My daughter introduced me to a book titled “The Art of Frugal Hedonism” by Adam Grubb and Annie Raser-Rowland. As the title implies, it is about how to live life to its fullest without breaking the bank. What isn’t quite as obvious, though, is it has very little to do with budgets or counting pennies. The frugality and joy come from making an attitude shift about our consumption habits, and a shift in how we view life experiences in general.
Today, Americans consume at least 3 times as much as we did in 1950. Houses are larger, food portion sizes are bigger, and our personal debt is 4 times what the earlier generation’s debt was. Are we happier? It’s a reasonably safe argument to say that the average American today is no happier than the average American in the 1950s. If this is the case, why are we doing it? Advertising is a big part of it, with approximately $1,000 spent on every American per year trying to convince us we would be happier if we just had “X”. I think another reason is that the Homo Sapiens species is wired to not be satisfied with what we have, and to strive to get more. From a standpoint of population growth of our species, this has served us well. From a standpoint of population decline and outright extinction of other species, it is not doing our natural environment any favors.
There are many tips in this book about how to be happier with less (51 of them to be exact). The one I’m enjoying now is number 6: Recalibrate Your Senses. Too much of a good thing, be it a restaurant meal, buying new clothes or traveling in a jet, loses its sense of specialness with repetition. The dinner out on Tuesday doesn’t feel nearly as special as the night-before dinner out on Monday, but it cost just as much. Not a good sensory investment. By waiting a week or (God forbid) a month before eating out, the sensory experience of that meal will be an absolute bargain. It’s not about deprivation: it’s about contrast. Additional sensory joy can come from being fully aware during a meal, clothing purchase or jet trip. I have a habit of doing “unconscious eating”, downing my meal while thinking about something else. When I catch myself doing this I slow down, take smaller bites, and think about the myriads of steps that went into producing the ingredients that made my meal. When I do this, I feel a sense of wonder, and I feel a sense of gratitude. Wow! Without spending a dime, I just had an amazing experience! That is frugal hedonism at its core.
After reading this book, I’m trying to dial my consumption back a bit, feeling wonder and gratitude for things I already have. I am pleased to report that I am happier because of it. My consumption is still off the charts compared to the average Homo Sapiens on the planet today, but my little tweaks are bringing me little bits of joy.
