Being Frugal Is NOT Boring!

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So I don’t really have anything super valuable or educational to say about being frugal. I guess you could call this post one that is meant to be more inspirational than anything else.

I was indulging my passion for skiing this month and it just got me motivated to write a post to inspire you to want to live a frugal life!

What Does Skiing Have To Do With Being Frugal?

To me, frugality does not mean to just be cheap and never spend any money. Frugality means that you save money on whatever and wherever you can so that you can spend as much as you want on whatever you want!

Let me explain why I was thinking about frugal life and personal finance while I was skiing. 🙂

I love skiing. I ski as much as I possibly can. It seems like everyone says they have a “passion”, but this is real. I’ve been going to the same ski resort for years and I’m still not tired of it (well, maybe the traffic). I’ve been to and seen places that not just anyone can access. I love skiing!

So while I was on the mountain, I got to thinking about this website and what I’m trying to inspire others to do, because I feel like I’m living my best life! I get to live this life because of the lifestyle choices I’ve made. Specifically, it’s the choices to not spend money on other things so I can afford to ski.

I want you to choose new habits so you’ll be able to live life better, too! I’m not a millionaire (yet!), but I feel like one when I’m skiing. And I want others to have that feeling, too!

People Will Definitely Make Fun Of You

People used to make fun of me for my frugal habits. Well, they still do, honestly. But then they’d find out that I bought a home at a 25 and never had roommates or had my parents help pay for it. Then they would find out how much I traveled. They would also notice how often I would ski, which most people think as being an expensive sport (it can be, admittedly). And they wonder how I can afford it all.

Some assume that I’m richer than I appear and that’s how I could afford to do all these expensive activities. Well, their guess was actually true… in a way.

Avoid Lifestyle Creep

When my income got above a certain level, I kept my expenses the same while my income continued to increase. Since I didn’t allow myself to indulge in lifestyle creep, which just eats away at your wealth, I didn’t even have to make six figures to be living this lifestyle! I just make choices about where I really want to spend my money.

I don’t buy new clothes very often, or go to the mall for fun, or eat out often. I also choose to live in a modest home. I could have afforded more when I made my purchase- I could afford way more now- but I choose to keep my cost of living low so I can do other things with my money. I didn’t even have TV for years! I decided that traveling (my other passion) and skiing were more important than mindlessly spending my money on things that don’t really bring me happiness.

So, Being Frugal Is Fun?

Being frugal, in a way, is fun because it allows you to afford the things you want! It doesn’t mean that you should never have an upgraded home, or you shouldn’t go shopping. If those are things that you want to spend your money on because they are important to you and do bring you happiness, so be it. That’s your choice.

My friend would call this avoiding the consumerism mindset (click here to read this and his other wealth building tips from Plant Money Seeds), which is a very appropriate way to describe what I’m talking about. I know way too many people that have clothes in their closet that still have tags on them! What a waste.

I’m usually strongly focused on getting others to save or invest their excess cash flow, as you know if you’ve read my other posts, but I wanted you to know that spending money is okay, too! While some may preach that you should invest every spare cent you have, there are other things that are more important than money. You just need to prioritize your spending so that you’re only spending on things that are actually important to you. This is what it really means to be frugal and it does allow you to have fun!

Closing Thoughts

My hope is that now you’re inspired to make different choices so you can live a life you really want!

I’m sure there’s an area of your life that you could get away with downsizing in order to devote more money to what is truly important to you. Look for ways to save in your every day life, like cell phone bills, use coupons, meal plan…anything to not spend more on things when you don’t have to. It’s all about choices. 🙂

I get to do all that I do because I live on a budget. I get to do these things because I’m not burdened with debt. I get to do these things because I did not increase my lifestyle as my income increased…

And I really do get to live the best life because of it…

Take the time to define what is really important to you.

Save where you can so you can spend where you want.

RELATED

See my posts about getting out of debt here.

See my posts about improving your savings here.

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