How to change your life without spending a fortune
It’s easy to sit and daydream about changing your life. The problem is that big life-changes often involve having a lot of spare cash. Moving to another part of the country, upgrading your house, changing jobs, or starting a family all mean having the money to be able to afford it. Without that money, it can be all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you just can’t afford to make changes. Fortunately, changing your life doesn’t have to mean spending vast amounts of cash. Here are just five ways to dramatically transform your life without having to spend a fortune.
Do Some Exercise
It’s common knowledge that just a little exercise every day can boost your health and your mood. When we exercise, our bodies release endorphins, the chemicals that make us feel happy. Now, you don’t have to join an expensive gym and start building up your muscle mass. Just some light exercise at home can be more beneficial than you might think. Even starting small like going for a ten-minute walk after your evening meal or doing some yoga in the morning will make you feel a lot more positive and motivate you to push yourself even further. There are plenty of how-to guides for exercising at home without gym equipment, and thousands of YouTube tutorials that can walk you through a progression of Yoga or Tai Chi exercises.
Look for Free Activities
You don’t need to sit in the house all day just because money is tight. Even a quick Google will often reveal a wide range of clubs and societies that you can join that are free to join. If there is a lack of free activities in your area, then make your own. Go on photography trips with friends and family, or head to the library and rent out books, films, games, or music. Even something small like packing some snacks and going with your family to watch a sunrise or sunset can be incredibly positive, and it doesn’t cost a cent either. Special occasions and trips don’t have to cost the earth, and they can become a tradition that you will always remember.
Volunteer
If you have spare hours in the day and you’re bored of staring at the latest streaming trend, you can always volunteer your time and your skills to those charities and organizations that will appreciate it. Local homeless shelters, charity outlets, and care homes will all have work that needs doing. Even something small like offering to take your elderly neighbor’s dog for a walk can be very useful and appreciated. Volunteering can be a great confidence booster, and it might even highlight a new career that can replace the one that’s getting you down. If you want to add some positivity to the world, then volunteering is one of the best ways to spend your spare time, and it doesn’t cost you anything other than time.
Fix Whatever Bugs You
Most of us have something about ourselves that we don’t like. It could be your teeth, your thinning hair, or your ‘weird knees’. Get them fixed. If your teeth are a mess because you’re frightened of being jabbed in the gums, there are solutions. Many orthodontists specialize in treating patients who are scared to death of dentists, and these days it’s very easy to spread payments over a longer time so that you’re not left short financially. Think about the things about yourself that you feel self-conscious about and start looking at ways to start tackling them. It might be easier than you think.
Start Saving
It’s not always easy to start putting money aside that you don’t touch. If money is particularly tight right now, learning how to budget is essential. Having money that you can fall back on in emergencies can be a huge relief and can help to reduce stress dramatically. Start managing your budget a little more carefully, and use all of the apps and online resources that can help you work out a budget that leaves you with something leftover that you can start to accumulate. It’s very satisfying to watch that total slowly grow, especially if you have something specific that you’re saving up for like a new car or a dream vacation.
Making big changes to your life invariably leads to spending money, but smaller changes can often be made for free. If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut and think that only pouring money on the problem will help you escape it, think again. Look through this list and start thinking about how even the smallest of changes to your daily routines could transform your life in ways that you might never have considered.