Ready to put some money back in your bank account? You've come to the right place.Editor’s Note: From time to time I will be featuring the thoughts and strategies offered by those who have, and continue to, influence my thrifty life. One such person, who I hope will become a regular contributor, is my mom. This is a guest post by my mom, Linda Roberto.
I can’t help thinking that “becoming thrifty” is like going on a diet – and just as futile as every fad diet that comes along if you try to do it all at once, cold turkey, without making the necessary changes to your perspective. Being thrifty has to be a long-term lifestyle change to make a real difference. Just like a weight-loss program has to be about healthy living, not just losing weight, becoming thrifty requires a mindset that is motivated at least in part by an appreciation of a simpler way of living, not just by the possibility of accumulating more “stuff” some day in the future.
There are lots of ways to live more efficiently, and many of these have the added bonus of being kind to the environment. “Reduce, reuse, recycle” has become the mantra of many, and there really are no downsides to maximizing the usefulness of the resources we have, and not accumulating more than we need. But the key to being thrifty AND happy is to embrace the simplicity that comes along with it. The piece that eludes us sometimes is the recognition that “stuff” isn’t the only thing that proves our worth and signals our success. Instead, being secure enough to make choices about what we have and what we need is a better measure of who we are.
Long term goals and deferred gratification are not as romantic as the quick-fix of the newest “toy” or the flashiest car – but in the long run the goals that we work toward and ultimately reach are far more valuable.
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