“Frugality is more than just saving a few pennies and becoming debt-free. It is about pursuing your dreams and not letting someone else define your success”.

This little gem, like so many others, make up the multi-layered awesomeness that is the book 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget by the writers of Wise Bread. Wisebread is a website that has frugal living and money-saving tips and as they state on their “about” page, they are a community of bloggers who are “here to help you live large on a small budget”.

This book was such a great read and I wrote down so many nuggets of information because I just loved what these writers had to say! 🙂

• “Frugal discipline does not have to mean deprivation. It is possible to have a life of abundance without spending more money that you’d care to”.
• “The fundamental rule of personal finance: Spend less than you earn. There are 2 avenues to achieving this goal: spending less and earning more. By working on either (or both) of these areas, you can increase the gap between those 2 numbers- and that gap is your ticket to freedom. The harder you work on either spending less or earning more, the bigger that gap will become and the quicker that train to your dreams will arrive at that station”.

We’ve all heard it before but it bears repeating: Spend less than you earn. Simple words that pack a wallop of truth, but at times difficult to follow. But with spending less than what we earn, we gain freedom. Freedom to pursue what is important to us.

10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget also talks about minimalism and getting rid your junk:

• “We often hold onto things that simply remind us if a nice memory”.
• “You’ll probably be surprised how much stress is relieved by parting with your junk. It can be hard to part with things that you’ve owned for a while, but frankly, any potential monetary sacrifice can be compensated for by having a clean livable abode. When they say you can’t take it with you, they aren’t kidding”.

They even have a section about Roth I.R.A.’s, bonds, and investments which I found interesting even if I didn’t understand all of it 🙂 The writers recommended to put away at least $1,000 for emergencies or into what is commonly known as an “emergency fund”, and to pay off all your credit card debt before opening a Roth I.R.A. or at least make significant headway on that debt and have a plan for paying it off.

All in all, if you are looking for some tips to up your frugality game, by all means, head to your local library and check this book out. Like I did 🙂 #frugalforthewin