Opinion: Homesteading frugality is one way to make life sweeter and less complicated

A frugal life has fewer decisions and offers more peace.
(Frugalwoods photo)

Learning from Americans who live as homesteaders is one way to embrace —and even relish — living frugally.

"It's uncommon to hear someone espouse the virtues of frugality for frugality’s sake," writes Elizabeth Willard Thames for Frugalwoods, a financial newsletter. "Frugality gets a horrendous rap, primarily from those who peddle the pricey products we’re lured to believe will equal the good life. I didn’t realize at the time that my frugality would become a destination and an enriching element all its own."

Thames shares 19 reasons why frugality can make life better. A few of her homesteading ideas and habits are below.

Honoring your priorities is what frugality is all about. A successful frugal budget allocates money "only on the most important things, and a happy frugal person only allocates their time to their highest priorities," Thames explains. "I know that my time and money are both limited, so why fritter either away on stuff that doesn’t bring me happiness?"

Frugality creates a life filled with learning. Thames writes, "By embracing the art of DIY, we’re never at a loss for what to do with our time. If it’s a sunny day, we’re out in the garden or hiking. Rainy? We’re inside writing, baking, reading."

Frugal people become more creative. Thames notes, "We innovate, we experiment, and we do it ourselves. We devise our own food, our own entertainment, our own gifts, our own way to live."

Living frugally means making fewer decisions. Thames notes, "Research has proven that the glut of choices we face in making decisions in our modern economy do not, in fact, make us happier."

Keeping things simple can help build community. "Frugality encourages a reliance on one another, a sharing of skills, of time, and of stuff," Thames adds. "The frugal life is an interconnected life where you acknowledge that you need help and have gifts to offer."

More than anything else, "frugality gives you options. Or, more precisely: frugality gives you a level of financial stability that affords you options," Thames explains. "When you’re not in debt and you’re not living paycheck-to-paycheck, you are able to make decisions based on what you want to do with your life, not what you have to do."