# 20 Live Below Your Means *Week 4, Day 2 of [[00 The Wealthy Stoic Course]]* #source/course << [[19 The Secure Stoic|Back]] | [[21 Avoid Dying A Thousand Deaths|Next]] >>  ## Content [[Seneca]] ([article](https://dailystoic.com/seneca/?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=convertkit&utm_campaign=below-your-means)) wrote eloquently about the meaninglessness of wealth and the importance of the simple life. And yet, money is partly what attracted him to Nero’s service.  If only [[Seneca]] could have listened to the simple advice in Cato the Elder’s [_On Agriculture_](https://geni.us/fVU6Bee). There, Cato—the great grandfather of the Stoic Cato the Younger—talks about the importance of managing your money and your tastes.  “A farm is like a man,” he wrote, “however great the income, if there is extravagance but little is left.”  His advice to the aspiring farmer is to build a house within their means—to **put your money into your farm, into something that generates returns, not something that impresses your neighbors or assuages your ego**. ==It was better, he said, to [[Cultivate the selling habit, not the buying habit]]. Selling meant you were making, buying meant you were consuming==. How does a business succeed? By things going out the door, not in the door.  Austin Kleon quotes Lynda Barry, “The key to eternal happiness is low overhead and no debt.”  We can extend the definition of overhead and debt to be more than just financial–it’s not just what you owe the bank. It’s what you owe other people, it’s the power you give them over you and your work that matters. At one point or another, everyone is offered a nice sum of money in exchange for something they don’t particularly want to do. We’re not telling you to turn everything down or that gifts and perks are themselves, evil and corrupting. Plenty of cases justify taking money. But make sure there isn’t a line with a hook attached to it. So look carefully and constantly keep in mind the Bill Cunningham quote we talked about back in week 2: > “Money’s the cheapest thing. Liberty, freedom is the most expensive.” **Watch Instagram [video](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsyahLuvphs)** 📺 --- ## Activity **Are you living below your means?** We don't mean this in the extreme way. Everyone is different and everyone enjoys different things. But, when you look at your budget, is there something that constantly bites you each month? Are the delivery charges from food delivery services adding up to more than you expected? Are you paying for a high-end gym membership but are only utilizing the perks that the basic gym in your neighborhood has? Are you paying for subscriptions that you don't even use? What is something that you can change to help live below your means?