Are You Ready To Be Frugal?

Could you benefit from a much more frugal lifestyle. While most of us are not willing to drop everything for a tent in the hills, a lot of people could start making some changes that would help them save money. We really should not value ourselves by what things we have managed to purchase over the years.

Buying a lot of things, and then working hard to pay them off, may not make you happy. Certainly, it is easy to justify wanting a safe and secure home, reliable transportation, and healthy food. However, do we really need a huge house, a fancy automobile, and expensive gourmet food all the time? Would we actually be happier if we just stepped back, reduced our living standards, and actually realized we did not have to put ourselves under so much pressure? Maybe you would rather retire early, enjoy your time more, and realize you can be happy with less stuff!

It could be time to exchange your consumerist mindset for extreme anti-consumerism.

The advantage of the new extreme frugality movement is all about being able to spend your time doing things you like to do, reducing your debt, and increasing your savings. Think about all of the benefits of a more frugal life. This way you can be happier because you get to do what you want to do, and not what a boss tells you that you must do. You will be able to enjoy the income you do earn because you will not have to spend a lot of it paying high interest rates. And you will actually be more comfortable and secure because you will have more money to set aside. You could be earning interest or dividends from your money instead of spending it on things you really do not need.

You must take steps to change the way you think about things in order to be happy with less stuff. Self worth should not be totally based on your job status, how much money you make, or what you park in your garage (if you have one). We really should value ourselves because of our contributions, regardless of how much money we get paid for them!

Some people are in situations where they can make lots of changes in a short amount of time. Others take some baby steps towards realizing a more frugal lifestyle. How should you make changes?

If you are just starting out, it can be a lot easier. It may be simple for you to clean out the clutter, change your perspective, and begin your new frugal life. If you already have a family, and especially if you are already responsible for a mortgage, auto loans, and other obligations, you may be wise to plan out your strategy as a long game. A lot of us cannot become very frugal by next week. We need time to ease into it.

This is your own path. You do not have to go to any extremes. Just consider your alternatives. But you will still find yourself more secure and, probably, saner, than before you had started at all!

Remember. Sometimes we make progress in small steps, sometimes with a step back, and sometimes full speed ahead. Start exploring the changes you can make tomorrow, next week, or in a year so you can enjoy a more secure, frugal life!


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Have you heard of early retirement extreme? It is a way of being very frugal that can help you work less, and actually produce more! Visit us at the Over Fifty Website for more helpful tips and discussions.