Enjoy Life Now, AND Save for Later; or, Why Delayed Gratification is a False Dichotomy

Every Tuesday is Finance & Family Day at Zen Habits.

Often we’re told that we have to suffer now — give up what we want — in order to succeed later, that in order to save we must sacrifice. Give up instant gratification to get delayed gratification.

But you can do both.

For years, I was confused about this, as I read books and websites that sent me two different messages:

Pleasure later. The first message was that in order to be successful, in order to build wealth, you have to delay gratification. You can’t have instant gratification and be successful.
Pleasure now. The second message was usually from other sources on happiness, but sometimes from the same source: enjoy life now, while you can, because it’s short and you never know when your last day will come. Live every day like it’s your last.

Trouble is, I agree with both messages. And if you read this site often, you’ll see that I send both messages: Live frugally and simply! But also enjoy life!

That’s because I’ve reconciled the two philosophies into one: Live life now and enjoy it to the fullest — without destroying your future. The key to doing that? Find ways to enjoy life completely, utterly, maximally … that don’t cost your future very much.

Here are some tips for actually living that philosophy:

Find free or cheap pleasures. Frugality does not have to be boring or restrictive … if you use your imagination. Be creative and find ways to have fun — loads of it — without spending much money. Have a picnic at the park, go to the beach, do crafts, board games, fly a kite, make art, bake cookies … I could list a hundred things, and you could come up with a few hundred more. Make a list of simple pleasures, and enjoy them to the maximum. This is the key to the whole idea of enjoying life now without spending tomorrow’s dollar. See Savor the Little Things.
Make simplifying fun. I’m a big fan of simplifying my life, from decluttering to creating a simple lifestyle in every way. And to me, this is great fun. I get rid of stuff (and possibly make money selling it) and have a blast doing it. That’s good math.
Rediscover what’s important. Oftentimes we spend tons of money, shopping, going out, watching movies, eating out … without really enjoying life. And when we stop to think about it, we never have time for the things we really want to do. Well, that’s probably because your life is filled with things that aren’t very important to you. Instead, step back and really think about what’s important to you. Then get rid of the other (expensive) stuff, and focus on what’s important. Listen to some stuff on my list: my wife and kids, other friends and family, reading, writing, exercising, volunteering, spending quiet time in contemplation. Guess how many of those things cost a lot of money? Read more here.
Make people a priority. This is related to the above point, but I thought I’d give it a little more emphasis. If you give “stuff” a priority — stuff like gadgets, nice furnishings, nice clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. — then you will spend a lot of money. But if you make people a priority — the people you love most, you close friends and family — you don’t need to spend a dime to enjoy life. Make some time to visit with friends, or your parents … and have a conversation with them that doesn’t involve eating out or going to the movies. Just sit, have some iced tea or hot cocoa (depending on the weather), and talk. Tell jokes and laugh your heads off. Talk about books you’ve read, movies you’ve watched, new things going on in your life, your hopes and dreams. And make time for your kids or your significant other — really spend time with them, doing things that don’t cost money. (See Spend Time with Family and Loved Ones, 100 Ways to Have Fun With Your Kids and 50 Ways to Be Romantic on the Cheap.)
Find time for yourself. Make time every day, and every week, to spend time alone. It really gives more meaning and enjoyment to your life, rather than rushing through life with no time to think, to breathe. For ideas on how to make this time, see these ways to create time for solitude.
Sometimes, splurge. You shouldn’t restrict yourself from expensive pleasures all the time — it’s not good to develop the feeling of deprivation. To prevent that, once in awhile, buy yourself something … or better yet, give yourself a decadent treat. I love things with dark chocolate or berries. Crepes with ice cream and berries are one of my favorites. Just don’t go overboard … and learn to enjoy the splurge to the fullest. If you truly take the time to enjoy a treat, you don’t need a lot of it.
Track your successes. It doesn’t really matter how you track your success … you can use gold stars for creating a new simplifying or frugalfying habit, or a spreadsheet chart to track your decreasing debt and increasing savings or investments. Tracking is a great way to not only provide motivation, but make the process of changing fun.
Reward yourself. And in order to make it more fun, celebrate every little success! Set rewards for yourself (hopefully not too expensive!) along your path to success — celebrate one day, two days, three days, a week, two weeks, three, a month … you get the idea.
Volunteer. One of the most rewarding things for my family has been when we have managed to volunteer. It’s actually something we only started doing last year, but since then, we’ve done it a bunch of times in a number of different ways. And while it doesn’t cost a dime, it is tremendously satisfying in ways that money could never buy. Read more.
Live in the moment. Learn to think not so much about the past or future, but about what you are going through right now. Be present. It may seem trite, but it’s the key to enjoying life to the fullest — without having to spend money. Think about it — you can spend money on eating out, but if you are not really thinking about what you’re eating, you may not enjoy it much at all. But if you cook a simple but delicious meal, and really taste every bite, it can be tremendously enjoyable without costing a lot. Read more.
Slow down. In the same way, you can’t really enjoy life to the fullest if it’s rushing past you like it’s on fast forward. Ever think about how quickly a week, a month, or a year goes by? Perhaps you’re in the fast lane too much. Try slowing down, and things will be less stressful and more enjoyable. Drive slower, eat slower, live slower.
Learn to find cheap, cool stuff. Call me crazy, but I love shopping at thrift stores. You can find so many cool things there, and it costs so little. Garage sales are the same way. Or check out Freecycle, or read 20 Ways to Find Free or Cheap Books.

See also:

Enjoy Life Now, AND Save for Later; or, Why Delayed Gratification is a False Dichotomy

Every Tuesday is Finance & Family Day at Zen Habits.

But you can do both.

For years, I was confused about this, as I read books and websites that sent me two different messages:

Pleasure later. The first message was that in order to be successful, in order to build wealth, you have to delay gratification. You can’t have instant gratification and be successful.
Pleasure now. The second message was usually from other sources on happiness, but sometimes from the same source: enjoy life now, while you can, because it’s short and you never know when your last day will come. Live every day like it’s your last.

Trouble is, I agree with both messages. And if you read this site often, you’ll see that I send both messages: Live frugally and simply! But also enjoy life!

Here are some tips for actually living that philosophy:

Find free or cheap pleasures. Frugality does not have to be boring or restrictive … if you use your imagination. Be creative and find ways to have fun — loads of it — without spending much money. Have a picnic at the park, go to the beach, do crafts, board games, fly a kite, make art, bake cookies … I could list a hundred things, and you could come up with a few hundred more. Make a list of simple pleasures, and enjoy them to the maximum. This is the key to the whole idea of enjoying life now without spending tomorrow’s dollar. See Savor the Little Things.
Make simplifying fun. I’m a big fan of simplifying my life, from decluttering to creating a simple lifestyle in every way. And to me, this is great fun. I get rid of stuff (and possibly make money selling it) and have a blast doing it. That’s good math.
Rediscover what’s important. Oftentimes we spend tons of money, shopping, going out, watching movies, eating out … without really enjoying life. And when we stop to think about it, we never have time for the things we really want to do. Well, that’s probably because your life is filled with things that aren’t very important to you. Instead, step back and really think about what’s important to you. Then get rid of the other (expensive) stuff, and focus on what’s important. Listen to some stuff on my list: my wife and kids, other friends and family, reading, writing, exercising, volunteering, spending quiet time in contemplation. Guess how many of those things cost a lot of money? Read more here.
Make people a priority. This is related to the above point, but I thought I’d give it a little more emphasis. If you give “stuff” a priority — stuff like gadgets, nice furnishings, nice clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. — then you will spend a lot of money. But if you make people a priority — the people you love most, you close friends and family — you don’t need to spend a dime to enjoy life. Make some time to visit with friends, or your parents … and have a conversation with them that doesn’t involve eating out or going to the movies. Just sit, have some iced tea or hot cocoa (depending on the weather), and talk. Tell jokes and laugh your heads off. Talk about books you’ve read, movies you’ve watched, new things going on in your life, your hopes and dreams. And make time for your kids or your significant other — really spend time with them, doing things that don’t cost money. (See Spend Time with Family and Loved Ones, 100 Ways to Have Fun With Your Kids and 50 Ways to Be Romantic on the Cheap.)
Find time for yourself. Make time every day, and every week, to spend time alone. It really gives more meaning and enjoyment to your life, rather than rushing through life with no time to think, to breathe. For ideas on how to make this time, see these ways to create time for solitude.
Sometimes, splurge. You shouldn’t restrict yourself from expensive pleasures all the time — it’s not good to develop the feeling of deprivation. To prevent that, once in awhile, buy yourself something … or better yet, give yourself a decadent treat. I love things with dark chocolate or berries. Crepes with ice cream and berries are one of my favorites. Just don’t go overboard … and learn to enjoy the splurge to the fullest. If you truly take the time to enjoy a treat, you don’t need a lot of it.
Track your successes. It doesn’t really matter how you track your success … you can use gold stars for creating a new simplifying or frugalfying habit, or a spreadsheet chart to track your decreasing debt and increasing savings or investments. Tracking is a great way to not only provide motivation, but make the process of changing fun.
Reward yourself. And in order to make it more fun, celebrate every little success! Set rewards for yourself (hopefully not too expensive!) along your path to success — celebrate one day, two days, three days, a week, two weeks, three, a month … you get the idea.
Volunteer. One of the most rewarding things for my family has been when we have managed to volunteer. It’s actually something we only started doing last year, but since then, we’ve done it a bunch of times in a number of different ways. And while it doesn’t cost a dime, it is tremendously satisfying in ways that money could never buy. Read more.
Live in the moment. Learn to think not so much about the past or future, but about what you are going through right now. Be present. It may seem trite, but it’s the key to enjoying life to the fullest — without having to spend money. Think about it — you can spend money on eating out, but if you are not really thinking about what you’re eating, you may not enjoy it much at all. But if you cook a simple but delicious meal, and really taste every bite, it can be tremendously enjoyable without costing a lot. Read more.
Slow down. In the same way, you can’t really enjoy life to the fullest if it’s rushing past you like it’s on fast forward. Ever think about how quickly a week, a month, or a year goes by? Perhaps you’re in the fast lane too much. Try slowing down, and things will be less stressful and more enjoyable. Drive slower, eat slower, live slower.
Learn to find cheap, cool stuff. Call me crazy, but I love shopping at thrift stores. You can find so many cool things there, and it costs so little. Garage sales are the same way. Or check out Freecycle, or read 20 Ways to Find Free or Cheap Books.

See also:

Posted on 17 July 2007 in Finance & Family, Simplicity |
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Comments (33)

Abhijit Says:

July 17th, 2007, 8:01 am

For a long time, I could identify with this dilemma entirely….in fact, to an extent where I completely stopped paying attention to self-help advice for a while. Ironically, the “now or later” syndrome seems to hurt all the more when you can relate to the situation.
I suppose the trick is to splurge when you really want AND need something. A friend of mine put it very nicely - its like buying Vista when you’re in love with XP. If you don’t NEED the upgrade, doesn’t make sense getting it just because ITS AVAILABLE.
Nice list, Leo.
-Abhijit
http://www.abhijit.co.in/blog/

Pierre Lourens Says:

July 17th, 2007, 8:05 am

I also love thrift stores (and flea markets!). The best tip I can give is to forget about buying what you can’t afford. I know, for example, I can”t get a Mercedes when I get my license, but that makes saving and eventually buying a Honda even better. I learn to appreciate what I work for, instead of just liking things from a materialistic standpoint.

Norakism Says:

July 17th, 2007, 8:57 am

Remember nothing in life is free. Even walking the dog costs time. One hour at the beach is one hour’s wage gone.

What you said about using friends as cheap entertainment seems good, but it also depends on what kind of friends you have. If you have friends who enjoy going to movies, pubs, football games, then they’ll want to bring you along and ask you to pay. Also, when you have friends you have an audience and if you have an audience you naturally want to show off, so the more people you know the more the pressure to buy status symbols like luxury cars increases. If you were a loner you wouldn’t bother because no one cares about you.

Morgan Says:

July 17th, 2007, 9:08 am

In addition to thrift stores, consider consignment stores and garage sales. When my son was young, we lived in a very cheap house in a very expensive part of town. People there had Italian baby clothes that they never put on their children, and which would show up at the consignment store for a few bucks… which meant my baby had linen sun-suits to save his skin from heat rash in the nasty heat-wave of ‘95, and adorable things to wear to school (which, it turns out, matters in terms of teacher-attitudes toward children and impact on the children’s learning success). Garage sales meant enormous crates of wooden blocks and lego and duplo for $2, baby monitors for $5, a solid maple crib for $50 from one neighbourhood (that we sold later in our own higher SES neighbourhood for $75). In my house I have only 6 pieces of furniture bought new and 2 are beds. Dressers, dining tables, living-room chairs, lamps, even appliances — all from garage sales.

But here’s where I draw the line: if you hate something in one location, you aren’t going to like it any better somewhere else just because it’s cheap. I’ve been married for 17 years, and with my partner for almost 20… we still don’t have a bed-frame (obviously it’s not really a need). Last week we saw one at a bankruptcy sale, and it was a *steal*, and we do want something to prop our backs on for reading at night… but we decided that the bargain wasn’t really a bargain as it just wasn’t the frame we wanted.

To sum up:
There are good reasons to have things that look nice and are well-made, and often you can find those things by searching through the cast-offs of the wealthy.

A bargain is only a bargain if it’s something you really want/need and will enjoy. Things that are broken and which you aren’t going to fix will just languish in your attic/shed/basement. Things you find ugly will become sore points that get in the way of enjoying the now.

Which reminds me: it’s time to enjoy changing the sheets on my bed, feeling happy that I need not navigate the bulk of a bedframe.

Georgio Says:

July 17th, 2007, 9:45 am

You are an AWESOME writer Leo. Your work would be great in a book (I don’t know how profitable that is though without a US-military sized marketing budget) and your advice is much better than anything else I’ve read e.g. 7 Habits is completely 50,000ft level advice and just boils down to 7 wise tips that an old lady could tell me at a bus stop whilst reflecting on her life.

In contrast your writing is real rubber hits the road stuff that any of us can do and get tangible results that generate more inertia.

You are doing a great service for people all over the world (as your comments show). You are a great writer Leo and your advice has really helped me and my family. Thank you.

Go well with your great family!

Sarah Says:

July 17th, 2007, 9:47 am

In the past I think I have tried to make my preferences too malleable in this regard. I’ve tried to live too abstemiously, and I denied the gradual wear on my spirit that occurred. What’s frustrating is that my preferences seem so non-essential: I’m sensitive to aesthetics. I’m sensitive especially to rooms where I spend much of my time. I’ve *really* tried ignoring this preference for years, since I’m a graduate student without a lot of money to spend, and I try to throw as much as possible into retirement accounts. The underlying problem is that I can either spend a LOT of time going to estate sales and the like, looking for good pieces–and thrift stores and estates can be so sad and full of junk, and I hate buying and seeing things that won’t endure–or I can spend much more and get pieces that are satisfying and pure pleasure from then on.

My therapist suggested that I just need to accept that my surroundings matter a heck of a lot to me. I wish they didn’t sometimes. It’s an extra expense. I know my roommates don’t appreciate the extra money I spend on good furniture. It would be easier if there were positive externalities!

I’m not sure who or what is right. The intensity with which I care about my surroundings (this strangely doesn’t apply much to clothes or gadgets, beyond core work software) is slightly correlated with the difficulty of my research. It’s something of a control issue. Socializing and reconnecting with people doesn’t help the design bug go away, either. I’m not going into debt, but I’m not saving enough.

I guess what I’m saying is that perhaps not all of us can be as sagaciously frugal in every dimension. It has taken me a lot of time to accept where I have “above average” demands. I have a friend who’s a foodie, and he spends a lot on his groceries. I don’t care as long as it’s organic. I don’t spend much money at restaurants for that reason. Important to know and accept oneself. It’s just so hard to distinguish wants from needs sometimes.

Svakanda Says:

July 17th, 2007, 11:03 am

@Norakism
You can choose to define your moments by how much money you could have made during that time. That is your choice.

There is no limit to the number of ‘things’ you can choose to define your moments by.

Ruth Says:

July 17th, 2007, 12:18 pm

Sarah, I totally understand where you’re coming from. One of my requirements for the things around me is that they can’t be ugly. If I’m going to look at it, it can’t irritate me. I think your therapist is right: You have to accept that that’s the way things are for you, and then you can find a way to live within it.

Personally, I dislike thrift stores and garage sales (and even places like Ross and TJ Maxx) because I don’t have the patience for them. To me, the extra money I spend on things is worth avoiding the irritation. You have to find the right balance for you.

Grayson De Ritis Says:

July 17th, 2007, 12:23 pm

YES, YES, and YES. Leo, fantastic post - this is something I’ve been sharing with folks for years. I’m no preacher by any means, but these types of things come up in conversations with friends on a regular basis. I do a lot of saving but I also lead a life I find to be very fulfilling and fun. I keep in mind that my future needs money, but that tomorrow’s promised to no-one :-)

stephen Says:

July 17th, 2007, 15:02 pm

pardon my cynicism, but it sounds a little like steve martin’s routine about how to be a millionaire and not pay taxes. “first,” he says,” get a million dollars….” automate my income - first, create a cd, or write a book, and then sell it, and sit back while the money rolls in. i suppose anyone can write a book, but writing a book that will sell, and sell enough to actually create income, is not as easy as you make it seem. your suggestions on spending less and enjoying what you have more are spot on -”we can live here and be happy with less.” creating an automated income that will sustain me and my family (health insurance, two kids in college, etc.) is not as easy as you make it sound.

Morgan Says:

July 17th, 2007, 15:37 pm

I just had another thought about frugality and how it can rely on help from others. This is the reverse of the comment up-thread about the expense of having friends (and relations). Sometimes our friends and relations can help us out by giving us things that they no longer have a use for ( e.g.: I gave a struggling designer friend a G3 laptop some years ago when my work supplied me with a new one). I’ve also given away a small colour TV, and a fairly new-ish single futon when my back began to demand something more substantial and my young grad student friend thought it just the ticket for his needs.
That said, don’t give people things that you know are pieces of junk that are hateful in appearance and/or quality. Just like it’s obnoxious to donate only crappy food to the foodbank, it’s obnoxious to go out and buy yourself something fabulous and then shove your garbage off onto your kids or your friends who are just starting out. So far I have been the recipient of 4 busted dining room tables from family members who were going out to get top-of-the-line replacements for themselves but who never even thought to give me the $25 that I ended up spending on a maple butterfly-leaf table for my dining room. In short, don’t treat the less privileged as the dumping ground for crap you don’t want.

Leo Says:

July 17th, 2007, 16:59 pm

@Stephen: Interesting comment, but just out of curiosity, are you referring to a different article? This post doesn’t mention automated incomes.

Luke Says:

July 17th, 2007, 17:02 pm

Leo,

You are absolutely my favorite blogger! Thanks so much.

I love your philosophy of life. Apparently, you are greatly influenced by Zen, but: which Zen? What parts of Zen? It’d be nice to learn more about your heroes and inspirations and the seed of your own life philosophy.

zoom Says:

July 17th, 2007, 18:40 pm

Excellent post. On the surface, those two philosophies do sound contradictory, but you’re absolutely right that they can be reconciled into one harmonious - and appealing - philosophy of life.

I’m going to work on that in my own life.

Leo Says:

July 17th, 2007, 18:57 pm

Thanks for all the wonderful comments everyone! You guys are so encouraging, it makes writing for this blog immensely rewarding.

@Luke: I’ve said before, but I should clarify: I’m not a practitioner of Zen Buddhism … although I’ve read about it, and have practiced zazen at various times of my life. There are things about Zen that greatly appeal to me, however, and obviously greatly influence this site. Which parts? Well, the aesthetics of Zen, of course, but also the simplicity, the living in the moment aspects, the asceticism of Zen monks, the minimalism of the lifestyle and philosophy, the emphasis on sitting (zazen) and on work as a living embodiment of Zen. To me, it speaks directly to some of the things in my soul, and if those things come out in this site, then I am happy. :)

Snoskred Says:

July 18th, 2007, 0:10 am

Hi Leo,

It’s my first time here at your blog, I found you thanks to that great article you wrote on dumb little man a while back. 9 Great Reasons to Drink Water, and How to Form the Water Habit. Now I have never been a fan of water, but you made this sound so easy, and I like to implement positive changes in my life, so I figured I’d give it a go. Less than two weeks later and I’ve gone from one glass of water occasionally to eight glasses a day and I’m feeling a lot better for it. So thank you.

So I have added you to my google reader (basically a feed reader, if you’re not using google reader it’s worth checking out), I’ve stumbled your site with stumbleupon and added you to my Technorati favorites, just so you know. ;)

I’ll also mention you in my weekly wrap up post on Sunday and I’ll be putting a link to you into my sidebar list of blogs I read via google reader.

Looking forward to reading more from you! ;)

Snoskred - has a new home at -
http://www.snoskred.org/

Abel Says:

July 18th, 2007, 4:33 am

I was once confused as the gurus said delayed gratification is vital if you want to achieve financial success. They are not wrong, they just look at things at different angles.

But what is life without enjoyment now? Life is about fun and doing things we like. And doing things we like does not mean you need to spend a lot of money. Leo has excellent simple ideas here that we can’t see because we are blindfolded by the busyness of lives.

Sara Says:

July 18th, 2007, 13:16 pm

Leo,

Nice article. The “slow down” point really resonates. Oddly, since teaching myself to drive more slowly, I seem to have “more” time now and am actually on time more often. Another great tip (for some, anyway) is getting rid of the watch.

Sasha Says:

July 18th, 2007, 16:08 pm

I think you’re missing something here, at least when it comes to finances - most people I know actually make enough money to live on AND be able to enjoy themselves regularly. But they’re still broke, because they are squanderers. Most of our money doesn’t go down the drain on large, worthwhile purchases; instead, it disappears magically like socks on things like lattes, gas (when you could walk), expensive shampoo, and a host of other completely worthless things that society has convinced us we need. In fact, doing away with some of those things - like driving - will serve to make you richer AND improve your quality of life. My advice: beware of the little things. They, really, really add up. More than you know.

Leo Says:

July 18th, 2007, 17:30 pm

@Sasha: Actually, that’s exactly what this post is about … frugality, which means not buying a bunch of overpriced or worthless things. :)

The point, of course, is that you can be frugal and still enjoy life.

Alex Ion Says:

July 18th, 2007, 17:37 pm

You know what?

When I enter your site and I read your articles I really find my peace of mind. Don’t know why, could be your wording, the banner up there or not sure.

About your topic over here, everyone should enjoy life as it passes by not when you’re 40 and I advise everyone to seek the joy of life that you can get WITHOUT any money.

Cheers

CatherineL Says:

July 18th, 2007, 20:29 pm

Great tips - thank you. I especially love the one on making people a priority. At one point, my kids would barely see me, as I was always working. I used to preach the delaying pleasure until later mantra. It was my justification for working round the clock. Then when I gave myself time to stop and think, I realised that later may never come.

Sasha Says:

July 18th, 2007, 20:57 pm

well, I understand that - but my point is that many people don’t realize how little they actually have to give up to be ‘frugal,’ if that makes sense. most of your tips are related to how to enjoy life without money (or much of it). and what I’m saying is that actually, you’d have a lot more money to do whatever you want if you stopped spending it so mindlessly. sorry to go around in circles…love your site:)

William Profet :: OneJobTwoSalaries.com Says:

July 25th, 2007, 4:02 am

Here’s my way:

1. Live now.
2. Plan the future.
3. Learn from the past.

Regards,
William

Kermit Johnson Says:

July 25th, 2007, 8:38 am

Is it possible to fantasize AND live in the now at the same time?

Kris Says:

August 15th, 2007, 11:55 am

I couldn’t agree more with this philosophy, and I was tickled by how well it conformed to my story.

See, I’m a college student, so I don’t have much money, and I needed to find ways to cut back. I also consider myself a beer aficionado. Not the crazy party-rager beer lover - I look at beer as wine lovers look at wine. I love to try different kinds of beer; good beer. However, this is a fairly costly habit, spending between $7 and $13 for a six-pack. I would buy 2-3 sixes a week. I knew this was an area I could cut back, but I didn’t want to sacrifice my favorite pasttime.

Then I discovered homebrewing.

Now I am learning to produce high quality beer on my own, which is even more gratifying than sampling beer alone. It is also cheaper to produce (~$30 for 50 or so beers). So in one fell swoop I solved a problem: I’m saving money, still sampling good beer, and I’ve added a hobby I love for negative cost!

Chris Says:

September 16th, 2007, 23:38 pm

If you want cheap and fun entertainment, go get a job at a bowling alley. Even if you only work there one night a week, you often get discounted (even free) games.

Jamey Stanworth Says:

October 15th, 2007, 14:27 pm

So true, all things in moderation. We have to reward ourselves a little for our hard work at getting out of debt. But eliminating debt is a long process, not overnight. So with small rewards, we can make it to the big reward, NO DEBT!

Lily Says:

January 14th, 2008, 16:01 pm

If you have friends who enjoy going to movies, pubs, football games, then they’ll want to bring you along and ask you to pay. Also, when you have friends you have an audience and if you have an audience you naturally want to show off

Naturally?! I don’t show off with my friends. I’m relaxed and laid back in their company coz, duh, they’re friends.
And, they don’t ask me to pay. If I want to I do it, next time they’ll pay for me anyway. One doesn’t have to be mean with friends ;)

Clare Says:

January 21st, 2008, 16:56 pm

Great post! Frugality is so often equated with some sort of severe, spartan lifestyle that is utterly devoid of fun. Thanks for reminding us that some of the best things in life don’t cost a lot of money.

sheri Says:

March 26th, 2008, 14:58 pm

I am so glad I found your site. It is wonderful! This article especially resonated with me, so much that I signed up for your newsletter. I can’t wait to browse the entire site. Thnak you so much for your insights. Your wife and kids are very lucky. :) And so are we, your readers.

Liara Covert Says:

May 4th, 2008, 1:30 am

These thoughts resonate very clearly. Its not how much you pay for something that matters but the intention and underlying motivation. Its incredible how much we can learn from simple appraoches to what means the most. You don’t need any money to get-in touch yourself and magnify the priceless miracles and experiences of life.

Ryan McLean Says:

May 4th, 2008, 9:49 am

It appears that I can enjoy myself now and enjoy myself even more later.
Good life now….better life later
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
This will help me heaps as I run my own financial blog….so thanks for the tips