Frugal contentment for me is knowing that my bills are paid every month, my pantry is stocked and that I have a budget and a plan. I don't panic when my property taxes are due because I've budgeted all year and have the payment. I don't panic over birthday or Christmas gifts because I've budgeted for it. I have friends and family who just have meltdowns yearly because they don't have their holiday money or tax payment. I never understand that because they know it comes around every year. I don't want that stress. I've lived in my little house for 44 years. Is it perfect? No. But it's mine. My car is 19. She runs like a champ and I hope she lasts 19 more!! As a widow on a very small income, I'm very proud of the choices I've made. Do I have a lot? No, but I have enough for me. I enjoy sitting on my patio looking at my garden and watching a happy pair of woodpeckers go about their evening as I watch the sunset. For me, it's been setting a goal and reaching it and then setting the next one. Moving forward may be slow but when it all comes together it's wonderful.
Morning, your life sounds very much like mine, I bought my house 3 years ago when I downsized. It’s bought outright as is my car which was bought used. It was 14months old when I bought it and cost about £7000less that it would have been if bought new. It is now 5 years old runs like a dream and hopefully will last me about another 10 years. I have a sinking fund in place for when I have to replace it. I also have sinking funds for repairs and refurbishment and insurance on both my home and my car. I really enjoy the stress free life these measures bring me.
Being "poor" as a child has mostly been a blessing to me. What you talk about was just the way things were. We never felt poor. Sunday drives with a picnic lunch were a thrill for us. We got our clothes at the Sally Ann. My parents knew where all the deals were.
The 'stop comparing yourself' idea is really important. It allows you to buy and live with what you need, enjoy and can afford without the complication of worrying about what others might think. Less stress = more contentment!
I am happy, not just content, owing nothing, and having everything I need. Owning my four walls, having a paid off car, being able to access needed medical care (we pay for it here in the US), opening the fridge or cabinet and seeing food is available, is such a blessing and quite different from how I grew up. It has given me a lot of peace, which is good, because life challenges do not quit happening, but I can handle most of them with planning. That is all due to being frugal and budgeting.
I find contentment hanging out with my husband, camping, taking mini adventures, gardening, and cooking a nice meal. Life, even in difficult times is good if you are with the right person.
Frugal contentment to us is knowing we have the choice to sit and talk as long as we want in the morning and not have to run off to a job. Being thrifty has allowed us to enjoy long walks, help our son who is training to be a nurse, be helpful to those that need it. Shiny new stuff doesn't compare to having a peaceful mind and doing activities at our leisure. Thanks for the video!
I wish I had learned money management when young. I was frugal as a child. After college I had a great job. Finally had home and food security. In my 20s and early 30s I went wild spending money much of clothing never worn or jewelry still in box. Then I started budgeting but felt deprived. I bought everything on credit. House, cars. No credit cards got rid of them in my 30s. I still lived as if no tomorrow no discipline. Had a small savings account. I learned the hard way. I now live on a budget. Was able to save emergency fund and bought my first major appliance in cash. Never able to pay cash in past. I was so proud. Will pay off 2 needed bills this year and I can't wait to be debt free.
OMG a kindred spirit- one of my favourite things is hanging my washing on the line- fresh air, sunshine, birds singing, a butterfly if I'm blessed, hearing the neighbourhood children playing, reminiscing standing in same spot hanging up my childrens clothes who are now delightful adults...so much to be grateful for- a joy to hang my washing...
I think contentment comes when you’re financially secure. For most of us that doesn’t mean having pots of money but using what we do have wisely. A smaller income used prudently can make you just as happy, as a having a larger income and drowning yourself in consumerism, spending too much and constantly waiting for the next pay cheque.
Frugal contentment for me is knowing that I won’t have to worry about paying a bill when it comes in and the money is there to pay it and there is some money leftover in my account. I stress less.
Great video y'all. I think contentment comes from being comfortable and confident in your own skin. Frugality is different for everyone, but liking yourself sure makes your choices easier to enjoy. 🙂
Best part of our frugal content life is sitting by the fireplace in the early morning, watching the snow fall and the children and commuters heading out. We listen to CBC radio and then to soft jazz music and plan our day. Sometimes it's chores but often it's walks or visiting the library or visiting grandchildren...simple pleasures! Thanks so much for your down to earth chats Jane.
I'm glad you are content with your frugal lifeste Jane and Mike. I am glad I made changes to my lifestyle years ago and so thankful that frugal living is so much less stressful and mentally and physically healthy that the crazy way I was living before. Yes thanks be to God I can truly say I am content with my frugal lifestyle. Thank you for a lovely positive video for a Sunday evening.
I've never felt more at ease and content than when I began budgeting and thinking frugal. It's a mindset for me that just happened once I saw my budget goals come to fruition. Thanks Jane. ✌💕
My frugal contentment is sitting on my back porch, with a cup of coffee, reading a good book, or watching my favorite you tubers, making phone calls, talking with my grandchildren when they come to visit or stich on something. We shut off our cable TV and subscribe to a streaming service. The only ads I watch are on you tube. I've shut off outside conflicts and influences as much as possible. Some say I live in my own little world. And that's ok, I've worked hard, raised 3 daughters, been here for my grandchildren, and do what I want to. I've earned this privilege and I treasure it! Thanks for sharing your life with us. I value your videos.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance until I had to work from home almost 3 years ago due to covid I had no idea how introverted I was. Whilst others found lockdown difficult I found it a release from the relentless pressure of being around so many people, it never occurred to me I was just introverted and that was ok.
Thank you, Jane. Lovely presentation.❤ Like you we have no debt and live a simple lifestyle. This year I’m trying to spend as little money as possible; I have not been to a store in over 5 weeks. Last year was spent getting everything we need, including food… this year will be spent enjoying what we have and spending time in our garden growing as much food as possible.
Thank you for your videos. We live in a remote town in Canada so we do themed potluck dinners, i.e. Italian dinners with candlelight and music, Mexican food with decorations and music, Japan menu, Thai, etc, etc. I prefer home baked birthday cakes. We also enjoy TH-cam music video small gatherings as I have big stereo for that concert feeling. The only thing I buy new are mattresses, running shoes. I enjoy my frugal lifestyle and I'm content with it. You videos continue to inspire me. 🙂
I was wondering if Frugal Queen watches Prepper Princess? She is in AZ and often people ask her how she can be happy by not involving herself in retail therapy - buying stuff. But she said, "I don't need it". I'm happy - I don't need all that stuff to be fulfilled. I think turning off the tv to all the ads really helps avoid the temptation - as they are there telling you that you 'deserve' whatever it is they are trying to sell. you. Good topic - looking forward to it!
I think frugal contentment for us was taking control of our own lives, financially and personally. Oh I know there are always hiccups along the way but if you have taken control of your finances other problems aren't so worrying. It enables us to deal with things that we have no control over, like health issues, without the extra stress of financial worries. great video guys..... M x
For anyone who has frugal contentment, they have really won in life! Not bothering what anyone else thinks and not worrying how to pay the bills every month. Providing you are lucky enough to have good health, then you really have everything you need.
I'm content with my frugal lifestyle. I am still working 32 hours but will retire early March @72. Working this long has allowed me to beef out my 401k and pension. I'm frugal my way so I can travel to California, South Carolina, and a big trip to Italy on a budget-airbnbs this year. But also enjoy a play, opera, or a ballet at least once a year. I have been traveling to neighboring towns in Texas several times a month. I'll also be debt free. Have a small mortgage but on a plan to payoff in 3 or fewer years. Thank you, Jane
We too have frugal contentment - we have what we need, we have a buffer for the unexpected, we enjoy and appreciate what have, we've worked really hard and gone through some VERY tough times - but we've survived! I get real pleasure out of being frugal - when I make a delicious meal for less than a cheap take out burger, or repurpose something, or get a bargain, it makes me really happy, and isn't that what life is all about - being happy! I DO compare myself to others though - to those who struggle to afford food, who live in overcrowded poor housing, who don't have access to so many things we take for granted - and I count my blessings!! Your puppies are SO cute BTW, so I always stay till the end to see them.
Great video!! Lots of wisdon here. I love being at home and puttering around in the kitchen or working on a crochet project while listening to some good music or simply reading a good book. I am almost done paying off a large credit card debt that I accrued due to several expensive car repairs that came one after the other a couple of years ago. My biggest frugal excitement right now is watching the CC balance go steadily down. That is so satisfying!!!! Happy Sunday Jane and Mike and doggos :)
We are debt and mortgage free too. One car. Electric bikes. Have a small garden (drought country), save every bit of water from washing clothes and cooking and hand washing and return it to the land, compost, etc. Saved our money and now are comfortable and content in retirement. We take long walks and hikes, garden, bird watch, cook new things, rarely eat out, stop drinking for health, take weekend trips, read, meditate, chill. It is just so lovely and we are so grateful for this peaceful, happy life.
I am frugally content knowing I have no debt and no mortgage fully funded sinking funds an emergency fund that would last 12 months. Pensions in place, savings in the bank. I enjoy my life knowing I could buy most things cash if I chose to but also knowing I don’t need to because I have all I need. I don’t look at what others have got and long for the same I am happy with what I have. Living frugally gives me security and choice, it allows me to help my children if they need it. To travel when I want. I am not rich but I know I have enough and that’s what makes me content.
Totally agree it knowing we are better off than a lot of people in the world. I do think when you have money in the bank and can choose what you buy it is easier to be content. I tell myself I don’t want to buy that and I feel it’s my decision and I am content with what I have where as if you have no savings your mind set is I can’t afford to buy that so you feel resentment.
Love this video! I am closer to this than I have ever been. Love the challenge of living sustainably and frugally. This creative lifestyle is good for my personal emotional health and because I am using less, it is better for the planet. Thank you for sharing your passion with us. It is making a difference! ♻️💚🌎
We are completely happy with our lifestyle. We are at home together all the time and we love it. My husband works from home weekday evenings and I'm a happy homemaker. We get to enjoy the simple pleasures every day and feel content that we are completely debt free, mortgage free, savings in the bank and make our money work for us within our budget. We prioritised and rather than blow the surplus money we had leftover each month we invested in our electricity security and saved for solar panels and a battery. We now have next to no electricity costs. We also invest in our food security by having a stockpile. I often get asked "what do you do?". I've said housewife/homemaker before and get judged so now I say I spend my life being happy with those I love and enjoying feeling secure both financially and emotionally . I no longer care about people's opinions or their evaluation of me.❤️😊 we also do day trips rather than a holiday every year and this year we plan on that as it's our 25th anniversary in 18 months time and we are saving for a special holiday and it will mean a lot to us as we saved for it
Funnily enough, I have never cared about what people think of me. It does not matter to me, so I am lucky there. Thank you for the video! Have a fabulous week!
My guy and I seldom eat out, but yesterday evening we decided to because we've been stuck inside because of cold weather. We had big bowls of pho and pot stickers at a favorite local Vietnamese restaurant. Because it's a rare occurrence, we enjoyed it so much. Now we're good for a few months of eating home cooked food. Tonight's corn chowder and avocado toast on homemade bread. Yum!
I am frugally content. But it took me a long time to get here. I realized that living my life by my value system made me happy. I try as much as possible to be environmentally aware, I try to have a really small carbon footprint, and 'lo and behold it is the same as being frugal. And it is not inconvenient for me, but it appears to be for those who don't follow any rules. And I won't say they are rules, because they are choices. My choices. My life. My level of contentment.
Atm I’m just content with my beautiful dogs but I was content living with my mam until she died.I just enjoy a simple life & I never coped well under stress well.
Great video. My advice to others is YOU do YOU, and I will do ME. They can live their life how they want, and I will do the same for me. As long as I am not hurting anyone else it’s no one else’s business how frugal I am. My happiness is far more important than the opinions of people who think they can tell me how to live. These people usually aren’t very important anyway as important people just let me be me. 😂
Peace of mind... It's so much easier to be content now. I have to go back a bit to remember the never ending bills and the struggle to juggle everything. There's such a peace of mind when there's more money than month. I'm fortunate to have a good job, and soon enough a good retirement pension. But I remember the "I deserve" and "I've earned" and "people are paid to do THAT" that my spouse embraced until shortly before he passed away. And that was on top of the long expensive commutes that ate up so much time... a real rat race. It took a lot to pay off the debt. Then I turned to focusing on savings, and finally, paid off that mortgage and doubling up on savings! I could have and should have done it faster, but I still bought things I didn't need. That's usually easier said in hindsight! There's still so much "stuff" that I need to tackle... It's beyond time for a garage sale! (AKA boot, tag, yard, white elephant sale... anyone need a six-pack of Billy Beer? yeah, didn't think so... but I'm sure there's one in that garage!) A big help at the moment to cut down on buying what I don't need is that I'm now budgeting (thanks to the Frugal Queen) and doing my first no-spend month! "I need this" is turning to "Do I need this? What will I do with this? Is this gonna end up in that garage sale?".
LOL! I think I'm showing my age... though for the record, I'm a little bit too young to have purchased it myself! Both the younger and non-US crowd may need an explanation!
I've had to live a frugal life. 2nd hand cars. 2nd hand furniture. I enjoy visiting a rose garden, free music concert, the local chamber music...a donation at the door, buying clothes on the get rid of it rack...75% to 90% off.
Many years ago I was caught up in the rat-race...gave it up & feel so much better without all the stress...I adopted a different lifestyle which I enjoy.
Here in the US I feel like retiring early is more difficult because we have no national health care. My health care is tied with my job. I continue to work and save $ because of that. I have been debt and mortgage free for over 10 years.
I honestly think freeing yourself from the need to buy things you would like to have, or feeling that you need to upgrade your stuff to the latest , or using retail therapy as something to do on a rainy day is the bedrock of living a more sustainable and considered life, comparison is the thief of joy, so never mind what others have they may have every possible affordable thing you can buy but do they have contentment and once the newness as worn off it becomes another thing you have to store and look after. Living simply and appreciating what you have leads to peace of mind and that is priceless
I just recently was able to buy a serger from the money I budgeted for and am really looking forward to using it. (Not that I know how to sew with it, but eager to learn.)
I think in a way the pandemic helped us. We started to watch frugal channels on TH-cam. We meal planned with what we had. We stopped going to the store so often to avoid people and use up what we had. We shopped only for what we needed, and usually online with a debit card.Being content is a lifestyle choice. I am grateful for what I have. Grateful I have the income in retirement. I was a teacher also, and my husband was a government worker. We had to take some parent loans so our kids could go to college. Those were paid off. I am not debt or mortgage free yet but I have learned so much from TH-cam that now I have a plan, a budget, a way to live better. So staying home more during the pandemic gave us new focus to rethink the way we live.
I like a wonderful frugal life the key i think is to know what you want and what makes you happy. We’ve never followed the heard. We have a beautiful cosy home and we go without nothing and I think that’s a testament to being debt free. I love tuning in to your channel. I particularly enjoyed the one about making your meals go further and the delicious Shepherds pie you made. Your tip was to use less mince and add lentils. I took your advice and it was excellent and I make mine now with the lentils and get a chilli out of the rest of the mince I would have used. Thanks for sharing your tips and welcoming us into your home. x
Thks Jane, I love your contented messages. We too live frugally but have everything we need and want due to aggressive saving when we were working. Now on low income we have a sinking fund (thks to Jane's advice) to cover unexpected/extra purchases for house repairs or if I see a bargain for something I've wanted for years I can buy it! Like a deep discounted lap top or a side view depth sounder on sale for our fishing boat. We'll use these items to enhance our enjoyment doing frugal things like creating budgets or catching our own fish. We also have a sinking fund for holidays, monthly expenses and an emergency fund. We pay basic expenses by paying fortnightly in advance, eg council rates, insurance. We don't have a power bill (solar), we've chosen no pets, minimal clothes, cheap or second hand furniture, no takeaways or dining out, no cinema or theatre. We have a fairly new car and buy electrical items new, eg air conditioner. Enjoying our 'golden' years.
Fantastic video, Jane! Frugal contentment for us is the lack of worry and stress that so many others feel is necessary to 'succeed' in our world. As a mum of three fabulous teenagers who would rather give than spend, watching my eldest budgeting (and saving!) in his first year of university and knowing what's truly important about his unique experience of learning; I know that all our decisions have been worth it. We are spending our 'No Spend' month planning our garden for Spring, going on long walks, using up all our paint to touch-up the house, doing odd-jobs in between our own jobs and playing all the board games we have! We are at peace with who we are and that is vey good indeed! I think though that when it isn't a choice and when you are truly finding it difficult to make ends meet - being frugal can be difficult - but I also feel having been there once, we were at our most resourceful too. Thanks for the inspiration! x
This video reminds me of an old Chinese proverb; "A rich man can work all day and every day earning money and still not be happy, but a poor man will be happy with just one penny".
Jane and Mike, you need not make any apologies for your life choices or for sharing your life choices with us. If it is not socially acceptable to some people that we make choices in line with our income then those who are offended by responsible living should remain silent and participate in a channel of over the top credit spending and not yet earned luxurious lifestyle. My wish for you is that you continue to unabashedly enjoy producing your channel and helping others consider this as an option or make progress with frugal, responsible choices. It is a worthwhile endevour.
Your life sounds like luxurious contentment❤️ For me frugality brings a lot of calm and extra time by planning a little and enjoy a lot without worries or last minute "repairs/actions" (with the help of budget/tracking/ mealplanning and logic thinking about the how and what on time) and good friends. Frugal life for me equals a good life. Contentment is so precious and makes your life so much better so much "richer" in every aspect.
Always a pleasure to come and listen to your sage advice, and read other frugalistas’ comments. I was having lunch with my eldest son, and discussed what I am trying to share with my grandson. He told me “you know Mom, your view of life is not necessarily mainstream”. I just answered that I am totally aware that I take satisfaction in working hard and appreciating everything I have. They may be rose-coloured glasses, but the view is so lovely that I hope my grandson can see through them as well.
I just happy with my lot in life,not comparing myself with others what they may have etc,it took me a while to get to this stage in life but I think I’m in a good place with contentment,I have a little part time job can work a little over time if needed,I have two beautiful rescue dogs enjoy walks with them ,love to go to charity shops and have a little look round,my furniture is second hand and loved,I enjoy the peace and quiet of my home and garden,sitting and watching tv,reading a book,knitting doing a jigsaw puzzle,cooking a simple meal ,all things are so relaxing and give me contentment in my life,I used to compare myself with others and think my life was lacking in some way but now I realise I have everything that is important to me ,I’m relatively healthy ,so what more can I ask for
The best part of a frugal happy retirement for me is not having to rush in accomplishing my work. I love to slowly and methodically work on projects. I do better work and feel more joy than chasing myself around the way I used to. And, flexibility in scheduling activities just feels so pleasant and , often, is full of wonderful surprises. We all could benefit from recalling the wonderful things that come to us and just feel the joy that just arrived.
I think learning not to compare yourself with others is a real key to contentment. Also not letting others compare your life to theirs, so ignoring comments and their failure to understand the tenets that are so important to you and your family. Keeping focused on us and what we want has helped us keep on the path towards our goals. For example, my OH was off today so we drove into town and I paid what adds up to eight months mortgage payments from our mortgage, all in cash, a combination of keeping food costs down over the months and saving every penny from Ebay sales......and a sneaky £50 won on the Premium Bonds, first win ever. Have a long way to go, but we're getting there in our own time, I just have to stay focused and patient.
There's no pressure to be something you aren't. A deep recognition of this fact: 'The earth is the Lord's and everything in it'. Granted, I have too much 'stuff', but that grumble soon shall pass. The little things stop me for a look-at often....birds in flight, a single flower, leaves tossing in the wind, clouds. I could sit and mull awhile!! Content, indeed.
I just wanted to thank you for your very helpful videos and especially encouragement to live below our means. We are recently living on one income. My husband just got a raise and due to our planning and budgeting it will all go into savings! It feels like we’ve won the lotto! Many blessings to you and thanks again! ❤
Hello Jane and Mike, it took my husband and I a good journey to learn some important life lessons, especially when it came to wise use of our resources and learning to pull together as a team. We have not big big savings, but we do have a secure income source that is enough to cover our monthly expenses and save a good 10 % of our income for larger expenses or something we might want or need. Contentment for us means our bills are covered and some money tucked away for extra costs. It means there is money for repairs when we need it and for gas. It means we can go grocery shopping and be able to buy what we need or even might want for groceries, within reason. It means we can even plan to attend a movie together like we did this afternoon and enjoy it and know that there was money to cover that without robbing Peter to pay Paul, as the saying goes. It means sitting on our deck with a lovely homemade sandwich during warmer months together, or taking a drive to the coast for an afternoon together. Those things are contentment. They have come after many years of working out our incomes, bills, savings. Those contentment’s are rich blessings of being together and enjoying doing things together. We are truly rich in life without a lot of money.
I love this video, and it may be at the top of my "Jane videos list" (although the episiotomy comment in the other video.... 😉😂 It's incredibly liberating to be satisfied with what we have, even if things are tight. It's forces us to be more creative, and to "hold things loosely", as they are only things. Thank you!!
I find frugal contentment is stretching my quilting supplies to the absolute limit, home cooking even if the cupboard looks bare and gardening to grow vegies. They grow in spite of me and I am so grateful. I am so grateful my husband is of the same mindset. Contentment is not competing with anyone else in anything
Great video and sound advice. Love the 'staying in our own lane' advice, made me realise that's what I am doing and enjoying every minute. Thank you for sharing.
I think a lot of what you're talking about is what we also called voluntary simplicity. One of the things I have wondered if you feel like you miss out on not being able to travel around France even though you live there? Do you ever go to art museums, Etc that are a distance from where you live? Or have you already explored all of France? Seems like it would be sad to not be able to travel periodically and explore the culture in different areas
Ditto, Jane! I'm so glad to hear you speak on personal, frugal contentment. That's where I live...and have at various points in my life. When you find it, you're right...you'll never want to go back to staying on trend with the masses, or "keeping up with the Joneses." I've had financially good times and financially not so good times. I watch external circumstances to effect as little as possible. Stability is a good thing in life. My goal has always been to remain stabilised no matter what life throws at me....not to get upset when bad things happen. I think of St. Job, who withstood awful circumstances and losses in his life, but he remained faithfully enduring and content through all of it. God rewarded him greatly. Even in the worst of times (and I've had several really extremely bad times and occurrences...like living with an ex-husband who tried to kill me on 5 separate occasions, and that was by far NOT the worse thing I've endured...I've tried to remain not only enduring, stable and content, but thankful. That's because EVERY occurrence in life prepares us for the next, or brings a greater joy than we could have imagined. If you've lost a lost a lot, your sense of appreciation and thankfulness intensifies greatly. You'll be unimaginably happy with what you've got later. In other words, I get what you mean when you say frugal contentment. I carry that contentment over to every area of life as much as I can.
I find contentment is being out of the rat race of working full time & being debt free. I can drink my coffee in leisure & watch one of your videos! I enjoy them all!
What a wonderful video Jane. I think most people think of frugality as deprivation but I see it as freedom. If something is a priority for me I can budget for it and adjust somewhere else. While I am not mortgage free yet I get great contentment from seeing my debt shrink at the end of every month.
It gets easier to be content in frugality when you get older. Being thrifty and intentional with my spending, helps foster my creativity. I find so much satisfaction in curating a thrifted home with treasures I really love. I'd rather have more time and poke around in thrift shops than work like a slave so I can buy the latest and greatest thing.
Great video. I'm watching/listening as I hang my laundry on a drying rack in our living room. We have a ceiling fan in the living room that helps dry the clothes a bit faster. As I was listening to you I found myself feeling a bit guilty (but in a good way!) because I find myself comparing a lot; wanting certain clothes or home decor. My husband and I are debt and mortgage free, also and it was a lo g process to get to this point. I would undo so much hard work if I gave in and started needlessly spending. And this is where the part of being content in frugality comes in and shines: we are not beholden to anyone because of a debt owed; we don't have to keep our stressful jobs of we don't want to - we can make less than half of what we make now and still do well...but we keep our jobs to help others. We have a lot of control when it comes to making large life decisions because we don't have debt or a mortgage. We truly enjoy taking our two dogs for long walks in our neighborhood and listening to the birds and seeing the sun rises and sunsets; we are grateful that we get to pick out the food we like and cook it the way we like in our home. We relish in that we are able to help other people through our giving. We are grateful for our health and literally exercise that fact by going for hikes at a nearby state park, taking in the sun, listening to nature and just enjoying each other's company. I could go on and on. Mostly, we just exercise our gratitude. Thanks for your channel and vidoes!
Lovely video. Contentment is one of my favorite words. All the great philosophers spoke of the value of contentment. A friend once noted, knowing a need from a want and having one's simple needs met is contentment. Alfred Nobel whose fortune created the Nobel Prizes noted contentment is the only real wealth. I agree.
Content in my simple living life which includes my husband. We make sure we have money for the things that do matter. For him it's golf in the summer and for me it's the chance to either go to the "shore" for a week in the summer or to go see some family.
Thank you Jane for your videos full of frugal wisdom. I sorted through our wardrobes yesterday to fill a charity bag and found 2 new pairs of shorts for me, and not buying any clothing this year. 😍
We have always lived simply. Bought our first house in our 30s, sold it and bought acreage. Lived in a shed (2 kids and pregnant with #3 😊) whilst we built our house bit by bit, paying as we went. I worked casual whilst husband did a majority of the build. Moved in at lock up stage. Finished interior, Lived in it for 5 years, then sold up again as hubby had a job transfer. Because we Lived simply this sale allowed us to become mortgage free, which was our only debt. Life changed again, so moved interstate, both worked casual, shifts separate so one would be home for kids either way. 5 years later (yup, again 😂) sold and had enough to buy a house plus some savings to build on to eventually buy a small house as a rental. We rent this out through a social housing scheme for those on low income. We feel that it's a win, win. Now, you guessed it 5 years later itchy feet has struck again . Kids have moved out, have their own lives and arensurprised with our news. This time we are renting out to another social housing agency and will be travelling in our tiny camper (12 ') around Australia indefinitely. We will still live simply, loving the bush, mountains and coasts, set up for off grid, bird watching, artwork, history, geology and fossicking just some of interest's. We can do this because we had a plan, goals and a fun and frugal lifestyle. Long winded I know but just wanted to share the possibilities 😃
Jane - A philosophical question . How would an extra income impact your life ? For example... lets imagine you had an extra income of 50,000 or even 100,000 Euro per year. How would this impact your frugal life ? I personally struggle with this question - I have little need to be frugal, but inherently I was raised to be frugal.
“How do you find contentment in frugal living.” Honestly…I don’t. I’m burnt out after paying off 19k in debt last year and still feeling like we have forever to go (22k til debt free) I’m sad that my life is like this and that we’re “poor” & that frugality is not a choice but forced on us 😢 it’s survival. It’s necessity. I miss feeling financially secure. I worry about bills and $$ all the time. It keeps me up at night. Being debt free must be such a nice feeling.
I’ve been where you are. At one stage we owed £45,000 of personal debt. We went bare bones, turned off the heating, bought nothing, made homemade soup, ate rice for two years to pay it off. We then continued like that for another 2 years to at down that much off the mortgage capital. It’s really not easy! When we got debt free, we then stayed deeply frugal to save. It’s hard and feels so bad at the time. You’re feeling frugal fatigue currently which is an absolutely normal feeling.m
@@FrugalQueeninFrance thank you so much for letting me know that your personal debt was substantial too and while you were in the thick of it you didn’t love it either. It’s very kind of you to be so understanding and encouraging. Appreciate you ❤️
Frugality is a hobby; a path to finding more enjoyment as we find more ways of saving on time and money. Frugal contentment is the result; freedom from worry and being able to open our doors to family members.
Hi Jane Great video,,the only nuisance I found being frugal is that friends of mine ,who have a struggle with money ,,,tend to think I can pay for everything and when I was sick for a while ,,I reached out for help from them for getting me things from the store ect,,, and found out who my Real friends were ,” they said “well you can hire a helper “ , they are no longer my friends, I would not think twice is my friends needed help ,,,,but I still have some great friends who love me for me ,,not for what’s in my pocket ,,which is love in my pocket ❤🎉 I have taken on your habit of wearing a scarf in the house ,,big difference for me to keep warm 😊 Thank you so much for your great inspiration ❤
Seems the more budget minded and frugal you are the more the people around you think you sit on a gold mine. Sorry your so called friends did you like that. Glad you are better now.
I walk outside, see my cats, my donkey, the trees, our ponds and am able to forget I have any responsibilities. I know everything is going to be okay because I have lived frugally and know how to get through tough times.
Had a meeting in the bank today and " sold" them the 7 babysteps of Dave Ramsey and frugal living style , they are the key to my financial peace I finally found last year.
Part of your contentment might be in how you have shown so many of us how to live frugally. We have always been careful, but I still get tips from all these youtube frugal vlogs.
contentment is being atress free and buying always causes stress, at the time or soon after. Jane you said you had a destination on your frugal journey but when was the time you thought yes, we'd love to live in France?
I really feel if all the multinational companies that produce so much junk and then advertise it for us to buy were to see this many people embracing frugal lifestyle they will have heart attack. Their customer base is certainly decreasing.😅. But frugal living makes one appreciate what we possess and does bring feeling of contentment and gratitute.
Frugal contentment for me is knowing that my bills are paid every month, my pantry is stocked and that I have a budget and a plan. I don't panic when my property taxes are due because I've budgeted all year and have the payment. I don't panic over birthday or Christmas gifts because I've budgeted for it. I have friends and family who just have meltdowns yearly because they don't have their holiday money or tax payment. I never understand that because they know it comes around every year. I don't want that stress. I've lived in my little house for 44 years. Is it perfect? No. But it's mine. My car is 19. She runs like a champ and I hope she lasts 19 more!! As a widow on a very small income, I'm very proud of the choices I've made. Do I have a lot? No, but I have enough for me. I enjoy sitting on my patio looking at my garden and watching a happy pair of woodpeckers go about their evening as I watch the sunset. For me, it's been setting a goal and reaching it and then setting the next one. Moving forward may be slow but when it all comes together it's wonderful.
Thanks Jane
Morning, your life sounds very much like mine, I bought my house 3 years ago when I downsized. It’s bought outright as is my car which was bought used. It was 14months old when I bought it and cost about £7000less that it would have been if bought new. It is now 5 years old runs like a dream and hopefully will last me about another 10 years. I have a sinking fund in place for when I have to replace it. I also have sinking funds for repairs and refurbishment and insurance on both my home and my car. I really enjoy the stress free life these measures bring me.
Being "poor" as a child has mostly been a blessing to me. What you talk about was just the way things were. We never felt poor. Sunday drives with a picnic lunch were a thrill for us. We got our clothes at the Sally Ann. My parents knew where all the deals were.
The 'stop comparing yourself' idea is really important. It allows you to buy and live with what you need, enjoy and can afford without the complication of worrying about what others might think. Less stress = more contentment!
Well said
I am happy, not just content, owing nothing, and having everything I need. Owning my four walls, having a paid off car, being able to access needed medical care (we pay for it here in the US), opening the fridge or cabinet and seeing food is available, is such a blessing and quite different from how I grew up. It has given me a lot of peace, which is good, because life challenges do not quit happening, but I can handle most of them with planning. That is all due to being frugal and budgeting.
Well said Bri
I find contentment hanging out with my husband, camping, taking mini adventures, gardening, and cooking a nice meal. Life, even in difficult times is good if you are with the right person.
Sooo True.
Love that!
True that!
Frugal contentment to us is knowing we have the choice to sit and talk as long as we want in the morning and not have to run off to a job. Being thrifty has allowed us to enjoy long walks, help our son who is training to be a nurse, be helpful to those that need it. Shiny new stuff doesn't compare to having a peaceful mind and doing activities at our leisure. Thanks for the video!
Love that!
I wish I had learned money management when young. I was frugal as a child. After college I had a great job. Finally had home and food security. In my 20s and early 30s I went wild spending money much of clothing never worn or jewelry still in box. Then I started budgeting but felt deprived. I bought everything on credit. House, cars. No credit cards got rid of them in my 30s. I still lived as if no tomorrow no discipline. Had a small savings account. I learned the hard way. I now live on a budget. Was able to save emergency fund and bought my first major appliance in cash. Never able to pay cash in past. I was so proud. Will pay off 2 needed bills this year and I can't wait to be debt free.
I’m sure you’ll get there.
OMG a kindred spirit- one of my favourite things is hanging my washing on the line- fresh air, sunshine, birds singing, a butterfly if I'm blessed, hearing the neighbourhood children playing, reminiscing standing in same spot hanging up my childrens clothes who are now delightful adults...so much to be grateful for- a joy to hang my washing...
Thanks for watching and sharing
I am very content, living a frugal life so that I can be generous and share the blessings God has poured out on me. Bless you, Jane and Mike.
Thanks for watching
I think contentment comes when you’re financially secure. For most of us that doesn’t mean having pots of money but using what we do have wisely. A smaller income used prudently can make you just as happy, as a having a larger income and drowning yourself in consumerism, spending too much and constantly waiting for the next pay cheque.
Absolutely about enough
Frugal contentment for me is knowing that I won’t have to worry about paying a bill when it comes in and the money is there to pay it and there is some money leftover in my account. I stress less.
Absolutely
Frugal contentment is the peace of mind it brings.
Great video y'all. I think contentment comes from being comfortable and confident in your own skin. Frugality is different for everyone, but liking yourself sure makes your choices easier to enjoy. 🙂
We agree!
Finding contentment in what you have and your lifestyle is a luxury I wish everyone could have. And most people could find it if they choose to.
Thanks very much
Best part of our frugal content life is sitting by the fireplace in the early morning, watching the snow fall and the children and commuters heading out. We listen to CBC radio and then to soft jazz music and plan our day. Sometimes it's chores but often it's walks or visiting the library or visiting grandchildren...simple pleasures! Thanks so much for your down to earth chats Jane.
Thanks for watching
I'm glad you are content with your frugal lifeste Jane and Mike. I am glad I made changes to my lifestyle years ago and so thankful that frugal living is so much less stressful and mentally and physically healthy that the crazy way I was living before. Yes thanks be to God I can truly say I am content with my frugal lifestyle. Thank you for a lovely positive video for a Sunday evening.
Thanks for watching
I've never felt more at ease and content than when I began budgeting and thinking frugal. It's a mindset for me that just happened once I saw my budget goals come to fruition. Thanks Jane. ✌💕
Thanks for sharing!!
Staying in your lane is so crucial in every way.
Yep!
My frugal contentment is sitting on my back porch, with a cup of coffee, reading a good book, or watching my favorite you tubers, making phone calls, talking with my grandchildren when they come to visit or stich on something. We shut off our cable TV and subscribe to a streaming service. The only ads I watch are on you tube. I've shut off outside conflicts and influences as much as possible. Some say I live in my own little world. And that's ok, I've worked hard, raised 3 daughters, been here for my grandchildren, and do what I want to. I've earned this privilege and I treasure it! Thanks for sharing your life with us. I value your videos.
Just perfect
I'm an introvert so keeping life simple works for me so living frugally helps I think.
You and I both
@@FrugalQueeninFrance until I had to work from home almost 3 years ago due to covid I had no idea how introverted I was. Whilst others found lockdown difficult I found it a release from the relentless pressure of being around so many people, it never occurred to me I was just introverted and that was ok.
No one could doubt that you love your life after listening to you Jane. Thank you
so much for this video.
You are so welcome!
Needs not wants....so good to ask yourself when thinking of a purchase.
Thank you, Jane. Lovely presentation.❤ Like you we have no debt and live a simple lifestyle. This year I’m trying to spend as little money as possible; I have not been to a store in over 5 weeks. Last year was spent getting everything we need, including food… this year will be spent enjoying what we have and spending time in our garden growing as much food as possible.
Wonderful! Thanks
Thank you for your videos. We live in a remote town in Canada so we do themed potluck dinners, i.e. Italian dinners with candlelight and music, Mexican food with decorations and music, Japan menu, Thai, etc, etc. I prefer home baked birthday cakes. We also enjoy TH-cam music video small gatherings as I have big stereo for that concert feeling. The only thing I buy new are mattresses, running shoes. I enjoy my frugal lifestyle and I'm content with it. You videos continue to inspire me. 🙂
That is awesome!
I was wondering if Frugal Queen watches Prepper Princess? She is in AZ and often people ask her how she can be happy by not involving herself in retail therapy - buying stuff. But she said, "I don't need it". I'm happy - I don't need all that stuff to be fulfilled. I think turning off the tv to all the ads really helps avoid the temptation - as they are there telling you that you 'deserve' whatever it is they are trying to sell. you. Good topic - looking forward to it!
Thanks and yes I do.
I think frugal contentment for us was taking control of our own lives, financially and personally. Oh I know there are always hiccups along the way but if you have taken control of your finances other problems aren't so worrying. It enables us to deal with things that we have no control over, like health issues, without the extra stress of financial worries. great video guys..... M x
Thanks Margaret
For anyone who has frugal contentment, they have really won in life! Not bothering what anyone else thinks and not worrying how to pay the bills every month. Providing you are lucky enough to have good health, then you really have everything you need.
I'm content with my frugal lifestyle. I am still working 32 hours but will retire early March @72. Working this long has allowed me to beef out my 401k and pension. I'm frugal my way so I can travel to California, South Carolina, and a big trip to Italy on a budget-airbnbs this year. But also enjoy a play, opera, or a ballet at least once a year. I have been traveling to neighboring towns in Texas several times a month. I'll also be debt free. Have a small mortgage but on a plan to payoff in 3 or fewer years. Thank you, Jane
Thanks for your continued support
We too have frugal contentment - we have what we need, we have a buffer for the unexpected, we enjoy and appreciate what have, we've worked really hard and gone through some VERY tough times - but we've survived! I get real pleasure out of being frugal - when I make a delicious meal for less than a cheap take out burger, or repurpose something, or get a bargain, it makes me really happy, and isn't that what life is all about - being happy! I DO compare myself to others though - to those who struggle to afford food, who live in overcrowded poor housing, who don't have access to so many things we take for granted - and I count my blessings!! Your puppies are SO cute BTW, so I always stay till the end to see them.
Great video!! Lots of wisdon here. I love being at home and puttering around in the kitchen or working on a crochet project while listening to some good music or simply reading a good book. I am almost done paying off a large credit card debt that I accrued due to several expensive car repairs that came one after the other a couple of years ago. My biggest frugal excitement right now is watching the CC balance go steadily down. That is so satisfying!!!! Happy Sunday Jane and Mike and doggos :)
Sounds great!
We are debt and mortgage free too. One car. Electric bikes. Have a small garden (drought country), save every bit of water from washing clothes and cooking and hand washing and return it to the land, compost, etc. Saved our money and now are comfortable and content in retirement. We take long walks and hikes, garden, bird watch, cook new things, rarely eat out, stop drinking for health, take weekend trips, read, meditate, chill. It is just so lovely and we are so grateful for this peaceful, happy life.
Very peaceful
I am frugally content knowing I have no debt and no mortgage fully funded sinking funds an emergency fund that would last 12 months. Pensions in place, savings in the bank. I enjoy my life knowing I could buy most things cash if I chose to but also knowing I don’t need to because I have all I need. I don’t look at what others have got and long for the same I am happy with what I have.
Living frugally gives me security and choice, it allows me to help my children if they need it. To travel when I want.
I am not rich but I know I have enough and that’s what makes me content.
It’s knowing we have enough
Totally agree it knowing we are better off than a lot of people in the world. I do think when you have money in the bank and can choose what you buy it is easier to be content. I tell myself I don’t want to buy that and I feel it’s my decision and I am content with what I have where as if you have no savings your mind set is I can’t afford to buy that so you feel resentment.
Love this video! I am closer to this than I have ever been. Love the challenge of living sustainably and frugally. This creative lifestyle is good for my personal emotional health and because I am using less, it is better for the planet. Thank you for sharing your passion with us. It is making a difference! ♻️💚🌎
Thanks for watching
We are completely happy with our lifestyle. We are at home together all the time and we love it. My husband works from home weekday evenings and I'm a happy homemaker. We get to enjoy the simple pleasures every day and feel content that we are completely debt free, mortgage free, savings in the bank and make our money work for us within our budget. We prioritised and rather than blow the surplus money we had leftover each month we invested in our electricity security and saved for solar panels and a battery. We now have next to no electricity costs. We also invest in our food security by having a stockpile. I often get asked "what do you do?". I've said housewife/homemaker before and get judged so now I say I spend my life being happy with those I love and enjoying feeling secure both financially and emotionally . I no longer care about people's opinions or their evaluation of me.❤️😊 we also do day trips rather than a holiday every year and this year we plan on that as it's our 25th anniversary in 18 months time and we are saving for a special holiday and it will mean a lot to us as we saved for it
Your life sounds great
Funnily enough, I have never cared about what people think of me. It does not matter to me, so I am lucky there. Thank you for the video! Have a fabulous week!
Well said!
My guy and I seldom eat out, but yesterday evening we decided to because we've been stuck inside because of cold weather. We had big bowls of pho and pot stickers at a favorite local Vietnamese restaurant. Because it's a rare occurrence, we enjoyed it so much. Now we're good for a few months of eating home cooked food. Tonight's corn chowder and avocado toast on homemade bread. Yum!
Sounds great!
I am frugally content. But it took me a long time to get here. I realized that living my life by my value system made me happy. I try as much as possible to be environmentally aware, I try to have a really small carbon footprint, and 'lo and behold it is the same as being frugal. And it is not inconvenient for me, but it appears to be for those who don't follow any rules. And I won't say they are rules, because they are choices. My choices. My life. My level of contentment.
Thanks Gail
What makes us content doesn't look the same for everyone, so the "stop comparing yourself" is so important. 👍
Lovely video, peace of mind and the time to enjoy it is priceless.
Atm I’m just content with my beautiful dogs but I was content living with my mam until she died.I just enjoy a simple life & I never coped well under stress well.
I’m sorry for your loss
Jane absolutely brilliant you think just like me. I’m so contented and happy living a frugal life
Thanks for sharing
Great video. My advice to others is YOU do YOU, and I will do ME. They can live their life how they want, and I will do the same for me. As long as I am not hurting anyone else it’s no one else’s business how frugal I am. My happiness is far more important than the opinions of people who think they can tell me how to live. These people usually aren’t very important anyway as important people just let me be me. 😂
Peace of mind... It's so much easier to be content now.
I have to go back a bit to remember the never ending bills and the struggle to juggle everything. There's such a peace of mind when there's more money than month.
I'm fortunate to have a good job, and soon enough a good retirement pension. But I remember the "I deserve" and "I've earned" and "people are paid to do THAT" that my spouse embraced until shortly before he passed away. And that was on top of the long expensive commutes that ate up so much time... a real rat race.
It took a lot to pay off the debt. Then I turned to focusing on savings, and finally, paid off that mortgage and doubling up on savings! I could have and should have done it faster, but I still bought things I didn't need. That's usually easier said in hindsight!
There's still so much "stuff" that I need to tackle... It's beyond time for a garage sale! (AKA boot, tag, yard, white elephant sale... anyone need a six-pack of Billy Beer? yeah, didn't think so... but I'm sure there's one in that garage!)
A big help at the moment to cut down on buying what I don't need is that I'm now budgeting (thanks to the Frugal Queen) and doing my first no-spend month! "I need this" is turning to "Do I need this? What will I do with this? Is this gonna end up in that garage sale?".
LOL! I think I'm showing my age... though for the record, I'm a little bit too young to have purchased it myself! Both the younger and non-US crowd may need an explanation!
Thanks so much Linda
Peaceful living achieved by hard work and thoughtful planning! Thanks for this post it’s by far one of your best shares 🦋
Thank you so much!
I've had to live a frugal life. 2nd hand cars. 2nd hand furniture. I enjoy visiting a rose garden, free music concert, the local chamber music...a donation at the door, buying clothes on the get rid of it rack...75% to 90% off.
Thanks for sharing
Many years ago I was caught up in the rat-race...gave it up & feel so much better without all the stress...I adopted a different lifestyle which I enjoy.
Wonderful!
Here in the US I feel like retiring early is more difficult because we have no national health care. My health care is tied with my job. I continue to work and save $ because of that. I have been debt and mortgage free for over 10 years.
That’s bonded Labour .
Contentment is my word of the year ❤️
I honestly think freeing yourself from the need to buy things you would like to have, or feeling that you need to upgrade your stuff to the latest , or using retail therapy as something to do on a rainy day is the bedrock of living a more sustainable and considered life, comparison is the thief of joy, so never mind what others have they may have every possible affordable thing you can buy but do they have contentment and once the newness as worn off it becomes another thing you have to store and look after. Living simply and appreciating what you have leads to peace of mind and that is priceless
Thanks Pamela
So true Jane.."pay or play"...
Good video today, and you both have come a long way and thank you for sharing your experiences with us all. Very much appreciated
Glad you enjoyed it
I just recently was able to buy a serger from the money I budgeted for and am really looking forward to using it. (Not that I know how to sew with it, but eager to learn.)
That’s great
The picture of your property is pretty nice. Lovely property and a rep story house. I think you found a great place
Thanks so much
I think in a way the pandemic helped us. We started to watch frugal channels on TH-cam. We meal planned with what we had. We stopped going to the store so often to avoid people and use up what we had. We shopped only for what we needed, and usually online with a debit card.Being content is a lifestyle choice. I am grateful for what I have. Grateful I have the income in retirement. I was a teacher also, and my husband was a government worker. We had to take some parent loans so our kids could go to college. Those were paid off. I am not debt or mortgage free yet but I have learned so much from TH-cam that now I have a plan, a budget, a way to live better. So staying home more during the pandemic gave us new focus to rethink the way we live.
Thanks very much for sharing
I like a wonderful frugal life the key i think is to know what you want and what makes you happy. We’ve never followed the heard. We have a beautiful cosy home and we go without nothing and I think that’s a testament to being debt free. I love tuning in to your channel. I particularly enjoyed the one about making your meals go further and the delicious Shepherds pie you made. Your tip was to use less mince and add lentils. I took your advice and it was excellent and I make mine now with the lentils and get a chilli out of the rest of the mince I would have used. Thanks for sharing your tips and welcoming us into your home. x
You’re welcome and thanks for watching
Thks Jane, I love your contented messages. We too live frugally but have everything we need and want due to aggressive saving when we were working. Now on low income we have a sinking fund (thks to Jane's advice) to cover unexpected/extra purchases for house repairs or if I see a bargain for something I've wanted for years I can buy it! Like a deep discounted lap top or a side view depth sounder on sale for our fishing boat. We'll use these items to enhance our enjoyment doing frugal things like creating budgets or catching our own fish. We also have a sinking fund for holidays, monthly expenses and an emergency fund. We pay basic expenses by paying fortnightly in advance, eg council rates, insurance. We don't have a power bill (solar), we've chosen no pets, minimal clothes, cheap or second hand furniture, no takeaways or dining out, no cinema or theatre. We have a fairly new car and buy electrical items new, eg air conditioner. Enjoying our 'golden' years.
Fantastic video, Jane! Frugal contentment for us is the lack of worry and stress that so many others feel is necessary to 'succeed' in our world. As a mum of three fabulous teenagers who would rather give than spend, watching my eldest budgeting (and saving!) in his first year of university and knowing what's truly important about his unique experience of learning; I know that all our decisions have been worth it. We are spending our 'No Spend' month planning our garden for Spring, going on long walks, using up all our paint to touch-up the house, doing odd-jobs in between our own jobs and playing all the board games we have! We are at peace with who we are and that is vey good indeed! I think though that when it isn't a choice and when you are truly finding it difficult to make ends meet - being frugal can be difficult - but I also feel having been there once, we were at our most resourceful too. Thanks for the inspiration! x
Thanks for watching
We feed the squirrels and watch the birds. Free entertainment anytime ❤
This video reminds me of an old Chinese proverb; "A rich man can work all day and every day earning money and still not be happy, but a poor man will be happy with just one penny".
Thanks Stephen
So many good tips! Thank you!
You're so welcome!
Jane and Mike, you need not make any apologies for your life choices or for sharing your life choices with us. If it is not socially acceptable to some people that we make choices in line with our income then those who are offended by responsible living should remain silent and participate in a channel of over the top credit spending and not yet earned luxurious lifestyle. My wish for you is that you continue to unabashedly enjoy producing your channel and helping others consider this as an option or make progress with frugal, responsible choices. It is a worthwhile endevour.
Your life sounds like luxurious contentment❤️
For me frugality brings a lot of calm and extra time by planning a little and enjoy a lot without worries or last minute "repairs/actions" (with the help of budget/tracking/ mealplanning and logic thinking about the how and what on time) and good friends. Frugal life for me equals a good life. Contentment is so precious and makes your life so much better so much "richer" in every aspect.
Thanks for sharing!!
Lovely video, thank you.
When I can afford them I really enjoy my little treats❤️
Thanks for watching
Always a pleasure to come and listen to your sage advice, and read other frugalistas’ comments. I was having lunch with my eldest son, and discussed what I am trying to share with my grandson. He told me “you know Mom, your view of life is not necessarily mainstream”. I just answered that I am totally aware that I take satisfaction in working hard and appreciating everything I have. They may be rose-coloured glasses, but the view is so lovely that I hope my grandson can see through them as well.
I Hope so too
I just happy with my lot in life,not comparing myself with others what they may have etc,it took me a while to get to this stage in life but I think I’m in a good place with contentment,I have a little part time job can work a little over time if needed,I have two beautiful rescue dogs enjoy walks with them ,love to go to charity shops and have a little look round,my furniture is second hand and loved,I enjoy the peace and quiet of my home and garden,sitting and watching tv,reading a book,knitting doing a jigsaw puzzle,cooking a simple meal ,all things are so relaxing and give me contentment in my life,I used to compare myself with others and think my life was lacking in some way but now I realise I have everything that is important to me ,I’m relatively healthy ,so what more can I ask for
Thanks Karen
The best part of a frugal happy retirement for me is not having to rush in accomplishing my work. I love to slowly and methodically work on projects. I do better work and feel more joy than chasing myself around the way I used to. And, flexibility in scheduling activities just feels so pleasant and , often, is full of wonderful surprises. We all could benefit from recalling the wonderful things that come to us and just feel the joy that just arrived.
Love that!
I think learning not to compare yourself with others is a real key to contentment. Also not letting others compare your life to theirs, so ignoring comments and their failure to understand the tenets that are so important to you and your family. Keeping focused on us and what we want has helped us keep on the path towards our goals. For example, my OH was off today so we drove into town and I paid what adds up to eight months mortgage payments from our mortgage, all in cash, a combination of keeping food costs down over the months and saving every penny from Ebay sales......and a sneaky £50 won on the Premium Bonds, first win ever. Have a long way to go, but we're getting there in our own time, I just have to stay focused and patient.
There's no pressure to be something you aren't. A deep recognition of this fact: 'The earth is the Lord's and everything in it'. Granted, I have too much 'stuff', but that grumble soon shall pass. The little things stop me for a look-at often....birds in flight, a single flower, leaves tossing in the wind, clouds. I could sit and mull awhile!! Content, indeed.
Thanks for sharing
I just wanted to thank you for your very helpful videos and especially encouragement to live below our means. We are recently living on one income. My husband just got a raise and due to our planning and budgeting it will all go into savings! It feels like we’ve won the lotto! Many blessings to you and thanks again! ❤
You are so welcome!
Hello Jane and Mike, it took my husband and I a good journey to learn some important life lessons, especially when it came to wise use of our resources and learning to pull together as a team. We have not big big savings, but we do have a secure income source that is enough to cover our monthly expenses and save a good 10 % of our income for larger expenses or something we might want or need. Contentment for us means our bills are covered and some money tucked away for extra costs. It means there is money for repairs when we need it and for gas. It means we can go grocery shopping and be able to buy what we need or even might want for groceries, within reason. It means we can even plan to attend a movie together like we did this afternoon and enjoy it and know that there was money to cover that without robbing Peter to pay Paul, as the saying goes. It means sitting on our deck with a lovely homemade sandwich during warmer months together, or taking a drive to the coast for an afternoon together. Those things are contentment. They have come after many years of working out our incomes, bills, savings. Those contentment’s are rich blessings of being together and enjoying doing things together. We are truly rich in life without a lot of money.
You are indeed
@@FrugalQueeninFrance My dear, you are certainly up late for you in France, or a very early riser. It’s definitely bedtime in Canada. Nite nite
I love this video, and it may be at the top of my "Jane videos list" (although the episiotomy comment in the other video.... 😉😂
It's incredibly liberating to be satisfied with what we have, even if things are tight. It's forces us to be more creative, and to "hold things loosely", as they are only things. Thank you!!
Thanks for watching
I find frugal contentment is stretching my quilting supplies to the absolute limit, home cooking even if the cupboard looks bare and gardening to grow vegies. They grow in spite of me and I am so grateful. I am so grateful my husband is of the same mindset. Contentment is not competing with anyone else in anything
I do too , I’m not sure I’d ever need a stash
Great video and sound advice. Love the 'staying in our own lane' advice, made me realise that's what I am doing and enjoying every minute. Thank you for sharing.
So true!
I think a lot of what you're talking about is what we also called voluntary simplicity. One of the things I have wondered if you feel like you miss out on not being able to travel around France even though you live there? Do you ever go to art museums, Etc that are a distance from where you live? Or have you already explored all of France? Seems like it would be sad to not be able to travel periodically and explore the culture in different areas
I’m happy as I am, I’m missing nothing.
Ditto, Jane! I'm so glad to hear you speak on personal, frugal contentment. That's where I live...and have at various points in my life. When you find it, you're right...you'll never want to go back to staying on trend with the masses, or "keeping up with the Joneses." I've had financially good times and financially not so good times. I watch external circumstances to effect as little as possible. Stability is a good thing in life. My goal has always been to remain stabilised no matter what life throws at me....not to get upset when bad things happen. I think of St. Job, who withstood awful circumstances and losses in his life, but he remained faithfully enduring and content through all of it. God rewarded him greatly. Even in the worst of times (and I've had several really extremely bad times and occurrences...like living with an ex-husband who tried to kill me on 5 separate occasions, and that was by far NOT the worse thing I've endured...I've tried to remain not only enduring, stable and content, but thankful. That's because EVERY occurrence in life prepares us for the next, or brings a greater joy than we could have imagined. If you've lost a lost a lot, your sense of appreciation and thankfulness intensifies greatly. You'll be unimaginably happy with what you've got later. In other words, I get what you mean when you say frugal contentment. I carry that contentment over to every area of life as much as I can.
Thank you
I find contentment is being out of the rat race of working full time & being debt free. I can drink my coffee in leisure & watch one of your videos! I enjoy them all!
Thanks Shawna
Contentment comes from not having to manage all the things.
I heard this on the car radio one day:
Comparison is the root of inferiority!
I always remembered it and have told myself it many times.
What a wonderful video Jane. I think most people think of frugality as deprivation but I see it as freedom. If something is a priority for me I can budget for it and adjust somewhere else. While I am not mortgage free yet I get great contentment from seeing my debt shrink at the end of every month.
Thanks very much for watching
Really enjoyed the chat!
Glad you enjoyed it!
It gets easier to be content in frugality when you get older. Being thrifty and intentional with my spending, helps foster my creativity. I find so much satisfaction in curating a thrifted home with treasures I really love. I'd rather have more time and poke around in thrift shops than work like a slave so I can buy the latest and greatest thing.
Thanks for watching
Great video. I'm watching/listening as I hang my laundry on a drying rack in our living room. We have a ceiling fan in the living room that helps dry the clothes a bit faster. As I was listening to you I found myself feeling a bit guilty (but in a good way!) because I find myself comparing a lot; wanting certain clothes or home decor. My husband and I are debt and mortgage free, also and it was a lo g process to get to this point. I would undo so much hard work if I gave in and started needlessly spending. And this is where the part of being content in frugality comes in and shines: we are not beholden to anyone because of a debt owed; we don't have to keep our stressful jobs of we don't want to - we can make less than half of what we make now and still do well...but we keep our jobs to help others. We have a lot of control when it comes to making large life decisions because we don't have debt or a mortgage. We truly enjoy taking our two dogs for long walks in our neighborhood and listening to the birds and seeing the sun rises and sunsets; we are grateful that we get to pick out the food we like and cook it the way we like in our home. We relish in that we are able to help other people through our giving. We are grateful for our health and literally exercise that fact by going for hikes at a nearby state park, taking in the sun, listening to nature and just enjoying each other's company. I could go on and on. Mostly, we just exercise our gratitude. Thanks for your channel and vidoes!
Thanks for sharing
Lovely video. Contentment is one of my favorite words. All the great philosophers spoke of the value of contentment. A friend once noted, knowing a need from a want and having one's simple needs met is contentment. Alfred Nobel whose fortune created the Nobel Prizes noted contentment is the only real wealth. I agree.
Absolutely!
👍👍👍
Content in my simple living life which includes my husband. We make sure we have money for the things that do matter. For him it's golf in the summer and for me it's the chance to either go to the "shore" for a week in the summer or to go see some family.
Thanks for sharing
Loved this video. Financial security is the warmest softest blanket.🙂
Yes it is
Thank you Jane for your videos full of frugal wisdom. I sorted through our wardrobes yesterday to fill a charity bag and found 2 new pairs of shorts for me, and not buying any clothing this year. 😍
Wonderful!
We have always lived simply. Bought our first house in our 30s, sold it and bought acreage. Lived in a shed (2 kids and pregnant with #3 😊) whilst we built our house bit by bit, paying as we went. I worked casual whilst husband did a majority of the build. Moved in at lock up stage. Finished interior, Lived in it for 5 years, then sold up again as hubby had a job transfer. Because we Lived simply this sale allowed us to become mortgage free, which was our only debt. Life changed again, so moved interstate, both worked casual, shifts separate so one would be home for kids either way. 5 years later (yup, again 😂) sold and had enough to buy a house plus some savings to build on to eventually buy a small house as a rental. We rent this out through a social housing scheme for those on low income. We feel that it's a win, win. Now, you guessed it 5 years later itchy feet has struck again . Kids have moved out, have their own lives and arensurprised with our news. This time we are renting out to another social housing agency and will be travelling in our tiny camper (12 ') around Australia indefinitely. We will still live simply, loving the bush, mountains and coasts, set up for off grid, bird watching, artwork, history, geology and fossicking just some of interest's. We can do this because we had a plan, goals and a fun and frugal lifestyle. Long winded I know but just wanted to share the possibilities 😃
Frugal contentment takes a lot of work but the outcome is amazing.
Jane - A philosophical question . How would an extra income impact your life ? For example... lets imagine you had an extra income of 50,000 or even 100,000 Euro per year. How would this impact your frugal life ? I personally struggle with this question - I have little need to be frugal, but inherently I was raised to be frugal.
As that’s never going to happen, I’m not going to think about it. Our joint income is 2500€
“How do you find contentment in frugal living.” Honestly…I don’t. I’m burnt out after paying off 19k in debt last year and still feeling like we have forever to go (22k til debt free) I’m sad that my life is like this and that we’re “poor” & that frugality is not a choice but forced on us 😢 it’s survival. It’s necessity. I miss feeling financially secure. I worry about bills and $$ all the time. It keeps me up at night. Being debt free must be such a nice feeling.
I’ve been where you are. At one stage we owed £45,000 of personal debt. We went bare bones, turned off the heating, bought nothing, made homemade soup, ate rice for two years to pay it off. We then continued like that for another 2 years to at down that much off the mortgage capital. It’s really not easy! When we got debt free, we then stayed deeply frugal to save. It’s hard and feels so bad at the time. You’re feeling frugal fatigue currently which is an absolutely normal feeling.m
@@FrugalQueeninFrance thank you so much for letting me know that your personal debt was substantial too and while you were in the thick of it you didn’t love it either. It’s very kind of you to be so understanding and encouraging. Appreciate you ❤️
Frugality is a hobby; a path to finding more enjoyment as we find more ways of saving on time and money. Frugal contentment is the result; freedom from worry and being able to open our doors to family members.
Yes! Frugal contentment is the outcome…the end result.
Sounds perfect to me Jane xx
Thanks for watching
Hi Jane
Great video,,the only nuisance I found being frugal is that friends of mine ,who have a struggle with money ,,,tend to think I can pay for everything and when I was sick for a while ,,I reached out for help from them for getting me things from the store ect,,, and found out who my Real friends were ,” they said “well you can hire a helper “ , they are no longer my friends, I would not think twice is my friends needed help ,,,,but I still have some great friends who love me for me ,,not for what’s in my pocket ,,which is love in my pocket ❤🎉
I have taken on your habit of wearing a scarf in the house ,,big difference for me to keep warm 😊
Thank you so much for your great inspiration ❤
Thanks Cathy
Seems the more budget minded and frugal you are the more the people around you think you sit on a gold mine. Sorry your so called friends did you like that. Glad you are better now.
I walk outside, see my cats, my donkey, the trees, our ponds and am able to forget I have any responsibilities. I know everything is going to be okay because I have lived frugally and know how to get through tough times.
Perfect
Had a meeting in the bank today and " sold" them the 7 babysteps of Dave Ramsey and frugal living style , they are the key to my financial peace I finally found last year.
Good for you
Part of your contentment might be in how you have shown so many of us how to live frugally. We have always been careful, but I still get tips from all these youtube frugal vlogs.
I appreciate that!
Лайк и комментарий в поддержку канала. Thank you very much 😊
contentment is being atress free and buying always causes stress, at the time or soon after. Jane you said you had a destination on your frugal journey but when was the time you thought yes, we'd love to live in France?
Thanks Kerstin
I really feel if all the multinational companies that produce so much junk and then advertise it for us to buy were to see this many people embracing frugal lifestyle they will have heart attack. Their customer base is certainly decreasing.😅. But frugal living makes one appreciate what we possess and does bring feeling of contentment and gratitute.
Love it