Be Prepared - it creates peace of mind

The boyscout motto is "be prepared" and it's a good motto. There is nothing wrong with preparedness. It beats the hell out of not being the least bit prepared, especially for things that we might consider to be eventualities like flood, fire, power outages, snow storms and the like.

Part of the frugal living mindset involves some level of preparedness. Being frugal means you effectively manage your financial resources. It means you conserve money. It means you recognize the value of money.

And, all of that points to an interest in having financial resources on hand as part of you being better prepared for things that will require money.

I've heard people say that they "live for today because there is no promise of tomorrow." That sounds a lot like someone who is spending someone else's money. It also sounds like someone who absolutely doesn't have a "be prepared" attitude. And, why should they if they're counting on someone else to take care of their needs?

It seems to me that such people aren't living for today so much as they're ignoring that tomorrow will soon be here. Unless they're hoping to drop dead at the end of each day, it doesn't make much sense to be unprepared for the next day and many days thereafter.

People like this often are or soon become dependents of others, whether it's friends, family or government programs.

If you're reasonable and frugal and wise, you'll be prepared, and you'll stay far away from the "live for today" crowd. They're going nowhere - fast. Or, perhaps I should say they're going nowhere without the help of others.

Putting Preparedness in Perspective

I'm not talking about being a survivalist, but simply someone who is reasonably prepared for what life might throw at them. An associate of mine said it well when he said, "You do what is reasonable to do."

That means you have reason to be prepared, and what you do along the lines of preparedness is done with good reason, not emotion.

Here are some common things that people might consider to be prepared for what life might throw at you:

• savings account
• fire extinguisher
• canned goods and dry foods
• drinking water
• insurance
• cash on hand
• knowledge and means of self defense

One set of objectives for frugal living can be to accumulate wealth and assets to make your life more enjoyable, and provide you with peace of mind. Once you have assets, you'll want to protect them by being well prepared for an emergency. It's a bit like insurance. You hope you don't need it, but you'd like to be on the safe side in the event of something unforeseen.

There is no sense accumulating wealth and having a nice lifestyle just to have it placed in jeopardy by a man-made or natural disaster. Hint: most disasters and emergencies are man-made and self-made.

The key is to assess what is likely to happen, and then be prepared in a reasonable manner to address your most basic needs and to protect your most valuable assets - like you. What you earn, what you save, and what you cherish should be protected by your preparedness.

Frugal living is different for everyone, but preparedness is one of the characteristics of a frugal individual. The frugal among us work and save, and no matter how many baskets they put their eggs in, they're going to protect those baskets - within reason.

The frugal among us are prepared. Are you one of them?

Done with Be Prepared, back to Are You Frugal