Adopting a frugal lifestyle is a decision most people struggle with. Reason, it equates to stinginess and is cheap. A misunderstood way of handling finances, which goes against YOLO crusaders.
However, what they don’t know is, a frugal lifestyle has a positive impact not just on their wallets, but also on their general health and sustenance. Whether one decides to fully adopt a frugal lifestyle or practice part of it, they will benefit.
In case you are struggling with adopting frugality, this is the right article for you. Explore these amazing benefits of being frugal and see what you stand to gain.
1. Helps one plan for the future
A majority of successful people admit to working with plans. Planning helps one think up informed, short and long-term goals. By identifying what they want, and its priority, frugal people can schedule their needs and wants.
Budgets help frugal people to come up with financial estimates of their income, expenses and savings towards different goals. A person planning to retire early will undoubtedly embrace a frugal lifestyle to meet their goals. They will do away with luxuries or work two jobs if they have to.
A frugal lifestyle may deny you certain pleasures, like frequent outings or working overtime to meet your goals, but only for a while. In the end, they accomplish their goals relatively faster than people living in the present.
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
2. Promotes a healthy lifestyle
Frugal enthusiasts engage in activities that keep them fit and healthy. They walk short distances instead of driving, tend kitchen gardens and rear domestic animals. This makes them exercise without spending on gym subscriptions or managing medical conditions.
Those with kitchen gardens benefit by consuming organic farm produce. In an era where the food chain is infiltrated by chemicals, it would be wise if people took precautions. Health experts warn people against consuming processed foods because of their unhealthy levels of sugars, sodium and fat. They expose people to obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The ability to adapt to different situations in life also helps manage disappointments, thus regulating stress. A stress-free person can make informed decisions. Most financial mistakes occur when one is emotionally unstable. The inability to cope with tough times may make one invest blindly, get into more debt and loans.
Health is wealth.
3. Skill acquisition
Frugal people are good at taking up cost-cutting measures to tame their expenses. The more they practically engage in activities such as gardening or cooking, the better they become at it. For example, a gardener. They know when to plant different crops, how to inter-crop and how to eliminate different pests and diseases.
They also gain skills by taking advantage of information from DIY guides like physical books, videos, and e-books. One doesn’t have to be an enthusiast of a specific skill to learn it. Basic knowledge coupled with information gained can help one perfect a variety of skills.
Frugalists never stop learning. The more they learn, the better suited they are to survive in today’s world.
4. Creates an additional revenue stream
The beauty of acquiring and perfecting skills is that one can easily monetize it. Not all cooks attended culinary classes, and not all businesses started with huge capitals. Some businesses started in the backyards, kitchen, and bedrooms as trials. One can start from baking for family and extend the service to friends and neighbors at a reasonable price. As time goes by and one perfects their skills, the venture will grow and birth a bakery, hence creating revenue. How better could it get!
With the skyrocketing levels of unemployment, side hustles are gaining popularity. The unemployed can identify skills of interest and work towards perfecting it.
Start where you are, use what you have.
5. Instill discipline and responsibility
Tracking one’s income and savings consistently defines limits. These limits nurture discipline and responsibility. Frugal people are cautious of actions towards themselves, their community and the environment.
As one writes their goals, discipline is what it will take to achieve them. As one manages their supplies and assets, a sense of responsibility is what will remind them to use and handle them well. Good custodians exercise discipline and account for their actions.
No pain, no gain.
6. Discourages misuse and wastage
Frugal people abhor waste. To manage their resources, they reuse, recycle, plant, compost and repair to reduce waste. Value for money is their mission, and with this mentality, nothing goes to waste. They compost kitchen waste for their gardens and fix broken furniture instead of throwing them out.
Discouraging waste kills consumerism, solves waste management problems and fuels sustainable innovation. The compost from kitchen waste serves as an organic fertilizer, eliminating the need to purchase fertilizer. Composting also reduces the amount of waste released into the environment.
To benefit from their possessions, frugal people take good care of their things. Be it a car or phone, they are always careful not to misuse them because they don’t plan on replacing them soon.
A society that embraces a zero-waste culture has solved a majority of its problems.
7. Helps manage debt and finances
Have you ever been in a financial crisis? Nothing to be ashamed of! Whereas practicing a frugal lifestyle doesn’t eliminate debt, it helps one view debt from an informed perspective. One understands that credit options come with great responsibility and are not a reason to engage in impulse spending, which ties one to debts.
The benefit of being frugal is, it helps one structure their payments such that their basic needs aren’t affected. One learns to distinguish between urgent and less urgent needs. Investment plans get scrutinized to assess their viability, thus nurturing wise financial management.
Debt is the modern day slavery.
8. Frugality nurtures patience
You’ve probably heard a lot about how frugal people plan and budget their finances. A close look into this habit reveals that, through activities and forecasting, frugal people nurture patience. They understand everything has a natural course. Through farming, rearing animals or making products, they know there are processes that must take place before one enjoys the end -result.
Delayed gratification is also another benefit derived from frugal living. It means forgoing short time rewards for long-term achievements. A person may forgo luxury cars to save for or buy a retirement home.
Patience is a virtue.
9. Promotes self sufficiency
Self-sufficiency is the ability to produce what you need without external help. When one is frugal, they try to reduce their expenses by producing what they need. A kitchen garden will reduce your grocery costs by providing vegetables. Farm animals will provide you with milk, meat, butter, ghee and eggs, thus reducing your food costs significantly.
Self-sufficiency also builds survival skills. A majority of people living in major towns don’t know how to grow vegetables. They have left food production matters in the hands of large-scale farmers and importers. If people took up farming activities, however small, they would be food secure.
Surplus harvests promote barter trade. You can trade your eggs for milk or vegetables, which is also great for reducing expenses.
A frugal lifestyle is a worthy cause whose benefits guarantee steady progression. However, don’t be too rigid that you don’t enjoy life. What you need is to balance your income and expenses to enjoy the benefits of being frugal.
So, are you convinced a frugal lifestyle can help you manage your finances and build a variety of skills towards self-sustainability? If you are, go through our blog to read more about frugal tips and alternatives on different issues.
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