How to Live Cheaply and Get Richer

Food's not very important. It's not necessary to eat as often as many people do anyway. Food is an easy way to get suckered into spending money when it's not necessary.

To live cheaply and get richer at the same time there are a few things you might want to try. Don't miss out on the small things, watch out for freebies, and keep an eye open for cheap ways to live like royalty. Here are examples of each of the things to look for.

A penny is lonely on the ground. Pick it up. Keep it. There are times when it's not a good idea to do that. One time might be if you're crossing the road and a dime is on the ground. Once you see the dime you probably start thinking it's your lucky day. This isn't just a penny but ten times that! An entire ten cents has been discarded. Having an agenda of someday being a millionaire, you probably want to snatch that dime right up and pocket it. You must remember where you are though. You're in the middle of a road. If there are several vehicles coming toward you at high speed then you might want to abandon the dime. The dead can't spend money. The lesson is to not miss the small opportunities but to remain reasonable at the same time. If nothing terrible is going to happen if you pick up a coin on the ground, do it.

Always take free anything. Hopefully you've been nice enough to your parents that they'll let you continue living at home without paying much of anything. Get a job. Save the money. Invest it. Concentrate on getting any entertainment from things that are paid for by monthly bills that are covered by parents. Make sure you love your job. Your entertainment can come from the same thing that makes you money! If you work at a restaurant, that's great. Maybe you get free food or can sometimes get free food. If you don't get food for free though, don't buy it! That would be counter-productive. You're at work to make money, not spend it. Eating in your parents' home is cheaper, hopefully free.

Uh-oh, you have problems and can't live with your parents or are stuck paying for your own food. It's ok; you have Ramen Noodles! You might think Ramen Noodles are crummy because they're cheap, but fixed the right way, they're great. It's all in the broth. I like to add salt, pepper, butter, and minced garlic in addition to the packet that comes with the noodles while they're cooking. Experiment and find some ingredients you're crazy about. You will not mind eating the noodles often. You'll look forward to them. They go good with bread as well.

Do these things and before you know it you'll be working at a minimum wage job but have a 4-digit balance in your bank account. Perhaps I exaggerated the effectiveness of this method somewhat. A more appropriate title for the essay might be "How to be a cheapskate and love it".


Written: October 25, 2000