Allow me to introduce myself. I've have no qualifications to advise you on the use or misuse of your money, resources, or time. I can't tell you what to do with your money to be able to retire (although I have my ideas) nor can I legally advise you on your taxes. I'm not a CPA nor a lawyer. I have only experience (albeit it limited) and a willingness to learn all things related to money. So with that disclaimer, I say to you dear reader to venture carefully, to think deeply, and question me...questioningly. Also feel free to judge my writing honestly but not too harshly. I do have feelings after all.
I think everyone comes to a point in their lives where they have worked long or hard enough and yet still feel as though the rut they are in is only getting deeper. I'm still quite young (only being in my early 30's). As Henry David Thoreau said, money shouldn't be looked at as this thing you use to purchase a good. It simply is your time in exchange for something. I think people who are wealthy have figured out a way to get the biggest bang for their buck. In other words, they've figured out a way to maximize the money they receive relative to the amount of time they spend.
I want to explore and expand upon this idea of time equaling money but in a different way from what that phrase usually means. Frugality is maximizing your money given the amount of time you have. It's not being cheap. It's about understanding your relationship with the world. For instance, if you recycle, one could say that's frugality as it relates to our natural resources. There's nothing to be ashamed of in recycling. I think the word frugal carries with it this idea of a scrooge-like miser who's cheap and leaves bad tips. Hey Jack, I always leave good tips. Frugality, in my view, encompasses the idea of stewardship of one's resources.
Feel free to comment on what frugality means to you.
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