Mabel Amber/Pixabay

This was originally posted to Medium on January 30, 2023 (https://medium.com/non-monetized-together/im-grateful-that-i-don-t-need-to-pay-for-the-latest-smartphones-9059d7b26f57?source=friends_link&sk=cad96657daccf2cd61b17ebc763d4d65)

#Budget #Thankful #Laptop #Phone #Technology

Only using old smartphones has made my life so much easier. I’m grateful I noticed this opportunity when it was still available for me.

Part of it has to do with the cost factor, as I can use old smartphones for free. I’m saving many hundreds of dollars here. This helps me feel much more set for life. By not purchasing new phones, I also use fewer resources and help save the planet.

Another benefit is that these phones have minimal value if you already own a laptop. I would feel double-charged if I bought the latest phone because my computer can already do most of the stuff a smartphone can do. This also means I can use a smartphone past its due date since I don’t even have to be using all its features. For example, I try not to use my out-of-date phone data for things like Internet browsing and downloading. I do most of that on my laptop instead. Usually, the only times I need to use data on my phone are for basic things like two-factor authentication, tickets, and QR codes.

Other than that, smartphones are only good for instant messaging, calls, taking photos and videos, and doing calculations. All of this you can do on an old phone. So I would say, I’m pretty glad not to waste my money on up-to-date phones.

I will give a shoutout to @kobevlemings and his article The Top 7 Most Overpriced Apple Products of All Time.

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This article was originally published on Medium on February 20, 2023 (https://medium.com/@non-monetized_together/people-in-romantic-relationships-are-so-lucky-670078c07b4c?source=friends_link&sk=9d425e9c135cbd7cd8046d38583fcf2b)

#Thankful #EnjoyingLife #Dating #Economy #SuccessfulPeople

I always found it weird how blasé people are about having a romantic partner. How do people treat such an accomplishment like it is just another outing?

Like, I know most people experience it. So what? Imagine if everybody was as doing as well economically as they are romantically. I think that would be quite the difference from the world we are living in now. It would sound like paradise. So why don’t people view romantic success the same way?

If the economy was at that level of prosperity, would people be able to understand how good they have it? Or would it just not matter anymore, like it does with romantic relationships?

If the social movements to reduce wealth inequality actually end up succeeding, and we get to this point of economic balance, I hope people don’t start treating financial comfort like they do romantic comfort. Otherwise, all that effort from the activists would be wasted.

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