How To Enjoy Life When You Don't Make Much Money

How To Enjoy Life When You Don't Make Much Money.

First, you have to decide that, no matter how much money you have or don't have, it doesn't have to keep you from enjoying life. Whether you have adopted a lifestyle of frugality or simplicity, minimal living, or find yourself in a season of limited means (and you really desire so much more), you can still enjoy your life in the current season while you work towards the life you want.

I have lived through many seasons of minimal means and seasons and have had a few seasons of abundant means (in accordance with my personal frugal lifestyle because I believe everyone must define their version of abundance).

Although I have a natural tendency towards frugal living as it fuels my creative genius, there are times where I lean towards wanting to feel more abundant in between. This is where practicality, creativity, passion, and synchronicity merge, and where I find enjoyment in life no matter what my bank account says.

Here are ways to cultivate and recognize the opportunity to enjoy your life. I'll share what I do and why it works.

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom

Allocating something in the budget that is just for you.

For me, in this current season, I look for ways to do something especially for myself at least once a month of a monetary value (more, if I can, and I highly encourage more where possible). I'll subscribe to that magazine I like, eat at that restaurant, shop at the community market, add a new piece to my wardrobe, or purchase a new supply item to create a new craft. Whatever it is, let it be entirely what lights you up. We need these investments in ourselves to help make the day-to-day journey of life feel lighter, and it reminds us that life isn't just about taking care of everything and everybody all the time.

Photo by Ricky Esquivel

Let others extend their kindness towards you.

Consider all the acts of kindness you have extended towards others—most of which you probably would never think much about. Rest assured that those small gestures will find their way back to you at the right time.

In my digital download eRead, "Losing Income Is the Worst and What to do Next," I have a chapter called "Help is Closer Than You Think," where it lists off a handful of kind gestures others have extended towards me. Not because I was in a difficult season, but because they felt led to do so. It was kindness that seemed to appear out of nowhere but at the right time.

A loved one shows up out of the blue and contributes towards the grocery needs when I wasn't sure how I would manage it after a couple of work jobs were canceled. Or someone hands you a $5 bill because they know you can do something miraculous with it—my son did this to help during a financially tight week.

And once again, this is the season where our grass gets cut every few weeks by a kind neighbor! I can enjoy a sit-down moment outside with fresh-cut grass. 

Create a passion project and create a ritual around it—or start a micro-business.

Creativity is at the heart of enjoyment in life, for me. Creating something unique to enhance my personal skill set in art, life skills, writing, and content creation fuels and adds to my enjoyment of life. Sharing this creativity in the form of art and written words pours out—it's a gift to myself and then flows back into the world to encourage someone else's journey. When I began Create Season Studio, it was a personal creative project of self-discovery through my own therapeutic art practices. I used supplies I had acquired over time before realizing I had enough to DIY my way into creating some really cool crafts. I decided to create content and a micro-business out of it, and since then, I have been learning to become a better practical artist and small business owner (at my own pace). 

This also aligns with my passion for the administration of business in general, so why not learn and explore both! I wrote a small micro-blog post titled "5 Helpful Handmade Business Tips." Most recently, I felt I needed a few new ways to expand my passion around food and coffee, so I kicked off a few new micro-blogs—AppetizeMe and Life with a Cup of Coffee—just for fun! Those blogs allow me to zone in on my curiosity surrounding food, food photography, and the world of coffee and baristas! 

My point is, look for ways to create something out of the tools that you already have. This is a key element to enjoying life without costing you money, and if you do decide to invest in making the passion something sustainable, you can decide what next step is right for you.

Photo by Nherie Tellado

Define what living in the moment looks like for you.

Practice releasing worry by focusing on the best-case scenario rather than rehearsing the worst-case scenario. After losing income that I felt was critical to my new life after separation and divorce, plunging me into what could be rightly defined as critical survival, the best way for me to manage (and I still manage seasons this way) was to take one week at a time. While understanding that bills were due, there was only so much I could do to remedy the circumstances on my own. Accepting the natural limitations was difficult, but taking one week at a time helped me minimize distractions, think through my next steps and find pockets of rest from worry. I'd ask myself this question every time: "Do I have what I need for today?" If the answer was yes, this was a sign that I was okay, and I'd give myself a break from worrying.

Photo by MART  PRODUCTION

Recognize that the seemingly mundane things are more of what life is about than the highlight reels we see all around us.

When it comes to what's constantly pitched to us online, I'll admit, I have a delight in curated content; it's a huge part of my enjoyment in the online space. I get creative ideas and create some really neat content in the process. But the reality is, life is lived outside of our devices, and I have grown more attuned to my life as it is than a life that's only curated for an online presence. Peers and other more influential content creators, creatives, and people, in general, those who are turning inward to redefine life on their own terms, are coming to the conclusion that while the hype and beautiful content exist and we can engage and find enjoyment in those spaces, we must not forget that our day-to-day lives are where the real beauty, the real work, the real life is lived. So, the best thing I can do is ensure that I create the type of environment in my real life that I am satisfied and inspired by—this is the real win for me and the focus. I use my newsletter to help track my progress in this area and share it with a select few who subscribe. I would love to have you on this list as well if you feel led to.

While having the money to do everything you want at a moment's notice to satisfy your wants and needs on demand is attractive—and even admirable, coming from a frugal person like me—I recognize that not everyone is traveling the same journey with the same level of support to have that kind of freedom. But we can still create our version of freedom on the way to whatever our desires ultimately are. I hope I have given you enough reasons and ideas to know that you are allowed to feel enjoyment from your life no matter what your circumstances are, and I encourage you—if you were to make any changes, start with where you are now. Enjoy and maximize where you are and what you have right now.

How do you enjoy life when you don't make much money?