Economic Wisdom to Apply in Your Twenties

Chapter 32

Chapter 4 Section 4 The New Frugalism, Save Money Without Being Stingy
At the party on the weekend afternoon, Weiwei caught the eyes of her friends: she was wearing a sleeveless vest with sequins, paired with a plaid skirt, a pair of short boots, and a few shiny bracelets on her left hand.My friends estimated that this set of simple and attractive outfits would cost nearly a thousand yuan, but in fact, Weiwei only spent less than 200 yuan in total.I bought the sleeveless vest at a discount in a Korean store and it only cost 50 yuan; The off-season sales of department stores are naturally not much more expensive.

"I like to buy cheap things, so that I can buy a lot." Weiwei said to her friends.Carefully "Taobao" in small shops on the street, you can always find some good and cheap things.
People like Weiwei are not uncommon in today's cities. After experiencing the era of luxury consumption of buying and wearing famous brands with great fanfare, they gradually tend to save money on less risky expenses, such as buying socks or small bags. Accessories, after all, these are consumables at a certain stage.Many of Weiwei's clothes are bought from cheap shops on the street. She said: "The tops I buy usually cost 60 to [-] yuan, and there are dozens of them together."
However, not all expenses are so economical.Occasionally, she will be extravagant: buy a professional camera for photography, raise a purebred hunting dog, travel when she is free, and spend money to go to the beauty shop to have her face done when she is tired-these are all extravagant consumption .But she felt they were worth every penny spent on them.
For young people in their twenties, we need to use various methods to relieve stress, and spending money has become the most common and effective one.Do you also often shop impulsively under the lobbying of shopping guides, and you are inexplicably excited when you spend money, but when you buy a lot of clothes and sneakers, they are worthless, and then you shout: "I was fooled!"

However, not all young people are irrational when it comes to spending money.Especially under the influence of the financial crisis in recent years, a life concept called "new frugality" has become popular among young people.

The "New Frugalism" family declares: Do not refuse to consume but refuse to waste, do not tighten your belt to save money, but use your mind to choose a better way to spend money.There are also people in the new frugalist team who are very rich, but it is difficult to find traces of being packaged by luxury goods from them; on the contrary, they spend more time and thought on the consumption process of "value for money" than others. More.Their "stinginess" is not a "miser" style of blindly saving money, but trying to save unnecessary expenses as much as possible, and then pay for "worthy things" as much as possible.You must not think that their life is tasteless and their dress is outdated. In fact, they are a group of people who know how to live.

The popularity of "new frugality" has given birth to a group of online "accounters", who register and set up personal account books on relevant websites, record daily income and expenditure, and exchange financial management and money-saving methods with each other.On websites such as China account guest and Caike online, the consumption records of many netizens are rolled out and updated at any time. The categories of accounts include catering, clothing, home appliances, department stores, etc.In order to register every expenditure, some "accounters" even list bus fees, public toilet fees, etc. separately.It is understood that, as the earliest accounting website established in China, Caike Online had about 2007 users in 2008, and it soared to more than 20 in 25. These users are mainly urban white-collar workers aged 35 to [-].
In addition to careful budgeting and online bookkeeping, the money-saving methods advocated by the new frugality also include online shopping, DIY, using coupons, and barter and exchange.In the eyes of many young people, these consumption methods are not only a means of earnest financial management and rational consumption, but also represent a new fashion of life.
China has always been a country that advocates frugality, and "hard work" has been a slogan that has been popular for many years and is still unfailing today.However, unlike in the past when people were forced to cut down on food and clothing due to lack of material, "New Frugality" advocates abandoning unnecessary extravagance and waste, throwing away redundant and cumbersome parts without suppressing their own necessary consumption needs, and over-refining, pure and simple life.

In the era of commodity scarcity, people always think that "expensive is good", but with the continuous prosperity of the commodity economy, some people start to wake up and consciously look for what they really need.In this process, the concept of consumption is constantly colliding with real life, and finally it really matures.Relevant experts also believe that the birth of "New Frugality" symbolizes the advent of a new era of consumption, representing a return to basics, a clearer and more active way of life.This group of people buy everything for the purpose of "needs", and never blindly chase brands and arty elegance.

Compared with the "Moonlight Clan" who are on the cusp of the crisis, the New Thrifts are a group of truly shrewd, intelligent and responsible consumers. The "New Frugalism" family controls their income freely, allowing limited money to meet various needs to the greatest extent and to the greatest extent. A more rational consumption concept makes us aware of the external value of commodities and the symbolic meaning of identity. It's not the most important thing, but your own feelings and satisfaction are the last word.

Smart young people know how to choose their consumption patterns and lifestyles.In the hustle and bustle of the materialistic society, we should minimize and avoid wasting time and money, and more rationally follow the pace of the "new thrifty people" to live a simple and quality life.

Wisdom Pieces: Frugal Living for the New Frugalist
1. Hundred Yuan Week - As the name suggests, the earliest "Hundred Yuan Week" is how to use 100 Yuan for a week.Most participants will use diaries to record their daily expenses and post them on community forums.

2. Pinker - Pinker is a group of people who have risen in recent years.Pinke advocates a lifestyle of "conservation, fashion, happiness, and win-win".

3. Bookkeepers - "Bookkeepers" are keen to use online bookkeeping tools to record where the money is spent anytime and anywhere, and then understand which expenditures are necessary and which are dispensable.Bookkeepers have financial thinking and know how to live, and have advanced consciousness.

4. Zheke - "Zheke" is another rising netizen force after Zaoke, Paike, and Witkey. "Zheke" can search for their purchase needs in various convenient ways.As long as you enter the name of the goods you want to buy, "zheke" can get all kinds of relevant discount information.

(End of this chapter)