My thoughts on frugality.

For a short time in my life I was of the mindset that the more I had the better.  If my kids had all the toys they wanted.  If I had a pretty house with perfect landscaping, nice cloths and all my ducks in a row.  Then I would be happy.  The problem with came when I got the car I wanted and it did not change my state of mind, and the house I wanted and still no change, then all the nicest for my kids nope nothing, and all the best for me, huh still no satisfaction.  I really started to reevaluate not what I had but my thought process about what was neccesary in life.

I have come to the conclusion that with contentment comes satisfaction not with anything material.  That denying yourself can actually make your life more peaceful than fulfilling every whim.  So I hopped off the hamster wheel and slowed down and started to ask myself the difference between needs and wants in life.  If you get down to the true basics you will be suprised how much in your life is unnessecary.  What if you didn't go out for 5 days in a row.  Would you spend money?  Probably not.  What if your children were not in a sport every season of the year and sometimes two at a time?  Are those things truely neccesary?  I do not believe so.  Unless they are in the running to become a professional athlete, which sorry but they probably aren't. How will these activities help prepare them for the real world as an adult?   Realistically they probably hold very little value in the long run.  What??? I mean it is teaching them team work, right?  I guess, sort of, but I think a little more time spent learning how to get along with siblings will teach them much more realistic relationship skills for life.  Than playing on a team with a majority of the people being your friends playing a game together that you all like to play

How about going out to eat?  What if you limited that to once every two weeks?  It all seems like a big endless cycle.  You work to make money to run around and spend it.  So you have to go work to make more.  So you can afford to do more.  And it goes on and on.  Ok so maybe you cannot stay home for 5 days straight but what if you start with 1 entire day each week?  Just a thought.

Then there is shopping.  Do you shop for recreation?  There are ALOT better things you could be doing with your time.  Why do you buy things?  You don't have to answer that question to me but it would be a good question to ask yourself.  Because you NEED them?  Because you want them?  Or because it was a good deal?  Nothing is a good deal if you don't need it.  It is just money wasted.  What about because you don't want you children to go without?  Listen if you think that giving your children the best of everything is important don't be surprised when your child is grateful for nothing they have.  You are not preparing your child for life by this mindset.  You are actually being counter productive because it is going to be a harsh reality some day when they realize that everything in life is not just handed to them