What people who don't lower their quality of life even when prices rise are doing.

Every time I see the total at the supermarket checkout, I'm a little surprised.

I'm supposed to be buying the same things as last year, but for some reason, it's a little more expensive every time.

Electricity bills, gas bills, food costs, dining out expenses. The cost of living is rising slowly, but surely.

My salary hasn't changed that much. But the money going out is increasing.

There are people all over Japan right now who are getting by month to month while holding onto this feeling.

However, even in the same situation, there are people who are "managing" and people who are "slowly struggling."

The difference isn't just in income.

It's the difference in whether or not you have a "plan for how to spend your money."

The first thing you should do when prices soar is not to "cut back"

When life gets tough, many people first think about "cutting back."

Eat out less. Spend less on hobbies. Stop buying clothes.

It's certainly effective. But just "cutting back" only lowers your quality of life. And a life with a lower quality doesn't last long. You can't keep up the self-denial, and you end up overspending as a reaction.

What people who truly survive rising prices do is not "cut back," but "re-evaluate."

Cutting back and re-evaluating seem similar, but they are completely different.

Cutting back: Just reducing the amount. Re-evaluating: Changing how you spend based on whether it is "truly necessary."

First, start with "fixed costs"

There is money that goes out automatically every month. Smartphone bills, insurance premiums, subscriptions, parking fees.

Once you set these up, they go out without you doing anything else. So they become something you take for granted.

But I want you to think about it.

Is the smartphone plan you signed up for three years ago still the best one for you? Does the insurance you pay for monthly match your current life stage? Are there any subscriptions you've signed up for but never use?

Once you review your fixed costs, the benefits continue every month. Rather than saving on food costs every day, lowering your fixed costs by 10,000 yen a month is far easier and more effective.

First, open your bankbook or credit card statements and write down everything that goes out automatically every month. Just by doing that, you will definitely find things you aren't using.

For 'variable costs,' 'focus' rather than 'cut'

There are expenses that change from month to month, such as food and social expenses.

Trying to 'cut these across the board' is very stressful. That's because you have to think about whether something is expensive or cheap at every meal and every time you spend.

What you should do instead is 'focus on where you spend, and reduce where you don't.'

For example, with food costs, just 'deciding which days to cook at home and which days to eat out' will reduce wasteful spending. The pattern of eating out just because you feel like it's a hassle is what costs the most money.

If you are going to eat out, go to a restaurant you've decided on. Going to a restaurant with low satisfaction just because it's cheap is the biggest waste of all.

Decide in advance 'where you will spend and where you won't.' Just by doing that, your satisfaction will change significantly even with the same amount of money.

The real fear of rising prices lies in the 'creeping feeling'

If prices suddenly doubled, everyone would notice and take action.

But reality is different. They go up little by little, 500 yen or 1,000 yen a month.

That 'creeping feeling' is scary. Before you know it, your monthly deficit starts to pile up.

That is why you need the **'habit of checking your cash flow once a month.'**

You don't have to do anything difficult. Just 10 minutes at the end of every month.

How much did you spend on what this month? What has increased compared to last month? What will you change next month?

These 10 minutes will stop the creeping deficit at an early stage.

Also keep the perspective of 'increasing' your income

Reducing expenses is not the only way to counter rising prices. Increasing your income is also an option.

People in their 40s and 50s have both skills and experience. The current workplace is not necessarily the only place where they can utilize them.

Side jobs, freelancing, changes in roles within the company. You don't have to act immediately. But if you are convinced that you will live your whole life on your current income alone, I want you to set aside that assumption for a moment.

If prices keep rising, have a system where your income keeps rising too. That is another pillar for protecting your quality of life in the long term.

One principle to avoid 'frugality fatigue'

Finally, I want you to remember just this one thing.

In an era of soaring prices, people who continue to protect their quality of life are not 'enduring,' but 'choosing'.

They are not satisfied with things they bought just because they were cheap. Even if it is expensive, they are satisfied with things they chose because 'I truly love this.'

Frugality is not endurance. It is the practice of choosing to 'spend money on what you truly value.'

People who don't lower their quality of life even when prices rise are not cutting back blindly, but are people who decide for themselves 'what to value'.

I will mention just one thing you can do starting today.

Tonight, I want you to open your bankbook or credit card statement and write down everything that 'goes out automatically every month.'

That is all you need to do.

The moment you write it down, you will definitely find something you think, 'Oh, I don't need this.' Just by stopping that one thing, money will start remaining in your hands every month starting next month.

Soaring prices come from the outside. But the countermeasures start from within yourself.

I want you to take just one step today.