When times are challenging it’s often said that this is when many people thrive with “making do”. If we are looking to save money in our lives, we need to get better at being resourceful. In today’s world, mastering the art of looking after the essentials in life is a skill that will enhance our daily lives. So here are some valuable insights to help you understand how you can be resourceful.
Looking After Those Essentials
Part of the issue in the modern world is that we have very little comprehension of what we can do if something goes wrong. A very good example is our car. For so many of us, we are so busy in life that, if something were to happen, we would be completely in the dark. We then end up going to a mechanic, spending more money on an issue that potentially we would have been able to fix ourselves or prevent, as long as we have the right level of understanding.
For something like our car, one of the biggest things that we can all do is, very simply, look after it. It may require a few little investments like a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) or a few tools, but we must embark upon the simple rituals that will prolong the life of our vehicle. That’s not to say that we should avoid regular checkups, but if we can have an understanding of the bare basics of a car, this could buy us enough time to ensure that we can get to a mechanic. Those simple regular maintenance checks, oil changes, and keeping an eye on the tire pressure are all things that we should undertake, but we seldom do.
Developing the “Make-Do-With-What-You’ve-Got” Mindset
It is one thing we’re all guilty of in the modern world: thinking we need more to ensure we feel satisfied. Whether this is buying more stuff to fill up the Santa sack or thinking we need a few extra ingredients, there is a lot we can achieve if we become more resourceful and understand the benefits of what we already have. Food is a very good example, especially based on the cost of everything. We can master the art of cooking simple and nutritious meals with affordable ingredients by planning our meals, buying in bulk, but also making the most of leftovers.
There can be a lot of things that invariably pad out our meals; something like rice is an excellent example. Pulses and beans are a great way to add extra protein to meals that are severely lacking in certain nutrients. But we also need to remember that expanding our cooking knowledge can also make a massive difference. You might be surprised to hear that something like oats could be a great way to pad out chilli, for example. When you start to look at your cupboard, no matter how bare it is, you can start to figure out ways to create new and exciting flavour combinations.
For example, we have to remember that the way it used to be is that whatever was in the cupboard had to be used at first. It’s not something we tend to do these days; however, if you’re looking to save money but also learn the art of resourcefulness, this is an amazing opportunity to do so.
Nurturing Your Well-being
It is very difficult to feel like we are in control of our lives in the modern world. However, it is more essential than ever to nurture our mental and emotional well-being. We should incorporate self-care rituals into our routines that work for us. The solutions can be incredibly simple. For example, there is a multitude of benefits to just going out for a walk, and there seems to be a movement of people now who are getting back to the simplest solutions that were once solved by an abundance of medication.
There’s a place for medical advice and medication depending on the circumstances, but we can all benefit from taking a step back and truly looking at our lives and recognising if there are things that don’t fulfil a purpose. We should take the time to look after our well-being, and if we prioritise our mental health, this is going to contribute to a more balanced life, but also a more resilient one.
Looking after our life essentials is a journey that will transform the routine into something far more meaningful. If you embrace these practices, you’ll find that mastering the art of resourcefulness is not just a goal, but a continually rewarding process that adds depth to your life.
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