Throughout our marriage we’ve had times of abundance and times of scarcity. During the periods of abundance, we spent more money because we had more money. And since we didn’t have a great handle on our situation, we ended up with less money than we should have. If we had chosen to be really thrifty during these times, the periods of scarcity would have been much easier to endure.
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Description of a Thrifty Person
When you think of a thrifty person, what comes to mind?
I bet you don’t think of a lawyer who makes $100k per year or a CEO who can give his employees generous bonuses at Christmas.
And why not?
Probably because when we think of thrifty, we think of poor or middle-of-the-road people trying to stretch the money they have to make ends meet.
But guess what? Wealthy people are often also very thrifty. How else do you think they got to be wealthy?
Here is the definition of “Thrifty” from Merriam-Webster dictionary online:
THRIFTY: Managing or using money in a careful or wise way
There is no mention of a person who earns less or is going through a difficult financial period. Now that I know the definition, I’m going to be much more careful about how I interpret “thrifty.”
I can be a thrifty person, but there have been times in the past when I stepped over into spending territory. This occurred because we were making a little more money than we needed to pay our bills and other necessities, so I decided I could spend our money on things I thought we needed. But looking back, I understand how blindly I was managing our money. It wasn’t always careful or wise.
Reasons to Be Thrifty Even If You Don’t “Need” to Be
Now that we’re in another financial rut, I’ve had to pull up my big girl pants and control our spending. I am thriftier than ever and we barely buy anything anymore.
Here are several reasons why you might want to consider becoming (or staying!) a thrifty person even if you don’t need to be:
- To save more for retirement or financial goals. The path to retirement is a heck of a lot shorter when you are socking money away now to get there.
- To be an example to your children of responsibility and good money management skills.
- Because you never know what the future could bring. Medical emergencies and job loss are two of the big things that come to my mind, but there are several other things that can require you to spend much more than you make.
- So you can learn how to be a resourceful person (someone who doesn’t waste or neglect what they have).
- To simplify your budget.
- Because the Economic Crash of 2016 is upon us. According to Thom Hartmann, the author of “The Crash of 2016,” this is going to be very similar to the Great Depression.
I’m sure there are even more reasons to be a thrifty person. Can you think of any? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
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Indeed, it’s important to be thrifty! I haven’t heard about the Crash of 2016. Oh dear. That bears some research and some dire implications.
Yes, it is good to understand what might happen if a crash happens similar to the Great Depression. I really hope we can all prepare now so we are ready!