Live Better for Less

We never really know how much money we can live on and be comfortable unless we give it a try. Developing a budget will give you a chance to try out frugal living. It is true that you can live with fewer amenities and still lead a fruitful existence.
I resist the urge to use the word “happy”, because it is more of a buzzword really. If you can be content without going to the movies each week or buying a new pair of shoes twice a month, then you are off to a good start. Let’s consider for a moment the things that we have gotten used to in our lives that we could do without or do with less of.
Remember when you were a struggling college student or a young married couple with limited funds? Fun was going to street festivals or seeing free foreign films on the weekends. A date was held in the living room with a sheet as a picnic blanket and a home cooked meal. We did what we could do with what we had.
One mistake that we all make is believing that those things are obsolete when we gain a better financial footing. What happens is that we soon return to the same conditions but with a better set of circumstances. We can afford a new laptop or a television in each room in a four-bedroom home, but we are still scraping by each month.
There are some things that can be left behind. Living in an apartment is one of them. A home will help you build equity and give you insurance for the future. Struggling with an unreliable car when you are finally able to afford a better one is another thing to be left in the past. A better car will save you money.
There are other things that can be continued. Cooking meals at home each night instead of eating out or packing a lunch for work are money-saving activities. How about those impromptu dates on the carpet? They can be moved to the back patio when you buy your home, but they don’t have to happen in a restaurant.
Living better for less is a state of mind. To live well doesn’t mean you have to have the biggest or newest gadgets. Getting the best for your money is the object. If you can spend twenty dollars on a new water filter and stop buying bottled water, then you are getting the best that your dollar can buy.
Do you want to live well and be secure for the future? Keep some of the old habits from when money was in short supply and adopt new ones where applicable. Live on less and have more of a life.