One reason was: When I was in a toxic relationship I used to buy thing to make me feel better (due to feeling not 'good enough') - Either as a dopamine hit, to soothe emotions or items/clothes to boost esteem/make me appear like I had it all together 😊

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

It sounds like you have a lot of awareness of what's going on for you and the cycle/traps of spending -- that's great, and I totally relate to to the soothing emotions and self esteem part. Thanks for sharing!

@FunnyShellBear

2 жыл бұрын

This is so true. It is a self soothe thing and also a fear of people knowing you don’t have it together!

@sct4040

2 жыл бұрын

I agree, also when I had an awful boss and job, but felt too insecure to look for a new position. I would shop excessively.

“Being intentional with money is a form of self care” BOOM!!!!!! That’s what I needed to hear. What a great video all round 👍

My husband got to the point where he was uninvolved in our money. Strange but true. Finally I got him to sit down and go over our overall strategy. I was frustrated. I knew there was a different approach but I couldn’t see it. I laid it out and he looked at it for about 5 mins and said we need to do this. It was huge what he saw. He saved us 25% of our income with that one change. Of course, he loved it! I was thrilled. We both practiced frugality but people don’t look at legally saving on their taxes as part of the system and it definitely is.

Great video!! Now I have more knowledge about finance. I spent 20 years in the military and unfortunately did not save in a TSP. I am fortunate enough to be retired at age 42 with a profit from my investments and pension. I wouldn't have been able to live my current lifestyle without couple of investment. After taxes I am left with about 25,000 bucks a month, I am debt free and just now starting to invest in real estate. I don't plan on working for someone else ever again. I just live a modest life and now invest heavily in the market with the help of an IA. I do get a 2-3% raise every year for inflation and this income is for the rest of my life. I am blessed and now I live a great stress free life while investing while I am retired.

@jamesjack2074

Жыл бұрын

Congratulations on your early retirement. Right now, I could really use some investment advice or tips on investing. Last year I hesitated until the year ended without making any move. This year I decided to try something because I'm very open to ideas on how I can invest. When I see your comment I believe that you have an experience in it that could be of great help to me. Hope you don't mind sharing?

@peterjames7001

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesjack2074 It's not a problem at all! I would advise you to determine your investment horizon, but I recommend a long-term plan if you are looking to make a lot of profit on your investment. I created a long term investment plan with Olivia Diane Margaret who helped me invest and manage my investment which helped me a lot.

@jamesjack2074

Жыл бұрын

@@peterjames7001 I appreciate your advice. It's hard to find someone that's reliable. When I see what you've achieved by investing, I could really use your investment advisor., if you don't mind sharing her information.

@peterjames7001

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesjack2074 Okay, I work with *OLIVIA DIANE MARGARET.* You can browse about her for more info. She is U.S based.

@abhagauri9381

Жыл бұрын

Having a good financial planner is like having a mentor . I was losing my money trying to invest on my own but it was different from Olivia Diane Margaret . She has played a great role in improving my finances. Long before now, I relied solely on my work and salary. Right now, I have a way of making much money and without stress so I quit working for others . Honestly , investing isn’t a choice anymore but a must for anyone who wish to gain access to a good and an independent life.

Wow...the frustration, unfairness, and injustice point really resonates with me. Thank you, this is so very helpful!

I realize that this video is 2 years old so my comment comes late. But I have to say that it’s by far the best video I’ve seen about saving and frugality! Great advice that delves into the emotional and personal factors of saving and spending.

Your comment in a previous video "where did this want originate?" was life changing. It helps me with the mindlessness that can occur with just regular daily life.

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

So glad!

Re: the “thinking about your story” topic, I love to flip through the obituaries in the newspaper occasionally. It’s grounding to think about how your obituary will be written one down when your life is summarized into a few paragraphs - what matters is your family/friends, the things that you love to do, and *maybe* a mention of your career.

This video is absolute gold. So much more helpful than the thousands of tips I’ve read online, tackles approach and perspective over little things to keep track of.

I used to shop online out of boredom... if work was slow, I'd just scroll through my favorite shops. And of course there is always something I liked. Especially the first year of Covid, we switched to Home Office 100%. It was pure madness. I think I felt so pulled out of my life and at a loss of control that I used shopping as a way of rewarding myself for isolating myself from the world. I went cold turkey for the first 2 months of 2021 and it was HARD. But it helped me break the habit. I ended up paying off all of my credit cards and was able to put some money into my pension fund. It's really tempting to buy something when you have disposable income. Now when I'm bored at work I watch KZread videos lol my brain needs constant engagement.

I love the story building idea! ❤

This was so helpful. I am a major shopping addict. Literally I go to AA Mtgs bc there aren't DA Mtgs around and I never seem to get the same effect from zoom ones. Anyways, I find it SO hard to stop myself when I'm about to make a purchase I know in 10 mins I won't want, don't have money to be buying and will regret and just return eventually. But I do it 3x a day. It's almost cost me my marriage due to finances. You're videos have opened my eyes to steps I can take besides just ppl saying "stop shopping" and have provided me ways to think outside the box to hopefully get my spending under control. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are SO very much appreciated! 😊

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, thank you so much for sharing some of your story and for the kind words! Best of luck on your journey!

@FunnyShellBear

2 жыл бұрын

Hiya, have a look at c-ptsd and see if your reasons for wanting to shop are linked to billing a void or calming down an emotional flashback, as it’s often the case. With c-ptsd it’s lots of traumas and you tend to get emotional flashbacks (a feeling of gnawing emptiness in your body) that you want to fill as fast as possible to make it go away - some people do this with food, alcohol, sexual, but some do this with shopping, (‘treating yourself’) and it’s often linked to childhood emotional neglect. May not be relevant in your case but I thought I’d mention it as it was for me. Also can be you simply aren’t happy with your current life so are buying stuff for your ‘fantasy’ life. It’s far more rewarding to take steps to make your current life better than buy more stuff you feel bad about. Good luck, realising it is half the solution! 😊

@codyleeser392

2 жыл бұрын

I find it helpful to "shop" on Amazon by putting items in my cart. I do not purchase them. After a week or so, I go back and view the cart and remove anything I really don't want any more. Wait another week for the items that remain and see if they are still necessary or to be deleted.

@lisabarnetson1362

2 жыл бұрын

This is completely off the wall but maybe the book by Dr. Joe Dispenza "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" might be helpful. If you've never heard of him he teaches a fantastic style of meditation that gives you tools to overcome many different issues. I wish you all the best with your journey. From great challenges come great gain. You CAN do anything you set your mind to.

@susanlynn6545

2 жыл бұрын

What's DA

Great tips and ideas! Been through many on my journey!

What a beautiful, thought-provoking, gentle, intelligent approach. Thank you.

I'm all of the above and thank you for shedding this light to me. Everything you said sank right through me. I'm determined to save more this year and have been binge watching no-buy year videos, etc. And I'm so grateful to have come upon your channel. Most advices are I heard are really about the small tweaks and they're fine but your approach is so on-point and should really be the first things that "mindless spenders" like me should think about. Finally, the advice that I will certainly follow. Thanks Elin! ❤️

Awesome perspective, so helpful. Journaling is so essential

Thank you This was the best and most thoughtful things I have seen in a long time! You have a great way about you ❤️

10. What is your story? Yes! Basically a vision statement. We need goals, dreams, visions.... and an intentionally lived life that helps us get there. Purpose!

Thank you for this video. I feel like I have been wanting a video to explain this. There's so much more to being frugal than not buying a take away coffee! Love it. Thanks

Truly love all of your videos!! Such good advices💗 Ty

I love this! Brilliant! I'm going to start making my list tonight. Thank you.

Like that you just got right into the tips. Working on yourself is key which you brought to the forefront of this video. Thanks.

Thank you for the self introspect questions to help us with our money/spending challenges.

This was right on time for me!! I definitely need to re watch after work so that I can take notes. Thanks so much for this message!

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Yay! Thanks, Erica!

Thank you. This is so needed.

This is such a fabulous approach. The story I've held around my life has pretty much been defined by trauma and negative events, rather than my successes and aspirations. I've always saved money out of fear-until I started putting intentions behind every bucket of money I save or invest. That's my greatest goal this year in terms of finances. I don't think my life goals align with traditional advice, and that's ok! Planning my own journey is key to feeling good about money and healing my relationship with it. Subscribed!

Thank you!!! You managed to articulate all the things I’ve been struggling to say to my husband. We find we have the same goals, but different methods of trying to achieve them. We are using this video to align with each other more intentionally in the new year. 🤩

Thank you for reminding me that I can write the rest of my story, even at my age, and hopefully making the end better than the beginning and middle.

Very good points. Excellent viedo. These are really good things to think about you brought up

Thank you for this.❤

Hi Elin! I'm so glad I found your channel, love your energy and advices... I'm really considering changing and decluttering my house for my own mental health. Thank you so much for your time and good sound advices. Happy New Year 🙏

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much, and same to you!

This is my new favourite channel! I appreciate your deeply thoughtful and novel perspectives so much. 🙏❤️

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, thank you!

I think this is one of the most helpful and profound videos I've ever watched. I went through it again for the second time, taking notes this time; as well as noticing my particular stress points as I went through it. Point #10 is possibly the most important of the whole video: to re-engage with your life story; what you really want out of life. In my case, to overcome a series of genuine life disasters which have left me feeling disappointed, discouraged, angry, frustrated, resentful & helpless; wondering if I can ever get my life back on track. This idea of re-writing my life story and deleting all the "how can I possibly do that?" bits, has made me feel a lot more hopeful and re-engaged. At a minor level, I've also decided to photograph the stress points of my overspending (luxury bath oils & what not): photographs to put in my purse and remind me that I don't need all that stuff to feel better about my life. Thank you Elin. What a great video.

This is very insightful and helpful. Thank you!

awesome video!! so much helpful wisdom!

Excellent content. Very applicable to my life. Thanks for sharing

I actually started watching this video and had to save it and come back. I'm so glad I did. This was a great video. Very intentional and exactly what I needed to hear. I've had very toxic spending habits in the past and I've tried to be more intentional and minimal these last few years. This video was a great reminder to again come back to my 'Why' and being more intentional with money.

Excellent insight and suggestions.

Thank you sooo much your video was sooo educational

Great idea to go deeper ... and increase awareness of what prompts our behavior with money so we can be more ...... Intentional. Ah yes this word pops up once again, & it is an empowering one ! Whether we are on a home simplifying / decluttering / organizing Journey and practicing more intentionality with how we create our Dream Home with what we have now ( by decluttering), or as this skill spreads over to other areas of our life. Love it ! Thank you ! My favorite idea here is tuning into our “story”, and yepppp ... after focusing our awareness ... creating our story with more care & intension. Oh and I lovvvvve the peaceful scenes of you in various parts of your lovely, peaceful, clutter free Home ! Always so inspiring to see that. Some other fav minimalist / life nurturing channels like Vera at Simple Happy Zen, & Dawn at The Minimal Mom also incorporate this into their videos. It is Powerful ! Happy 2022 from Buffalo, NY ! Liz

Great Video. You are spot on regarding so may of these barriers when it comes to my personal experiences. I have been taking notes as I watched and I have some solid ideas for several ways that I can continue to improve my financial situation. I am working toward early retirement and have been hit and miss with sticking to my BUDGET this holiday season, especially. Before finding Dave Ramsey and the FIRE movement, I didn't budget. (Financial Independence Retire Early) I thought a budget was a punishment and lived in debt related to the "I deserve these things" mentality. I have made a lot of progress, but can of course improve more. Most of my bills are on autopay, and my spouse and I don't talk about money all that often. I will work harder to regularly check-in with myself and him. I will do more self care and continue to do meal planning and being very intentional with shopping trips and online spending. You have given me so much to think about. Thank you for this very valuable video. I hope you have a great 2022.

I like the “story “ .. I can relate that to my life . Thank you pretty lady !

As a money coach, this video is SPOT ON. I love how you articulate these concepts and make them so accessible! I think the majority of us are so confused about money and where it goes bc literally no one has taught us about it. Even the simple act of sitting down and thinking about your money behaviors (without judgment, I think that is key!) and being curious about where those behaviors come from. I like to call this a person’s “financial origin story.” We all have one, and it is a huge part of our money story that we need to acknowledge. Great video!

I love starting with WHY and building out our story in life. We are all the CEO's of our own lives. Sitting down with a partner is also important and we like to call these our Weekly Joy Checks. Thanks for a great video Elin!

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Love that -- we are all the CEOs of our own lives--totally!

Disgust with myself, and feeling overwhelmed by stuff in the apartment helped me to stop buying excessively. When reviewing my bank and credit card statements, I hilite all the unnecessary items, and that help me see the excess.

@sofondadavis5028

2 жыл бұрын

Someone mentioned in another post to take pictures of your living area. We tend to turn a blind eye to the things we see everyday and don't realize how bad it is. I found it to be true with my weight as long as I was getting dressed and looking in the mirror I did not see how big I really had gotten but I was at a family function and someone took a picture and I'm like am I really that big. It changed my whole perception.

Love this idea! Merry Christmas!

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, and same to you!

this was such an enlightening video! i love the "story" part. I've been using a spreadsheet to track what im buying and donating and it has helped me be more intentional. i also often leave something in my cart and will wait a few days to think about if i really need/want this item or if it's getting in the way of my financial freedom. i'll definitely do the story exercise. thank u!

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! And the spreadsheet trick is great!

This is the best, and most “real”, discussion of money I have every heard. You hit so many of my hot buttons for spending! I didn’t’ feel judged, just helped. Thank you so much. Having someone say these thing out loud without the judgement factor is liberating in the sense that the barriers you discuss can be altered. Again, thank you!

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this kind comment!! :) glad you enjoyed.

I wish I could have given this 4 thumbs up!! One of the best videos on this topic ever. Just subscribed

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Yay! Thank you!

I felt very called out in this video 😳but it was very needed, so thank you!

I love your house and plants. So pretty and relaxing.

@kellystrijdhoven1668

2 жыл бұрын

Ik think also she has An good taste

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Aw, thanks!

Thank you new subscriber from Maryland USA

Very good. Thank you

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Best content of “frugal “living and redirecting thoughts and habits!

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks so much!

Great and insightful video, thank you very much!

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Very interesting and thought provoking video… especially after the holidays when I look how much I spent (more than I wanted!). Christmas is always a trigger for me because even though I am a minimalist in training, I want to give my daughters lots of gifts so that they don’t feel deprived. Made me think! I will work to setup a plan for Christmas 2022. Thanks so much! Love your work 💚💚💚

@FunnyShellBear

2 жыл бұрын

Give them gifts of experiences, days out, memory making - they will remember that far more! I used to half kill myself at Christmas as a single Mum getting gifts to ‘compensate’ and I asked my adult Son the other day what his favourite Christmas gift and he said “I don’t know, can anyone remember what gifts they got as a Child?!” 😳🙈😂

Great video, as always ❤️

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

I think for us it has become extremely more difficult to save. In fact, we have less income and more bills. I have no idea how to spend less on medical bills and health. Things only get worse. One can cut costs on some things but you can’t with this. I am starting to realize that all one can do is ultimately trust God and just do your best and leave the rest to Him.

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

That's a really good point that sometimes we are just going through a really hard time -- and medical bills can be a really tough one. I definitely think there's a time for some self-compassion. Taking on some of those challenges does take bravery. I feel for you.

@lifestyleafta30

2 жыл бұрын

We can't control everything but we can trust God

@sofondadavis5028

2 жыл бұрын

Self care is important. It will help with medical bills and your health in general. A lot of times we look at things and think there's nothing I can do about this but there's always something you can do. It may mean turning the TV off and getting up and just doing things around the house. If you are physically sick and unable to move you can always pull up a chair and do something. I had to learn to stop asking others to do things for me that I can easily do for myself.

Guilt around money is a big one for me. And I know I’m not that bas but still. Since this Fall I decided to check my things more, in order to maximize my net worth.

I’ve gotten better. I was never a “stuff” person so shopping was always for perceived necessities like you mentioned in another video…where through marketing a company makes you think you need a product to make things easier when in reality you don’t. Or I’d stock up on goods or groceries thinking, this is on sale, I’ll use it…and newsflash…I recently did an entire pantry purge and ended up throwing out a ton of stuff that went bad because it went unused or I have a ton of plastic storage bags when now I am trying to use less plastic. I know a lot of it stemmed from anxiety. Now, I hit pause. I ask myself “do I really need this? Do I really want to spend the $ on it or put it toward my savings instead? If it’s an online purchase, I wait a couple of weeks and revisit and usually by then, the urge to buy it has passed. It’s harder when in a store. But just today I put back things I put in my cart at a store because before I went to the register, I said “ok, do you really need every one of these items?” I ended up putting back 1/2 the cart as those items were impulse buys or “but I can use it later” buys. I am trying to keep things to, “is this on the food shopping list? Or for other goods, “is this a need or a want and do i need to buy it now or am I just buying for potential later use?”

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

It’s so interesting how even if we think we need something, we’re just guessing what our future selves will want. Such good points you’re bringing up! And I totally do that thing where I put things back right before going to the register-such a great trick! It’s so smart to pause at every step of the process to check ourselves. Thanks so much for sharing and for all the ideas!

It made my chuckle that you are walking with a laptop computer at the beginning of a video on frugality!

I have become more and more conscious every day. Yesterday I bought the stuff to change the oil in my two cars and paid basically what I would have paid to take only one to the oil change place.

Hi Elin! I love your content so much. ☺️ Do you have any other socials? I will definitely do the story exercise ❤️

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Cate! I think I'm planning to start an instagram account for the channel in the next couple of weeks -- I'll be mentioning it in an upcoming video if all goes according to plan, so keep an eye out!

I bet that many people would want to have a life story that includes increasing levels of generosity. To make a decision to not spend larger salaries and bonuses on bigger houses and better cars but on increasing their giving percentage. To have a goal to increase their giving by 1% of their salary a year. If they can't give money, then their time. People hope their life will make a difference and this is a clear way to do that. People like me give out of gratitude to God but other folks can give because they feel it's the right way to live.

Self care and setting financial goals Is essential to motivating me to spend less and save more.

I spend more in extreme depression especially around love. If I’m dating a guy I like, I spend less = I have a hopeful outlook on life because of this potential lifetime partner. When it’s pretty hopeless (yikes to online dating), I think why save? I have no dependents or “no one will do nice things for me, so I must do it myself”. Must have hope for a future to get me moving.

My biggest expenses are mostly rent,travel and giving money to relatives

Try putting the cream in your cup first, then coffee. It’ll self-mix ☕️☕️☕️😁

I'm still in the process of establishing new habits yet it's not easy as I was raised quite materialistic. My parents used presents as a substitute for emotional and physical presence, so I feel this behaviour is somehow deeply engrained in me and is still linked to some kind of comfort, eventhough it's never been 'really' fullfilling. It's a bad coping mechanism I know but I haven't figured out yet what to replace it with and it's so hard to face the void...

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

It sounds like you've done a lot of reflecting about patterns in your life and that's led you to more awareness, and I honestly thinks that's a huge first step. I do think it just takes some time and trial and error. Totally feel what you're saying! It's tough to make changes.

@moongoddess5394

2 жыл бұрын

I think that' s a very perceptive comment. You have such a high degree of awareness about your predicament that I don't think it will take long for you to figure out "what to replace it with". Maybe consider replacing it not with THINGS and STUFF, but with loving yourself more, exactly as you are. I think that might help fill the void.

@XYZ-ib4go

2 жыл бұрын

@@moongoddess5394 ❤

@XYZ-ib4go

2 жыл бұрын

@@ElinLesser ❤

Boredom and loneliness triggers my shopping addiction and the Pandemic made it worse. Can you discuss these triggers that can sabotage me when I am trying not to carelessly shop?

i have to rebel against myself, because i kept myself under control with brutal military discipline to the age of thirty and now i can't obey at all, i rebelled (upbringing etc). It's super deep

'forgo the morning coffee' or forgo the one jar of instant per month? I think most frugal people never eat out etc!

Use loose tea it's cheapest then if tea bag use 3 times then throw away use tomato soup generic instead of ragu for spy or chili I save tomato soup from my speghett to make chili sometimes I mix kidney beans with spaghetti it's good I call it Yumasketti add peanut butter sandwich n glass of iced tea

Can you do a video on your plants and the kind they are?

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

If you're interested, I already have a video where I (at least sort of) cover this: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ga6l0raNlaqfodI.html

Spending mindlessly is a problem I am working on. I need to involve my partner more in my savings goals.

I'm pretty good at uttting on blinders and sticking to my list at the grocery store. Our biggest problem is getting my husband and I on the same page.

Read obituaries. None say, she wore designer clothes and expensive jewels. Write your own obituary. Really focuses how you want your life to turn out. TFS.

I used to mindlessly spend a lot without thinking : Do I actually need this? what is triggering me/ influencing my spending habits? Thank you for this. Self awareness can definitely help us be more intentional and save money.

@ElinLesser

2 жыл бұрын

Totally agree, and thanks!

@kaiyaakakarla

2 жыл бұрын

Pppppññ

Instead of saying a deserve a new purse I try to remember to say things like, “I deserve to have a 1 month cushion on my monthly bills”. Or I deserve to save 1000 and splurge at Christmas.

my excuse is 'just' It's 'just' x or y or z

🖐🏼🙂

Stop saying actually,,

You HAVE to be kidding - you use grocery or other delivery services? The fees almost double your bill. Plus, you probably have some of them delivered in single-use plastic bags. Surely you or your husband can pick groceries up yourselves with better planning. I just don't buy that saving you time is worth the expense. I have back-up supplies for food like frozen milk. If I can't get to the store, I have my emergency go-to supplies. Non-grocery items? Is saving time really that important? When I need things on Amazon, I wait until I get $25 worth of stuff before ordering since then shipping is free.. And I certainly don't need things by the next day. Planning ahead, doing without or delayed gratification. I know you know this stuff. I just don't understand your trade-offs.

Minor constructive feedback - try to find words to use in place of "actually" or if you can remove that word from some of the content. The first part of the video that word repeated so often distracted from the content.

Another awesome video! ❤️❤️ Am investing my time and money in crypto now, this new price is a clear sign for new investors to come in ✅✅...

@JayM-is8js

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah this is absolutely the best time to buy and Invest Perfect you buy when the market is low to get profit when it rises

@JayM-is8js

2 жыл бұрын

@Harry John That won't bother you if you trade with a professional like Expert Felix Hartmann

@karenarichardson7764

2 жыл бұрын

Trading crypto with Expert Felix Hartmann has being a game changer for me He's obviously the best i invested 2000USD with him and I made a profit of 9101USD

@debrafrugal7584

2 жыл бұрын

Getting in with him just last week, am winning already so awesome.

@isabellakate3429

2 жыл бұрын

I heard his strategies are really good

Wasted 10min didn’t say nothing

Maybe rethink how much you want to use the word 'actually'.

@pepperspei6804

2 жыл бұрын

miss the point much?

@kimgordon3695

2 жыл бұрын

MeanChi™

This is pure clickbait.

Get to the point.