How We Do It: Simplicity Saves Money

This is the most challenging part of frugal living for me and my family. My husband and I both grew up in houses with lots of stuff. we both came from relatively large families and so there was always things around. When we got married we brought together all our collections and past stuff we had and have slowly been working through our attachment to it as we have strived to live debt free. We have realized that we can live without so much that we thought we never could before.

The biggest rule in simple living is that simplicity is living on and with less. This means you don’t spend more money which in turn means that you save more. The more you save the more you have to spend on the important things in life. for us that means to have enough every month to live debt free while still having all we need ( house, food, lights, water…). For others that may mean having money to go out to eat once a month or to take a family vacation somewhere.

A few suggestions I have for living life simply are:

always ask yourself “can we use something else”. This means when you are looking to buy something or if you are cleaning out your house, you ask yourself if you really need the item or if you can do without it and replace it with something you already have. When we were getting ready to have our garage sale we were going through our kitchen and realized we had way to many different bowls. We were able to get rid of a lot of them because I kept only the ones I used often and we were able to have more room and less clutter.
Don’t buy things on a whim. When you are shopping for food, clothing, or other household products, don’t just go to the store and buy whatever you find. make a list of what you really need and stick to that list.
use everything to the max. This is one tip that can have many different meanings. from household cleaners, to clothing, to food. It is important you use everything to the max usage. If you were to use vinegar for cleaning you can clean just about anything with that and baking soda. no need to have lots of different chemical cleaners in your home.
Think Simple Thoughts. This is easier said then done, but living simply is mostly a frame of mind. When you think simply you are sometimes out of the normal way society thinks these days. Always keep in mind that simplicity isn’t about having it all, it is about having all the quality in your life.

Less is More. I’m sure you have heard it before. But I think it is more about less stuff= more quality. the less stuff you have in your schedule, in your home, or in your relationships. the more quality you will have. your relationships will be stronger and you will be able to keep your house cleaner and have the time for what is really important, your family and life.

Do you have tips on how to make life more simple?