Quote:
Originally Posted by deadgoon
cameorose, I think another thing you need to look at is WHY you want to be more frugal. Do you have a goal in mind like saving more for retirement, buying a house, buying a car, getting out of debt?
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I am on the same page as deadgoon 100%! I used to spend a lot of money myself, especially when it comes to designer clothes and my sports car. However, about three years ago, I completely changed my mind. There were a few things that changed my mind but the main ones were Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad series of books and two life goals: the fact that I don't enjoy the idea of working in a cubicle the rest of my life and also the pure desire to own my own home!
I use my two goals to my advantage. Both require saving money and investing wisely. To "not have to work", I need to generate enough passive income from my investments and websites such that the income is greater than my expenses each month. At that point, I can quit my job and work from home on my own projects full time, how much fun! To "own my own house", I need to save up a large down payment fund. Saving up a down payment is by far the largest savings goal of my life, one that takes years.
Whenever I get in the mood to spend, I visualize these goals in my mind. Instead of getting short term happiness from a new shirt or outfit, I now am waiting for the "delayed gratification" of the huge life changing wins of owning my house and not having to work at an office. To summarize, for me personally, I have found nothing more motivating than visualizing my big goals - this strategy always keeps me on track! It has even caused me to do some crazy frugal things I thought I would never do, but that's another story...