There are seasons in life when the budget tightens, the margins shrink, and suddenly every coin and choice matters. Few people would deliberately sign up for hardship. And I certainly wouldn’t wish poverty on anyone. Yet many people who have experienced living on very little, even briefly, often say it changed them in ways they didn’t expect. And I can attest to that.
Living on very little can be uncomfortable, frustrating, and at times frightening. But it can also be a surprisingly powerful and even wonderful teacher. So although I wouldn’t wish on it someone, I also wish that everyone experienced poverty at least once in their lives. It absolutely changes your perspective, on many things.
A Little History
I have lived with very little a few times in my life, some via choice, some not so much. Always I have bounced back to comfort levels, always through hard work and also flexibility. And sometimes certainly it took longer than I would have liked.
I chose to live on less when I decided to travel and see the world. Wanting to extend my savings as far as possible, I set a very low daily limit. And did this for years. But the trade off? I was able to immerse myself in other cultures, meet amazing people and travel for a very long time, thus far about a third of my life.
Then there were other times where poverty was thrust upon me, and every penny counted because I did not know where the next one would come from. Being in this situation is not good, plain and simple. It narrows the mind, boxes you in, but it can also instill a sense of creativity as you look for ways to entertain yourself on nothing, keep your spirits up, and to find your way out.
Learning the Real Value of Money
When money is tight, it stops being an abstract number in a bank account and becomes something much more tangible. I quickly noticed how small, particularly not well thought out, purchases easily added up. A casual coffee here, an impulse buy there, things that once seemed trivially easy suddenly carried weight. You begin to learn what is important in life, and what you can actually do without.
Over time, something shifts. I learned to ask different questions before spending. Do I really need this? Will it stand the test of time? It’s not about becoming miserly. It’s about developing respect for money and understanding the effort that goes into earning it. And in these days of social influencers who think nothing of touting purchasing the latest trend and increased consumption, it is an understanding I think that is not shown enough.
Rediscovering the Art of “Make Do”
I discovered for myself that when resources were limited, creativity stepped in. Which actually surprised me. It’s not something I would have attributed to poverty prior to experience. And, it’s a lesson I continue, willfully, to hold dear to my heart. Instead of looking to replace things through purchasing now, eg buying into the marketing that surrounds us, I first try to repair them. Clothes get mended, furniture gets fixed or made over, leftovers become tomorrow’s lunch.
If I am going to spend, instead of buying new I now only buy vintage and second hand (except for electrical appliances. I learned the expensive way that older appliances cost you more money in bills.) I appreciate the craftsmanship of things that last, and if it’s vintage or antique, well, it has done just that. Also, a bonus point to my mind is the item will be unique. I much prefer to have something unique than mass made and everyone else has.
What once felt like hardship and inconvenience slowly became a kind of quiet satisfaction. There’s pride in stretching what you have further than you thought possible. There’s even a small thrill in finding clever solutions. And today, in a world built around constant consumption, learning to “make do” can feel actually empowering.
Appreciating What Truly Matters
Scarcity has a way of stripping life down to its essentials. When you can’t fill your life with constant purchases or distractions, you start to notice other forms of wealth: time with friends, a walk outside, a good conversation, a home-cooked meal, a book borrowed from the library.
These things cost little or nothing, yet they often deliver more genuine happiness than the things we buy. It becomes easier to see that the most meaningful parts of life aren’t always the ones with price tags.
But this is easy to say, and hard to put into practice. It took living on very little for me to realise this. A hard lesson, but as said, one I wish everyone might experience. It truly changes your perspective. And the world would be a less consumed place, on so, so many fronts, if there was a move away from consumption to appreciation for what one simply already has.
Creativity Thrives Under Constraints
Constraints can be frustrating, but they can also be incredibly stimulating. When the easy options disappear, you start thinking differently. I learned to cook more creatively, with less ingredients. Old wood stacked in my cellar was no longer ignored but became edges for the raised beds in my garden. And constraints interestingly also gives you time to sit and think, look around you and figure out solutions.
Many people find that difficult financial periods push them to explore new paths such as freelance work, learning practical skills, starting small projects, or rethinking their career direction entirely. Oddly enough, limitations can open doors. It did for me. My path into my best career move ever, into a job I quite simply adore (wine guide), came about through necessity. A need for a job in a country where I was struggling to find work as I wasn’t fluent in the language. This narrowed my options right down, and instead of focusing on what I had done, I looked to simply what I could do. Living on very little, being pushed into a financial corner, actually opened up my options to a world I had never even considered.
Letting Go of Unnecessary Baggage
Hard times clarify what and also who belongs in your life. When you’re navigating a difficult season, the people who support you become obvious. So do the ones who drain your energy or pull you down. Financial pressure can make it easier to step away from relationships that revolve around status, spending, or appearances. Your priorities of where to expend your energy re-focus.
The same goes for possessions. Living on less often reveals how much unnecessary clutter we carry, both physically and mentally. Sometimes a lean season becomes an unexpected opportunity to simplify. This doesn’t mean being a minimalist (unless one wished that route), more realising again what is important in life. Things that make you smile, give a warmth of contentment or a sense of awe.
Coming Out the Other Side
Eventually, hopefully, the tightest seasons ease. Opportunities appear, income improves, and life becomes a little more comfortable again. What’s interesting is how the perspective gained during hardship tends to stay with you.
It certainly helped me adapt to the French quality over quantity rule fast, and why I love living in France. Choosing to buy better quality is one of the biggest wins for me. I simply adore taking the time on deciding what I want, thinking about it and saving up to buy it. It truly makes me appreciate that little gift to myself all the more.
Paying a bill without stress, replacing something that truly needs replacing, and having a growing cushion in the bank brings a very real sense of quiet gratitude. A gratitude that was certainly not there before my season of hardship.
And perhaps most importantly, you remember what it felt like to struggle. That memory can deepen empathy for others who are going through similar times.
A Perspective That Stays With You
Certainly I would not wish poverty on anyone. And some would say they do not need to experience it to understand the value of things. And yet. In actually experiencing hardship, you discover your own resilience, strength and creativity on a very different level. A necessary level rather than a chosen level. And there is a difference. You learn what you are actually capable of because you’ve done it. And those lessons stick with you.
I think people who have lived through tight times frequently retain habits that serve them well later, such as saving carefully, avoiding waste, appreciating quality over quantity, and recognizing that happiness doesn’t depend entirely on what you can afford.
Hardship isn’t something that should be romanticised. Financial insecurity can be stressful and exhausting. No one hopes for it. But if you do pass through a season of living on very little, there can be unexpected gifts hidden inside the struggle: clarity, creativity, resilience, and a deeper understanding of what really matters.
Sometimes the leanest chapters in life quietly teach the richest lessons.
More Musings
If you find yourself living on very little, or maybe wish to live on less, I do have a few posts I have written that may help:
10 Fun Things to do By Yourself
Making New Things from Unwanted Things
3 Tips to Saving Money on Food
If you have come out the other side, consider nourishing Pumpjack & Piddlewick. Or if you prefer investing in the tangible, take a browse of My Shop where I sell fab vintage and antique finds from France:
Can certainly identify with all of the above. Between six years back in (very expensive) northern California on an “unpaid” sabbatical leave and not sure where my next roof would come from, to learning to recognize which wild mushrooms presented no danger and added a “Forest”taste found nowhere else to learning that dandelion flowers on the one hand, and nettles on the other, make excellent jelly to sweeten yogurt. Skimpy school years here in France, allowed the discovery that stale bread is just as good when heated over in the microwave or oven.
living between inconvenience and the poetry of “homemade”, “homegrown”, and “home heated”, with an open fireplace and wood gathered from the surrounding forest gives one a somewhat special perspective that leads to an equivalence in peace of mind and creative curiosity we could only wish that we were not alone to relish considering the current suffering on our shared planet.
A very special perspective indeed Barbara. We have so much to learn in this life, and though not ‘nice’ learning from hardship can often give us skills and knowledge we would never have learned before. (I am still working on my mushroom knowledge so I am envious your learning.)