If you can easily afford these ten things, your financial situation is better than most Americans.
Road readiness
Most drivers only replace their tires when they’re practically bald, since a set of four good ones runs from $800 to $1,200 these days. Forking out a grand for car upkeep, rather than relying on credit cards, is a pretty big deal financially.
Statistics prove that a staggering number of car accidents are caused by poorly maintained vehicles owned by people who otherwise couldn’t afford unplanned mechanical repairs.
If you buy four new tires the second they begin to wear down, you probably have a far better grasp on your financial health than the average driver.
Mental spend
These days, even with decent insurance, it can be next to impossible to find therapists and other specialists that accept your insurance.
Having to “Pay-To-Play” just to take care of your mental health is a burden. Most Americans can’t afford that kind of hourly rate without going into the red.
When you can prioritize your mental health without insurance worries, you’re in a privileged position.
Food freedom
Let’s say eggs, olive oil, or beef suddenly double in price because of supply chain disruptions. Most people trade their organic groceries for processed foods just to make their grocery budget work.
But what if you can fill your cart with fresh, organic, or protein-rich foods, no matter what the price tag is? You’ve avoided what millions of Americans are feeling: that “inflation anxiety” is really creating a bigger divide between the haves and have-nots when it comes to healthy food.
The ability to look past the price-per-pound sticker at the meat counter is a silent testament to wealth.
Urgent departures
The cost of a same-day flight is often three times greater than the price of a flight you’d book for a trip you planned.
Tomorrow morning flights are routinely thousands of dollars for a round-trip ticket. Unless you emptied out your emergency fund (or went into debt), you probably couldn’t afford to get to your grandma’s funeral or sit by your cousin’s hospital bed tomorrow.
Having the financial flexibility to travel anywhere instantly equates to a form of wealth that buys you time and movement. That’s the sweet spot where money works for you.
Costly prevention
There are many hidden household expenses that no one thinks about until they are forced to pay them.
You may never consider how amazing it is that you could hire someone to remove a dead 60-foot oak tree from your yard until the day you learn just how expensive it is.
It’s likely you put off dealing with that tree since you couldn’t pay to have it trimmed.
Tackling home repairs before they become emergencies is a sign of financial stability. You’re in control of your home, not the other way around.
Growing feet
Kids grow so fast and require new shoes every few months.
Good, supportive shoes easily run over sixty bucks a pair. It might not seem like a lot, but imagine you’ve got three kids and are shelling out $200 for shoes every couple of months, especially when school bills or utilities are going up.
Parents who can buy the good shoes as soon as their child’s foot hits the shelf aren’t stressing over what millions of Americans stress over every season. That’s frictionless cost of living at its finest.
Teeth without loans
Dental insurance maximums are very low ($1,500/year). That’s barely enough to pay for one root canal and crown.
If you need two fillings and an implant, you’re talking $3,000–$5,000 that your insurance won’t pay. For dental work, the majority of people wind up using CareCredit or another predatory financing option.
If you can pay for a large dental bill upfront, it is a huge indicator you have liquid savings and aren’t just paying bills.
No lag life
Accepting the cheapest $50 plan will always come back to bite you in the form of dropped calls or slow upload speeds that harm your career over time.
If you spend $120+/month on fiber internet and Wi-Fi just to have reliable connectivity at your fingertips like you’re expecting, congratulations, you have purchased yourself out of one of life’s greatest annoyances.
Being able to afford reliable technology is a luxury because consistency is a premium service.
Healthy pets
Annual checkups for your dog or cat aren’t expensive.
But if they start acting under the weather and you pay for bloodwork, X-rays, and ultrasounds that easily surpass $1,500 before your vet even gives you treatment options, you’ll never be able to afford to follow through.
Pets are put down every year because owners can’t meet halfway between a sick pup and a five-figure bill.
If you’re rolling in dough and can cover everyone, pets included, those vet tests are no big deal.
Change of space
It happens. Everyone talks at once during dinner. The AC goes out. And you need silence to function.
A quick escape to a nearby hotel room for a couple hundred bucks can be a lifesaver when home life gets overwhelming, especially if you’re not ready to leave town.
Most people need to feel they are getting a good deal on a hotel before they’ll book. If you can buy space or change your scenery because you’re feeling down or sad, you have more money than you think.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
