How would you maintain a healthy and classy lifestyle on a tight budget?
An old friend of my father — let’s call him Uncle John — has three sons. Before his retirement, he lived a very frugal life, despite having a management position and making a middle/ upper middle-class income. He seldom ate out with his family, and did so only on some “big days,” such as each of his family member’s birthday. He was poked fun at by many of his peers for his way of living. Now, as I look back, I recognize that he had very good reasons to act the way he did. I might not have taken such “extreme measures” if I were in his position. Yet I don’t think that his choices were unwise, or that he mistreated any of his family members or jeopardized the childhoods or well-beings of his children.
I will let you know more about Uncle John tomorrow. If you are short on cash, or have some future plans (be they about education, travel, or relocation) that will cost you a fortune, below are some useful tips that would help you stay healthy and classy during this interim period:
1. Buy high-quality clothes, but reduce the size of your wardrobe:
One doesn’t need many pieces of clothing to stay stylish and classy. For casual wear, for example, a few carefully-selected high-quality (not necessary designer or super-expensive) sweat shirts and two pair of jeans would last a long time. Avoid buying colorful and eye-catching items online. Cheap clothes that look nice in pictures turn out to be very shabby and do not look great even on people with the best figures. Resist the temptation to buy clothes that are super trendy because they likely go out of fashion after a short period. Yes, wearing a few items with time-tested and enduring designs again and again might not make you look exactly interesting, but if you have to choose between being elegant and being fashionable (it could mean trashy in some cases), which one would you prefer? Unless instructions say otherwise, try to hand-wash your clothes to make them look fresh and durable.
2. Prepare your own home-cooked meals and avoid eating out:
One saves a lot just by cooking their own meals. Depending on your needs, set a daily/weekly budget for food. For example, with only 5-7 dollars (Euros/CAD/USD) per day a person can already enjoy a very healthy diet consisting of chicken/fresh fish, veggies, fruits, and healthy cereals (let’s do it this way: spend 15 to 20 dollars on food for 3 days). Cook with olive oil. Save eating/dining out for very special occasions or get-togethers with best friends and dear ones. Resist the urge to order food via delivery services (food + delivery fees + tips! ~ it’s not worth it.) After a period of healthy eating, you will likely improve your culinary skills and become more energetic and that will in turn feed into a healthy cycle.
There are YouTube videos about limiting one’s daily food budget to $1 or $2. While I lauded YouTube author’s innovation (e.g. collecting plants in the wild), I advise against living on such a small budget, unless you are really THAT poor. The food is likely lacking in nutrients and not exactly filling. Eat those meals for a week or so, and one can hardly resist the urge to compensate by dining out or indulging in expensive food in the following days.
3. Don’t give away money casually and thoughtlessly:
You have probably been asked to donate money to different charities as active, even aggressive, solicitations have become very common these days. Many give away their money to charities despite not knowing much about their backgrounds or activities. Remember, though, that one does not have a social or legal obligation to donate: we fulfil all our obligations by paying taxes. Some argue that the willingness to help the less fortunate is a virtue. Every time you say “yes” to a donation request, you likely feel virtuous – and some aggressive people exploit those feelings. Nonetheless, you can satisfy your need to be virtuous by donating your time and old stuff instead. If you really want to donate money, find charities and causes that you are passionate about, rather than throwing money to those who aggressively solicit your donations.
4. Give up hobbies that offer short-term and relatively insubstantial benefits:
one example is going to concerts. I am not against concerts per se. People see it as not just an opportunity to enjoy life music, but in some cases, to get together with fans and supporters. However, considering that you can stream the music a thousand times on YouTube or Spotify, and many expensive tickets often cost more than a hundred dollars, one needs to rethink whether ephemeral joy and excitement that the concert experience is worth all that money when they are saving up for long-term goals.
Then again, going to concerns is merely an example. Depending on an individual’s values and options, there may be other hobbies that can be given up on. There is nothing wrong with concerts or travel or other hobbies per se. I am not afraid to admit that I feel zero sympathy for people who spend thousands to see concerts held overseas (tickets + flights + accommodations) and then complain about being broke. The reason is simple: they don’t deserve any.
5. Develop affordable/free hobbies that preferably offer long-term benefits:
One example is learning new languages. There is no need to go for expensive language classes. One can buy new or used books on amazon, which are fairly affordable, and even get on YouTube to learn new languages and the cultures behind them. An Oxford student called Grace (who has a YouTube channel of her own!) became proficient in various languages from reading books and watching free videos and she is tremendously (awe-) inspiring. If you don’t like learning languages, you can devote your time to other YouTube channels or pick up some affordable sports! There are affordable and meaningful ways of spending one’s time.
Now, let’s go back to Uncle John ~ After years of frugal living, he managed to buy a nice apartment and send his sons to some of the finest universities in the U.S. Then again, his lifestyle is not for everybody and many would not have taken such “extreme” measures for the sake of improving their children’s educational prospects. However, he deserved respect: he and his family truly valued education and considered it totally worthwhile to forgo their non-essential luxuries and short-term enjoyments for long-term benefits and happiness. Although I have not seen him in years and don’t really know his children well, from what I heard they grew up to be well-mannered and well-adjusted, let alone well-educated, individuals.
I am sure people who do not value education as much do have other long-term goals. Individuals are all bound by unique circumstances. Rathe than succumbing the temptation to self-victimize (as much as mainstream media encourage them to), they should work towards achieving those goals.