Frugal vs Realistic vs Simple living

Which is best, frugal living, realistic living, simple living, or some combination of all three? I’m not sure. They all have pros and cons and while I tend towards frugal over the other two, it can come with some real downsides. Here’s how i would define the three categories.

• Frugal – Frugality starts with a prioritization of cost above all, both long and short term. Then, it prioritizes having the life you want.
• Realistic – A realistic life takes into account what is realistically possible. It balances cost and speed or effectiveness.
• Simple – A simple life prioritizes convenience above all. A simple life should smoothly run through it’s daily tasks with the least inconvenience at the exception of everything else.

Some examples:

• A frugal individual cuts their own hair, has a relatively nice pair of scissors (hopefully with a lifetime resharpening warranty). A realistic person realizes that a pair of long lasting scissors might cost more than a hair cut at supercuts, so they go there instead. A simple life either never cuts their hair, or more likely, shaves their head.
• A frugal person buys dry beans from the store, soaks them, and cooks them. A realistic person would buy the beans pre-cooked in the can. A simple person would eat metamucil for their fiber and a protein drink.
• A frugal person searches the ads and second hand stores until they find their perfect couch and reupholster it in the perfect color all for $200, but transporting it costs $150. A realistic person buys a similar couch from costco and has it shipped to their home, and maybe has it reupholstered, and in total spend $1000. A simple person would just live with their current couch or wait until they found one in a good condition at a second hand store, but they wouldn’t actively search it out.
• A frugal person buys horse pellets to use as litter and scoops daily. A realistic person buys what’s available at the store and maybe has an automatic litter box. A simple person has litter auto-shipped to their door, the special stuff, and has an automatic litter box which is refilled and emptied each week.

I’m not sure which one I want to be, but realistically, I think I tend towards frugal and realistic.

• I do cut my own hair which has saved me hundreds over the past five or so years and I don’t foresee ever going back to the salon, and each time i get a little better at it.
• I buy my beans pre-cooked in the can. Although I have a pressure cooker, so it would only take a about half an hour, storing the beans with the potential for spoilage, the cooking, the cleaning, and all the little things in between, make it too difficult. Typically, I make dense bean salads or burritos and on those days I’m meal prepping my next few days in just 30 minutes. I’m cutting and combining, nothing is getting cooked beforehand. If I were to add in cooking the beans, I’d have to keep waiting until they were done, but they would taste better and be healthier, but I also would make those meals less.
• I’m currently in the process of trying to get some new chairs and a new couch. Costco has one that is essentially perfect, but it’s not a great color. So I’ve thought about reupholstering it. I could even have it delivered to the reupholstery place so I wouldn’t have to move it myself! Alternatively, I could just be content with my current set up, which is not bad, or I can wait a year or two for the perfect couch to come, rent a Uhaul, get some friends, and go pick up my free couch and get it reupholstered. I’ve decided that if I haven’t found my couch in a year I’m going to Costco.
• I auto-ship my litter, it’s unavailable near me in person, and I have an automatic litter box.

There are great benefits to each.
– Frugal – low cost life
– Realistic – low stress and quick turnaround
– Simple – minimalist and quiet.

But there’s also some downsides
– Frugal – long timelines and high up front costs for tools/skills
– Realistic – high costs because buying new or conveniently,
– Simple – It can be expensive

I think my approach is to simplify and declutter my life as much as possible (simple), target specific skills that save money or bring me joy (ex. car maintenance and sewing/knitting clothes) (frugal) and not stress the smaller things that make my life doable (canned beans, not getting a cow for milk, buying pre-made cat food) (realistic).

I think all have their place. When I have a house, in some ways, I’ll want to have a garden/orchard backyard, but I’d also like to just have a calm backyard as well. Which to choose? Currently, I grow my own catnip, dry it, and give it to my cats and friends/siblings with cats. It’s fantastic. It’s much stronger than the store bought kind and I like that I can see the whole leaf. I’d like to do the same with a whole garden – canning, preserving, and storing fruits, vegetables, and herbs. But, realistically, will I have the time and energy to get that kind of garden up and flourishing? And even if I did, will I have the space to store these preserved goods?

I don’t have to make a decision on this right now, but it’s something I’m wrestling with a little, when I don’t have bigger things to occupy my time. I have a garden plot at a community garden and I’ve really enjoyed trying out my hand at gardening (first year – everything died, second year – everything died, third (current year) – wayyyyyyyy too many cucumbers and tomatoes, just bags full). I like gardening, but it’s not an easy or even cheap hobby. It’s expensive, dirty, hard, and sometimes everything dies. But each year it’s gotten easier. I’m looking at buying a home in the next few years and I need to know which one I want, unless i can get the ultimate option of a beautiful calm backyard where the property next to mine is empty and for sale, and it be used for a garden but that’s unlikely, and also a lot to maintain.

One thing I do know, even if I have a zen garden, I’ll start sneaking in fruit trees everywhere, along with some blueberry bushes. The line of fruit trees next to the koi pond.