Engaging in the simple pleasures of life can make you happier with a minimalist lifestyle.
As we move through our lives, many of us become tired with the rapid pace of the day-to-day routine and being bombarded with pressure to spend money on the newest things. Simple pleasures will help us become happy and content with our lives.
Appreciate the small things in life, savor the moment, and most of all, save and invest money in the long-term without feeling like you’re missing out on life! Alongside a bunch of other benefits, a life full of simple pleasures teaches you to be happy with what you have.
Read on to learn about how to indulge in simple pleasures.
What Are Simple Pleasures?
Most often, saving money often involves practical ways to reduce unhealthy spending habits and become more mindful of what you spend your money on, how often you visit the mall and more. While focusing on saving money, making smart financial decisions and increasing one’s income are the most popular and well-known ways to save money, there is another way to save money in the long-run: simple pleasures.
Simply put, simple pleasures are the little experiences and things that bring you joy. They can vary from physical items and experiences that cost money to completely free experiences. Let’s touch on how you can still enjoy simple things, be happy with what you have and live a satisfying and fun life.
Why Do the Simple Pleasures of Life Matter?
Why should one engage in simple pleasures? To sum it up, the main reason for learning how to live a simple life is to become happier with what you already have, rather than constantly striving to obtain the newest product or experience.
A Culture of Overconsumption and Overstimulation
In this day and age, we live in a culture of overstimulation and overconsumption. Every day, we are bombarded with advertisements attempting to convince us that we need this or that latest product to be happy.
“Got an iPhone from 2021? Sorry, but it’s no longer worth anything – you must buy the latest model, your phone is no longer good for anything!”
“Only have 10 pairs of shoes in your closet? You must buy the latest pair of Nikes to fit in!”
While billboards don’t actually shout out these phrases to you as you’re driving by on the highway, it can feel like that’s what they’re telling you. When you go home, you may naturally start to compare what you currently own to what you think you need. It’s completely natural to have a desire to compare yourself to other people and listen to what society tells you about what you’re missing.
Living Life on Autopilot
Life goes by fast. It’s so easy to spend months, days and years stuck in the same routine, going through the motions. Get up, go to work, go to school, cook and eat dinner, watch TV, sleep. Repeat the same daily routine several days a week and then realize that it’s Friday already! On the weekends, you might go for dinner or catch a show as you didn’t take the time to plan any other healthy or mindful activities during the week. You do your usual weekend routine, then you go to bed and do it all over again. When you aren’t working, you may spend a lot of time obtaining physical items through shopping and spending a lot of time thinking about how to obtain new things.
There’s nothing wrong with watching your favorite show or relaxing after a hard work of week – you don’t have to consistently avoid spending money altogether – this would align more with being cheap instead of frugal. However, it can become an issue when you are constantly rushing and aren’t being mindful of your spending and consumption. You can quickly fall into the routine of work and consumerism.
As human beings, it’s natural to constantly hope and wish for more things. Rather than being thankful for what we have, we tend to focus too much on what we’re missing. It’s natural to focus on the negative aspects of our current situation. We, as human beings, are wired this way. However, in the long-term, it won’t make us happy.
While you can’t completely escape the cycle of consumerism, you can take steps to become happier and more content with your current situation.
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What are Simple Pleasure Examples?
The simple, small pleasures of life that bring one joy differ for each person. Some people find joy from smelling a neighbor’s freshly-cut grass on a Sunday afternoon. For others, it may be the process of making a cup of coffee and enjoying it on the front porch every Saturday morning. Some people might enjoy indulging in a treat with family or friends, while others may enjoy thrifting and stocking up their capsule wardrobe – it all depends on your personality and interests. My simple pleasures may differ from yours, and that’s ok! In short, simple pleasures are things or experiences that teach you how to be intentional with what you taste, smell, wear, buy and more.
Simple pleasures can relate to both physical items and experiences. When you think about physical items that bring you joy, what comes to mind? You may have thought of a new pair of jeans you just bought at the mall or your iPhone. While these are completely valid ideas, simple pleasures focus on the less-commercialized aspect of physical items.
Intentional Practices to Brighten Your Day
Here is a non-exhaustive list of simple pleasures and how they might bring you joy:
- A handmade gift from a friend, such as a necklace or pottery. Nothing beats handmade jewellery from a friend! When someone makes something, it means they care about you. If someone has gifted you something handmade, they took time and effort to make something they think you’ll like.
- A cup of coffee enjoyed in the morning – sometimes, the simplest pleasure is the best one. Being mindful and taking time to smell the freshly-brewed cup of coffee can bring you joy.
- Indulging in a homemade meal – cook a meal solo or with a loved one. Choose a dish you both love and enjoy the process of chopping, mixing and baking/cooking your creation!
- Enjoying freshly-picked berries from the garden – if you don’t have your own garden, go to a farm on a weekend and enjoy berry-picking. Alternatively, you can go hiking and find berry trees – just be careful not to pick poisonous ones!
- The sound of birds chirping outside the window – open your window every morning, breathe in the fresh air and listen to the birds singing.
- The taste of dark chocolate – enjoy a few squares after dinner once or twice a week. Don’t indulge every day, or it will no longer be a special treat!
- The feeling of saving money after comparing supermarkets’ prices and price matching two items.
- Chatting with a good friend in person or over the phone – set aside time every week, or at least once a month to chat with a trusted friend. There’s nothing better than bonding with someone you care about!
- Getting your nails done – whether done at home or at a beauty salon. Regular beauty treatments will make you look and feel good! If you’re on a tight budget, do a home spa.
- Making a joke and laughing with a friend – go to a comedy show or just watch something funny on TV. Nothing beats laughter!
- The good feeling after doing a simple workout – work up a sweat and feel good about yourself. Getting into an exercise routine takes practice and discipline, but it’s worth it. Find a workout routine you enjoy. Some people enjoy cardio, and some enjoy lifting weights. Experiment and find something you’ll stick with.
- Listening to a favorite song – crank up your favourite tune every morning and sing at the top of your lungs. You can even make a playlist of favorite songs to get your brain going and awake every morning!
- Wearing a new outfit you love – look great and feel good! to Go shopping and pick out a new outfit at the mall or thrift store – a great way to be frugal! Don’t look for items with the lowest price, but choose a timeless piece that’ll last many seasons.
- Breaking in a new pair of shoes – take your new kicks for a walk and feel them mold into your feet. This is a bit of a silly one, but it’s a great feeling to have a fresh pair of shoes feel comfortable.
- The smell of lilacs – in the spring, go for a walk and enjoy the scent of these blooms. Sometimes, the simplest pleasure comes from using our sense of smell!
- Looking at old family photos of fun memories – pull out the old photo albums! Gather your family members, brew a pot of tea and take a couple hours out of your evening to look at and laugh at old memories. You’ll feel closer as a family after doing this and you’ll avoid spending money.
- Opening the windows to enjoy the morning sunlight – sunshine is good for your mental and physical health! Get some good ol’ Vitamin D by opening the blinds every morning. Take 3 or 5 slow, deep breaths and appreciate the light.
- Watching the sun rise or sun set – choose one or the other. If you’re an early morning riser, set an alarm and watch the day start. If you’re feeling it and live near a nice park or mountain, drive over there and watch the sun rise or set in nature.
- The smell of the pages of a freshly-purchased journal that you’ll use to track savings, jot down your thoughts, or write recipes in.
- Petting a dog or cat – if you don’t have one, go on a walk. Pet a stranger’s cat or dog – but be sure to ask first!
- Smelling freshly-cleaned laundry – inhale the fresh scent after you’ve pulled the sheets from the dryer. Enough said!
- Smiling at a stranger on your afternoon walk – a simple one. Smiling at strangers will boost your mental health and will make someone else’s day. Win-win!
- Cleaning out your closet and replacing old items in your wardrobe with classic, minimalist pieces.
- Gardening – if you have a garden, this is an easy one. If you don’t have one, visit a greenhouse and look at the beautiful plants. Choose a few to take home and care for. If you’re scared of killing plants, look up ones that are easy to take care of.
- Watering the plants – you have to do it anyway, but be intentional instead of doing it on autopilot. Rather than using a plastic jug, buy a nice watering can or jar that you’ll enjoy using. Put on some relaxing music and enjoy the routine of taking care of your greenery.
- Treating yourself to something special such as nice massage after successfully completing a no spend month.
- Washing your face and completing your beauty routine – choose a skincare routine ideal for your skin type and age. Once a week, massage your face and treat yourself to a face mask. Take it a step further by diffusing essential oils and putting on some relaxing spa-themed music. Taking care of your skin is one of many amazing healthy pleasures you can engage in!
Simple Pleasures to Try Today
If the simple pleasures list above is a bit overwhelming, that’s completely understandable! Trying something new can be a lot. If you’re aiming to begin engaging in simple pleasures, start with something simple, like your morning cup of coffee. The next week, take it up a notch. Remember to open the windows and enjoy the birds chirping while enjoying your coffee. The week after, take some time to do some deep breathing exercises after your newly-created morning routine.
Each week, integrate a new simple pleasure into your daily routine. You can start with integrating simple pleasures into your morning and then move on to integrating them into other times of your day. Why not call a friend before bed or look through old family albums twice a week after dinner? Before you know it, you’ll have a life full of simple and pleasurable activities! Choose appropriate activities for every season – winter, fall, spring and summer. You’ll eventually have a list of your favorites.
Can Simple Pleasures Help Me Save Money?
Simple pleasures don’t always save you money directly. However, if you regularly partake in enjoying things that bring you joy with intention, you’ll spend less time seeking out stimulation from other sources – primarily, spending money unnecessarily and unintentionally. There’s nothing wrong with spending money, but at the end of the week, you’ll find yourself in a better mood.
Simple pleasures will help you stop living life on autopilot and will help you appreciate the small and beautiful things in life.
Final Thoughts on Simple Pleasures
When you participate in simple pleasures with family or friends, it can help you reconnect with your loved ones and strengthen your relationship. Besides indirectly saving money and strengthening bonds with your family and friends, something simple done for pleasure can help your mental health by helping you focus on the positive aspects of the beautiful life you have.
Alongside other ways to save money creatively and make extra cash, simple pleasures are just one more great way to be frugal and enjoy life. Go ahead and start integrating simple pleasures into your life. Learn how to live a simpler life and enjoy it!
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Janita is a frugal living expert and owner of Frugal Fun Finance. With over five years of personal experience finding and trying out the best ways to make and save more money, she's eager to share her knowledge. Janita's strategies have helped her save thousands of dollars for funding investments and traveling to over 20 countries.
Janita completed training in personal finance at The University of Western Ontario and McGill University, two prestigious Canadian universities. Her expertise has been shared on GoBankingRates, Yahoo Finance, and NASDAQ.com.
