Work to get what you want
photo by Martin Bravenboer
Frugality topics are often about small ways to save. But what about the bigger ways? Many people voluntarily choose to make extreme changes to their lifestyles to live more simply. Have you ever felt like a slave to your own life? I’m not suggesting you live off the grid. But we’re fortunate to have many choices every day. Frugality can help you explore your values and pinpoint how to get from where you are now to where you want to be through choices.
Some people don’t want to do the hard work it takes to get the life they want. We’ve been conditioned to think more, more, more is best. We’ve grown dependent on many conveniences. Maybe you think you could change this or that, but don’t really want to. Don’t forget what money can’t buy, and question what it does. Next, work toward choosing the life you want through trade-offs. Sometimes giving up something means gaining something else that matters more. To get what you want, could you trade the following?
CARS: Could you downsize your vehicle? Be a one-car household? Many people don’t own a car at all. There are alternatives, such as walking, biking, car-pooling, car sharing and public transportation. It’s not a good option for everyone, but it might work for you. It worked for me. There is life beyond multiple cars and loans.
HOUSE: Could you downsize your home? Do you need all the space that you have? Maybe you want it, but at what cost? If you pared down the things you owned, how much space could you free up? Could you move somewhere cheaper? I did. It helped me reach a savings goal. It also taught me a lesson in humility. Think about everything under your roof. Visualize it on your front lawn. Mentally look at it all. How much more do you own than you need? Think about people that don’t own one-quarter of it. I don’t want you to feel guilty for what you have but to understand what you need. Could you sell anything to help you reach your goals? Is all that stuff worth it?
SHOWS: Could you get rid of cable? Or unplug entirely? We unplugged for a couple of years. Could you not go to movie theaters or rent movies?
SHOPPING: How long can you go without spending money? Could you live without jewelry? How much could you buy secondhand instead of new or on sale? Could you stop using your credit cards?
FOOD: Would you give up eating meat, snacks or convenience foods if you knew it would make a difference? Could you stop eating out? Could you grow a garden? Shop locally?
VACATIONS: Could you give up your vacations? Enjoy your own community or backyard? Consider day trips?
APPLIANCES: Would you be willing to live without a dryer, an oven, a stove, a microwave or full-sized refrigerator?
What have you given up? Or what would you give up if you had to? Big or small.
Posted by Sara Noel
on May 31 2008. Filed under Frugal & simple living.Sara Noel owns Frugal Village, LLC and is a nationally syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. Bio, Follow me on Twitter, Join us on Facebook
A friend of mine sent me a link to this blog thinking I would enjoy it. I have to say, the timing for this article is perfect. Most of what you’ve mentioned above, we have already incorporated into our lives. And my husband and I were discussing other possibilities just yesterday. I have to ask, and forgive my ignorance, but what are the alternatives for appliances? I understand the dryer, but the others I am afraid, I don’t understand.
Thank you for your time and keep up the good work!
1Hi Marti,
It’s mostly an open ended question on what could you live without if you had to. Larger changes vs. the smaller changes frugality often focuses on. For example, there was a time in my life I didn’t have an oven or a stove. I used my crockpot, outdoor gas grill, electric frying pan and sometimes a toaster oven. When our refrigerator died, instead of running out and buying on credit, we bought a mini fridge and got by with that. During power outages, we’ve used coolers in the summer and tossed things in the backyard snowbanks during winter. There are manual washers such as the Wonder Wash and let’s face it: the world got by without washing machines for a long time. Also, many people feel strongly about not using microwave ovens. They get along just fine.
The point is, of course, many people don’t want to give up modern conveniences (I’m quite attached to my freezer), but when push comes to shove, they could. Many wouldn’t give up much and then they sit like a frog in boiling water. I’m not suggesting anyone continue this longterm unless they choose to, but if you needed to, you should be willing to sacrifice. There are options to bucking up and each person makes their own decisions. Personally, I’d prefer exercising a little self-reliance.
But, I fully understand that some people such as the elderly or disabled, wouldn’t find this a viable option. Some of their independence relies on these conveniences.
Lastly, I’m not advocating stepping back into a different era. Against popular belief, I’m not extreme about frugality or self-reliance. What I am passionate about is helping people to help themselves.
Frugality gets a bad reputation for being all about the small stuff like baggie washing and pinching pennies, so I say OK, would you rather make 1 large change as suggested above, or a few smaller changes.
And you know, folks with healthy finances will view some of what I have to say as being TOO frugal. But try telling that to a family that’s scraping by and experiencing hardship. I’m far from a cheapskate, but frugality empowered me and I hope it can do the same for others.
OK I’ve rambled. Thanks for visiting.
2We are one of those couples who easily gets by without a microwave. However, we have to have a washer. And I could go with using the dryer maybe half of the time.
Other ways we save: buy used whenever possible. I was in Radioshack the other day to buy a cord to hook up an old ergonomic keyboard to my new computer at work. The keyboard had cost $2 at a garage sale and the cord was $16. The clerk wanted to know why I would want to use my old one, and didn’t I want a NEW one? I said nope, don’t want a new one. I don’t buy new just to have it, and besides, mine works perfectly. Why would I throw it in the trash just because it’s old? He didn’t seem to have an answer for that one.
3We live off grid, we don’t have a mircrowave or a clothes dryer. Nor do we have a housepayment and it is still hard to stay within budget.
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