What if we told you the key to living a better life wasn’t to have more things? In fact, what if we said it was the opposite — that you could save money and spend less to improve your life, not make it harder? Here are five examples of ways you can keep your money and further your pursuit of happiness and peace.
Eliminate Your Debt
Debt prevents you from achieving your financial goals. It eats away at your chances of saving money and makes you feel like you’re stuck in a never-ending whirlpool of “What do I do now?” We’ll tell you what: focus on paying your debt off as quickly as possible. The longer you hold onto high-interest debt, the more stressed you’ll be and the less money you’ll have.
Embrace Minimalism
We mean it when we say “less is more.” The minimalist lifestyle is about living better with less. And what better way to save money than to simply care less about spending it?
Minimalism doesn’t mean living with nothing, either. It means making calculated, careful about what you buy and why, because everything should contribute something meaningful to your life. So if you’re shopping and can’t think of a good reason to buy something, it’s probably because there isn’t one, and you’ll do just fine (and arguably better) without.
Eat at Home
Eating at home saves you a pretty penny. Cooking is way cheaper than going out for dinner or ordering takeout. But it also improves your life because home cooking is generally healthier than dining out.
Planning your meals means you have so much more control about what you eat — no more worrying about whether or not those sous vide egg bites have enough protein; make your own and control every element of the recipe instead.
Make a Budget
Budgeting can help you live better. So many people have financial anxiety because they don’t know where their money goes. But if you think the solution to that is keeping your head in the sand, then you’re also doomed to feel anxious about money until you change your thinking.
Budgeting doesn’t have to be scary or hard. It might not come naturally to you, and you may make some changes, but even the most bare-bones budget will give you so much more freedom. Because financial freedom doesn’t come from spending your money however you want — it comes from spending however you choose.
Walk/Ride Your Bike More Often
Walking and biking are both phenomenal ways to exercise. It also means that if you’re using your legs to get around, you’re likely leaving your car in the lot.
Walks are excellent for your mental health, too, especially if you work in an office or work from home. Because when was the last time sitting in traffic for a half hour was good for your body, mind, OR pocketbook? We aren’t suggesting you ditch the ride altogether. But if something is close enough and the weather’s nice, the extra fifteen minutes will do you a lot of good.
