Just who are you? How are YOU going to teach me about money?
Truth: I am not a millionaire. Truth: I am not where I want to be yet in life. Truth: I am still better off than most people reading this. I live a frugal life. Now there is a lot of advice on the Internet about how to live a frugal life. You can watch videos that range from something as simple as turning off the lights when you leave a room, to grinding your own flour. There are forums out there where people discuss the ways they use the rainwater they collect to do everything from watering plants to flushing their toilet. How frugal you are currently, or want to become, depends on your lifestyle. In my opinion, all it takes to be considered frugal is to actually stop and think before you purchase something. You can simply decide to turn down the heat at night and save a little on your utility bills. You can shop sales and coupon all the time. Being frugal isn't about washing out ziplock baggies for me. It isn't about grinding your own wheat or collecting rainwater. It isn't even about that gadget you didn't buy last week. Being frugal is about thinking before you spend AND planning how to spend it. It is about conserving what you have, no matter how little. It is about saving money and managing your finances so that you have opportunities later in life. Every household has different financial situations. That is why I provide a free budget template for you to use. We all have different goals as well.
The bigger point is that every household has to look at their own unique situation and then decide where they can - or need to - become more frugal. Frugal living doesn't mean going without things. It doesn't mean that you don't have what you need in life. In fact, by living a frugal lifestyle, I have more now than I ever did before.
Frugal shoppers are cautious by nature. They take care of their money and make the most of it. Many frugal shoppers actually have everything they want and the satisfaction that it doesn't hurt them financially to purchase it. They spend time to make wise financial decisions, utilizing coupons and sales. They learn how to make their hard earned dollars really work for them, instead of spending them quickly every payday. They have a lot more in life for less money. Frugal living is also about reducing what you spend, living within your means, using what you have on hand, and taking care of your belongings, especially your money. It is about making goals and working to reach them. Which would you rather be, the person who decides when and where to spend their money or the person whose money is spent before they even make it? So what can I teach you about money? Take the time to look at how you spend your money. How you spend is more important than your income level by far. You can make $100,000 per year, but if you spend $120,000, you are in some real financial trouble. If you want to get ahead in life, you have to spend less than you make consistently, and that is what a frugal lifestyle is all about. Besides, your life will become a lot less stressed and hectic. It is much easier to spend less money than it is to go make more money. It is easier to be frugal than to juggle credit cards and lenders each payday. I found the frugal methods that worked for my family over the years and started saving money so that we can live a better life now and later. That is who I am and what I can teach YOU about money. |
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