There are a lot of things in life that are completely out of our control. For instance, I have to have a repair made to my truck. A part wore out. That's out of my control. Parts do wear out after awhile and my truck is almost 10 years old.
Other things are within our control, though. We can't do a single thing about the rates for electrical consumption, but we can control to a large extent how much electricity we personally consume. Thus, reducing our electric bill and saving money is somewhat within our control.
This goes for a lot of other things, too. While we can't dictate the base cost of consumer goods, we can reduce our spending on them in a variety of ways. Making thrifty choices boils down to a few things:
- Asking ourselves if this is something we really need.
- Figuring out the best value for our hard-earned dollars by comparison shopping.
- Checking to see if we already have something similar in our possession that will do just as well for a long time.
- Finding out if what we have can be repaired instead of just tossing things out.
- Shoot for lower goals for possessions and higher goals for long range financial planning.
Stop and think before you buy. Sleep on purchases before making a commitment. For example, be sure the treadmills you've been looking at have the options you need and will fit your space and lifestyle. While one person may want all the bells and whistles to get the most use from time spent on the treadmill, another may just want a simple, straightforward machine for quick walking sessions a few times a week.
