As the great Henry Ford said, “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you’re right.”
A student budget, they’re tough but if you’ve ever traveled to countries where money is far from abundant, you know that money just isn’t needed for happiness and peace of mind. Some of the happiest people in the world live off the land and don’t know the material world that we live in.
Being happy is a choice. You have to choose whether to be happy right this second, it’s completely up to you. Heading over to ASOS to buy another dress or t-shirt might give you a brief hit of adrenaline but it’s not going to give you lasting happiness. It’s just going to screw up your student budget.
We are what we think about and if we allow our minds to think scarcity with £5 to live on for the day then we’d live very unhappy lives.
But, what if we decided to think that we lived in an abundant world where good things come to us? What might happen then? Maybe your student budget won’t matter. Might we be able to go out in the world and it make it the best day of your life? It’s down to you. You are capable of having the best day of your life today and every single day. It doesn’t matter what’s in your pocket.
You need a little bit of logic mixed with the right mentality to continue living like this throughout your university life. Challenge your friends to live the same way.
The £5 a day challenge. We challenge you to…
– On your student budget, spend no more than £20 a week on food. If you eat meat then eat chicken, pasta, fruit, porridge, rice and scavenge meals from housemates (that doesn’t mean stealing). Offer favours for meals such as doing the washing up.
– Walk everywhere. If you have to go more than about 3 miles, then book the train in advance. Make sure you have a young person’s railcard for extra savings.
– Literally think before you spend any penny. Think bloody hard!
– Do not spend anything on material possessions – clothes, dvd’s, music etc.
– Never pay for toilet roll (get creative).
– Buy 10 pence shower gel from Tesco’s. It smells of Apples and works!
– Never spend more than £5 a week on alcohol. You can’t really drink if you’re on this kind of budget, your liver will thank you.
The £5 a day mindset…
– Never compare your financial situation to others. Your happiness is your choice.
– Think of the bigger picture. You are still in a better financial situation than 80% of the planet.
– Remember, this won’t last forever!
– Remember that you are learning a life skill. This frugality will cause you to live a richer life in the future, delaying gratification is an excellent skill!
– Exercise for free . Do you have a free swimming pool membership at your university? Running? Football or tennis in the park? Exercise is great for releasing all the good, happy chemicals into your bloodstream.
– See your friends as much possible – laugh, dance, sing!
– Make involuntary smiles all the time, you’ll actually feel happier!
Happiness is a choice. Smiling is a choice. Make someone else smile today and it will make you smile inside too. Make sure you are living the life you want and not what you think somebody else wants you to live.
Can you do it?