‘Tis the season to be jolly, but it’s also the season to be frugal.

Frugality is sometimes confused with being stingy, but I personally liken one who is frugal to someone who is being prudent.  “Who am I trying to kid?” you may well ask.

Am I trying to deceive myself in thinking that I’m not Ebenezer Scrooge in disguise every-time Christmas is upon me?

Or am I genuine in my feelings that spending huge amounts of money, that I may or may not have, does very little towards my own personal growth and self-improvement?

I’ll leave you to answer the previous questions after you have read this post.

We must see money for what it is, and that its made of very little substance and should be given no importance other than providing us with our daily bread and simple lodgings to live in.

Money in no way should come before oneself and relationships – which means being wise enough to develop the immunity to greed and deception, which are the very evils that money can encourage within us.

One, who chooses to fall in love with money and who gets pleasure from spending it frivolously because of vanity or impulse, are risking their very lives being held captive on the slave ships of debt.

One needn’t cross the Middle Passage suffering and struggling to repay their mistakes of overspending what they didn’t have, but instead, one can live like a king with liberty and plenty of cash to spare due to living a frugal life.

Why not read my advice on avoiding debt if you still don’t believe me.

Capitalism and consumerism go hand in hand, but one must remember both ideologies were created by modern man and has no place amongst nature and wisdom, both of which were here before man and what we should instead embrace.

We must learn to turn away from superficial means of expressing ourselves and, instead, should look inwardly to discover the riches which will satisfy us more than any materialistic possession you wish to spend money on.

“Deprive yourself on nothing necessary for your comfort, but live in an honorable simplicity and frugality.”

~ John McDonough

Follow these wise steps towards being frugal:

• Avoid buying brand names and labels, especially in regard clothing.  There are cheaper alternatives and are made of decent quality, which will still keep us decent and warm just the same.
• Buy cheaply and look for bargains to be had
• Buy second hand – no shame spending your money in a charity shop, which will not only provide you with cheap stuff but will also provide for those who are less well off than yourselves
• Why not tap into your creative self and make something out of nothing, which can also be given as a present
• Are you harboring too much stuff?  Not much room in your house?  Why not give away stuff as a present this Xmas whilst at the same time downsizing the amount of possessions that you don’t use
• Give either cash or vouchers as presents.  This will allow you to budget and give everyone an equal amount, not to mention allowing ungrateful recipients to buy exactly what they want

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With Christmas being just around the proverbial corner, the short video featured in this post has been delivered by Santa (or more like Stefan Molyneux) at just the right time to empower me to emancipate myself from this mesmerising system of consumerism.

I think we all know about the social pressures and demands for us to spend what we don’t have on material goods, especially during the Christmas period.

Who doesn’t have children or loved ones who expect a bounty of prized possessions awaiting them under a twinkling tree towering over wrapped up temporary pleasures?

What the recipients fail to understand is the impending stress and anxiety of debts owed by the giver, who mostly through guilt have previously sold their soul to that yoke of a credit card.

Alternatively, one may have instead signed on the dotted line for a loan from a person wearing a suit and persuasive smile, and who resides in a building where your dreams can supposedly come true (well, that is is what we’re led to believe) – which is nothing but a facade.

These seemingly nice people who work for banks hide a little, but oh so important secret; and that is, once you’re enticed into the trap of borrowing money to fulfill your needs, you at once become a slave to the slave masters of debt.  You are then forced to give your hard-earned cash to your masters every month, as they become richer off your labour.

Debt is a huge problem not only for the money that needs to be paid back but also the interest accrued, which can hugely affect your life and relationships because of the stress of needing to keep up with repayments.  We have all but become modern day slaves to money, which can make life miserable if not managed properly.

I have been in this situation myself so I know what it feels like when you have all and sunder chasing you for money, and threatening you with the law of the land if you do not pay.

Fortunately, I have at last paid all what I owe which is like a huge weight being lifted off my head – and now I am free once more to say that I do not owe anyone a thing.  The peace of mind and liberty that being debt free brings far outweighs loaning the money to buy possessions, which is a situation that can bring too much risk for too little reward in the long run.

So here is the wisdom I now live by so not to fall into the trap of debt because of borrowing money:

• Avoid debt to begin with
• Live within my means
• Only buy the things I actually need
• Avoid the use of credit cards
• Avoid the need to take out a loan
• Always save the money I have to buy something that I can’t afford at the time
• Living consciously and being aware of society’s marketing ploys and traps trying to manipulate me into buying something I don’t need
• I have become indifferent to feelings of guilt, pressure and impulse to spend money frivolously
• Be honest to loved ones about not being able to afford presents.  If they still don’t understand or are unreasonable I will tell them to read this post
• If I do decide to buy presents or general items, I choose the wise action of being frugal in my spending so that I won’t break the bank – it’s the thought that counts
• Finally, live simply and find contentment in things I have in life other than money and possessions

In conclusion, the world is maybe in a financial crisis but we don’t have to be in one. That’s the wise choice everybody can take – no excuses!

We must learn to manage money and not let it manage us.  So Break the chains of debt and remain free to live a rich and fulfilling life with nothing but contentment, happy relationships and peace of mind being our most valued possessions.

The video below applies to everyone living in a developed country, and not just America.

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