It’s no secret that having more money at your fingertips allows you to enjoy life more. Having money available as a resource keeps your bills from piling up and lowers your stress levels. However, you don’t have to change jobs or start eating ramen noodles every day to get smarter with your money.
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Decreasing expenses can increase your quality of life and boost your overall mood
We live in a consumer-driven culture, which can make it seem like you need to buy more and more in order to be happy. If you don’t pay attention, you can easily wind up paying for a lot of expenses you really don’t need.
When you consider whether or not certain goods or services you pay for enhance your life, you might surprise yourself to find that some of them actually decrease your quality of life. For example, eliminating your cable bill and spending more time outdoors both cuts your expenses and increases your quality of life.
Surprise! Being realistic about your money can increase your happiness
When you look at areas where you’re simply spending and not getting much return, you have the opportunity to make changes and start saving. Get your ego out of the way and coldly evaluate whether you’re getting a return on your investment or not.
Having a gym membership only eats away your potential savings if you never go. Instead of telling yourself you’ll go one day, cut your losses and put that money in the bank.
Getting rid of debt once and for all can restore your joy
Although bankruptcy can blemish your credit rating, in some cases, it’s worth doing in order to wipe the slate clean and give you some financial wiggle room. Abakhan & Associates Inc., specialists who deal with bankruptcy in British Columbia, suggest looking at your bankruptcy options if you’re overwhelmed with debt and can’t pay your bills.
Using money as a resource helps you enjoy life
After you’ve cut some of your unnecessary expenses, you should hopefully begin to see your money grow. Saving is important, whether you want to save for a house, a car or simply for retirement, but also make sure to enjoy using your money as a resource.
When you aren’t spending on things you don’t want or need, you have more available for the things that truly do enhance your life. The key to using money in a way that makes you happier lies in remaining conscious about your spending. When you don’t spend unconsciously and buy a latte every day, the occasional latte becomes a special treat that you can really enjoy.
When you aren’t investing in expenses that don’t make your life any better, you free up more money to save or spend on the things that really do make you happier.
Savannah Coulsen
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…”When you don’t spend unconsciously and buy a latte every day, the occasional latte becomes a special treat that you can really enjoy…” wow…this hits home., not only because I buy Cafe Latte from Coffee Shops every time I have chance (which now becomes a norm rather than a celebration of the opportunity to smell the aroma of coffee and satisfy a desire), but also for the reason that this made realize that a simple affair can be a real special moment if done occasionally and meaningfully (and not unconscionably). Wonderful.
Also allows me to save money and improve my quality of life.
Thank you for this article Savannah. Very good one.
/Ron/
Ron recently posted…A Mother’s Glance
Hi, Ron.
I especially liked the passage you quoted. True, we indulge way too much in the finer things life has to offer that we already take them for granted.
I remember, when I was still working in Manila, I often took out meals from fast food chains as baon for work because I either didn’t have time to cook my own meals or was too lazy to get up early.
And then, on weekends I was with the kids and their father in the province, whenever we found ourselves in a mall, the kids would request to eat at a fast food chain. I usually ended up grudgingly agreeing. If I suggested a lutong-bahay type restaurant, they were quick to decline saying they eat lutong bahay everyday at home. 😀
Thanks for the visit!
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