With commitments to friends and family, work demands, and devices that need your attention, life can quickly become too much. You feel like a hamster racing on its wheel on busy days, wrapped in red tape. You begin to wonder if everything in life comes with a price tag.
Sometimes, it’s necessary to step back and observe how life is going. Is it all too much? Maybe it’s time to simplify. Live a happier and more fulfilling life by getting back to basics, analyzing your finances, and saving money in the process:
1. Redefine “enough.”
Do you have all that you want or need? Do you have “enough”? Modern culture is built on socially persuading everyone to need more because they deserve it. Once you have a new possession, you must upgrade or update it to keep it current, relevant, and functional. You spend more to be comfortable, but are you? Have you had enough?
For your own mental health, you should rethink what “enough” means to you in terms of money, health, emotions, morals, and other things. Forget everyone else’s definition of “enough.” You are enough.
2. Unplug and reclaim your time.
Cut the cords and save money by ditching the cable and your landline. More people are saving money by streaming TV shows directly from online networks or subscribing to more affordable services such as Netflix or Hulu.
This is the way to go if you only watch a few shows or want to cut out excessive TV time. Landlines are also becoming less important as people use their cell phones as their main way to talk to each other and have fun. What services aren’t necessary? Reclaim your time and life by cutting the cord.
3. Simplify lifestyle practices.
Do you know where your food comes from? Does the smell of commercial cleaning products make you recoil? Do you reuse and repurpose, or do items go straight into the trash?
Convenience should make life easier, but you regularly replace products, waste your money, and end up damaging the environment and perhaps your health. Take a moment and look at some of the many ways you can return to lifestyle basics by growing your food and making your cleaning products, for example.
These things don’t take as long as you think, and you’ll feel a sense of fulfillment and genuine satisfaction in providing for your family this way.
4. Downsize to upsize your sense of freedom.
Do your possessions possess you? Large homes and lawns need constant upkeep, from cleaning to maintenance. Expensive cars need frequent repairs, some with too much financial red tape. What possessions are tapping out your financial, physical, and emotional resources?
Let go of the high-maintenance demands in your life to expand your freedom. If you spend, invest in experiences, not stuff.
5. Stop buying into fashion trends.
Trends are constantly shifting, and it’s hard to keep up. Following fashion trends can get expensive quickly. Why do you have to replace whole closet sections every season or year?
Stop being a slave to fashion. Stick to classic styles, which don’t have a season or need a reason to be worn. Shop for vintage finds in consignment shops or thrift stores. Repurpose items or host a closet exchange with friends. Save money and look fabulous.
6. Automate your bills.
The stress of keeping up with due dates adds up. Forgetful moments happen, and late fees and credit dips do, too. The time spent navigating automated systems and getting checks in the mail is more frustrating than it should be.
When you set up automatic payments, like for your phone or internet, many companies offer discounts. Save money and time by automating your bills.
7. Choose simple, multipurpose furniture.
Bulky, heavy furniture fills up rooms in the house, requires too much cleaning, has a limited purpose, and might make you feel claustrophobic.
Well-built, multipurpose furniture and items in your home will simplify your space, open up a room, and decrease stress. Relieve your decorating budget, time, and sanity without sacrificing style.
Keeping things simple in your life will give you more free time and let you enjoy life more. Live a fulfilling life without filling it with items that hold you back, and save money and your sanity by focusing on simplicity.