Lifelong Experiences
-Running along the waterfront everyday, seeing the Puget Sound = FREE
-Concerts at the Mural every Friday in August under the Space Needle showcasing up and coming bands = FREE
-Being involved in neighborhood non-profits helping others = FREE
-In Store live music at the famous Easy Street Records = FREE
-Taking a Ferry across the Puget Sound to Islands off of Seattle = $6.00
-Driving up to the Peak of Mt. Rainier, a majestic snowcapped volcano = $10.00

My view in SEA

FLAGSTAFF & SEDONA, AZ
I moved down there from Seattle to experience Northern Arizona which is home to the Hopi and Navajo reservation as well as the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff is a city at an elevation of 9k feet in the majestic San Francisco Peaks Mountain range. At the time of the move gas was over $4 a gallon and cost $900 in gas alone to get there, the truck was over $1500, and everything ended up costing much more than budgeted. None of this mattered because I made it to my next destination/experience. What I experienced in AZ while living on very little was priceless. I had no car and got everywhere on my Genuine Buddy 125 scooter. The scooter had a big enough engine to go 55 mph so I traveled on the highway between Flagstaff and Sedona for the hell of it! Sometimes I wonder how I survived that but I did.
Costs of Lifelong Experiences
-Cost of gas to cruz the Flagstaff/Sedona mountain switchback on scooter = $1.50.
-Watching the Hopi perform a traditional Butterfly Dance downtown Flagstaff = FREE.
-Riding up the peaks of Mt. Eldon to 12k feet on my scooter and taking in the view = FREE.
-Visiting the Lowell Observatory frequently (one of the most amazing observatories in the world)= FREE.
-Hanging out on Bell Rock and hiking in Sedona = FREE
-Visiting the Grand Canyon only 45 minutes from my apartment = $15.00

Sedona, AZ

Photo credit : http://www.sedonareal.com

SUMMARY
I spent most of my income on rent/food/utilities in these cities with not much left for spending. Some would not be able to live like that but I wanted the experience. Sure, I could have lived in a cheaper area and lived a "richer" life, but why? When looking back on my experiences I do not remember how much money I had at the time, or what I was "worth" in the bank - the only thing that mattered was what I was experiencing. Rich/poor is a state of mind. I am trying something new this time - an experiment with living in a Tiny Home and simplifying life!

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