It's a minimalist Monday edition of optimal finance daily, episode 1354,

when being frugal isn't enough, by Kali with Making Sense of Sense.com.

And I'm your host and personal finance enthusiast,

Diana Merriam.

This is the show where I read to you

from the best personal finance blogs on the web,

with the author's permission, of course.

Let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life.

When being frugal isn't enough by Kali with Making Sense of Sense.com.

Living Well on Less is a popular concept these days and it makes sense why people try to live more frugally.

Being frugal means you need less. When you need less, you spend less. When you reduce your

expenses you have more money left over in your own pocket,

getting frugal is the easiest way to free up your income to save for a house,

pay off debt, or invest in your retirement.

When you do begin to cut expenses,

you're taking advantage of the first and easiest way to build wealth.

If what you spend is less than what you earn, you will have a surplus.

The simplicity of this equation may help to explain why there is so much great

information out there on how to be frugal,

how to save money on this, that, and the other, and

how to pinch pennies without driving yourself or your family crazy.

All you have to do is reduce your spending and just like that you've increased your wealth. But if you've started out

...