The starting point, I suppose, was when I became interested
in sailing. There were two issues here firstly a boat has to be looked at as an
expensive luxury and secondly, given the vagaries of tides and weather, it’s a
pastime that demands plenty of free time. Would it be possible therefore to get
a boat and get out of the rat race early so I had time to go sailing? Is there
a relationship between time and money and if so, how does the equation work?
Can more of one lead to a dearth of the other? Where is the ‘happy’ balance?
In the end, both homes were mortgage free before my 60th birthday. So a tiny bit of frugal thinking made a huge difference. I also took great delight in ‘beating the man’, turning the bankers’ and financiers’ strategies on their heads and making sure that nothing I did feathered their nests.
Now, here in rural France, my neighbours take a collective
approach to frugality. Take the recent New Year Celebrations as an example. One
friend had a house with a reasonably large room for entertainment, another
provided trestle tables and benches and a third contributed a pretty good sound
system. The rest of us (39 in total) were asked to arrive with plates of food
and a bottle of Champaign or wine. The first letter of your surname determined
whether you had to provide nibbles, a starter, a main course element or a
desert. No couple would be expected to spend more than 20 Euros.
How did it go? There were nuts, olives, slices of cooked
hams and meats, pate de fois gras for starters, oysters, baked and stuffed
potatoes, salads and quiches, followed by a huge selection of cheeses and then
choice of several deserts. The wine and Champaign flowed all night and the
party ended at 4 am in the morning.
Now how much would I have had to pay for that in a UK
restaurant – and would I have enjoyed it any better? Well, in a previous life I
have paid huge amounts for a Restaurant New Years Eve special evening – some
were fine, others – pretty indifferent – with regard to price, atmosphere,
variety and volume of drink however, none compared with this recent French
experience.
So, frugality doesn’t mean you need to wear sackcloth and
ashes and it isn’t about poverty. With two houses and a boat I really couldn’t
claim to be in that position. For me the frugal approach provides a
higher standard of living, a better quality of life and it leaves more money in
my pocket for things I really need.
David
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