Secrets to a Frugal Life

Thank you for choosing to read this article.

I am Koala no Mane.

I might get scolded by husbands across the country, but
the old Mane was like this.

Going out for lunch with the whole family.
My husband would order enough for himself to reach 2,000 yen.
I would say, 'Hey? Could you not eat that much?' lol

I want to know what wives think about husbands who order 2,000 yen worth of lunch,
so please leave a comment if you'd like lol

I always thought he didn't need to eat that much at lunch.

I would also tell my children, 'That dessert is expensive, so
could you pick this cheaper one instead?'

I started to hate myself for being like that.
I didn't want to tell my husband or children 'no' to this or that anymore,
I wanted to let them eat whatever they liked to their heart's content,
so I decided to study how to increase my money.

Today's article is not about increasing money,
but I would like to write about the methods I have practiced to not spend it.

I will write about the things I have stopped doing in order not to spend money.
I am good at not spending.

'Habits that save you money just by stopping them'

I stopped the habit of being attracted to limited edition items

People have a tendency to feel value in 'things that are hard to get' or 'limited edition items'.

'Limit 3 per person'

'Only 10 in the world'

These are strategies to increase sales by adding scarcity value to products.
If it were a truly sellable product, there would be no need to limit it.

Have you ever been swayed by the word 'limited'
and bought three when one was actually enough?
Companies use this psychology to increase their sales.

The next time you see the word 'limited edition',
let's stay calm.
By thinking, 'Isn't this a product that wouldn't sell if it weren't limited?',
you can prevent wasteful spending.

Stop being a 'yes man'

The habit of saying 'yes' to requests from others is also a cause of wasting money.
It takes energy to say no, and you tend to feel bad about refusing, but
this is actually dangerous.
It is the effect where getting someone to say yes to a small request makes them more likely to accept a larger request later.

It is the effect where getting someone to say yes to a small request makes them more likely to accept a larger request later.

'Could you lend me a little money?'

'Could you just join me for the first round of drinks?'

What starts as a small request
can gradually become a large burden.
To avoid such situations,
it is important not to easily accept even small requests.

I recommend 'not doing it in the first place'.
For any request that makes you feel even slightly 'bothered',
have the courage to refuse from the start.

Drinking parties you don't want to attend, for example,
lead to wasteful spending.

Stop the habit of looking at prices

'Let's look at prices to save money'
might seem correct at first glance, but
it can actually have the opposite effect.

This is a phenomenon where the initially presented price becomes the standard for judgment.

'A product usually priced at 200,000 yen is now 30,000 yen!'

'A 10,000 yen T-shirt is 5,000 yen on sale!'

When you think based on price, you feel it is 'cheap',
increasing the likelihood of purchasing things you don't actually need.

Before looking at the price, develop the habit of asking, 'Do I really need this?'
Only check the price if it is absolutely necessary.

I recommend not going to shops in the first place.
Going to a shop amplifies your desire to buy.
You end up buying things even when you didn't intend to (lol).

Try not to go to shops unnecessarily.

Stop the habit of comparing yourself to others

The most effective way to save money is
to "stop the habit of comparing yourself to others."
When you see the glamorous lives of others on social media,
you may feel inferior,
which can lead to wasteful spending.

However, in reality, it is just a case of "the grass is always greener on the other side."
Expensive brand items and luxury travel
have nothing to do with the essence of life.
What matters is your own level of satisfaction.

Value your own standards and be mindful of living without comparing yourself to others.
By using "what is truly necessary for you"
as your standard, you can significantly reduce your expenses.

The importance of not raising your standard of living if you have extra money

Once you raise your standard of living,
it is said to be very difficult to go back.
Be careful with expenses like subscription services
where small monthly amounts add up.
Even if it is a service that costs only a few hundred yen,
if you sign up for multiple, your standard of living will rise unconsciously,
and in many cases, it will eventually become difficult to cancel them.

Be mindful not to raise your standard of living
and find ways not to increase your fixed costs.
When using subscriptions,
the key is to narrow them down to only what you truly need.

The mindset needed to become wealthy

The easiest way to increase your assets is "not to spend money."
This is how I increased mine.
Raises and bonuses take time,
but reducing wasteful spending can be practiced right now.
Even just cutting back on eating out or stopping in-game purchases in social games can be expected to have a significant effect.

Rather than living a luxurious life,
it is also important to think about "how to enjoy things cheaply."
By finding ways such as spending a night at an internet cafe
or reading manga at a laundromat,
you can find enjoyment even with low spending.
In my case, just being in a library
fills me with happiness. It doesn't cost money, and I can study too.
I recommend finding such a place✨

How to eliminate material desire

Furthermore, we are flooded with advertisements and information that stimulate material desire.
Thinking "I want that" and "I want this"
leads many people into a situation where they cannot save money.

I have succeeded in suppressing my material desires.

Decluttering

I believe the best way for me to not spend money
was to declutter.
By decluttering, I came to dislike having more things,
and my material desire disappeared all at once.

Once I realized that
I would eventually have to throw things away,
I started thinking that
it is better not to increase them.


By starting with decluttering first,
you might be able to make not spending a habit.

Look closely before buying

If you think about buying something,
first try researching that product.

Look for bad reviews and tactics, and judge calmly.

Check Amazon or Rakuten reviews and confirm the low-rated feedback.

Be careful with products that have a lot of advertising.
Because advertising costs are involved, the price isoften relatively high. It might be good to think, "Lots of ads = might be overpriced."

Indulge in the sense of superiority of not buying

By making the choice "not to buy,"
try feeling a sense of superiority.

When a friend buys a new car or builds a house,
you might not feel "I'm envious..."

However, there are also disadvantages.
For a car, there are loan payments, insurance, and maintenance costs.
I live in the countryside, so a car is a necessity, but
annually, between gasoline, insurance, car tax, and inspection fees,
it costs hundreds of thousands of yen a year.
I almost want to get rid of my car, haha.

Therefore, if you focus on the 'freedom you can gain without buying things' within yourself,
you can control unnecessary desires.

Stopped buying cheap things

If you think about things because they are cheap and compare them before buying, your desire for material goods actually increases.

More expensive items last longer, and
when you own something you consider 'the best',
your interest in other items fades, and as a result, you don't worry about wasteful behavior.

Understand how marketing works

Material desire is strategically created by corporate marketing.

There are many tactics that target psychology, such as 'No. 1 in sales rankings' or '2-hour limited sale'.

Once you understand these tactics,
you will be able to deal with them calmly, thinking, 'This is a trap to make me buy.'

Happiness gained from buying things does not last

The happiness gained from buying things does not last long.

Human happiness includes things like 'health,' 'relationships,' and 'a sense of accomplishment.'

Even if you buy things, you will escalate to 'I want something even better next time...'
but you will never be satisfied.

Understand that 'satisfying material desire does not lead to true happiness.'

Spend money on others or experiences

Instead of buying things,spending money on experiences or for other peoplewill reduce your material desire.

Experiences like travel or delicious meals will remain in your memory forever.

When you give a gift or make a donation to someone,
your own sense of happiness is also conveyed.

Saving money

Having savings allows you to deal with material desires calmly.

By being able to choose not to buy something even if you can afford it, your material desires will naturally decrease.

Control your material desires with the goal of saving money and
take your time to establish a habit by saying, "I'll think about it once I've saved X amount."

If you are conscious of what you have written down, unnecessary spending will decrease,
your savings will increase, and you will have more room in your life.

Thank you very much for reading until the end✨