“Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough.”
~Old Testament Proverb
Day 1 is here! Are you ready? Over the past few days we have been discussing frugal ways, storage tips, sales and staying home more instead of using extra gas to drive all over the world each and every day which usually results in extra spending.
I wanted you to be absolutely sure to know that being frugal does not mean to be cheap or to deprive you or your family of anything. It really means to do more with what you already have and to save or cut back on things that are unnecessary. Unnecessary things will be defined by people differently.
For example: I do not dress up each day for work, luckily I am my own boss and can work in my pj’s if I so desire. 🙂 Therefore I don’t have to do any sort of dry cleaning except for the RARE time I go somewhere fancy and need dress up clothes. So I don’t buy anything that needs to be dry cleaned. Those cleaners charge an arm and a leg!
Another example – I love shoes and boots and probably have more than I NEED but most of them were aquired through yard sales, thrift stores or after season closeouts. Still I seem to wear the same three pairs of shoes or boots all the time.
We don’t go out to dinner much, maybe once or twice a month and usually it is sushi that we get and bring home. Last month my hubby, son and I went out to dinner – an over priced dinner. Jonathan ordered a steak and then said ” Mom, this better be a good steak since it costs almost $20!!!” It’s not that I don’t enjoy fine food but my food at home is just fine with me!! I rather use that $20 to go buy some plants or new boards to fix the fence. 😀
From Andrea’s(Frugally Sustainable) archive to you in her words:
“How did we as a society lose touch with frugality?Somewhere in the middle of the twentieth century, frugality started to gain a bad reputation. The “more is better” mantra of the industrial revolution was sweeping through the hearts of individuals. The lure of the almighty dollar and it’s power to buy began to replace the practice of thrift — stealing our contentment — and frugality took on an association with poverty and deprivation.Since that time, it seems as if the “more is better” mentality has been entrenched into our minds. It has lead to excess in so many areas and the promise of happiness has never come; possibly due to the fact that no matter what it is…it’s never enough. There’s little appreciation for what we already have.The interesting thing is, we have so many things to be thankful for! Unfortunately, we’ve been trained to believe there is only one way, and we can barely imagine something different.
Some people call that materialism. But I believe it has more to do with what we think our possessions represent — success, esteem, status, achievement, or blessings.
We rarely stop to enjoy what we have. It’s always a race to the next bigger and better thing.
Enjoying What We Have
Living frugally does not require that we put off all material possessions and live in abject poverty. In fact it’s quite the opposite.
Frugality means we are to embrace and enjoy what we have!
Let me give you an example to illustrate my point. If someone has 5 pairs of shoes, yet he/she thinks they have no shoes to wear and goes out to purchase a new pair…who cares if the shoes are purchased on sale (or at the thrift store for that matter), that lack of contentment leads toward wasteful behavior. On the other hand, if you have 5 pairs of shoes and enjoy wearing them day after day, year after year, then you my friend are frugal.
Redefining Frugality
Our level of frugality should never be measured by our ability to shop a sale, or use coupons, or penny-pinch. No, frugal living is found in the enjoyment of what we already have.
It’s learning to appreciate the physical world that surrounds us. It’s stopping the continual search for more. It’s finding value in all things.
Frugality is…
- sharing with one another
- living life in balance
- finding happiness in the way things are
- being a good steward of our time, money, earth, energy, and possessions
- enough
- simple living
- nothing wasted or unused
As we move forward with this Challenge, we will be exploring many ways in which we can save money. We will not be talking about how to be cheap or ways in which to “get by.”
We will learn the joys of frugal living and the freedom that it gives us. There is so much creativity that has been extinguished in us due to our materialism and useless spending.
It’s time to let go and rediscover!
Now It’s Your Turn
Daily Goal: Reflect upon your thoughts surrounding frugality. What are some misconceptions that you will need to overcome? How has materialism and useless spending held you in bondage?
Comments below appreciated! 🙂
Thank you and ENJOY this reflection,
Anne-Marie
“he who will not economize will have to agonize”
Bella Vista Farm 