Saving money is excruciating. You have to say no to things, you have to literally count coins and it takes months of effort to see results. But those trips to South-East Asia aren’t gonna pay for themselves and tbh, we’d much rather the hardship now than missing out on those beachside cocktails later.

So we save like absolute stingy monsters. And while, yes, saving is really hard, there are other good things that can come from it apart from the pile of cash at the end. Take the following, for example.

#1 You’re A Lot Healthier

Saving money means trying to find the balance between “cheap” and “not getting scurvy”. You can have 2-minute noodles for a night or two but any longer and you’re on a slippery slope to the local hospital.

Therefore, putting money away means getting savvy about what you’re eating. Veggies are cheaper than meat, bulk meals are cheaper than eating out and buying lunch every day is the biggest no-no. So you actually cook things and stay away from Maccas.

Also, riding your bike and walking is free, so you do more of that too. We wouldn’t be surprised if the frugal AF are also healthy AF.

#2 You Get Way More Into Self Care

When you have a six week Europe trip to plan for, going out in Sydney is not an option. So you stay in and take care of you instead. The frugal saver has watched every show on Netflix, made countless face masks out of mashed banana and kept their toe nails painted a fresh new colour every week.

Some could call this boring, but we call it making the best of a necessary situation.

#3 You’re Actually Better At Math

When every dollar counts, you plus, you minus, you divide. You do shit that is way beyond the capabilities of Year 10 math (the highest math level you got to before you dropped). The numbers on your bank app are life.

You know that if you have $23 before pay day, and pay day is five days away, you can only spend $7 on food (likely some sort of lentil soup atrocity), $10 on petrol (plus a whole lot of walking) and then have $5 to spend on either in an emergency.

#4 You Can Withstand The Hottest Heat

Here’s a thing that frugal people know better than most: air-con drains the petrol right out of your car. Therefore, we sweat through a car trip in 40 degree weather so we can make that aforementioned $10 petrol last a lot longer than it realistically should.

It’s tough but you know that if you ever got stuck in the dessert, you’d be prepared.

#5 You Can Handle FOMO

People with money can afford to cave in to FOMO and just do whatever their friends are doing. But saving monsters can’t. After months of having to say no, you build up your resilience so much that your mates’ Insta stories don’t even fill you with a pang of regret. You’re so zen, honestly.

#6 You’re So, So Grateful For The Little Things

Those free samples of muesli they give out at the train station sometimes? A blessed luxury. A home-cooked meal from your Mum? A delicious hot pocket of hope in an otherwise bleak world. The instant coffee in the break room? A bittersweet god-send.

The tiniest things thrown your way are the best things in the world. You’re so grateful for finding 10 cents on the floor or for a fault Opal card reader on a bus that life feels magical. And by the time you actually stash enough cash to buy what you want or go on your trip, you’re more ecstatic than ever. The struggle is real but it’s so, so worth it.

(Lead image: Mindy Project/Hulu)