In Death of a Salesman (1949), Arthur Miller portrays a travelling salesman, Willy, who worked laboriously all his life, always selling stuff. When he retired, he had just paid off his mortgage and had no other money. To support his family, he committed suicide by driving himself to death, hoping to cheat the insurance company out of a large settlement amount so his family could be financially supported. As tragic as Willy's life is, he is not alone. Today, there are thousands of Willys around the world, including in China. Willy's destiny prophesies the fate of the modern man who works hard the whole life and ends up just paying off his debts without having much money for a decent retirement.
What goes wrong? The culprit beneath Willy's tragedy is consumerism, which entices people by all means to blindly spend money on material possessions in the belief that they add value to life: a new cellphone every two years, a new car every 6 years, a bigger house when a small one will do... Consumerism wants you to go into debt so it can control you and keep you running on this hamster wheel until old age.
The side effects are many and dangerous: high stress, long working hours, lack of freedom, constant employment ... not having money when you need it most. Consumption is what keeps you running on the hamster wheel until you are old and useless.
But there is a way to fight this disease, and it's called frugality. Being frugal does not come cheap. The former means managing your money carefully and not wasting anything. The latter means spending your money so stingily that you deprive yourself of basic needs at the expense of decency.
Frugality can help a person maintain control over his money. It is one of the best weapons to fight inflation and regain control of your life. Because if you live frugally, spend less and save more, you will not have to spend your whole life trying to figure out how to pay off your debt.
All you have to do is live below your means and not buy anything you can not afford or is unnecessary. Do not live in a toxic ego that puffs up in front of others and gives you a small dose of dopamine that fizzles out over time and only leads to more clutter with less money and no money available at critical moments. A frugal lifestyle gives you simplicity and freedom and keeps you from being overwhelmed by excessive material possessions.
Some frugality tips include eating out less, avoiding impulse purchases, buying as few clothes as possible, stocking up on non-perishable everyday items during big discount seasons like Double 11, 618, etc.
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