Doing it on our own self, it's easier. Influencing others is much harder.

Ask yourself this question. How many times have you tried to convince others - friends or families - to live frugally by spending lesser and saving more and how many times have you succeeded. Many times, the impact to our lives is small as these people have their own problems with their own solutions. But family is a bit different. Take our spouse for example. Imagine yourself being the sole bread winner of the family bringing money home each month to pay off household expenses, only to find your spouse spending it all. This could be disaster.

To me, choosing the right partner with similar mindset and goals as ourselves is a crucial stage before marriage. It is much easier to live a frugal lifestyle if both are frugal to begin with. But in life, we never ...