So often, when I talk to couples who have been married for over 10 years, I hear them mention that some of the funniest dates and the best times spent together were in the early years. Usually, in the early years of your marriage, you are trying to make ends meet and learning to live together, so you are generally used to frugal living.
It’s not a secret that most young couples usually live (or try to live) a frugal life, but sometimes these years are taken for granted. Going on cheap dates and hitting up the dollar theater is actually a lot of fun. Sometimes, getting out of debt can be just as fun!
If you are trying to pay off debt, you should cut costs and pay as much towards your debt as possible. Temporary frugal living not only helps you get out of debt, but it can also be a blast!
The Best Dates
Think back to all of the dates you have been on with your spouse or significant other. Remember the date when you went to that really fancy restaurant, and the food wasn’t that great? Remember when you spent a lot of money on a show that neither of you enjoyed? Remember all those dates you went on together, but because of all the “attractions” you paid for, you didn’t spend time together. No? Am I the only one who has done that?
Oftentimes, the best dates are the most cost-effective dates. “Buying” stuff to do takes away from the time spent together. Usually, you actually spend time together when you don’t spend money on everything you do. Frugal living is fun living.
Here is a really fun date to try: Have a “spend as little as possible” date night. The goal is to do as much as possible for as little as possible. You can do this through coupons, special deals, or, best of all, things that are free to begin with. Go for a walk downtown, look at Christmas lights in the winter or even have a date at home. It’s hard to beat a date game night at home with just you and your spouse. Check out more really fun and really cheap date ideas.
Related Article: 5 Quick Date Ideas for Under $10
Don’t Be Normal
This doesn’t just apply to dates, this applies to your whole life.
Remember that drastically cutting costs and aggressively saving money is usually only temporary. It may not be fun to pinch pennies for the rest of your life, but if it gets you where you want to go later, it’s worth doing now.
Frugal living isn’t normal.
It’s fun to not be normal. Be weird.
Normal people finance their house, cars, televisions and even their vacations! Being financially normal means you are in debt and living paycheck to paycheck. Why would anyone want to be that kind of normal?
Frugal living now can lead to an affluent life later, and it’s worth it. So have fun with it. Don’t wait until later to enjoy life; enjoy life now while you’re living frugally and enjoy life later when you are debt-free and not living paycheck to paycheck.