Frugaling

Save more, live well, give generously

5 Ways Frugality Reduces Entitlement

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Glacier Mountain in Colorado

When I used to drive, the roads seemed chaotic. Drivers would cut each other off, give a finger, and visually seethe with anger. Driving wasn’t my favorite activity, but I rationalized a “need” for a car. It would take me to work, school, and play. I had “real” reasons to have one.

I clutched onto this idea and would frequently feel deserving of a car, place on the road, and conscientious, obedient drivers. I’d get furious when someone stopped at a light for a moment too long or was slowly moving in a passing lane. Others were blocking my ability to drive swiftly, effortlessly, and calmly. They were the problem!

Embarrassingly, it wasn’t the only area where I felt a sense of entitlement. A few years ago, I remember complaining that making lunches was an inconvenient task. It took too long. I expressed a desire to be able to afford and not feel guilty about eating out more often.

And then there were all the times where I convinced myself that I deserved something special. My mind of would casually drift into complacency and I’d think, “Because of all my hard work I deserve a treat.” But did was I really entitled something extra, more, or sweet?

Sometimes these thoughts would border on narcissism. I was a special, important person – better than the rest. I’d expect others to conform to my norms and settle into my expectations. I was looking out for number one. I struggled to see what others were experiencing. Like a sudden smack over the head, frugality was a departure from entitlement. Over time, it helped me see my blindspots and grow. Here are five takeaways:

1. Learning to live modestly

As I pursued frugality, life became simpler and more modest. Slowly I built more savings, cooked more meals at home, and made more donations to others. I brewed coffee at home and found ways to get it free on campus. My shoes became more beat up and shirts developed frays. I learned to patch things and upcycle. I sold my car, and bought a bike.

2. Opportunities for self-reflection and growth

With every shift, I realized a different side of my personality. The whole world got a facelift – a beautiful reframe. My bike empowered me to see the city with a fresh pair of eyes. Without the normal trappings of “success” I could reflect on who I want to be as a person. In time, I realized great fulfillment in helping others.

3. Exploring long-term happiness over short-term “fixes”

By choosing this life, I consciously eschewed the easy routes for long-term happiness. Advertisements market a life of joy through possessions, beer, soda, and cars. Oh, the things you can buy to make yourself better! Finally, those words and images stopped working. I wasn’t compelled to go to the mall after seeing an ad, and I became more hostile when I’d see them.

4. Increasing patience with impatience

Before I changed my life, long lines were infuriating. There was an incompetence to everyone around me. The checkout person wasn’t going fast enough and the shopper had too much in the cart. Over time, lines became an opportunity to breathe and think briefly. Similarly, I developed patience with others’ impatience, anger, and entitlement.

5. Departing the rat race

Entitlement is a nasty, nefarious quality. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to see. Someone usually has to say it to your face (someone did for me). Frugality has enabled me to look for qualities in myself and others that aren’t about how much they can buy. Another’s worth is no longer tied to net worth.

How have you changed since you embraced frugality?
What did you learn?
How might you grow if you suddenly lived more minimally and mindfully?

Frugality, What Is It Good For?

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Toronto Harbourfront

When I talk about frugality, I tend to focus on saving money, living simply, and making more. It’s a winning combination. By combining all three components, I knocked out nearly $40,000 of student loans, a car loan, and credit debt.

Unfortunately, I sometimes develop fatigue from concentrating on ways to prevent spending. It’s tiring to always keep watch for wasteful spending, and easier to simply swipe a card.

Thankfully, strong reasons such as reducing climate/carbon impact and disdain for contributing to major banks’ profits keep me motivated. I have a purpose, rationale, and philosophy undergirding everything I do. Without these, I’d fall off the wagon and spend crazily again.

Ironically, part of the reason I live this way is to spend money. I mean it. I save and save and save to spend money. Crazy, right?

The difference, now that I’m without debt, is that when I purchase something, there’s no interest against me. I’m following the age-old wisdom of the financially privileged/savvy to be liberated from banks’ powers to constrict and restrict.

Without loans and carried credit card balances, I’m free. And now, I can spend it the way I’d like. So after all the money gets deposited, invested, saved, what do I actually spend it on? What are all these efforts good for?

Since I’ve embraced frugality, three major spending areas continue to be of importance:

1. Travel

I’m currently in graduate school, which keeps me restrained from many travel opportunities. Frankly, that’s probably a good thing for my budget. But every now and then, I can save and purchase a flight — all interest free.

Most of my money actually gets spent to see family twice a year. Although, this fall break I’ll be going to Colombia!

When I fly, I look for the best deals possible by shopping various sites, check my frequent flyer mileage accounts, and book about 1.5 to 2 months out. I tend to decline most forms of trip and travel insurance, as my credit card provides those benefits for free. When I land in a new destination, I immediately try to find local shops and supermarkets to try and stock up on a few snacks/non-perishable foods. This planning allows me to experience the local cuisine and cultural foods, while managing the budgetary blast.

Travel is exceptionally important to me, but it has a powerful price tag. I don’t offer unsolicited advocacy for travel and don’t recommend that people travel to some faraway place. The fact is that travel remains relatively expensive, and it’s one luxury that I’ve been able to partake in with a positive net worth. It’s okay if you can’t travel today. Save for that opportunity.

2. Charity

Recently, I released my first book, Frugaling: Save more, live well, give generously. The title seemed to summarize everything about this site. The latter aspect – giving – is one of the most significant reasons for my frugality.

Throughout my life I’ve always given money to charity. Regardless of my current debt load, I’ve made efforts to give to others in time and donations. Today, charity holds great importance in my life, as I can give without going into debt. Every dollar to my favorite charities doesn’t represent a dollar to a bank, which will be placed under a horrific interest rate.

I don’t have a set percentage, amount, or expectation for giving each year. Rather, I find causes over the course of the year that mean a great deal and/or donate to what’s consistently moved me. Two organizations that I regularly donate to are Doctors without Borders and the Always Remember Never Surrender Endowment.

3. Professional opportunities

As a graduate student, I get paid a small stipend to work and study. Soon, I’ll be applying for internships (similar to a doctor’s residency) for counseling psychology. That process may cost $2000-3000, but is an essential part of the process to get a Ph.D. Afterwards, I’ll hopefully be hired at a site and begin to have more substantial paychecks.

Having my own savings allows me to pursue various options for employment without going into debt. Additionally, the process of becoming a licensed psychologist, which I desperately want, requires a formal examination. The test costs thousands of dollars – not to mention the study materials. It’s another area I’m saving and planning for.

From travel to charity to academic opportunities, these options became possible after I paid off the debt. Previously, I used loans as a method for travel and adventure and even giving. But I was simply digging into a deep, dark hole of debt. There was little hope or light before. All I can say is that good things come to those who can cut costs and pay off their debt fast.

A lot has changed during my journey to change my debt. What you’ll notice is that I’m not saving for a car, house, or large physical objects. I’m a product of the Great Recession, skeptical of big banks, and not ready to make such financial commitments. As such, I cannot envision taking on a mortgage, car loan, or anything else at this time. For now, I’m free from the trappings of debt and living well.

So what is your frugality good for and where do you ultimately spend money?

“Frugaling: Save More, Live Well, Give Generously” Is Now Available!

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Frugaling Book Cover

After weeks of final edits, a big cover art change, and rounds of feedback from friends and family, I’m excited to announce that Frugaling: Save more, live well, give generously is now available on Amazon.com!

The book is over two years in the making. At the beginning of my frugal journey, I had five figures of debt. Now, I have assets and capital. I no longer worry about what I’ll owe the bank. My potential and future are invested in me. I wrote Frugaling so that others could find financial freedom and empowerment.

But today, rather than focus on why I decided to write this book, I figured I’d acknowledge some of the people that helped make it happen. The people I want to mention have been interested from day one. They have supported, encouraged, and promoted my work better than I could ever do. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.

  • To Mom and Dad, you shared the site and book with friends and family, provided commentary along the way, and built a home where reading and writing were vital skills. And Mom, a special thank you for reading and editing the early drafts.
  • To Noah, thank you for providing some last minute changes to the book. I would’ve looked like a fool without your help! Good luck on your first day of school.
  • To Joshua, your words spawned the last 6 months of work to write and compile this book. I cannot thank you enough for your support and help.
  • To Danny, Eric, and Kate, I couldn’t have asked for three bigger fans. You signed up for the email digests, marketed my book, and offered inspiration for countless articles over the years.
  • To Jeff, thanks for keeping in touch all these years. Our shared experiences with debt helped light a fire for Frugaling!
  • To Chase, Christian, Danika, Devan, Kevin, Laura, Linda, Morgan, Nika, Paul, Susan, Yun, and the many more I probably need to mention, thanks for checking in about the book, commenting on the site, and sending interesting articles my way. You’ve been an incredible network for support and ideas.
  • To those who email, tweet, text, and/or randomly message me, your words mean so much. I’m always blown away when someone says an article made them feel better and/or connected. I’ll do my best to keep it up.

Gratitude comes easy after writing this book. I couldn’t have done it without you all. I hope you’ll support me by buying the book today! And I’d love it if you shared the book on Twitter and Facebook to help spread the word.

Thanks for being a frugal friend,

Sam

Always Start With Frugality

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Photograph 022 by Katie Purnell

Recovering from financial calamity is fraught with con men, pyramid schemes, get-rich-quick guides, and work-from-home advice. Each of these examples provides a “solution” to debt. With their help, they suggest you can recover and live a better future.

When I was in debt, I wanted a quick fix. Unlike consumption, where it was effortless to swipe a credit card, recovering from debt meant putting the breaks on everything. All the momentum – from advertisements to cultural upbringing to environmental expectations to relationships – was moving me in one direction. I needed to stop, and didn’t know how or who to turn to.

Unfortunately, many of these methods fail to help people in need. They miss the mark, take advantage of those with less, and tend to only work for a small portion of the population.

A couple years ago, I remember wading through my Gmail spam folder, wishing that loan payment and relief emails were true. They marketed special exemptions and “secret” deals to wipe the slate. These clear scams seemed like magical oases of monetary support. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could click three times and my debt would wash away?

The reality is we share two equations for our financial lives:

Income – Expenses = Net Income/Loss

Free Time – Work = Net Free Time

We all know it, but how we approach these solutions varies greatly. We can add to our income through wealth, jobs, or advocating for pay raises. Similarly, we can reduce our expenses by cutting cell phone bills, reducing energy expenditures, or selling a car. What remains is our net (total) positive or negative number. If we are all constrained by these equations, creativity must occur on both ends – with income and expenses.

Today, I advocate for people to reduce expenditures before adding on more income opportunities. Frugality helps people minimize spending and prevent spending – thus heightening net income. By removing expenses, we tend to simplify our lives and work less. Hence, those who pursue frugality first are able to free up time.

While I realize the necessity of work, we live in an overworked and underpaid society. If we can manage to spend less, our lives can be fuller – across economic strata. Free time is a dying quotient across age groups. Even children have less time for recess! Fun, free play is at the heart of creative discovery. When we’re overworked, stress levels spike and life becomes a dull day of shower, eat, wash, repeat.

Before pursuing scams and “special offers” that tack on more qualifiers and hoops, consider reducing your workload by removing anything extraneous. Subtraction is easier and safer than working longer hours, picking up a second job, or working on side jobs. Likewise, it helps you stay psychologically and medically well – not overworked and near the brink.

Start with frugality. Remove all the superfluous from your budgets and lifestyle. Likely, there’s room for less.

If that’s not enough, then start hustling.

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