We live in a society that judges your self-worth by how much you make and what you own. Status items such as big houses and cars are the order of the day all over the country, and the race to own these things is a never-ending one. Being frugal, on the other hand, is something looked down on by many people who attribute this kind of living to hippies and people who live on the fringes of society. That being said, there are numerous benefits of adopting a frugal lifestyle, and we’ll take a look at a few in this post.
Being Frugal Leads to Less Stress
A lot of us are saddled with debt because we want to keep up with our peers and neighbors. The constant consumption and consumerism takes a toll on our pockets and it makes us want to own things just so we can fit in and look the part. This debt grows with each passing month and year, and we obsess over how we are going to pay back the thousands of dollars owned by us. Being frugal means buying only the necessities and foregoing anything that’s considered luxurious. We have little to no debt when we live like this, and this is something that can improve the quality of our lives since we don’t have the scepter of debt hanging over our heads.
Being Frugal Makes You Appreciate Things More
The endless cycle of consumption can make us seem like zombies that aren’t present in our daily lives. We make purchases for items we see on TV or read about in the magazines and sometimes only use these items once or twice. This perpetuates an attitude of taking things for granted. After a while, this cycle causes emptiness and sadness, and we ask ourselves why is it that we feel this way when we have so much. Being frugal teaches you to appreciate and take joy in the little things that we have, comfortable in the knowledge that these things have a sentimental value.
Being Frugal Frees Up Time
One of the benefits of frugality is that it doesn’t eat into your time since you don’t have a lot to take care of, attend to or repair. A big house may look good, but it needs cleaning every so often. A big 55 inch TV will provide you with stellar entertainment at the expense of spending time with your family. A good job comes with perks, but it requires crazy hours at the office. By learning to live with just enough, we free up time to indulge in the things that matter in life such as family, following one’s passions and helping other people as well as the community around us.
Frugality Is Good for The Environment
A lot of the stuff we buy takes a huge toll on the environment. Gadgets drain energy from the grid, leading to a much larger carbon footprint. A lot of the products that we buy are made from natural resources that come from the earth which gets pillaged to make them. By being frugal, we are consciously taking responsibility for our energy and resource use on the planet.
Being frugal can be challenging at first, but it can be done. The idea is to ease into it and evaluate what you can and can’t live without in order to make informed decisions.