I find that nothing helps keep you on track with your frugal living and getting out of debt than a good bit of gratitude. With a thankful heart, you’ll find yourself with less of a need for spending and more of a motivation for saving and giving. Instead of feeling bad because you don’t have something, you’ll feel happy at all that you do have, including the forethought to live within or below your means. Here, then, are some ways that you can foster gratitude in your life.
Swap Out the Negative
Negative thoughts can be like potato chips. Once you eat one, you just seem to naturally find yourself reaching for another. Stop the pattern. if you find yourself complaining for focusing on the negative, immediately stop and substitute a positive thought. If the thought contains an empowering action, that is even better.
For example, take a thought “It isn’t fair that we never go on vacation,” to something such as, “I bet there are plenty of fun and free things to do close to home. I’m going to do some research and plan some adventures.”
Recruit a Friend
Sometimes we just need a little outside perspective to get things back on track or to acknowledge our own gratitude. Enlist a friend to share your positive and thankful moments. You can email each other and encourage each other in grateful thinking, especially as it relates to your frugal living. Just emailing a friend some grateful thoughts will make them seem more real to you and therefore make you feel better.
If there is no one friend available, just try posting your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter for some encouragement. I did this at Thanksgiving and not only did it keep me accountable for examining what I am really thankful for, but many of my friends posted their own positive thoughts, which encouraged me even more.
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