Sometimes the best solutions are the simple ones that are staring you right in the face. You could scrimp and save, you can reduce your expenses, you can create elaborate budgets and those are all good. But if you really want to save money, one killer trick can do tons of good: want less stuff.


We all want so much that we care so little about once we have it. And if we can't actually afford them, we tend to forget about most of the things we want, anyway. We can easily extend this mentality to the things we can afford by simply wanting fewer things. Finance blog The Four Hour Workday explains how this trick—simultaneously the most simple yet the most difficult to accomplish—can do wonders for your wallet.

We're constantly sold to, as well, via marketing campaigns, advertisements, and commercials. We're lead to believe that this product or that service will instantly improve our lives somehow or make us better as human beings. But the things that lead to true happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment usually can't be bought. When we want less, when we stop worrying about what a mass-consumer society thinks about our lack of desire to acquire more stuff, we can start increasing wealth.


It may sound trite—or worse, impractical—but we're much more capable of changing our habits than most of us think we are. Wanting something doesn't have to be a permanent condition. Moreover, as you second-guess the things you want and leave the less important ones by the wayside, what you'll be left with is a shorter list of things that are truly important to you. That will give you a pretty good idea of how you should focus your spending to maximize your own happiness.

The Fastest Way to Increase Wealth: Want Less | The Four Hour Work Day via Rockstar Finance