Save money, live better. I’m sure you’ve all heard that simple phrase. But what does it mean? How can we live better by saving money? How does saving money enrich our lives, especially in a world where life costs so freaking much?
Save Money, Live Better
The truth is, you actually can live a whole lot better by saving money. I know it doesn’t seem that way, especially with rising prices on pretty much everything. But the reality is that most people do have things they can cut out to save money. And when you start saving money, you can start to enrich your life.
Easy Ways to Save Money
Let’s start by talking about some easy ways you can save money. You might be doing some of these things already, but I’m sure you’ll find one or two gems that can help you out!
- Buy generic (except these things!)
- Skip the pop
- Skip the booze
- Quit smoking
- Skip the appetizers (or order one as your full meal!)
- Eat less meat
- Plan your meals in advance
- Make coffee at home
- Bring a sack lunch to work
- Cut Cable
- Review your cell phone data plans
- Call you insurance companies and ask for a lower rate
- Switch insurance companies
- Don’t shop while drunk (I’m looking at you Amazon!)
- Use cash-back apps
- Keep the lights off
- Use cold water when you can
- Insulate the house for winter (and other ways to save on heating!)
- Take your time turning on the heat/air conditioning
- Do basic maintenance on your house/car
- Avoid Lifestyle Inflation
- Swap streaming services with family
- Have fun outdoors
- Work out at home
For more on saving money, check out these money savings tips for real people, and these tips on how to save money on living expenses and live below your means. If you’re super hard core about it, check out these 5 heavy weight savings strategies!
How Will Saving Money Help Me Live Better?
I’m not sure if you noticed, but quite a few things on that list will help you save money and live better. Cutting out pop and booze will definitely help you live a healthier lifestyle, and so will cutting back on your meat consumption. I’m not saying to cut all of those things entirely – we all deserve a treat every now and then, but take a hard look at how much you are spending on those items each month. Even cutting back a little bit will help your wallet and will help you live better.
But, save money live better isn’t just about having a healthier lifestyle. It’s also about understanding the world of opportunity that can open up to you if you have some money saved. Honestly, this is why I’m pursuing financial independence in the first place. I want to live better. I want my life to be my own, and the best way to do that is to save as much money as I can. That’s my idea of save money live better. Save money today and live a better life tomorrow.
Save Money, Live Better: The Options it Affords
So what are those options for a better life? Well, that all depends on you. Everyone has different hopes, dreams, and goals. You might want to be a Twitch streamer, or a world traveler, or a stay-at-home parent, or an archaeologist. Whatever it is you want is not out of reach, if you save money for it. Hell, that’s the entire concept around passion fire! Save, invest, hustle, and live the life of your dreams – am I right?
The hard truth of the matter is that most people don’t want it badly enough. They don’t want to sacrifice meals out, tasty coffee drinks, booze, and cigarettes for the chance to live a better life in a few years. They are perfectly happy slogging away, working for an American Dream that doesn’t exist and getting instant gratification with those things. And you know what? That’s ok. That’s their choice, and there’s nothing wrong with that choice.
But if you do want to do something different, it starts with the basics. And that’s saving money.
A Caveat
Of course, nothing is always that simple. Partners in Fire is about lifting everyone up, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that our system is currently designed so that not everyone actually has those options. When I say most people don’t want it bad enough, I mean most of the people who are reading this, not most Americans. Millions of Americans are trapped in poverty with very little hope for escape. Millions more are stuck in the middle-class trap – these folks have options, but we also need to admit how difficult it can be to escape that. The best way to help people out of both of these traps is to vote!
It’s also true that cutting back one or two things won’t lead you to a happy, healthy life. We all know the latte factor is ridiculous! Right, it’s the coffee, not the crushing debt, that keeps people poor.
But even though those things are true, that doesn’t mean you should throw your hands in the air and spend all the money. Finding ways to cut back, even if it’s just a little bit, will go a long way towards helping you live a better life.
How Can I Live Happy With Less Money?
Who says you need money to be happy? Marketers, that’s who. Obviously, you need to have enough money to cloth, feed, and shelter yourself, but do you really need more past that? Do you need a name-brand purse or does the value brand from Payless hold your money just as well? How much happiness does that daily latte really bring you? Or the nights out, the parties, the expensive dinners? Can you find just as much joy in cheaper options?
I think you can. Hell, I do it all the time! I enjoy the outdoors, my cheap bags, and my used books. And coffee at home is almost just as tasty as coffee from Starbucks, and much much cheaper (though I must admit, I do splurge on tasty drinks every now and again, like I said, we all need a treat sometimes!).
Who Says Save Money Live Better?
Ok, you got me. Save money live better is one of the slogans for one of the biggest brands out there: Walmart. The idea behind it for them is that you can get great stuff at their store for cheaper than you can get it anywhere else. You can save money by shopping Walmart, but still live well.
It’s true that you can get good deals on stuff at Walmart, and it’s a great option if low cost is your top priority. However, don’t go buying junk you don’t need just because it’s cheap. Only get things that you will truly need or that will bring you joy. That’s how you really save money and live better. Don’t you think?
Melanie Allen is an American journalist and happiness expert. She has bylines on MSN, the AP News Wire, Wealth of Geeks, Media Decision, and numerous media outlets across the nation. She covers a wide range of topics centered around self-actualization and the quest for a fulfilling life.
Nice suggestions, we do almost all of them and occasionally take some to the extreme. Our most recent change is cutting out alcohol, we didn’t buy much before but are buying even less now. These don’t seem like sacrifices its just how we choose to live. But I am looking forward to our mortgage being paid in 15 years instead of 30!
When you start thinking of it as a lifestyle choice rather than a sacrifice, you are definitely winning! And yeah,alcohol is super expensive, especially if you go out. I don’t understand how people afford to go out 2-3 times a week.