In a couple of days, many of us will celebrate Christmas. The holiday season, as it falls at the end of the year, is a great time to reflect on what you are grateful for. Before you open presents — and especially before you get ready to head out for the after-Christmas sales — take some time to think about what you have.
While it is fun to receive presents, and exciting to get new things, it is also important not to lose sight of what you already have, whether what you have are material possessions or less tangible things like family and health.
How Gratitude Helps Your Finances
Gratitude is an essential part of frugal living. Gratitude can even improve your finances. Here are two of the ways that having a grateful attitude can help your financial situation:
- No need to buy lots of stuff: Purchasing things costs money. Sometimes, it costs lots of money. When you are grateful for what you already have, there is less desire to buy more stuff. While receiving new things can be fun, gratitude can help you avoid making it your main focus. The less you buy, the less you spend — and the more frugal you can be.
- No need for more space: Not only does buying stuff cost you money, but storing it costs you as well. You might have to buy a bigger house to keep it all, or you might need to pay for a storage unit. A small house often costs less to maintain than a large house, and the extra cost of a storage unit can be a drain on your frugal finances. If you are grateful for what you already have, the desire to fill other spaces with more things diminishes.
Gratitude can take your focus off things, and the want for more things, and put it on less costly items.
Stepping Away from the Consumerism
Christmas has become very consumeristic in nature. Sometimes, it is worth it to step away from all the consumerism and commercialism and focus on something other than material possessions. Heath, family, friends, talents and experiences are things that can provide you with satisfaction in your life. They contribute to a sense of well-being that doesn’t necessarily revolve around things.
While there is nothing wrong with enjoying the gift aspect of Christmas, it can be helpful for your pocketbook, and your emotional well-being, to step back, and not make the material portion of Christmas your main focus. Enjoy the gifts (especially the giving of gifts), but don’t obsess over them. Becoming too obsessed with things can easily lead to the abandonment of a frugal and fulfilling lifestyle in favor of one that requires you to buy and buy — usually without ever having enough.
Hopefully, you will have a very Merry Christmas, and that you are planning for a prosperous and Happy New Year. But, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, it might be worth it to ground yourself, and to remember to be thankful for what you have.
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