Are you sacrificing to pay off your debt? Just to get by? Just because you’re frugal? What are you giving up to save money? What things will you not give up?
Most people in India live simple and frugal lives just to get by. The standards of living and priorities are much different than in the US. I was amazed when I saw this home, and stopped to take a picture.
No washing machine. No privacy. No floor. No indoor plumbing. But – can you see it? Cable TV.
Now, first impressions can be deceiving. These homes are actually temporary housing for construction workers working on a current project. Though in India time, “temporary” means they’ll probably live there several years. Also, cable is really cheap here, affordable even on a laborer’s salary. I’ve seen similar sights around Bangalore.
But my point is, everyone has their priorities, and everyone has something they don’t want to give up, no matter how poor the circumstances may be.
I mentioned mine on the message board a while ago – the internet. I think that would be our absolute last luxury to go, even after eating out. In fact, the first words out of my mouth when this India opportunity came up were, “I’m not going unless we have internet.”
Where are your money priorities? What are you willing to cut back on? And what luxuries will you not give up?
If you’re looking for ways to cut expenses, Kim has some great suggestions and tips for cutting monthly expenses.
If you’re new to my Frugal Foreigner posts, read all about what we’re doing in India here! You can read all previous posts in the series here.
I saw this exact same thing in Bulgaria. We were told those were the homes that the gypsies lived in. I just couldn’t fathom that they would be able to have satellite tv while living in those conditions.