What a great question! I’m glad you asked.
First of all, what picture does the word, creep conjure
up in your mind? Have you ever sneaked up on someone and then scared
the daylights out of them? You were able to get close enough without
being detected by creeping up on them? Creep refers to
something that is done so surreptitiously that most people would not
detect it. Little by little, it moves along until bam! It happens.
It
happens very slowly, often completely unnoticed, and then, bam!
Disaster strikes. Lifestyle creep is not the kind of habit that the
rich are guilty of. It is instead a kind of “boom and bust” trait can take you away from your financial freedom and even leave you broke.
Lifestyle
creep is in our very nature, so it needs to be recognized and fought.
It’s where you’re living quite comfortably with your income. You have
everything you need, a house, a car, a yearly vacation; then you get a
raise or your business really takes off, and suddenly your income goes
up.
A lot of people take this as an opportunity to increase their standard of living to match the increase in their income. This is when people suddenly move into a bigger house, buy high-end automobiles, go on exotic vacations, and so on. You would not believe how many people who suddenly have a lot more money go to Vegas to live it up and gamble! It is a very strange paradox that when we become better off we tend to instantly want to do things that will make us worse off.
As I have often said, job security is a myth for anyone, including some of the highest earning executives. Remember that a collective agreement between your union and the company you work for with a job security clause is only valid until the company shuts down or renegotiates. There is no such thing as job security! If your income increases, don’t let lifestyle creep rob you of your gains.
Rich people resist
the urge to spend more when they’re making more. Instead, they put
their money into savings and investments that will increase in value and
pay them in the future when they need it. They put off having what
they want today in order to have something tomorrow, something called
financial independence.
Remember, financial independence is not
about having a huge income or being able to buy everything you want
whenever you want it. Financial independence is about having the money
you need when you need it to maintain your lifestyle in the comfort
you’re used to.
Don’t allow lifestyle creep to steal that from you!