How We Actually Afford This Lifestyle
This is the question we get more than any other.
How do you actually afford this lifestyle?
Not the Instagram version. Not the fantasy. The real one.
This page isn’t about flexing or pretending it’s easy. It’s about explaining the tradeoffs, the boring parts, and the decisions that make living East Of Ordinary possible for us.
The Honest Short Answer
We don’t afford this lifestyle by being rich.
We afford it by designing everything around it.
That means where we live, how we work, what we say no to, and how comfortable we are with uncertainty.
This lifestyle is prioritised, not funded.
What People Assume (And Get Wrong)
Most people assume one of three things.
- We must have family money
- We must be secretly loaded
- We must be reckless with finances
None of those are true.
The real difference is not income level. It’s structure.
How We Actually Structure Our Life
Everything is built around flexibility first.
- We choose work that can move with us
- We accept uneven income instead of fixed comfort
- We design our expenses around seasons, not stability
- We avoid lifestyle inflation like the plague
This doesn’t mean living cheaply for the sake of it. It means spending deliberately.
Income Reality
Our income is not perfectly consistent.
Some months are strong. Some months are average. Some months are tight.
That scares the shit out of a lot of people. We decided early that predictability mattered less to us than autonomy.
Freedom comes with cash flow swings.
If you need every month to look identical, this lifestyle will feel stressful fast.
Expenses We Keep Low On Purpose
We consciously spend less on:
- Housing permanence
- Status purchases
- Cars and upgrades
- Stuff that needs storage
- Keeping up appearances
Not because those things are bad. Because they anchor you.
Expenses We Choose To Spend On
We spend more on:
- Experiences over assets
- Snow seasons and travel windows
- Flexibility and location choice
- Quality time together
- Memories we actually remember
That tradeoff is intentional.
The Part No One Likes To Talk About
This lifestyle comes with stress.
- Income uncertainty
- More planning
- More logistics
- Less long term certainty
There are moments where a normal, predictable setup would feel easier.
We accept that cost.
What Changed When We Had Kids
Having kids didn’t end this lifestyle. It reshaped it.
We move slower. We plan more. We think further ahead.
But the core reason we live this way actually became stronger. We want our kids to see that life is something you design, not just inherit.
What We Would Do Differently
If we were starting again, we would:
- Build buffers earlier
- Accept discomfort sooner
- Stop comparing ourselves to traditional timelines
- Ignore outside opinions faster
Most mistakes come from trying to half live this life while still clinging to normal expectations.
That lesson alone is why we wrote about what we would never do again.
Who This Works For
This works for people who:
- Value autonomy over certainty
- Are comfortable with uneven income
- Can say no to social pressure
- Prefer experiences over accumulation
It does not work for everyone. And that’s fine.
The Bottom Line
We don’t afford this lifestyle because we cracked some secret.
We afford it because we made it the priority and accepted what that costs.
This isn’t about money. It’s about values.
If that resonates, you’re already closer to living East Of Ordinary than you think.