Friday, March 18, 2016

Benefits Of Frugality

The older I get and the longer I consider myself a frugal person, I see the many benefits of frugality. This is my opinion of how living frugally aids many other areas of our lives besides our finances. Frugal mindful living has brought me to a place where I am more content with life. I am happy with my little home and garden and thankful for what I have. Frugality as a way of life has many pluses. Here are a few I find most beneficial.

saving money, frugal living



1. Saving Money

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of frugality is the money that you save. Over the last nine years since I really started down the frugal path, I have begun to look at the money that comes into the house not as how much I get to spend but on how much can we keep and spending as little as possible on the things we need to buy.

Of course I still splurge and everyone has their things they feel are worth the money spent on them but by doing things like driving our cars forever, we save on car payments and insurance. We have a very reasonable honest mechanic and the cost of maintenance and repairs has really been minimal.

2. Saves Time

Living frugally is a real time saver. No lie. I have come to a point where I rarely go shopping other than for food. Occasional trips to the hardware store and Sam's club are made with stocking up in mind. We keep a list for each type of store we shop at and then think ahead listing what we need. This way we are out shopping less, staying in more, freeing up time. I prefer time at home cooking and gardening.

Buying less, or consuming less also saves you time in your home. Less stuff coming into the house is less that you have to store, maintain, clean organize. Free time to do the things you enjoy is a benefit of living frugally.

3. Encourages Organization

Frugality lends itself to being more organized. Over the years as I have become more conscious of our money, paying off debt, spending less, I have developed better ways to organized or financial and family papers. When you are mindful of your money you naturally want to see where it is going and hopefully how much you are saving.

When you have to make things last, you take care of them. A neater more organized closet or pantry aids you in using what you have. If things are a mess or your clothes are in a pile at the bottom of your closet, you don't know what you have and you may give into the urge to just go buy something new. I now prefer less is more in my wardrobe. I plan each season on what I will need or the kids to get through. We just don't buy for the sake of buying but look for the items we actually need.

4. Leads to Happiness

At the time that I left my job to come home and we became a one income family, we were also adding another person to our family and getting ready for our first child to start college. Frugality was not an option. We had some lean years but coming through almost ten years now, we have continued and even doubled down on our commitment to living under our means. We see the benefits and it is a very good feeling. Frugality, when not extreme, leads to happiness because it changes your mindset. Do you agree? Are you frugal and happy?

Visit our Frugal Tips page for ways to save around the home. Sharing here:friends


10 comments:

  1. I totally agree. I watched my ex spend all his money, and it was a huge chunk each month, on clothes and shoes and watches, etc. All because of vanity. Then the next month he would start all over. I left there with significant debt because when he asked for my credit card, I was afraid not to give it to him. When I divorced him I had to file bankruptcy. I will never spend what little I have till there's nothing unless there's some form of disaster.
    Brenda

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  2. Mr. Sweet and I are on Social Security and we stay on a strict budget all the time...actually, I've been on budgets all my entire life.
    This is a good post...

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  3. It's all about attitude and state of mind, rather than how much stuff we have or money in the bank.

    I notice everything is relative and everyone has different priorities. Even spend thrifts coild be considered to be frugal when it comes to certain things. One might be frugal about food, and others about entertainment. My feeling is balance is key. Everything will then fall into place.

    You made some excellent, valid points.

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  4. I so remember when more was more. Now I am all about less is more. Great post.

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  5. We are on the same page. Being frugal has so many benefits. Some folks think that being frugal means being cheap, but it just means that you don't waste things and you use what you have in the most efficient and effective way possible. I'm not a shopper because I'd rather be productive than consumptive.
    Love your mindset on this subject.

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  6. You are on the right path to a better life style. I totally agree with most of your being frugal ideas. However, at my age, you better have all your eggs in one basket as it is little late. The younger generation needs to read your post.

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  7. I agree with you that being frugal has many benefits.

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  8. Great post....and a nice push to keep me on the frugal path! I thought of you yesterday as I made a refill of your bleach spray and 'stretched' my laundry detergent once again! Every little bit helps!

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  9. I love your post. I agree 100%. Living beyond our means seems to be the American way for years now. Credit cards are one of the reasons for this type of thinking. We personally have been cutting down on expenses that are not a need and it is a hard road to follow. More young people should read this. Thanks for posting.
    xo,
    Jeanne

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  10. We've certainly found this to be true since we've embraced a frugal lifestyle in the past year. It's exhausting to go through store after store making decisions and worrying that you've forgotten something. Since we let it drop, it really hasn't been a problem, even if we did forget something. :)

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