The quest for living frugally
Frugal is defined on dictionary.com as : " economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful".
When I was little, my grandma always talked to me and my sisters about living life below your means, and that this was the way to being rich. As a kid, I didn't appreciate this sentiment, especially growing up in a culture of consumerism. I wanted to have every new toy that came out, all the stuffed animals I could get my hands on, and never once thought about it. Our western mentality teaches, "what can I get".
As I have gotten older this has become a problem for me. It disgusts me to see people hurting other people just to get a discount TV on black Friday. To see all the waste we have because of needless "stuff". To see kids unappreciative of any gift they get that isn't the latest and greatest.
Why? Why I ask, do we have this unending need for more? Is it because we are so unhappy that we are searching constantly elsewhere and outside for something to fill the void? Who knows. But I have chosen to not live this way anymore. L and I both have. So how does it look for us?
Living frugally for us means like grandma said, living below our means. Not getting something bigger just for the sake of having something bigger. Keeping a smaller apartment, streamlining the amount of "stuff" we have, down to things that are 1. necessary and 2. get used. Not having useless or unused stuff hanging around. No TV- which not only saves on electricity, and cable bills, but helps us to not waste time mindless sitting in front of a big screen. That doesn't mean we don't watch netflix, but again we have streamlined our media viewing habits. Selling the unused things to other people who can use it. Budgeting has been a bit part of our lifestyle. Tracking and planning weekly meals so that we can cook everything from home, which in the long run saves a lot of money. And with the planning we put in, the actual process of cooking does not take up that much time in the long run. Since we cook most everything from home, that means we rarely eat out, unless it is a special occasion.
No car. Most Americans probably think that is crazy we don't have a car, but it saves not only money, but stress and time wasted sitting in traffic jams, plus cuts down on our risk of being in an accident. We are lucky where we live now, that we can both cycle to work in around 20 minutes. We walk and carry our groceries, or use the bikes for bigger loads. Living frugally does not mean living cheap, for us it means investing in quality rather than quantity. Buy something that will last 10 years and be a better return on investment rather than buying a lot of cheaper things.
Why do we live this way? 1. to help pay off my student loan, 2. help do our part for the environment, 3. to become financially independent. 4. because it feels good. Living below your means, means you have extra money to save, the more you save the less dependent you will be, more freedom in the long term.
We have a very full life, living frugally. At no point do I feel that I am missing something in my life, not having as much stuff as I used to. In fact I feel much less stress than before. And I think our society's obsession with consumerism will ultimately be a downfall, so we all should learn from my grandma. Keep only what you need, live below your means, pay off your debts, and stop buying just to buy.
When I was little, my grandma always talked to me and my sisters about living life below your means, and that this was the way to being rich. As a kid, I didn't appreciate this sentiment, especially growing up in a culture of consumerism. I wanted to have every new toy that came out, all the stuffed animals I could get my hands on, and never once thought about it. Our western mentality teaches, "what can I get".
As I have gotten older this has become a problem for me. It disgusts me to see people hurting other people just to get a discount TV on black Friday. To see all the waste we have because of needless "stuff". To see kids unappreciative of any gift they get that isn't the latest and greatest.
Why? Why I ask, do we have this unending need for more? Is it because we are so unhappy that we are searching constantly elsewhere and outside for something to fill the void? Who knows. But I have chosen to not live this way anymore. L and I both have. So how does it look for us?
Living frugally for us means like grandma said, living below our means. Not getting something bigger just for the sake of having something bigger. Keeping a smaller apartment, streamlining the amount of "stuff" we have, down to things that are 1. necessary and 2. get used. Not having useless or unused stuff hanging around. No TV- which not only saves on electricity, and cable bills, but helps us to not waste time mindless sitting in front of a big screen. That doesn't mean we don't watch netflix, but again we have streamlined our media viewing habits. Selling the unused things to other people who can use it. Budgeting has been a bit part of our lifestyle. Tracking and planning weekly meals so that we can cook everything from home, which in the long run saves a lot of money. And with the planning we put in, the actual process of cooking does not take up that much time in the long run. Since we cook most everything from home, that means we rarely eat out, unless it is a special occasion.
No car. Most Americans probably think that is crazy we don't have a car, but it saves not only money, but stress and time wasted sitting in traffic jams, plus cuts down on our risk of being in an accident. We are lucky where we live now, that we can both cycle to work in around 20 minutes. We walk and carry our groceries, or use the bikes for bigger loads. Living frugally does not mean living cheap, for us it means investing in quality rather than quantity. Buy something that will last 10 years and be a better return on investment rather than buying a lot of cheaper things.
Why do we live this way? 1. to help pay off my student loan, 2. help do our part for the environment, 3. to become financially independent. 4. because it feels good. Living below your means, means you have extra money to save, the more you save the less dependent you will be, more freedom in the long term.
We have a very full life, living frugally. At no point do I feel that I am missing something in my life, not having as much stuff as I used to. In fact I feel much less stress than before. And I think our society's obsession with consumerism will ultimately be a downfall, so we all should learn from my grandma. Keep only what you need, live below your means, pay off your debts, and stop buying just to buy.
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