Money is a necessary evil. We need it to pay bills, buy items we need, and put gas in the car. While we hear of people (and possibly know people) who might be able to live without money, it is nearly impossible to do so.

However, there is this idea that we need more things than we really do to live a comfortable life. That idea is really prevalent in America. We earn money and we think we need to spend money on more things. Then we try to earn more money just to spend more money for more things we thought we needed. It’s a vicious cycle.

Yet we wonder why we cannot save money…

You want to save money? You need to learn to live with less! The less you need, the less money you spend. So what does this mean?

• Less toys
• Less gadgets
• Less collectibles
• Less clothes
• Less furniture
• Less shoes
• Less etc. 

We can live with less than what we have or think we “need” to have. You don’t have to be a minimalist (although that is a great lifestyle) to live with less. You won’t be depriving yourself if you do not have more than ten shirts or see latest movie out.

Really. You just need shelter, food, water, and protection. Yes, that is a prepping concept, but it applies to more than just prepping. Once your basic needs are met, almost everything else is a “want”. And what do you really want?

• A house?
• A car?
• College savings?
• The ability to be able to afford unexpected repairs?
• Retirement?
• Early retirement?
• Financial stability?
• Pay off debts?

You are trying to achieve goals by saving money. Buying and living with less stuff is keeping you in line with your goals and priorities. We already have too many people thinking that a lot of debt is good and that social security will cover their retirement. By learning to live with less now, you will be more financially comfortable later on in life. Your retirement will not be contingent on what the government will pay you in social security (or if they pay you – the money has to be there first).

What do you have to do to learn to live with less?

• Realize not everything has to be replaced with new when broken.
• Realize not everything has to be replaced when broken.
• Fix your own broken things.
• Make do, do without, use it up, wear it out.
• Realize you only might only need one thing instead of multiples (this does not apply to some things – more than one flashlight is a good thing!).
• Use services like the library for books and movies. 
• Take advantage of free things and gifts. 
• Sell your unnecessary things. 

Learning to live with less to save money can only be a benefit to you and your future. The less you need now, the less you will need late on. Saving money now will help you to save money later when you will be on a limited budget.

How will you learn to live with less to save money?

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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