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Let’s be honest—when you hear the phrase “live below your means,” what comes to mind?
Cutting coupons. Saying no to everything fun. Never ordering takeaway again. Living on beans while everyone else is out enjoying life.
Yeah… no thanks.
But here’s the thing: that version of “frugal living” is outdated—and honestly, kind of depressing.
Living below your means doesn’t have to feel like punishment. It’s not about squeezing all the joy out of your life. It’s about being intentional with your money so your life actually feels better, not smaller.
This reminds me of a bible verse in Philippians 4:12 where Paul says, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”
It is about learning how to live either in abundance or in lack.
Living with abundance teaches us to handle money wisely, while times of scarcity help us value the reserves we’ve built for when we truly need them. And if you are able to complete a survey or two a day, you can easily accumulate an extra $50 a month for a few minutes of your time.
Two good sites that pay cash for completing surveys are Sproutful and Branded Surveys.
Let us now take a look at some wide decisions we can make today, to save those extra dollars.
1. Impulse Spends
You hop on social media. There is a sale that coming up and you are tempted.
You see something you like and “it’s on sale“, and suddenly it’s in your basket. No real thought, you just feel it’s better to buy it on sale than when it’s at the full price.
Pause and wait…Most of the time, one of two things will happen:
- You completely forget about it
- You realise you didn’t actually need it
And if you still want it after a month? Cool—now it’s a conscious decision, not a reflex. This one habit alone can save you tons of money.
2. Borrow or Swap
We’re so used to buying things that we forget there are other options.
If your kids want to buy a book, you can swap them with their friends books instead. Likewise, if you are looking to buy a new gardening tool and if it’s for a one-time use project, see if you can borrow it from someone.
This will save you a good amount of money, considering how expensive some equipments costs.
3. Go Cash-Only for a week
Pick one week each month where you only spend cash. No cards. No tapping your phone. Just physical money.
Why it works? Because it hurts (a little) to hand over cash. You feel it leaving.
Once it’s gone, it’s gone. No sneaky overspending.
It forces you to prioritise quickly: “Do I really want this… or do I want to save that $10 for something else later in the week?”
It’s eye-opening in the best way.
4. Cancel. Cancel. Cancel.
This one feels dramatic—but it’s powerful. There was once a time when my expenses were so tight, that I decided to call my health insurance to cancel. But I was surprised to know that they were willing to offer me a three month suspension, after which I could decide whether or not I wanted to permenantly cancel. This temporary pause in payments, helped me save money as well as prevented the hassel of re-doing all the insurance paperwork again.
Take a look at all your subscriptions:
- Streaming services
- apps
- memberships
- subscriptions you forgot you even had or needed.
The good thing about this is that sometimes you will realise, you don’t need them at all. This can give you clarity on actual expenses.
5. Try a Side Hustle that is Easy and Flexible
Did you know you could participate in online market research and get paid for your opinion? If you want to make an extra $50 a month, you might want to consider Kashkick – an app that pays you for completing surveys and short tasks.
This app is great because you earn real PayPal cash to your account. You can create your free account here, registering either with your email or your PayPal account. Not a bad way to accumulate a few extra dollars using your phone.
However, if you are looking for a more high-paying side hustle, you can participate in online focus groups with Respondent.io and earn an average $95 per study.
6. Trade your skills
Money isn’t the only currency you have. Think about what you’re good at:
- Babysitting
- Baking
- Sewing
- Tech help
- Dog walking
Now imagine swapping that instead of paying for something.
Example: babysitting in exchange for someone mowing your lawn. Or baking for someone who can fix something in your home.
It’s practical, cost-effective, and builds stronger connections with people around you. Win-win.
Final thought on Living Below Your Means
Living below your means isn’t about deprivation. It’s about intention.
It’s choosing:
- Thoughtful spending over automatic spending
- Long-term peace over short-term impulse
- Freedom over pressure
When you consistently spend less than you earn, a few things start to happen:
- You build savings (even if it’s slow at first)
- You reduce stress around money
- You gain flexibility and options
And maybe most importantly—you stop feeling like your money is controlling you. You don’t need to do all of this at once.
Pick one or two ideas and try them this week. Because living below your means isn’t a one-time decision—it’s a collection of small habits that add up over time.
And when you approach it with a little creativity (and a lot less pressure), it stops feeling like restrictio and starts feeling like freedom.
