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Richer than you think?
Posted on November 26th, 2008 7 commentsIn response to an article written in the Globe on October 28, “As consumer confidence dips, embrace frugality” by Judith Timson, I wrote the article below. It was not published, but the article on Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s site today inspired to post my commentary anyway.
As more Canadians “embrace frugality,” they will find themselves in good company; the frugal subculture includes everybody from evangelicals to environmentalists – and then there are folks like me, a self-proclaimed “saver queen” who wants to spend and save wisely. I believe that many of us are, actually, richer than we think. And so, here are a few suggestions of how Timson can “trim the fat.” Flowers every week cost $1040 a year – buy long-lasting house plants instead. Pliates classes? Save a few thousand by going to “pay what you can” community classes (trust me, they’re out there). The books? Visit your long-lost friend, the public library. Magazines? Buy a subscription – and buy online for the best deal. Visit community and discount theatres, and bring your own snacks. These suggestions (which could save you nearly $3750 a year) are the tip of the frugal iceberg. And you will find, to your surprise, that the frugal life is a fulfilling one. As Mr. Spock said, “after a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.”
In this article I contradict the author who lists a lot of things she just can’t live without and justifies each one of them. My point with this article is to show her (and others) that we can be richer than we think if we just pay attention. We often assume that some costs are natural and necessary when they are not. We hand over our money for coffee in paper cups every day without thinking about it. We don’t second guess whether new clothes will really make us happy. We don’t bother to see if we can get a better deal, cut back or go without. We assume that certain things are needs when they might just be lowly wants. If we pay attention to where the money actually goes, presto, money appears! If you track your spending and make conscious decisions on where and how you want to spend your money, all of a sudden, you become richer than you think.
Let me know what you think!
7 responses to “Richer than you think?”
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Vanessa November 26th, 2008 at 18:29
Hi Saverqueen… just popped over from Gail’s site to check out your blog. Very cool! I like your perspective
I’m adding your site as a favourite.Looking forward to reading your blogs!
All the best -
Hi there-tracking your spends is an absolute necessity, I’m hot on this at the moment, haha!!
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I’ve noticed since visiting your blog on a daily basis that I’m becoming more conscience of my spending habits. Like anything, awareness is the beginning of any change. Rather than staying in automatic pilot mode, where decisions are based on habits (what’s easiest and most convenient), it’s taking that little pause before doing things, and asking yourself if there’s a better way. It doesn’t need to be onerous. It can be stimulating and refreshing regardless of one’s socioeconomic status.
Just because you can afford to spend doesn’t mean you have to.
Your bigger question is “will it make me happier?” My answer is maybe temporarily, but never long term. That’s something money can’t buy.
Like Sheryl Crow sings “It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got”
Thanks for raising some introspective thoughts here. This blog is multi-dimensional. I love it! -
Nothing to do with this post, but an update and a tip:
Update: To the person who wondered about a Kosher Food Bank in Winnipeg- The Jewish Family & Child Service operates a food bank but it’s not kosher. Some of the products have a heksher and some don’t. Anything obviously not kosher is donated to another food bank. Hope that helps!
Tip: There are 1$ off coupons for Europe’s Best Veggies floating around online (I just googled around and got one) While the bags are usually about 5.99 at my local grocery store, Loblaws has them on sale for 1.99 this weekend. 99 cents for veggies that are normally 5 bucks? Oh yes!
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I like your take on this. It’s a constant journey, learning to live with less. Choosing a lifestyle with a goal in mind is empowering, it’s not deprivation, which is what many people forget.
But of course I have my own personal justifications, as well.
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So funny Kate! My mom works for JFCS and so I asked her about it. She told me the same deal. What’s also funny is that she calls me at work yesterday to let me know someone from Ottawa called about whether there is a food bank in Winnipeg (I had told her the story/question that morning). I guess that would be you! LOL I think I may have to touch base with Chabad about the food bank idea. They would have a better idea of observant families in the city. Those who are not observant would likely use Winnipeg Harvest as their food bank source.
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That’s hilarious! It was probably my rabbi- he’s from Western Canada more recently than me, so I put him on the trail!
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