The term frugal may bring up images of counting toilet paper squares when using the bathroom, adding water to your shampoo bottles, using all the leftovers in the fridge and not throwing out any waste, reusing sandwich bags and aluminum foil, sharing a toothbrush or turning off the water in the shower while shaving.  Some of these examples are frugal and some are extreme cheapskates.  What is the difference?

Many of the big purchases we make are not urgent.  It is not the difference between having a roof over our head or not.  Instead they have to do with convenience.  It is easy to convince ourselves of the urgency behind a big purchase due to this convenience factor.

People today spend more time thinking about their next hairstyle, tattoo or electronics than they do their finances.  When we mix the daily distractions of life with our lack of financial planning and intentionality, we end up in reaction mode instead of proactive mode.

People not only shop to keep up with the Jones’ but also when we are sad, bored, depressed, anxious, lonely, or because we feel like we earned it.

Many times we don’t think of our spending habits as proactive or reactive.  In reality, most of us are farther on the reactive side than we would like to admit.

The benefits of a no spend challenge are so vast and affect every area of our life.  No thing will make you happy, it can only come from within you.  But having extra in our bank than needed, sure puts a smile on our face too. 

Eventually we all get to a point where it doesn’t matter how dolled up our debt looks in it’s fancy vacations, clothes, and newest gadget.  It’s true ugly self is revealed, along with it the stress, arguments, and frustration that it brings.  We deserve financial peace, we deserve to look around at everything we have and know that we owe no one nothing.