The Empty Cart

I believe the formula to wealth is ridiculously simple.

Executing that formula is ridiculously hard.

When I turned 40, I came to the realization that I was behind in the retirement game. This can be troubling for anyone, but a major reality check for someone who wants to retire early :)

Today, I am going to pull a page out of Daniel Pronk's book, The Fundamentals of Investing, and break down his Wealth Formula:

1. Have an income
2. Spend less than you make
3. Invest the rest

I share how I have used each lever and how you can build wealth even if you are missing a step!

Discover more at www.theemptycart.com

There’s this sneaky kind of dopamine hit I feel every time I fill up my cart and make a new purchase.

Even the research building up to that final click feels absolutely liberating. I have to admit; a full cart offers a satisfying feeling.

Sadly, that sweet thrill wears off. Sometimes the 2-day Amazon delivery keeps the feels alive with expectation. But eventually, it fades. It always does.

There’s the shirt in the closet with the proud sale tag still dangling. The new car smell that has settled to the stale fast-food air. And the bookmark still waiting on page 8 inside that book you couldn’t wait to read.

After a lifetime of living the emotional rollercoaster on repeat, I’m realizing that behind every purchase is a tradeoff.

And it leaves me asking, “Is it worth it?”

The tradeoff doesn’t show up right away so don’t be frustrated if you missed it. It took me 44 years to put it all together. And even now, in my blissful youth, I am just getting started.

But here’s what I’m finding.

After every successful checkout is less money in my bank account and less time to spend on the people and things that matter the most.

Like I said, it’s sneaky. I didn’t realize it was happening until enough stuff had piled on my counters and clogged my mental bandwidth. I was bursting at the seams.

Buying the new car meant adding on the car wash. The car wash had a deal to add another car at half off so naturally I upgraded. An extra $35 a month.

The Oura ring came with a lot of baggage I didn’t even notice at first. A yearly $79 subscription, another new app to my crowded iPhone pushing me to upgrade my iCloud storage to the $9.99 tier, another charger hanging off my bed stand, and new shiny notifications blowing up my screen.

It was so easy to buy - my Health Savings Account (HSA) covered the initial $350 purchase so why not?

Sounds familiar, right?

As you can image, the tradeoffs multiply over time. We just accept them as a rite of passage into adulthood.

Let me ask you, “Is it worth it?”

Last month, I canceled my Oura subscription. I know it’s small, but passing on that tiny ring has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.

And last night, I deleted other apps off my iPhone which moved that $9.99 iCloud storage fee back down to the $2.99 tier. (I got my eye on you, $0.99 tier!)

Maybe you feel the weight of stuff too. Getting control can feel like righting a wayward ship.

Maybe you feel too far gone to course correct. I get it. Thankfully, small steps eventually take you to the top of the mountain.

If you’re ready to take that first step, what’s one item or subscription you can let go of by the end of the day?

Let’s start there.

Spend less, live more.

Discover more at www.TheEmptyCart.com

Welcome to The Empty Cart, a podcast and conversation about minimalism, money, and discovering what matters most.

As an app designer, I see the empty cart icon a lot. You know the one — a little illustration, usually looking kind of sad, nudging you to go fill it up.

As I've gotten older, I've learned the things I put in it never actually fulfilled me. So this is about flipping the script: the empty cart isn't the failure state. It's the goal.

An empty cart isn't about having less. It's about gaining more.

More room in your closet, more room in your budget, more room in your head. Everything you don't buy is time you get back, money you get to keep, attention you get to spend somewhere better — on your people, your dreams, the life right in front of you.

I'm Jeremy. I have a wife, three kids, and two dogs, so this isn't magazine minimalism. It's messy, Legos-on-the-floor minimalism.

I'm just here writing down what's working. What's not. And the life I’m discovering on the other side of the cart.

My mission is to spend less, live more.

Discover more at www.TheEmptyCart.com