Saving state of mind

By Gail Vaz-Oxlade on May 27, 2011
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

People have been keeping up with the Joneses for so long that the idea of not keeping up is impossible to even imagine.

Sometimes finding the money to save means changing how you think about spending. If you switch your thinking to “Frugal is the new Black”, you might be surprised at how many people are quite happy to tag along. More people may be in your broke-shoes than you think.

Whining about being broke is pathetic. Reframe the “I don’t have any money” moan and you’ll go from “poor” to “smart”. Challenge your friends to find a place to eat out that’ll cost you $10 or less a person. See who can come up with the most interesting option, and that person gets a meal out on everyone else.

Swap shopping for sightseeing, bike riding or people-watching. Entertainment doesn’t have to cost money; you simply have to be with people who love you and who make you laugh. And you can do that just as easily at a free concert in the park as at one for which you had to pay big bucks for a ticket.

Make second-hand shopping a game. You can build a fabulous wardrobe in second hand stores. My daughter’s friends refer to it as “pillaging the Village”… Value Village that is. They have a good sense of style so they can spot the pieces that add interest or build on their wardrobes for very little money. They shop as a gang and turn it into entertainment without spending a fortune.

If you have friends who are always pressuring you to spend money you don’t have, you’ll have to come up with some tactics to deal with their rabid consumerism while holding true to your new frugality. Suggest that you’ll join them for the dessert part of the meal. Or eat before you go and then make do with an appie or a salad. Suggest they come to your house for dins, and ask them each to bring their favorite contribution to whatever theme you come up with: Mexican, Chinese, Veggie.

There are loads of ways to embrace a new reality that leaves you enough money to save. Show some imagination. Then have the gumption to stick to your plan.