And this is why I’ll “waste” money on gyms and travelling to interesting places to hike, fresh produce and over-hyped barely scientific superfoods … because I want more quality years.
There’s a genetic condition running through my family, and it’s a dice roll. I’ve had cousins die at 17-25 from this condition, most of my uncles passed at 50-60 from it, a few aunts passed in their 40s, a huge chunk of my cousins died in childbirth in their 30s because of complications associated with this condition.
And yet my grandmother, who passed this down to us made it to 94, and she was still going at full speed with all her wits until her last day. On my dad’s side, there are autoimmune issues, which reduces quality of life, the men die in their 60s and very early 70s, but all the women are still kicking at 85+ but their cost of living is astronomical because they’ve been disabled for the last 30+ years of their lives.
I’m one of the oldest in the family that was young enough to get a diagnosis and get some early intervention (the condition wasn’t fully known until the mid 90s)
I really don’t know what my medical future holds.
Maybe I’ll get an AAA and die at 35.
Maybe I’ll have a CVA in my 40s, and live another 30 years severely disabled. (I had a series of TIAs in my late teens before I was diagnosed and properly managed, so I know I’m a high stroke risk)
Maybe I’ll be running around in my 90s like my nan.
If I saved every single cent of my income from the day I got my first job until I turn 67 (current retirement age in my country) , I’d still only truly be able to afford one of those above scenarios… Why “hard save” when hard saving will achieve nothing long term, but soft saving can achieve a miriad of important short term goals, and possibly even give me a better chance of making a living long into life.