While you may think that being frugal is the same thing as being poor or never having enough money, but that’s actually not true.  There’s a big difference between the two and it has nothing to do with how much money you have in the bank.  Instead, it has everything to do with your mindset.

You’re not alone in your situation. Look around you; people everywhere are living on a tight budget. And they all have the same choice to make that you do, decide that you’re “poor” and feel sorry for yourself, or know that you can make choices from where you and make the best of your situation.  While your financial situation may be challenging, you always have a choice as to how you respond to it.

What does the word “poverty” bring to mind? Homeless people begging on the street corner and eating at soup kitchens.  Or living in a rundown home and always having dirty and tattered clothes.

The key to it all is how you let your thoughts control you.  See for yourself:

• “I never have enough” or “I have everything I need”
• “We can’t afford to buy that” or “We choose not to buy that because other things are more important”
• “How will we ever manage until payday” or “We’re challenged to figure out how make it to payday”

Can you see the difference?  It’s all in how you control your thoughts.  With the wrong mindset, you’ll never have enough and you’ll never be content.  You’ll always be wishing you had more.  A poverty mindset comes from being fearful that you’ll never have enough so you feel helpless to fix your situation.

But having a frugal mindset means you make “choices” about how you spend your money. This puts you in control of your financial situation and how you spend your money.  Instead of experiencing “fear”, you feel “challenged”, as if you have an obstacle to deal with.  Being in control is a much different mindset to feeling helpless, all with the same amount of money in the bank.

“Choosing” to budget and live on less gives you a sense of control. You are more careful about the choices you make with your money, but they are still your choices.  Your “wants” don’t have to be met right away. You can wait until you’ve taken care of your “needs”.  Instead of impulse shopping and spending your entire paycheck in a weekend, you make better choices and buy only what you need then take care of your other responsibilities like rent and utility bills.

Choosing to live on less means you’re in complete control of how and when to spend your money. This allows you to make better financial decisions about the best ways to provide for your family; even if you’re a little jealous of what other people are buying.

Even if you make a good living, choosing to spend frugally and saving money whenever you can could possibly be the difference between carrying a lot of debt and living debt-free.  And isn’t that a better way to live?

Choose a better mindset when it comes to your financial situation.  The difference is feeling helpless and out of control or feeling smart about your choices even though you sometimes feel challenged.

If you struggle saving money, or hate having to take the time and brainpower to save each week, automated savings apps have the potential to rock your world.

The apps are designed with the user in mind, making saving money so easy that you do not have to do a single thing. Saving is transformed from an impossible goal to a mindless everyday occurrence.

Digit

Digit is a savings app that links to your banking account to put aside money for you. Their slogan is “Save money, without thinking about it.”

Digit has become increasingly popular with younger generations and with individuals who struggle to save. Rather than having to decide whether you want to save or splurge at the end of the month, extra money is taken out in small increments throughout the month.

Digit is the perfect friend for heavy spenders; the app is able to track your spending habits and monitor your income. Then, they occasionally pull aside money (never large sums) that you will not need for your routine expenses. Typically, this removal happens once or twice a week. It is never so frequent that it will affect your budget. The money is then kept in the app in a savings account. The app is able to send out text updates so that you are aware each time saving occurs.

If you need quick access to the savings, a short text to digit can have the money back into your account within one business day. No harm done! They have a no overdraft guarantee, your money is insured, and there is no need to set up a new savings account when you sign up.

You’re probably wondering… “So how much is this going to cost me?”

Digit is completely free, and a great tool for getting a jump start on your savings. Although you don’t receive interest, Digit is now doing something called cash bonuses, which is basically the same thing.

Right now, Digit is only US based, and is not available with all banking institutions (although it is with many). If you do not have much money, you will not save as much, but it doesn’t hurt to give it a shot!

Acorns

Acorns is another automated savings app that works by rounding up all your transactions to the nearest dollar. It puts all the spare change into investments for you. They help you pick which portfolio you are putting your money into, and instead of hoarding your savings, you begin to invest.

Acorns is all automatic, virtually pain-free and easy, and has no transaction fees. It allows you to make money off of your money. Acorns is perfect for beginners who know little about investing; you do little, and they take care of the hard work!

However, Acorns charges a monthly fee: $1.00 per month for accounts under $5,000, and 0.25% per year for accounts over $5,000. Students and individuals under the age of 24 can have these fees waived.

As with any investment, there is always the chance of losing money, rather than making.

Give one of these two automated savings apps a try and reap the benefits. Saving money no longer has to be difficult and painful. Slow down your spending habits, better your finances and put away savings.

It is way too easy to spend money when it is just sitting around in our checking account. Take control of the situation and do not leave it there tempting you.

Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that delivers fresh ingredients for three or your ordered number of meals to your door. Their motto is “Food is better when you start from scratch.” I think we would all agree!

Food quality makes a huge difference in the meals we eat. While preparing food from scratch can sound appealing, it can be time consuming. Especially in households with two working members, it can seem almost impossible. Blue Apron fills a market need. For slightly more than regular groceries, as low as $8.57 per serving according to their website, they provide a premium meal experience at a less-than-premium price.

Blue Apron was founded in 2012. Since its founding, the company has raised roughly 194 million dollars, with its most recent rounding being a $135 million Series D raised in June 2015. Some estimates say the company has between 500 and 1000 employees with its 3 founders still holding C-level executive positions. They have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, Tech Crunch, and The Washington Post, as well as many others.

Blue Apron allows you to see what the price-per-serving cost of a meal is. This allows you to compare the price for Blue Apron to your groceries. Thing is, though, that Blue Apron can’t be compared to your groceries. You see, groceries are just food, but Blue Apron is a service!

You’re not only getting all the ingredients you need to make dinner, but you’re also getting the lack of a hassle- less groceries to worry about and less mind space to let dinner take up. Blue Apron, though, is not like going out to eat. You still have to do the cooking and the cleaning yourself.

The cost of Blue Apron reflects its middle ground between between going out to eat and just making a “regular” meal at home. The price, at $8.74 to $9.99 per meal, reflects that middle ground. It’s cheaper than $16/meal at some restaurants but nicer than the $4/meal you’re probably managing with your groceries when you make some dinner.

I got the chance to try Blue Apron myself! One of the three meals we tried was a Chipotle-Glazed Meatloaf with Crispy Potatoes. My significant other, Casey and I decided to make a Saturday date-night experience out of it. We were hoping it would fill that middle ground – a nice date night but one that didn’t require spending what going out to dinner. Casey enjoys cooking, but I’m not great at it. As a result, I don’t particularly enjoy it. Our Blue Apron date night let us spend time together in a great way, doing something Casey loved, and that supported our financial goals.

The following Sunday, Casey had to work the whole day. I prepared for us our second meal – Oaxaca Cheese and Plantain Tortas with Tangelo & Radish Salad. I was shocked by the prep time for this meal – nearly an hour – but it had less than 10 minutes of cook time. As a result, I was able to bring Casey a delicious meal and we got to share a not-so-picnic-lunch sitting in Casey’s office.

Blue Apron is a company growing in popularity, which is why you may have already heard of it. The company is set up for success and it has found product-market fix. You can see how it meets a need in real people’s lives. It meets a need in my life. That really says something.

You can try Blue Apron yourself and get $30 off your first order with this link.

Tell me more: Have you ever tried Blue Apron or another meal delivery service? 

I obtained free meals in exchange for reviewing Blue Apron. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

More Blue Apron reviews:

• Cleverdude
• Thousandaire
• Budget and Invest