A New Era of Frugality

Have you always been frugal?  Did something happen to get you started on the frugal pathway?  Did you learn this way of life from your parents?

We all know that things happen in life to make us need to watch our funds.   Things happen in society to scare the beejeebies out of us.  Stuff happens in life.
I know my parents and grandparents went through the great depression and they HAD to be as frugal as possible.
Regardless of the depression - Momma and Daddy needed to be frugal and wise with everything.  They had little money and many children to take care of.  Neither came from money, so there wasn't a base to fall back on - they had to do the best they could with what they had.
WE ALL DO!

Many people are getting "into" being frugal again and trying to live a more simplistic life.  It is becoming the THING to do.  That is good, but some of us have spent our lives being this way.  I know it wasn't always fun - but then it just became a way of life and made so much sense.  Being a GOOD STEWARD of what you have should never go out of style or be a trend.  It should be a way of life.

Life changes and we must adapt or we get left behind.  

Challenges will come and we may fail - that is natural.  Failure is just an opportunity to grow and learn.  So many people just give up too soon, because that is easy.  You have to commit to living the best possible life you can with what you have - even if it isn't a much.

ATTITUDE will determine success or failure.  

A big thing to remember is DON'T PANIC!  Panic can send you into a tailspin that takes ages to come out of. Remember those people back in the depression (or the 80's) who went ballistic when the stock market fell?  Had they kept calm and steady - things would have leveled out.  Life has a way of recovering for you if you just stay calm and give it a chance.  "Slow and steady wins the race" is  absolutely true.

I think that being creative with finances and things is what makes this whole frugal journey fun.  I like seeing what I can do with what I have.  I like seeing how far I can stretch my funds.  I like that feeling of "hey, I did it".
Now don't think for a moment that I condone being CHEAP.  That is a whole other thing than frugal.  I would never cheat, steal or harm another - I would never resort to doing gross/nasty things to save money.  However, I DO believe in being resourceful and responsible.

I had a younger family member say something the other day, that seems so fitting in this regard.
She was talking about how life is basically like the colors of fall.  All the colors are mixed together and often even distorted - but if you keep your eye on your goal or prize you can single in on one color or the greener grass that is still there.
That seems so fitting.

My advice is keep your family and friends close, be mindful of your money and things, be a good steward of all that is put in front of you on this earth and look towards the spiritual.  Whether your spiritual side comes from nature or from a higher power - look to the greater good.
We are part of a huge system and we are but a speck of sand on a beach.
SO the next time you get your panties in a fluff thinking the world is conspiring to "get you", just remember there are so many things out there that we can't understand or control.

You can't always choose what happens around you - BUT you CAN choose how you respond to it!
Choose to be happy with what you have.
Give up the pity party to get back the power.

Live the best life you can and TEACH others how it's done!  That is CHOOSING a good life.
THAT is the new Era of Frugality.