Last week we visited friends in Florida. Married, no kids, in their late 30s and full of debt – mostly consumer debt.

Here’s the funny thing. You would never know. They live in a tall condo where they pay approximately $3200 in RENT and rent-related expenses. They were wearing the latest fashions and driving luxury cars.

Unfortunately, their lifestyles are starting to catch up to them. They can’t have kids right now (and they want to), because they have a negative income each month despite both being accomplished white collar professionals. When asked about early retirement they answered that they have too much debt so it’s not a possibility.

The issue is not that they have a luxurious lifestyle. The problem is, they cannot afford it.

Most of us have been brainwashed to believe that success can only be portrayed by huge homes, luxury cars, designer clothes, and the list goes on. Well, all of these “signs of success” require money and a lot of it to keep up with the Joneses.

It is becoming more common for individuals to start questioning this train of thought and asking themselves “Do I really want to spend the best years of my life working for goods to impress people that I don’t necessarily even like?”

Once we rid ourselves of this way of thinking, we are free. A $150 pair of jeans and a good made $30 pair of jeans will be the same to you.

Free yourself the need to impress others and start putting those hard-earned dollars that you exchanged for precious hours of your life towards your financial freedom.

What do you think? Do our capitalist societies have it all wrong?