The Surprising Benefits of Being a Homebody

One of the best ways I've found to save money and live within a budget is to learn to enjoy staying home.  

I know that not all of us live in the dream home we imagined when we were young, or the ones we collect images of on Pinterest.  I live in a small apartment, not the cozy cottage in the forest I might wish for.  But making the most of home and the time we spend there can make a huge difference to our spending and saving patterns.  Becoming a frugal homebody might be the best way to live within our means and stay out of debt.

Why stay home?

Obviously, staying home saves on gas, but it also rescues us from a multitude of temptations. 

The minute we leave home, most of us are hit with marketing.  I only need to walk a couple of blocks west to arrive at a small shopping area with a convenience store, a Mexican restaurant, and a consignment shop.  If I drive about a half-mile further, I reach Highway 99, and turning north I see billboards and shopping opportunities.  And how many times have I stopped for a cup of coffee and impulsively decided to buy a slice of banana bread to go with it, plus one of the pretty hand-made greeting cards displayed on a nearby rack?  Staying home means we learn to use what's there for enjoyment and comfort, instead of falling prey to retail therapy.

When I was a stay-at-home mom, leaving the house gave me and my kids a break.  But I needed to be careful where we went, or I'd often wind up buying something we didn't need and couldn't really afford.  This is why I'm strongly in favor of supporting public parks and libraries.  Eating a packed lunch in the park feels like a special outing if you train yourself to think that way, and "shopping" the library is pure joy.  You can leave with an armload of books, all free for your enjoyment and education, while adding not one bit of clutter to your bookshelves.  

7 ways to make home your retreat

Make your home your sanctuary from the world, a place you enjoy spending time.  I don't mean you should continually redecorate or renovate, a trap I got caught in when we owned a house years ago.  Here are several more productive and frugal suggestions.

1.  Swap your décor.

You don't need to buy anything new if you get in the habit of swapping your décor every three or four months.  You can rearrange furniture, but if you're in a small house or apartment there may not be many options for where larger pieces will fit.  However, swapping lamps, toss pillows, wall art, and knickknacks is always a possibility.  Even side chairs and small tables can be moved from one room to another.  This gives you a chance to clean thoroughly, declutter the unneeded or unloved, and place each item in new surroundings.  Your same old things appear new when they're displayed in unexpected places.

At the same time, you can add fresh, seasonal décor in the form of flowers or greenery, fruits or vegetables, seashells, autumn leaves, pinecones, and more.  These natural items are always more appealing than store-bought, mass-manufactured tchotchkes.

The goal is to make your home attractive, comfortable, and interesting to yourself and others who live there.

2.  Keep music, games, and more accessible.

I love classical music, and listen on my phone with a free app provided by my favorite station.  An amplifying phone stand* made from white marble lets me put it on a table and hear throughout the kitchen/living area of my home.  This would be great for podcasts or audio books, too.

One drawer of a small chest in my living room holds crossword puzzle books plus games like Bananagrams (which can also be played solitaire) and Uno Flip (my grandsons' favorite).  A simple deck of cards can provide endless hours of fun with family or friends.

* Thank you for supporting this blog, which has no ads.  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.

3.  Find frugal, home-based hobbies.

I'm not going to suggest heavy social media use or trading on eBay.  Many hobbies use free or inexpensive materials, such as drawing, watercolors, journaling, whittling, or embroidery (use it to embellish thrift store clothing, plain table linens, baby items, and more).  Knitting, crocheting, origami, coloring, or making greeting cards can also be inexpensive and relaxing, while keeping you motivated and focused.  If you want to get outside, try gardening (you can use containers if you don't have a large yard) or keep chickens.  Add a bird feeder and observe the visitors that come to your window or tree.

4.  Keep moving.

Being a homebody does not mean being a couch potato.  Sure, you may enjoy having a streaming service, but that doesn't mean you should spend all your time at home binge-watching.  Do one or two small cleaning chores each day, take a walk in your neighborhood, prepare meals, enjoy hobbies, and stretch.  Learn to pass the time in a way that feels comfortable and productive.

5.  Connect.

Enjoying home doesn't necessarily mean you don't enjoy the company of others.  Today you can call, email, text, or post on social media.  And you can still write a good old-fashioned letter!

6.  Enjoy solitude.

We live in a noisy, busy world.  It's a world of crowds and so many things that demand our attention.  Staying at home gives us a chance to step away from all of that and be calm and quiet.  This is a chance to connect with our spirituality or to simply think our own thoughts and form our own opinions.  Such peace is a luxury in the modern world.

7.  Entertain others.

This is how you add a social life to staying at home!  I'm not talking about a big holiday feast or a backyard barbecue for the whole neighborhood.  You can entertain more often on a smaller scale and have just as much fun for less.  Instead of going out to meet friends, invite them over for coffee or tea and a home-baked treat.  Make a big pot of chili, put favorite toppings in small bowls, and ask a handful of friends to come for dinner and board games.  Make popcorn balls and hot chocolate and host your grandkids for an "old movie" (choose a vintage Disney film, such as Mary Poppins or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, or even Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times).  Keep your entertaining low-key, and you might enjoy it more.

Balance, not deprivation

Staying home is not meant to be an exercise in deprivation or loneliness, although being a homebody can make you less hurried and frazzled than the average person.  Of course, you want to go out and do fun things, even if you're on a budget.  Create the habit of staying home, and you'll anticipate and enjoy those planned outings even more.  And when you do plan an experience or trip away from home, try to include more activities that don't involve shopping, such as a hike, a museum visit, a picnic at the beach, or a theater/dance/music performance.

Wherever you're living, dream home or not, give thanks for the roof that covers you every day and the door you can close for privacy and security.