Tag: Travel

How can frugality make me more creative?

There is a paradox when it comes to creativity: the tension between freedom and constraint. While we often think of the ideal creative process as unstructured, open-ended, and free of limitations, research has found that creative individuals – in both artistic and business settings – can actually benefit from self- or externally-imposed constraints.

Most of us cringe when we hear words like ‘budget’. As with the word ‘diet’, images of spartan deprivation, meager portions, and boredom spring to mind. But my experiences of frugality have been exactly the opposite – not tightening, but freeing.

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How long can I travel for?

Sitting on the bus from Cork to Dublin, I got to thinking about a recent discussion I had with fellow traveller and blogger Elizabeth the Island Enthusiast about the different ways of calculating how long you can travel for – whether for a quick jaunt, extended – or even permanent – travel.

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How can I save on my island holiday? | Guest post

Travel can be richly rewarding, but it shouldn’t have to be expensive.

Small tweaks here and there can make a huge difference. Pretty much everywhere in the world that a ‘captive audience’ gathers, you’ll find inflated prices. Having the forethought to bring your own snacks on a boat trip, for example, can save a lot. Recently, I noticed that while Twisties are 45c a packet at the supermarket in Fiji, they’re a gobsmacking $4.50 on the boat I’m currently on, cruising around the islands as we return to the mainland after our final volunteering placement!

Those of you who have been following Enrichmentality closely will know that over the past two months, we’ve been in Fiji on a volunteer program.

Today, I’m passing over to Elizabeth of Elizabeth the Island Enthusiast for a special guest post on how to save on your island holiday – a repost of her guide to Natadola Beach, with a focus on getting the most bang for your buck! Elizabeth is one of the volunteers we were fortunate enough to meet during our time here, and a bit of an island expert! If you’re thinking of coming to Fiji, exploring another island nation, or just traveling vicariously, please check out her blog!

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Why should I pick up pennies?

‘Look after the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves’ my grandmother used to say. But perhaps you’ve heard the old story that if Bill Gates sees $100 on the ground, it will cost him more to bend down and pick it up than to keep on walking?

It’s the same kind of logic used to justify domestic services:

‘I earn $30 an hour. Why should I clean my own house when I can pay someone else $15 to do it?’

On the surface, this seems to make (financial) sense – You earn $30, give half to the cleaner or the lawn mower, and still come out with a profit.

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