temperament
Maker, Not Just Buyer
The rule
Be the one who makes and mends, not only the one who opens the wallet.
Where it flips
Pushed too hard, you hoard broken things and fill weekends with repairs that are not worth it. The repair is to make and mend where it clearly saves money or time, and simply replace what is not worth the effort.
A buyer solves every problem by paying for a ready answer. A maker asks if he can make or fix it first. The maker's habit quietly cuts spending, because he leans on his hands, not his wallet. This is a mindset more than a task. Once you see yourself as someone who can make and mend, money stops leaking on things you could handle yourself.
A worked example
When a chair breaks, Aman's first thought is to buy a new one online. Vikram's first thought is to tighten the screws and reuse it. Over a year, Vikram's 'can I fix it' habit saves him thousands, which he moves into his SIP. [illustrative]
How to spot it
- ·First thought is 'can I make or fix this'
- ·Less buying of ready solutions
- ·Old things reused, not tossed
Jacob Lund Fisker · Early Retirement Extreme