My No Spend Summer Challenge is officially over. We’re well over half way to our savings goal. For a number of reasons, we’ve decided to stay put for another six months. So in about half that time, we’ll begin looking for a house in earnest.
This is a temporary goal that requires some sacrifice, however, I’m dedicated to frugality as a way of life. It occurred to me recently that frugality has many advantages that nobody really talks about, but that are no less real.
Let’s call these the unsung benefits of frugality, from the silly to the serious.
Nobody else is wearing your dress
When most of your clothes come from consignment shops and thrift stores, and you have a minimalist wardrobe of carefully curated pieces that look just right for your body type and style, you’ll never show up at an event and see someone else dressed like you.
Your vehicle is carjack proof
This past week in the small town outside Atlanta where I live, a car was stolen from a gas station. The perps jumped in while a man pumped gas and took off, with a baby in the backseat. They then led police on a chase that ended with the stolen car crashing into a house. Thankfully the baby was ok. (The parents, no doubt, aged a decade that night.)
This is just one of several recent carjackings in the area involving children.
When you have a car like this, nobody wants to steal it. They want the tricked-out, $40,000 Escalade, not your old 15-seater passenger van.
Which is just fine by me.
Sad but true, we live in a world in which visible displays of wealth invite crime. The area I live in has been plagued by a rash of home invasions. But I doubt anyone would break into my home, because it doesn’t have the visible trappings of wealth.
For me, wealth is the health of my family, money in the bank, a pantry full of food (and eventually, a paid-for, modest house). It’s not a McMansion and shiny new cars with accompanying bloated monthly payments.
Because we live well beneath our means and prefer to be modest instead of showy, we are far less likely to be targeted by evil people.
You can live on last month’s income
Budgeting is difficult for many people. One reason is because their income is variable. If you freelance, do side hustles or work for yourself full-time, your income changes month-by-month.
Being frugal means you have enough money in the bank to create a budget for this month based on what actually came in last month. This makes budgeting much easier and you’ll never run out of money before month.
You can enjoy the little things
Today my family went to a local “Taste Of” event. We spent a few bucks on tacos, BBQ and ride tickets for the kids.
But the best part was the free live music at the end. Because we don’t take lavish, expensive vacations, we enjoy simple entertainment more. A day trip to the mountains. Free concerts. $3 tacos. Etc.
What unsung benefits of frugality do you enjoy?
This post sounds so like my husband & I. We live our lives pretty much as you do…with replacing things as needed, (cars, electronics, etc.) We just replaced my 2004 Ford Focus (120,000 miles) with a new-to-us 2014 Ford Focus & paid cash. We certainly are not flashy, therefore our items are probably not steal-worthy to most. And, I love wearing clothes to work & other events that nobody else is wearing, that I paid pennies for (well maybe a little more than pennies!) Love those thrift shops!
Love this article. My husband is a tech worker with a good salary and we live quite modestly in a very affluent area. Thankfully, we have no interest in flashy new cars or the huge million-dollar houses (on tiny lots) a few miles away. We have a small not-fancy condo in a very walkable area, and two older, paid-off cars. The thing I love about my old Honda is that if it gets dinged in a parking lot, it’s no big deal. And, like you said, no one wants to steal it. 🙂
Another benefit of frugality for me is that it is possible for me to work part-time in a job that I enjoy, but which doesn’t pay particularly well. I still have enough time to cook all our meals from scratch and maintain a garden at our city’s community garden. I buy a lot of our clothes at thrift stores or make them myself. I love living this way, but I know very few people who are willing to make the choices we do.
Being able to do work one loves is a huge benefit!