We all scrabble around looking for the hottest investments, the keenest funds and the best rates on our savings. But there is another, vastly overlooked way of accumulating more wealth: spending less. The good news is that ‘less’ is the new more.
Last week, Kate Moss stepped out with a ‘cheap chic’ charity bag – leaving the £2.99 label on display. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie don’t have a nanny. The new trend, says the Daily Mail, is “cheap, and proud of it”. So how do you pull off this new, frugal glamour? According to a new book by Rebecca Ash, The New Spend Less Revolution (365 Tips For A Better Quality of Life While Actually Spending Less), living better on less just takes a few new habits:
– Look for ways of spending less while actually living more. This could mean “replacing an expensive meal out on a Wednesday with a £4.50 life-drawing class”, says Ash. “A holiday in a cottage in Scotland instead of… Milan. Sardines, not monkfish.”
– Become more aware of where your money goes. Become aware of the arguments you use in your head to justify your expenses. Ask yourself: “Do I really need this?”
– Make more of the free things in life. Go out at night and spend time with the stars. Concentrate on inner growth instead of increased material wealth. “Say something to somebody that you know will give them an extra glow of happiness all weekend.”
– When analysing your outgoings, don’t forget to add them up over the year. Spend £20 on a cleaner every week and it will cost you £1,040 each year. A £2.30 daily coffee costs you £840. A £6 bottle of wine each night costs £2,190. Take the long view and your new approach will immediately begin to make more sense.
Join the spend less revolution today: visit our Shop page to order a copy of The New Spend Less Revolution by Rebecca Ash.