Prosperity vs Frugality

 

I'm wondering about the connection between prosperity and frugality. If I live frugally, am I living with unnecessary limits, blocking the Law of Attraction and financial abundance? According to the Frugal Goddess website, many people associate frugality with lack, but frugality is actually the meeting of your values with your cash-flow.

For example, in nature, says the Goddess, nothing is wasted and we see a model for abundant frugality in its givingness and prosperity consciousness. Also, people are frugal for various reasons...perhaps forced to be frugal due to poverty, or choosing frugality in planning for larger dreams down the road, such as travel or education, or following a voluntary simplicity lifestyle focused on conscious values-based spending.

In the DVD "Low Impact Man," a New York family decides to buy nothing new for a year, and chooses to walk up the nine flights of stairs to their apartment, travel by bicycle, grow food in a community garden, and even give up electricity for a period of time.

I was inspired to give up recreational shopping. I have enough stuff and things, even though I've been reasonably frugal through the years. I live in the same house we bought over 40 years ago, always drove used cars (until a recent splurge on a hybrid), exchanged our home and even cars for European travel vacations, sent our kids to state universities, paid off credit ctd at the end of the month, and so on.

Now I'm challenging myself to really pay attention to my spending and commit to buying only what I really need or would truly enhance my life. I use the public library for books, and only buy if the library doesn't have it and I must absolutely read it. Fortunately, I love to read and the library has an excellent system for reserving books and checking online when they arrive at my local branch.

Entertainment is inexpensive through Netflix or Amazon Prime, and I fortunately have a large screen television we set up when my husband was ill and house-bound. No need for cable or satellite TV with free local digital television plus online streaming. Apparently there is a trend now among Americans to spend less, save more and reduce debt, and there are plenty of online articles on ways to accomplish this.

Jeff Yeager's book, How to Retire the Cheapskate Way, provides many tips for frugal retirement: become debt free, simple-size to save money and reduce stress, and be a good family member, friend, neighbor, community member and all-around Good Samaritan.

According to Time magazine of April 9, 207, frugality can be spiritual. "There is an older path to reducing our impact on the planet that will feel familiarr to Evangelical Christians and Buddhists alike. Live simply. Meditate. Consume less. Think more. Get to know your neighbors. Borrow when you need to and lend when asked."

These are timeless concepts on how to live your best life. True abunadance is not more stuff and things, not necessarily more and more money, but a life filled with love, harmony, good health, creative expression, purpose, friendship, community and joy.

And s it is.