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Brittany L. Bergman

Savoring motherhood, building marriage, and living simply

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Wielding Our Spending Power Wisely [Part 2 of 2]

Feb 12 Leave a Comment

In part 1 of this little series, I shared some initial thoughts about why many people don’t travel much, despite their desire to do so.

I fully acknowledge that travel can be costly in terms of money and time (though it doesn’t have to be). But while many people say they can’t afford to travel, I believe traveling is possible when we shift our mindsets and our priorities. My theory (actually, “theory” is a generous term . . . let’s call it “speculation”) is that people assume they can’t travel because they have one or two big misconceptions:

  1. A misconception about what travel is
  2. A misconception about our power to choose

A quick disclaimer before I continue: I have disposable income, and so do the vast majority of my friends. This is a deep privilege and a huge responsibility; I don’t take it lightly. I feel like I have to say that every time I talk about extra money. I sometimes believe that real gratitude must be accompanied by guilt.

I know. I’m working on it.

Also, to continue defining terms and being clear, when I say “disposable income,” I’m talking about money that is left over after bills, rent/mortgage, student loan payments, groceries, etc. (basically, whatever you need to pay to keep creditors away and ensure survival for your family). For the purposes of this blog, I also mean money that is left over after tithes and gifts (because for me, this category is a non-negotiable).

Now, that’s settled. Moving on to the second misconception that leads many of us to travel far less than we’d like.

A Misconception about Our Power to Choose

We have the power to choose what we do with our extra money. I know this probably feels like an obvious thing to say, but I wonder how many of us actually believe it. I didn’t truly believe this until about a year ago, and even now, I’m slowing struggling to live it out.

In my first post, I quoted Mark Scandrette’s words about consumer choices. Here’s a little refresher in case you missed it:

“If we don’t make conscious choices to resist [it] . . . the force of a materialistic and consumeristic society will make most of our decisions for us.”

This means I have the power to not rent an apartment or buy a home at the top of my price range. I can choose less space and fewer features and fewer updates, and then I can allocate that monthly savings elsewhere.

I can buy only the clothes I actually need (it would be a post unto itself to tell you about all the unhealthy ways I have thrown around the word “need” when it comes to clothing) instead of the clothes I want. I can shop thrift stores. I can wear something outdated. I can borrow a dress for a friend’s wedding instead of buying a new one.

I can get books from the library instead of buying them on Amazon (then I save money and space).

I can go out for dinner with a group of girlfriends, eat something at home before I go, and still enjoy a glass of wine and the community.

My hand is rarely forced when it comes to disposable income spending decisions.

By cutting down on expenses that I previously believed to be inevitable and even necessary, I free up dollars that I can use to prioritize what I want to do, not what I feel like I have to do.

I understand that we all have different priorities about how to spend disposable income. Maybe for you, that priority is going out to dinner more often or remodeling a room in your house. There isn’t one single right way for us to spend our disposable income. What I hope we can all take hold of is the fact that we can control our spending decisions to reflect what we care about and value. Our culture doesn’t have to make those decisions for us.

And I will admit that sometimes I choose a new pair of boots. Because, come on, I live in Chicago, so they get a solid 8 months of wear each year. It’s a sad fact.

But more often, I choose far-off travels and local adventures.

The bottom line is this: We can make spending choices consistent with what we believe to be beautiful and valuable. That is a lifelong adventure.

What is your spending priority right now? What kinds of cuts are you making in other categories to make this possible? Comment below with your tips, tricks, and passions! 


PS—You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @NestedNomad.

www.thenestednomad.com // Part 2 of 2 in Redefining Travel

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Filed Under: Simple Living & Minimalism, Travel Tagged With: choices, freedom, income, money, priorities, simple living, travel

« Debunking the Mythical Definition of Travel [Part 1 of 2]
How the Search for Simplicity Leads to Contentment »




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brittanylbergman

Brittany L. Bergman
The last day of school hit different this year. 💔 My tears at kindergarten graduation were not about how my first baby is growing up too fast. They were tears of gratitude that she’s growing up at all—something that should not feel spectacular, but does.

Swipe for some first day/last day comparisons and an outtake that I adore. 💜
There was a huge, complete rainbow outside Eamon’s bedroom window after his birthday party, and I can’t think of a better celestial celebration for our rainbow baby/big boy. 🌈
Our little Eamon baby is 3! 🎉 Though he will be Our little Eamon baby is 3! 🎉 Though he will be the first to tell you that he is not a baby—he is Eamon Boy, and he is a big kid.

Eamon is sweet and wild and silly and will do anything for a laugh, instantly charming everyone he meets. He is just as likely to tackle you as he is to request a hug and a kiss.

Eamon talks all the time and stretches out the last word of every sentence like it’s a question, but he also loves to communicate with roars and growls. No surface or object is safe around him, as he climbs and jumps off everything and will declare anything from a pillow to a plate his “rock” and throw it like he’s an Earth Giant in Frozen (we’re working on it).

He is obsessed with Dan, smitten with Selah, and thinks I’m just okay, at best—but he is my best buddy if the other two are unavailable.

This past year, Eamon went to Six Flags, Lake Geneva, and Disney World, and he has mastered his balance bike. Basically, he always wants to go fast and/or get as close to flying as possible.

Eamon, you are pure joy and delight, the brightest ray of sunshine, and the dreamiest rainbow baby. Happy birthday, my sweet boy! ☀️🌈💜
Or, “What does it say about me that the first po Or, “What does it say about me that the first poem I’ve written in a year is a list of things that make up my personal hell and I actually had to cut this down because I had so many/too many thoughts on the topic?” It’s fine, everything is fine.
This year was absolutely brutal. It also facilitat This year was absolutely brutal. It also facilitated some of the best decisions of my life, many born out of deep pain. Starting a new job, because the old one no longer fit. Getting vaccinated, to protect myself and others as we muddle through another pandemic year. All but quitting writing and social media, because I simply didn’t want to do it anymore. Most importantly, starting on Zoloft, because I needed it desperately. Those tiny blue pills quite literally saved my life.

The first half of 2021 was one of my darkest seasons, and the second half—thanks to modern medicine and my own intuition and the possibility of remote work, thanks to Selah starting kindergarten and me taking care of myself and being able to look at my kids and truly delight in them for the first time in a long time—was one of my happiest ever.

Holding both halves tenderly as we cross this next threshold. 💜
Selah Marie is 6! She started kindergarten this ye Selah Marie is 6! She started kindergarten this year and firmly entered world of big kids. Her confidence in every area has skyrocketed, from climbing her new playground to sounding out words to talking to new friends. She blows us away every day with her kind heart, generous spirit, and innate sense of empathy. She is tenderhearted, curious, affectionate, and hard to impress, and we adore her more every day. Happy birthday, Selah! 🧁 🎉 💜
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Brittany L Bergman is a for-profit blog. Any company that I collaborate with is chosen by me and fits the theme and readership of my blog. At times, posts may contain affiliate links or sponsored content, which is never at any charge to you.

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