Being Frugal With Your Wellbeing
Posted on 29 April 2009
In today’s society people are wasting money on stupid things and not investing in what is important. Themselves and those around them. With cheap food and clothes it has become normal to spend on quantity whilst ignoring what’s important QUALITY…
There are some core things that will always be worth investing in regardless of the financial climate, recession or even booms. As I have gotten older I have slowly come to appreciate nice things and realize the important of spending my money on things that are of good value to me, rather than being good value…..
What to Spend on?
There are a few things to take into account when figuring what to spend money on when your trying to save money but make the most of things.
- Does the product have a direct impact on you or those around you? (food, drink etc)
- How long will it last? (Clothes, furniture etc)
- Are you paying a fair price?
- Have you enjoyed the experience?
For me things like food are very important so I am happy to spend a high amount on quality meats, vegetables and fruit. Although some people may think I am crazy spending $10 on some berries and a piece of meat while they can get bags and bags of processed junk for the same price. To me it remains good value as I know I am nourishing my body, and enjoying the good food which gives me a lot of pleasure.
Enjoying the experience is important as well. When you purchase something half the pleasure comes from the association with the product, the research you have done before hand and the process of visiting the shops leading to a good experience.
The experience of the doing really is everything. The ending should be the end of that experience, not the experience itself.
That is just one example of how different point’s of view will affect what people consider to be valuable or of value to them. So let’s have a look at what I spend on and what I save on……
Clothes
I don’t have expensive taste nor am I a fashion guru but I do take pride in what I wear and like to think I have a good sense of style. I enjoy buying quality clothes. A good pair of Jeans is top of my list. Jeans are something I feel everyone should spend money on quality brands and classic fits are always worth spending that little more on. There is nothing better than having a good pair of jeans that has taken on your DNA through living out your life in them.
The same thing goes for T-Shirts and Shoes. Always go for the best you can afford when it comes to the basics, that plain white t-shirt you wear every night. Spend a few $£ more and get the softest, best fitting one you can. The beauty of spending on Quality clothes is that they last and fit to your body over time, making them unique and a part of you…..
Food
I enjoy spending money on what goes into my body for me this includes:
- Meat: When possible I will go out of my way to buy organic, grassfed meat from a good local butcher or farmers market. To me this makes good sense as most animals these days are treated like crap and fed crap. Thankfully organic produce is well reared does not only taste better but is packed with more nutrients, this is thanks to the superior diet the animals are fed and the higher quality of life they have led. So eat organic when you can, sometimes it’s hard but if you can manage it 80% of the time your doing fine.
- Alcohol: This is also something very important, if your going to drink do it well. I will always go for a premium beer, wine or liquor when I drink simply because I feel better for it. Hangovers are more bearable plus it will give you benefits. A high quality beer is something I find not only delicious but also very nourishing, the same goes for a good red wine. I don’t recommended blowing the bank but its important to spend a bit more getting something worth your while.
- Coffee: Organic fresh coffee only for me. Steer clear of stale drip coffee in the office, the stuff is packed with caffeine and chemicals. I Enjoy the process of making my own coffee at home whether its with a French Press, or Espresso machine. When on the move I will try to pickup an Americano from a local coffee shop who take pride in their coffee rather than the run of the mill Starbucks.
- Fruits and Vegetables: I am less specific with Organic Fruit and Vegetables and tend to go for what looks local and fresh rather than it being organic. What good are organic apple’s if they have flown in from hundred’s of miles away? Saying this I see nothing wrong with spending a fair amount of money on things like fresh berries and other produce I enjoy.
Spending money on food will benefit you in many ways and continue to save money as it’s likely it will mean less cash spent on health care in the long term. It will also save you money on supplements as a good diet can provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need.
Another simple but effective tip is to shop around for what’s about to go off or in special offer. These products will always have a huge price cut allowing you to get quality foods for less.
Keeping Fit
This is an area that is very easy to save some cash on. I recently ditched my gym membership as the good weather has come and I would rather workout outdoors. With so many great free resources on the web guiding you through Body Weight workouts its easy to get and stay in great shape with little or no equipment. Recently I have been getting great workouts by using just 1 Kettlebell and some Resistance bands. My workouts are purely body weight circuits with some Kettlebell and Band work to throw in some added resistance. I also love sprint sessions……
Zen to Fitness on Sprinting – Benefits and how to do them…
There is nothing better than just getting outdoors with nature and improvising a workout. I will often go out with a rough plan of what I want to do and work from there. Sometimes this leads to some pretty cool workouts and teaches me a few new things.
When I do develop an itch to life something heavy I will head up to a gym and pay the day rate. When I average a gym session 2-3 times a month this works out way cheaper than a annual membership. Another good tip is to see if any of your friends have guest passes available or if any gym’s in your area are offering trial passes.
What’s Important to You?
Spending money on things that make you happy is very important. Sometimes they aren’t expensive but we all have passions that we enjoy spending time and money on. An example of this for me would be computers. I have always loved technology and therefore enjoy the process of looking into my computer purchase and buying a quality product that I can play with. For some people this maybe vintage cars, art or books. Whatever it is don’t hesitate spending as its something that is of value to you and that is what is important. Enjoy the process, tweak it make it your own. That’s where happiness in material possesions is found. Happiness cannot be found in material possessions but the process of earnng money and spending it on things we like can be a enjoyable experience that is important to everyday life.
I would love to hear some tips for saving money or what you enjoy spending on? Please feel free to comment……
Comment by Yvonne Anderson
29 April 2009
I do believe in the soil to the plate idea, to cut out on the processing of foods. I read this in this months Russh magazine!
I tend to buy my fresh veggies and fruit on a Monday for the week ahead and throw in some fresh fish. I but it from the local fresh food place not the supermarkets.
I enjoy eating healthy and training hard.
My biggest money saving tip is this: Don’t buy food that you don’t have some kind of plan for…
It only ends up going mouldy in the back of the fridge and gets thrown in the garbage!!
Not a good look or smell for that matter
About the computer part- my husband has decided (since we are going to NZ to live rent free on a hill for 16 months- read about in http://safespacecoaching.blogspot.com) we need a shiny new Laptop for him to do his work on….and play kick arse games and do cool animation stuff (his passion).
We can justify this as in the long run it will generate income. We have many ideas and will require the latest technology….
I could go on all night about this stuff so I best stop now.
I enjoy your blog…
Comment by Dusan Vlahovic
29 April 2009
Great post, i love spending money on technology as well; and i ditched my gym memebrship a while ago too, working out outdoors is great!
Comment by Bonnie | free biorhythm
30 April 2009
I like to save money where I can, I ditched the gym membership too and now do T-Tapp (a bodyweight workout you can do in a few feet of space with no equipment!) and yoga at home plus lots of walking. I’m actually in better shape which is a bonus!
Saving here means I can spend more on a few quality items like good organic coffee, organic red wine, plus organic produce – though like you I won’t always buy organic if it doesn’t seem fresh.
Do you get organic coffee beans and grind them yourself? At the moment I buy an organic pre-ground coffee but nothing beats freshly ground beans!
Comment by DR
1 May 2009
Every spring/summer for the past 5 years, I put my gym membership on hold and do my workouts in the great outdoors.
Playground workouts, kettlebell workouts, hill sprints, pickup basketball wearing a 20 lb weighted vest, etc…
It’s even been good for business. My “Jungle Gym” workouts drew the attention of some of my neighbors, and as a result, I now have 6 of my personal trainer friends running outdoor fitness classes around the city.
Comment by Liam | fitness trainer
1 May 2009
For me personally I won’t ever scrimp on the quality of the food I eat. It’s an investment long-term, not to mention the fact it tastes better!
Comment by M.A.Green
26 May 2009
The classic financial wisdom is to assess whether you’re buying an asset or a liability, though that seems a bit far afield in this setting.
I agree with the ethic of paying more for high quality items for several reasons. It supports the production of high quality goods, it rewards those who have put in the extra care to produce them, it’s more fun using or consuming higher quality items, they’ll generally save you money in the long run whether in the form of reduced medical problems or a longer useful lifetime.
Sometimes circumstances favor purchasing something of less than top quality. So we do need to reflect and evaluate, yet the fewer of us support poor quality products, the fewer of them we’ll have…