My Backstory with Frugality
Frugality - the quality or state of being frugal: careful management of material resources and especially money
Let me first start with some back story… Growing up I did not HAVE to work, but I was taught the importance, strength, and value of a dollar. I learned how money can make your life a bit easier, but I also learned that it can ruin lives. I was taught that working hard for your money is imperative and that it is important to work as hard as possible so that you can provide for not only yourself but also for your family and loved ones. Budgeting was also something that I learned at a young age and that set me up for great success along with the much important “Emergency Fund”.
When I was in middle school, 8th grade I believe, I was told that I had to EARN $1,000 to have the idea of me getting a cell phone considered and from then I would have to contribute to the paying of my phone bill. I was not able to use birthday or Christmas money since it was not earned, but rather gifted, so I worked my tail off and earned those $1,000 in under 365 days. A few years later, I was told that if I wanted my own car when I turned 16 then I would have to pay for at least half of it, which made me take care of and respect my car much more than friends who just were given a vehicle.
Why am I telling you these things? Well, because I wanted to give you some insight into the fact that I did have to work for things in life and I did utilize the concepts that I was taught regarding money.
In today’s world, “frugality” is not an often-used word, and I strongly believe that people do not understand the concept of living frugally fully. Sometimes, I feel as though being “frugal” can even have a negative connotation associated with it. I will be the first to admit that I still have work to do in this realm of my life, and I most likely always will but sharing my insight is something that I want to be beneficial.
Part of living frugally is living below your means, which I am going to be diving into at a later date. Throughout this section of my website, I will be sharing about my journey with frugal living, my recommendations, points to think about or conversation starters to have with people in your life, simple tips to make the transition to living more frugally, and many other facets of what it means to be frugal in my eyes.
