Comments on: The Case for Frugality

By: Ron - Heroic Nature

Ron - Heroic Nature — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:59:54 +0000

Definitely something I adhere to much more these days – frugality.

I’ve made a few financial blunders right after graduating college, and since then it has taught me a valuable lesson in financial intelligence.

But I agree with the whole point of being frugal as a way to increase your freedom. There’s nothing like having the money you “need” in order to at least survive and live comfortably while having the freedoms to pursue the things that really matter to you. It’s a bit more difficult to do that with unnecessary debt as a perpetual burden.

By: Carnival of Pecuniary Delights: Sweet 16 Edition | Financial Freedom

Carnival of Pecuniary Delights: Sweet 16 Edition | Financial Freedom — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:02:37 +0000

[...] Greene from You Have More Than You Think presents The Case for Frugality. Shawanda’s website is a beautiful implementation of the Thesis Theme. Go check [...]

By: Week In Review: Frugality Edition | Enemy of Debt

Week In Review: Frugality Edition | Enemy of Debt — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:20:09 +0000

[...] Greene from You Have More Than You Think wrote The Case For Frugality and I must say, she did an excellent job of making the case. The title alone grabbed my attention [...]

By: Before You Give

Before You Give — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:02:07 +0000

[...] indicated in the opening paragraph of The Case for Frugality, I’m not a miser because I enjoy denying my natural urges to consume. Shelling out cash to [...]

By: Shawanda Greene

Shawanda Greene — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:20:19 +0000

@Herbert – You’re right. It’s difficult to change habits. I’ll use working out and eating healthy as an analogy. Go ahead and call me crazy, but I want to lose 8 pounds. Yes. I said 8 pounds. I’m under no illusion that I’m never going to slip up and eat something I shouldn’t. When I fall to temptation, I just say “tomorrow is a new day.” If I don’t keep trying, then I have to accept that I’ll never achieve my fitness goals. Fortunately, I’m not okay with that.

If you’re not a good cook, I’d recommend trying some of the recipes at RecipeZaar.com. You can search for recipes by ingredients. The user reviews are the best. Since many of the readers are experienced cooks, they offer a lot of good advice on substituting ingredients and modifying the recipes. Most of what I make is pretty delicious, it’s just carving out the time to prepare my meals.

@Adventurous Wench Travel Store – Thank you. I’m glad you brought up the notion of changing the mind. It’s the most important element when adopting a new lifestyle.

I write down inspirational quotes on sticky notes, and post them in front of me. On occasions when I start feeling sorry for myself, I’ll read them to remind me of the importance of my thoughts. When it comes to our thoughts, my favorite quote is:

“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.” – Epictetus

I actually think of this quote as, “Men are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen.” I heard it on the Dave Ramsey Show.

By: Adventurous Wench travel store

Adventurous Wench travel store — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:53:13 +0000

Spending less and staying frugal starts with changing the mind. I used to work for a highly prestigious company for years where I earn a considerably higher salary than my peers. But like you I was never happy. Waking up every morning and dragging my feet to the office is so difficult for me. It took me 6 years before I took the plunge and be on my own. It was difficult at first — I had to totally re-engineer my mind and my spending habits.

I hope more people would discover your story and follow your lead.

By: Herbert

Herbert — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:18:02 +0000

I like this post, I can feel the passion and reality behind the words.

Asides from the writing, I find that the idea of ‘frugality’ is great, but it’s very difficult to put into practise. Going from hemorrhaging money to saving up is a difficult process — for example, a transition as simple as one from eating fast food everyday to bringing a home-made lunch is extremely difficult for me, because at midday I just need the taste bud relief.

But it’s great to see the results of frugality — and the desired goal: freedom.

By: Good Debt?

Good Debt? — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:13:44 +0000

[...] The Case for Frugality, I expressed that freedom is the motivating force behind my penny pinching ways. Being saddled with [...]

By: Miguel Castro

Miguel Castro — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:47:26 +0000

Shawanda, This may sound way off the mark but you’ve got the focus and reflection to write a serious book of your own.
Many books are nothing but individual sections of personal insight or technical data woven together by a good writer.
Kiyosaki has recently written another book on Real Estate but in it Donald Trump has a section & one of his quotes from the past is “Don’t depend on anyone else for providing your financial security.” I don’t know your ultimate goal but you should consider writing at least one book before you lose interest in a forum and pursue other enterprising ventures. Think about it.

By: Shawanda Greene

Shawanda Greene — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:44:17 +0000

Deb – Likewise. The Millionaire Next Door is one of my absolute favorites as well.

I also like:

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
How to Live Well Without Owning a Car by Chris Balish
The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

How to Live Well Without Owning a Car may seem out of place, but like the others, it opened my eyes to a new way of thinking.

I also really like Women & Money and the 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman. These books focus more on the technical aspects of financial planning.

Buckets of Money looks interesting. I’ll have to check it out.