Almost everyone on the planet would love to live an extravagant lifestyle, but most of us don’t have the means to do so. This doesn’t mean you have to have a boring, mundane life, however. If you get a little creative, you can have a rich life, despite your limited funds.
Here are 4 things you can do to make your life more exciting and enriching, without going into debt to do so:
Buy Quality
This may seem like an odd piece of advice, since buying quality items often costs more, but in the long run, it could save you a lot of money. When it comes to clothing, for example, buying a few quality pieces that make you look and feel great is better than buying a ton of cheaply made items that look terrible after one wash. For things like tools, if you buy something well made, it could last you the rest of your life. You can also buy quality used items, which could save you a ton of money. I rarely buy a new item without first checking if I can find a gently used version at a discount.
Along with buying quality items, make sure you take care of them so they last well into the future.
Prioritize Experiences Over Things
In our family, we often give gifts that are experiences, rather than tangible things. Instead of giving my son the latest gaming system, we gave him a trip to a waterpark with one of his buddies. My husband and I don’t give each other anniversary gifts. Instead, we get away for a night and stay in a hotel.
This isn’t just restricted to gift-giving. So many things that will create lasting memories for you and your family are not things at all, and can come at little to no cost. Pack a picnic lunch and take a drive to a beautiful location. Where I live in California, it’s about an hour drive to either the beach or to the mountains. Going to either location makes me feel like I’m in a different world, even though I’m only an hour from home.
Open Up Your Home
Having friends or family over to your house is one of the best ways to enrich your life, in my opinion. For the cost of taking my family of four out to eat, we can often feed two other families in our home if we do the cooking. But you don’t even have to necessarily feed people a meal to enjoy their company. Invite them over for dessert and games. If your home isn’t large enough to entertain a crowd. Arrange a potluck dinner in a local park.
Barter
Bartering is one of the best ways to get things at a greatly reduced price, or even for no cost at all. If you have a special skill, let it be known that you’re willing to trade for the things and services you need or want. Even if you don’t have any sort of specialized skill, you can offer things like baby-sitting or manual labor. Get creative. You might be surprised what people will barter for.
