What skiing has taught me about being frugal
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Reading Time: 4 minutesSo I don’t really have anything super valuable or educational to say here. 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!
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!
What does skiing have to do with being frugal?
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 mad. 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 it when I’m skiing. And I want others to have that feeling, too!
Be frugal, really? That’s your advice?
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 young age and never had roommates or had my parents help pay for it. Then they would find out how much I traveled. Then they would see how often I would ski, which most people think as being a sport for the rich. And they wonder how I could 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.
When my income got to a certain level, I kept my expenses at that level 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 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.
My friend would call this “controlled consumption” (click here to read this and his other wealth building tips from My Wealth Money), 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.
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 because they are important to you and do bring you happiness, so be it. That’s your choice.
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. I’d suggest not overspending on things like expensive cell phone plans, for example, so that you have more money available for those things you truly want. It’s just choices. 🙂
Closing thoughts
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! You should prioritize your spending so that you’re only spending on things that are actually important to you. This is what it means to be frugal.
I hope you’re inspired to make different choices so you can live a life you really want.
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.
