I know that
a thrifty lifestyle means many different things to many different people. But today I thought I would share what living
a thrifty lifestyle means to me.
Thrifty
= using money or other resources carefully and not wastefully
Frugal = sparing or
economical with regard to money or food.
Miserly = hoarding wealth while spending as little as
possible
Spendthrift = one who spends money in an extravagant
and irresponsible way
I chose to
be thrifty. I like the idea of being careful with my money
and resources. Conscious of my choices
and the reasons behind why I make them. I
am not frugal. I don't wish to be
sparing in any facet of my life. Miserly
sounds like a terrible way to spend my time.
I threw in spendthrift just for a fun contrast.
It is not my
goal in life to go without or deprive myself or my family of anything for the
sake of saving money. I don't feel
thrifty people, or frugal people for that matter, should have to give up
something that is important to them.
The reality
for me is this. I am a single woman
raising two wonderful and beautiful daughters.
We are a single income family and therefore it is really important for
me to manage my finances well and make sure we live within our means.
I'm not, by
nature, an extravagant person, but I do like to have nice things. I prefer quality over cheap and am willing to
pay extra for something that will last longer and perform better. I'm also patient, in most cases, and willing
to wait until I can best afford things in order to have what I truly want.
Our home is
small, but nice. We keep it neat, tidy
and well maintained. Our home is filled
with nice furnishings. Nothing over the
top but stylish and functional. There
are lots of little touches about our home that speak of us. Our style, our interests, our
accomplishments, our goals. It is warm
in the winter, cool in the summer and very comfortable. It is also quite affordable.
Surprisingly,
we are currently a three car family. I
drive a nice car and I own a truck. I
also own a second car that I plan to have my oldest daughter use when she gets her
driver's license next year. Two of our
vehicles are paid for and have been for years and years. My car is new and I'm making payments. I wanted a new car, it fit well within our
budget, I got a really good deal on it, so I bought it.
I work for a
good company that treats its employees extremely well. I make a decent wage but I am far from
executive earnings. In fact, after
taking a wage survey recently, I was firmly planted in the lower class. At the conclusion of the survey one of the
descriptions of lower class included the words poverty level. I certainly don't feel like I live a life of
poverty. Far from it, I'd say.
Thrifty
simply means to me that I take care in how I choose to spend my money. It doesn't mean I squeeze every penny until
it screams PLEASE STOP! It doesn't mean going
without on a regular basis.
In my blog I
will continue to share the various ways I make it all work out on a day to day
basis. Since I began my blog in 2011 it
has been such a pleasure sharing what I do and hearing how you all are doing
your thing. We learn from each other.
I hope to
continue with this blog for a long time to come.
Great post! :o)
ReplyDeleteTania
Thanks Tanya!
DeleteLove your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteThrifty.. Totally agree. Enjoyed this post..
ReplyDeleteand enjoy your blog. Judy
Thank you Judy! So happy to hear that. :)
DeleteHi there, I just read this post (a little late) and I'm very inspired by your thrifty lifestyle. I really enjoy visiting your blog and gleaning tips about how to live well while not spending lots of money. My biggest challenges are trying to not eat out, and overspending on my teen daughter.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear you are planning on keeping your blog for a long time. Can't wait to read more posts!
D.
Good to hear. I'm glad you enjoy it. I completely understand your challenges. We love to eat out and I love to spoil my girls from time to time, but all things in moderation. :) Thanks for your comments. I always love to hear from my readers.
Delete