Cheerful Frugality Lives On The Bright Side

I’m with you, Meredith! I’ve lived in my share of dumpy little apartments, too, and a sour attitude never helped them be less so. When I think of how most people around the world live, I’m reminded I have no right to complain. I love Teddy Roosevelt’s attitude: Do the best you can with what you’ve got where you are!

Lurves me some “Merchant ships”.

I love to save $$$. It gives me a rush. We have made do so many times just to keep on saving/building houses for extra income to get where we are now.

Very FEW people would want to have lived our lives for the first 10-12 years (we’ve been building our wealth now 16 years), but to US it was worth it because we’re debt free but the house and have our retirement funded every month as well as saving $$ for college for our child.

But those first few years you really do wonder if it’s worth it – but YES, OH YES it is~!

I am not really an Oprah fan, but I will borrow one of her terms– I had an “Ah-ha moment” about this issue about ten years ago. A friend from church was living in what I would have called my dream house, and we were, ahem, not. Over time it became clear that she considered her home a “dump” and could not wait to move to the even bigger, better house they were planning. Instead of resenting her, a light bulb went off in my head– that contentment, and cheerfulness, are a choice. Anywhere you are on the spectrum, you have to decide to be as cheerful and hopeful as possible about your circumstances. Even the person living in what we imagine is our ideal situation may not have the peace and joy possible for us where we are, if they don’t choose it.

Now, after those high-sounding thoughts, I think there is some value in “fake it till you make it.” Not in the sense of pretending to be something we aren’t, but to put on an attitude of cheerfulness over our grumpiness. The result will be a happier environment for our families, and our inner attitude will change as we act out the way we want to feel.

I recently had a moment of overwhelming gratitude for all the things in my life that do work.

My life’s not perfect, but there are so many things about it that work the way they’re supposed to.

You are so right! There are always different ways to view your financial situation, why not make it a cheerful one. I enjoy saving money because it makes me feel secure and prepared for the “rainy days” that may come tomorrow. I’ve seen other people immersed in the “rat race” to make more money and get bigger and better everything. What’s the point? I’m learning how to be content with what I have and not join the mad dash to collect expensive stuff. Because there is no end to that pursuit – there is always something bigger and better that you could set your sights on – and by doing that how are you nurturing yourself and your relationships?

thank you for writing this. cheerfulness is a choice. it’s nice to see I’m not alone in trying to live frugally when others around me don’t seem to struggle.

I have to remember that while no one knows my story..I don’t know theirs either. that friend in the nice house down the street here just might be up to her ears in debt….

or the other neighbor might cry daily and wonder how all the bills get paid – yet still manages to put on a happy face in public- like it’s all good.

I may not have much..but I’m learning to be content with what I do have….

I learned from my sweet grand mother a long time ago to ‘bloom where you are planted’ as I was never ‘happy’ with what we had. My husband was military. We lived in ‘base housing’ on the many different bases he was assigned to. Let me tell you, white walls you CAN NOT paint, plain jane floors, small rooms, and endless rules and regulations. We lived in the houses because it was part of my husband’s salary and we did not pay rent or utilities. So we saved some money. No, I did not like it very much, yes, I did grumble a lot. Poor man was going to school to fly fighter jets all day and listening to me ‘grump’ all night because my baby’s room was a closet. Well when I was complaining to my grandma one day she set me straight. I was blessed and too dumb to know it. It is all about what YOU do with what YOU HAVE. Can not paint the walls? Okay, I used sheets and starch as ‘glue’ to ‘wall paper’ my kitchen. I even did the same to my kitchen cup boards so they matched. When I got busy making the house HOME it made all the difference in my attitude. That goes a long way. Thanks for all you do. Your blog is one of the best I have ever seen. I enjoy it very much. Hope you are feeling well. Roxie

I make more money now than any time in my career. I am finally at the top. If I were to compare myself to business people well, my “top” would be so far in the middle. However, I am more frugal now than ever before because we are saving to buy a home in LA. Finances change. That’s life. So I am happy to learn cheerful frugality when I don’t *need* to as preparation for when we do buy that house and won’t have two spare pennies!

What helps me stay cheerfully frugal is to view everything as a choice. I avoid saying “I can’t afford that” and say instead, “I choose to spend my money on…” We don’t have cable because we couldn’t afford both cable TV and air travel to visit family on the other side of the country. However, really it is a choice. Because I could cut back in some other area and have the cable TV too. There is so much power in choosing!