Texans Might Have More Money Than They Think
Does it feel like you have $47,000 per year to spend on whatever you want? You probably do, and you'll want to treat yourself to a relaxing massage after this.
The average person in Texas is sitting on $47,821 each year in disposable income, according to Moneypenny.
It's odd that it's called "disposable income," because that implies that we're tossing it down the drain, but really it's the chunk of income after taxes that we're free to do what we want with. It's the reward for all the hard work. Texas is one of the top twenty states in America when it comes to self-care, meaning a good pile of that $47,000 goes toward "me time."
To come up with the best states for self-care, they looked at disposable income, national park sites, number of residents per health club, and searches for salons and therapists. Those are all good places for self-care dollars to go, and although some of us might want to add bars, restaurants, malls, and movie theaters to the list, they kept things a little more narrow this time.
This we know, and the results confirm that Texas takes self-care and wellness seriously. Texas has 2,081 active residents per health club and 14 national park sites, and those are two of the things that make us the 16th best state for self-care and wellness overall. California, New York, and Nevada are the top three states, but we don't have to pay Manhattan prices for a massage here and that makes our self-care dollars stretch further.
The LA Times said self-care is a $10 billion per year business, and it encompasses things like "affirmation cards, pamper kits, chakra stones, self-care retreats, workshops, life coaches, and hundreds of podcasts." It's headspace, it's R&R, it's a deep breath, and it's a break from the routine, and wherever you find that is your self-care home base.
We've been posting vacation ideas week, and national parks are expected to be a big draw this spring. Gyms are great places to blow off steam and connect with health-seeking friends too. Texas already has a good grip on wellness, so now it's just a matter of budgeting how much of our income we want to put toward it. How 'bout $47,000! Or maybe a little less after the mortgage.