Cheap Living
Cheap living also known as frugal living is the best way to get full value for your money. And when you are aiming for a more self sufficient life every penny counts.
Definition:
frugal - not wasteful; not spending freely or unnecessarily; thrifty; economical
As you can see there is no mention of being a miser or a tightwad.
Cheap living doesn’t involve buying poor quality products that will soon break or wear out.
A $10 pair of shoes that are falling to pieces after 6 months is a poor investment. But a $100 pair that are of good quality, fit well and are stylish rather than fashionable will probably last you 10 years, if you take care of them. In this case the more costly initial purchase ends up costing half the amount of the seemingly cheap pair.
Always consider the probable lifetime of a product before you buy.
Used items can offer excellent savings. this is especially true for childrens clothing.
You can often find a whole sack of clothes in good condition for what you would pay for just one item of new clothing at the store.
With children growing as fast as they do, clothing never lasts long before it is too tight or too short, so it’s pretty silly to pay high prices for it.
Look on craigslist, freecycle or ebay to pick up bargains online. Visit yard sales and thrift stores out in your local area. And best of all let friends and family know that you will gratefully receive any shoes, clothing or other stuff that they are throwing out.
You’ll be amazed at what comes your way if you just ask.
Having the right attitude
Cheap living is very enjoyable but you need to get your head on straight if you are going to make it work.
There is a saying “Happiness is wanting what you have”. It’s true. If you are satisfied with the things that you already have, you won’t be wishing that you could afford this or do that.
Learn to appreciate the simple things.
Understand the difference between needs and wants.
It’s the wants that put you in debt and leave you dissatisfied.
Find creative solutions to meet your needs. Who says you have to live in a normal house?
You could live in a yurt or a tiny house on wheels. You could find accommodation in return for doing some regular chores for the property owner. You could live in a RV or convert an old animal barn into a house like we have done. You could even build a hidden house underground.
Moving back home to share with parents saves both parties money and provides other benefits. In return for a place to stay you can pay the household bills. Grandparents can look after children while mom and dad are at work and there will be plenty of hands to help run the house.
A sensible solution if the family home is small is to build an addition to provide a little extra space. Two Households living under one roof will save a lot of money.
A big house isn’t necessary or even desirable. Big houses cost more to build and maintain. To heat and cool and to furnish.
Our family of 5 live in a home measuring 900 sq feet. In the past we lived in a home of nearly 7000 sq feet. We much prefer the lives we have now in our little house. There’s a lot less cleaning to do for a start.
In fact if someone offered us a bigger home today for free, we would take it, sell it or rent it out, and continue to live right where we are.
As George Carlin said
“A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you’re taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody’s got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn’t want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you’re saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That’s what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get…more stuff! “.