What is Simple Living?
Did you catch the scope live this morning? No problem if you didn’t. I talked about what frugal simple living is. I think simple living or frugal simple living can mean a lot of different things to different people. I shared about what frugal simple living looks like to me in the scope. You can watch it below or read the ideas I shared below.
What Frugal Simple Living is to me…
https://youtu.be/SKV1vE7Q3Kk
Being Secure Enough to Go Against the Flow
Living frugally and simply isn’t easy. You are constantly bombarded with the new this or the new that, on ads, tv, and online. It’s easy to get caught up in the next new shiny thing and begin to need it. It takes being secure in who you are and knowing what your needs really are to say no to the next new thing.
We buy a new item when the old item can’t be repaired or is worn out or in the case with electronics can’t work with the current updates. We drive old cars that are maintained well and we live in a smaller house than most people we know with the same sized family and it’s alright with us. Knowing what you really need and what’s important to you will make living frugally and simply so much easier.
Making the Most of What you Have
Whether it’s the last little bit of toothpaste in the toothpaste tube or that last little bit of peanut butter in the jar. I try to get out as much as possible to use it all up. It helps me get an extra serving or useable amount out of an item I might have thrown away in the past.
I know when I was coupon shopping more often I got into the bad habit of thinking I didn’t need to use an item up. I had a few more waiting in the cupboard and it wasn’t worth the effort. But just because you might have an abundance of an item that’s no reason to be wasteful with it.
Living Good on Less
Over the last 25 years of our married life, my husband and myself have found we can live good on less. It does take a little creativity at times and some work, but it has worked well for us. I’m always on the lookout for new ways to find the items and things my family needs for less.
I shop the discount grocery and bread store to get food we need at much lower prices than the regular stores. We shop eBay, Craig’s List, and estate sales for local items like furniture and home items. We have found some great deals like my $4 waffle iron and a great maple table and chairs for our dining room. When motivated you can almost find everything you need at a good price.
Clearing out the Clutter
We all need stuff to live. Clothing to wear, furniture in our homes, and things in general. But when you have an overabundance of items it just becomes clutter. Clearing out the extra stuff you no longer need or love can give you freedom. You can gain freedom from maintaining the items. Freedom from feeling guilty you don’t use it and freedom of space and breathing room in your home.
Living Within Your Means
This is a lesson I wish I could have learned earlier in life. When we were first married my husband and I were spenders. We had lots of money coming in and little expenses, but we still got into debt. The debt was mainly for entertainment too. Nothing really tangible at all for all the money spent. If there is one thing I can say to help you live a more frugal simple life it is live within your means.
Debt is a terrible thing that can hold you back in so many ways. When you scale back your spending to below what you are making, you can save for the big things in life and be financially secure. Now we are fully debt free and never want to go back to our old ways of spending beyond what we make.
What Frugal Simple Living is Not..
Trying to Live on Less than Everyone Else
It’s not a competition. It’s adjusting your lifestyle so you have the time and money to enjoy the things you love. Don’t give up something you love just so you can say you are living on less than someone else.
Being Cheap or Cheating Someone
Being cheap or cheating someone is not what it’s all about. I’m happy when I find a great deal, but I would never do it at the expensive of someone else. If you are bartering or haggling with someone be sure your offer is reasonable.
Having a Bad Attitude that Steals Your Joy
You need to live a frugal simple life because you want to. I know at times it can be hard when you have to cut back because you need to. I’ve gone without things because we couldn’t afford them at the time. It can be really hard to have to go without, but your attitude can make a world of difference.
Instead of feeling sorry about what you don’t have, rejoice in what you do have. Adjusting your attitude can make all the difference in the joy you have when living a simple life whether it be voluntary or because or circumstances you can’t control.
What does frugal simple living mean to you? I would love to have you share in the comments below.
This is such a great post! I agree that it is hard to live simply and frugally when you are shown advertisements almost constantly, especially when people around you show off their “toys.” Keeping all of your points in mind is helpful to staying on track and meeting your goals.
Advertisements are get my son all the time. He sees the advertisement and wants the item. We haven’t been as diligent with him as we were with our daughter about teaching him that advertisements are designed to make you want something. We are working on it, but it was so much easier with our daughter since we started talking with her about advertisements when she was about 2 years old. 🙂
Living better or just as good on less is very important, it doesn’t make sense to throw away your hard-earned money. One thing I would like to share which has made a huge difference in my life is to use only ONE credit card and use it for everything. This credit card should be a no-fee card that gives points for every purchase. At the end of the month, when payment is due, pay off the balance. At this time, you can see where all of your money was spent and in some cases wasted and do better the next month. Beyond this, you will only have one payment and lots of points that can accumulate to be used for groceries or other things you may want, depending on the card choice. If the initial credit limit is low on the card after a short time the credit card company will increase it substantially, if you’re paying it off every month and using it for all of your purchases you will become one of their important customers.
Thanks for sharing the tip Joyce. We do something similar. We only have one credit card and use it for all purchases and bills paid online. But we still use cash for groceries and things we buy in person. We get cash back on every purchase which is so nice.