I’m thinking of ways to live in better simplicity and with more intentionality. I find this deeply challenging in practice, so I’d love to hear what works for you!

I’m thinking about this from three angles:

• Psychologically, I’m trying to be more satisfied with what I do have rather than wanting to make more money. When I spend on a luxury, I’d prefer that it feel meaningful. I’d like to better control my impulses.
• Financially, I’d like to have lower expenses so that I can save more for meaningful purchases. It also provides some comfort to know I’m living beneath my means.
• Ethically, I’d like to use less electricity (environmental reasons) and also donate more to useful charitable initiatives in my community. Years ago I was influenced by Peter Singer’s essay “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” and still take its principles seriously.

So I’m looking for two categories of advice:

• Ways to spend less money on anything in particular, sacrificing (yes) some luxury.
• Substitutes for expensive activities/experiences/objects that provide the same or more emotional value.

My current lifestyle is relatively simple except that I enjoy traveling a bit too much. I used to fly a lot, which was pricey and bad for the environment. I miss my foreign friends though!

I live in a bustling part of a large city, which is amazing except it means I’m constantly presented with expensive temptations. I like this place and don’t wish to leave, so I’m relying on habits/systems & willpower here.

Examples of things I do already:

• My city is pretty cheap for its amenities. My building is more affordable than most in my neighborhood. (I originally planned to move to New York, but…) It has various comforts, but I’m trying to use the appliances less. It’s hard to keep the AC off in the heatwaves though! And the dryer is so convenient.
• I live in an apartment with a roommate. I enjoy the companionship. It also cuts most living expenses in half. I’ve thought about buying a small condo, but that seems hard to do without raising my monthly payments. I’m getting attached to my neighborhood/area, limiting my options somewhat.
• I ride a bicycle instead of owning a car. I take the bus to work, or sometimes bike (about 25 miles each way). I walk a lot, which lets me see the city up close. I only use ridehailing services once or twice per year. I was thinking of buying a folding bike to cut the commute time in half (train -> bike), but I hesitate to buy a budget one; I’m afraid it’ll break.
• Meals lately are mostly staple ingredients (rice, beans, frozen vegetables, canned fish) and cheaper ready-made meals. I try not to buy anything over 25¢/oz ($4/lb). I think my grocery runs average 15–20¢/oz ($2.40–3.20/lb) at Walmart or Aldi. I have a bunch of bougie preferences I’m trying to get over—fancy pasta sauces and such. I prefer cooking on intuition rather than recipes (impatient). I love restaurants for the experience more than the taste of the food. I kinda miss eating out more often, it’s just so wasteful.
• I love socializing, but the drinks and coffees and lunches and dinners add up fast! Much of my social activity is community organizing and dancing, which is itself inexpensive/free, but that often involves regional train trips and business lunches and miscellaneous weird expenses, so I’m slowly doing less of that in some ways, which is both good and bad.
• Importantly, I’ve been working on being more satisfied with doing less. Not going to every event. Not buying the snack I want. Not seeing faraway friends as much. Not going back to Paris another time. 🙄 Finding ways to frame these changes positively (“going to the things I care about most,” “living with intentionality,” “making friends closer to home”…) is possible but something I continually struggle with.

Whatever your financial station I would be very interested to hear what you do to maximize your happiness on your income and be more satisfied with life’s simple pleasures!