By Paula Sirois
www.1up.me
Just
heard that a new Iron Man is coming out soon, so a re-viewing of the last movie
was in order this past weekend. Watching Tony Stark in Iron Man gave me (and you, too, I’m sure) a severe case of “gosh, I
wish I was rich like that” envy. He’s so rich that he doesn’t even have to
remember his own social security number. Someone else does that for him. Now,
if that ‘ain’t rich, I don’t know what is. So, how are we (me, you and all of
our friends and family) supposed to walk out of that movie theatre and not feel
a tad disappointed in our own boring, blah and flightless lives? Well, fret no
more, I have the secrets on how to live a Tony Stark life on a non-Tony Stark
salary.
SAVE IT:
Drink more: Does that sound very politically incorrect? It probably is. I’m
not a big drinker. I drink when I go out. I never go out. I have a little stash
of this and that alcohol in my house simply for those rare occasions when a
real adult shows up and I need to act like I’m a real adult too and offer them
real adult beverages. But sitting in my house alone, drinking, well, it’s just not
happening. But if you want to live the Tony Stark life, drinking alone and
often is a must. So grab a martini glass and some olives and always be seen
with a glass in hand. You can easily pick up fancy bar tending materials on
eBay or at thrift stores. Mix and match makes them cooler, perhaps?
Wear sunglasses more: Sure we’ve all decided that wearing sunglasses inside is
uncool, but Tony changed all that. If you want to be cool like him, you’ll need
at least a dozen or more sunglasses and you’ll need to wear them all the time. I
mean, all the time. Every time I enter a dollar store, I walk out with a new
pair of sunglasses. Why? Well, because they are exactly one dollar and who can
resist a one-dollar anything? I keep tons of them on my car dash and have not been
forced to squint while driving in years.
SPEND IT:
Tinker more: Tony is really just a geek at heart who loves to tinker in his
basement. He fails quite often and rather elaborately. You can do that, too. Head
to Home Depot or the auto parts store or better yet, the junk yard and pick up
some stuff. Bring it home, take over the garage and start building. The crazier,
the better. Open the garage door, turn up the music and let the creativity and
invention begin. You can pick up tinkering materials for cheap on
Freecycle.org.
View more: Remember Tony’s round, ocean view, and penthouse like
mansion on the mountaintop in the last movie? Well, if you’re living on a
normal income, that view is out of the question naturally. My view is of my neighbor’s
trashcans, which aren’t pretty. But for a hundred bucks or so you can get a
wall mural from someplace like www.art.com
and before dinner is served you’ll be living it up with a view of the
California shoreline or the Eiffel tour in Paris or whatever else strikes your
fancy.
SPLURGE IT:
Drive more: You’re not about to find a Craigslist deal on the custom
Lamborghinis that Tony had in his garage, but the newer model cars that connect
your phone play list to the speakers can satisfy your need for speed while
offering up a hefty dose of cool factor. Or you can simply trade in your 2002 car
for a newer (used) model and drive off with your new-to-you car; Tony likes
sunglasses, drink in hand (well, don’t do that), and feel very Iron Man-esque.
So
maybe these three ideas won’t make you rich like Tony, but they will make feel
cooler and more creative. And in the end, that’s enough.
Paula Sirois is a
Florida-based writer who specializes in all things online, frugal living and
family life and can be reached at paulapla@gmail.com and www.1up.me, a no-holds-barred, live-action, edge of your seat, sweat-inducing,
split-second decision making, real time sports gaming app for hockey,
basketball, baseball and drafts.
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