One of the primary traps for a lot of folks often find themselves in is the trap of “keeping up with the Joneses”. The trap is one of appearances. When we try to keep up with others, we are concerned about the appearances or trappings of wealth rather than wealth itself. As the great Dave Ramsey would say… “Never keep up with the Joneses because they are probably broke.” This is due to the Joneses financing most of these things with debt. They have car payments, credit card debt, lease payments and high mortgage payments. And almost all of them are just a paycheck away from ruin.

Back when I was younger, I remember a TV commercial with some guy in it talking about his status while mowing the lawn on a riding mower in a very upscale neighborhood. He was telling the viewers about his big house, two new cars, country club membership and kids in a private school.. He told the audience “How do I do it? I’m in debt up to my eyeballs.” This holds true for more men than we care to admit. And this debt holds us back in all facets of life.

Red Pill philosophy stresses that we improve ourselves. This applies to our financial life also. For in truth, how can we improve ourselves if we are living from paycheck to paycheck just keeping up with the bills. This requires us to change our mindset about our finances the same way we change our mindset about going to the gym. And the beauty of this is that once we change our mindset, our lives become less cluttered and more focused. And the best part is that we achieve actual improvement rather than appearances of improvement.

How do we start this change of mindset? For me was the realization that having the latest, greatest and most expensive didn’t really impress anyone: including myself. Well at least after the initial shine of what I bought wore off. Once I realized that that new BMW was draining my wallet, I realized that the only two people cared two cents about it: me and the finance company that accepted my monthly payment. I swapped my BMW for a 2010 Mitubishi Spyder Eclipse convertible with 70,000 miles. It runs like a top, gets great gas mileage, I have no car payment and I couldn’t be happier.

And guess what? My friends are still my friends. Nobody cared either way. And if they did: do I really want them in my life? OK one cougar did mention it when I picked her up for a date. She told me she usually goes out with guys in newer more expensive cars. I told her I understand as I usually go out with younger women. (Shit test passed and still got laid.) This also goes for most other things I use daily. I got all my home exercise equipment and bicycle off craigslist. My arms don’t care that the dumbbells I curl are used. The road doesn’t care that my bike is used. However, my wallet loves the extra cash I have in it and so do I.

Adhering to the substance over appearances philosophy makes the accumulation of wealth much easier. And by eschewing the trappings, we make financial improvement in our lives that much easier. I’m not going to profess that I am the expert here. But I do know enough to realize if I can avoid keeping up with the Joneses, I will have more than them and my financial position will put me in the financial driver’s seat.