Frugal Can Give A Sense Of A Larger Purpose
Financial hardship is the motivation for many people to become frugal. When the best we can do is pay our bills late – or maybe, not at all – most of us will start looking for a fix.
Most of us find being constantly broke very uncomfortable. We find creative ways to spend less money (maybe a lot less) here and there. We may devise ways to earn extra money to get back to paying the bills on time. Also, it’s often an unexpected expense that puts us in this situation, so we’re interested in saving some money as a buffer to those.
Regardless of why a person becomes frugal, saving money against disaster can inspire you to save money for other purposes and embrace the concept of frugal living as a great lifestyle with many benefits.
Note: A benefit that is frequently forgotten is improving social relationships.
Frugal living reduces financial stress.
The Benefits Of Frugal Living
Freedom from debt
Leftover money at the end of the month
Improved relationships (Less tension and worry)
More time for important things (Less preoccupation and worry)
Frugal Living Can Give Power And Freedom
You’re familiar with the adverse effects of spending too freely and incurring debt. If we’re careless, wasteful, and lazy with our money, there’s a good chance we’ll have financial problems.
A frugal lifestyle is about employing and applying our funds for lasting benefit, not eventual regret.
Take On Frugal Habits
I won’t sugarcoat this: If you adopt a frugal lifestyle because of debt or other financial setbacks, you will start by scrimping and saving to pay the next bill. You’ll plan home-cooked meals instead of eating out. You’ll shop in thrift stores instead of the mall. You’ll take the kids to the park instead of the movies. You’ll probably need/want to take on odd jobs like running errands or mowing grass to help make ends meet. (You’ll brainstorm to find ways to cut expenses and save.) And, of course, you will need to create and stick to a budget designed for paying your bills on time.
First, you’ll pay your bills on time. By finding ways to increase the money you bring in, you can also start paying extra for them. Eventually, you’ll get to a point where you have money left at the end of the month.
As you become more solvent, your budget must be designed for saving and increasing the amount you save.
And…
As those small savings begin to add up, it will be exhilarating!
Here’s Where Things Begin To Get Good
Your decision to adopt a frugal lifestyle is beginning to pay off. You realize that being thrifty isn’t a waste of time and effort.
You can see how small changes in your daily life have made financially beneficial differences today and will continue to do so in the future. Your frugal efforts are working. You can begin setting goals for the future.
And…
That is a huge difference from what you faced when you first decided to try frugal living.
You are now living below your means. You can pay your bills and save money,
You’ll soon recognize that by using frugal practices, some of the dreams you had thought were dead when you became destitute are now not out of reach. You can do more than you thought you could, and it’s because of your frugal decisions. The purposeful application of frugal living principles can provide financial power and freedom.
It’s Life Changing
Now, instead of working, going home to sleep, and getting up to do it all over again, you can plan to do what you want. With proper frugal planning and practices, you can make many of those former dreams come true. (Note: I said “many,” not “all.” You’ll want to prioritize here…and, besides, upon reflection, some of those old dreams could be nightmares.)
Do you now realize being frugal can give a sense of larger purpose?
Frugal Plans Have Purpose
When you think about making your dreams come true, you’ll want to weigh the value of purposeful goals against those quickly achieved or transitory goals. Having too many transitory goals can make it challenging to achieve others. I bring up “purposeful” because purposeful goals often require a long-term commitment. Here are a few:
- Send the children to college
- Save for a down payment on a house
- Buy rental properties.
- Go back to school yourself
- Take the vacation of a lifetime
- Retire with dignity
And here are a few I would call “transitory”:
- Taking a vacation at a resort every summer
- Owning a luxury car
- Having a home library full of only hardbacked books
- Getting a dress from the same designer as your favorite movie star
- Eating out every day
Now, I do know that everyone has their own set of values. What I consider “purposeful” or “transitory” may be reversed for you. Also, we all need some of what I would call transitory goals to make life enjoyable as we work to achieve the purposeful ones. Too many of either kind would hinder achieving any goal… I’m sure you can see where priority is an important trait in the sense of living large frugally.
Conclusion
Your life can be more than work and fantasy. You can live the life you choose.
It might have taken a crushing debt for you to realize that your financial decisions – daily– have significance and can impact your life for quite a long time. It might even be hard to believe you’ll ever be debt free again. But…by adopting and maintaining frugal financial practices now, your daily financial decisions can take you from debt to financial freedom. Being frugal gives you a larger life.