Be frugal to realise financial freedom

NAIROBI: Every one of us equates success to having the best and the biggest, and an abundance of it, which in turn clouds the minds of many who dream of achieving financial freedom.

Because of this thought process, we have many people chasing primarily after careers for their paying potential and turning their back on those with low wages regardless of their own passions and area of gifting.

Many people wants careers that promise a tidy sum each month end and they have developed negative attitudes towards low wages and salaries.

Yet when the country is grappling with a high unemployment rate, one cannot afford to be choosy about the kind of job they will accept. But despite this, there are those who would rather remain unemployed than accept jobs with low pay.

Truth is whatever your earnings, it pays to be responsible for every shilling earned.

While you may have debts and other financial obligations to meet, you need to also factor upcoming expenses and the best way to go about this is by saving ahead of time.

Exercising self-discipline in saving will see those financial encumbrances well addressed and set you on the path to financial freedom.

You need not earn highly to achieve this, with little by little much can be accomplished.

Start by putting aside a small amount each week and this will eventually add up to a substantial amount if you keep a disciplined approach to finances.

Also, refrain from the tendency of pinching from your savings to spend on impulse purchases and it will surprise you how much you can save this way.

If self-discipline is a hard thing for you to maintain, try making a box with a hole on the top. Be dropping extra coins in this box and let it accumulate in this way. You can use such money to address an emergency.

Personal finance advisors will likely advice you against making unnecessary purchases.

Beware of the consumerism tendency that sees you discard items that are still usable and replacing them with expensive ones in the market.

It pays to be simple and frugal than trying to impress or living above your means.

If your income increases do not raise your living standards. Moving to an expensive neighbourhood ‘suited’ for a person of your income bracket will come with costs. You may find yourself servicing unexpected needs which may force you to borrow money!

It is advisable you develop a workable budget and stick to it.

At the beginning of every fiscal month (when you get your salary), set aside your pre-figured budget amounts for expenses to meet and savings to make.

Some months may not require you to put a full amount in each category of expenses. In such a case, one category may have a shortfall while another has extra. This will see you adjusting amounts and saving on some.

Keep a ledger of all your expenses. Check each month end to see how you have managed. If you are always lagging behind in meeting your objectives, this may be an indicator that you are not sticking within your budget.

With time, when you quantify your savings, you will realise you can use them to invest in a project.

This will enable you become financially independent even without a super-sized salary.