9 Rare Benefits Of Living A Simpler Life That Most People Never Experience
Truecreatives | CanvaMost people spend their lives adding more stuff, more commitments, more expenses, more noise. But a growing number of people are discovering that the real shift happens when you start taking things away. Living with less turns out to give you more of the things that actually matter, and the benefits go far deeper than a healthier bank account.
One cornerstone of author and real estate investor Steve Cook’s path to prosperity is cutting life down to the basics. By cutting out the things we don’t need, we free up money to fund income-producing assets. Yet there are many other benefits to dramatically simplifying your life.
Here are 9 rare benefits of living a simpler life that most people never experience:
Benefit #1: You’ll quickly amass an emergency fund
If the water heater breaks, you’ll be able to replace it without going into debt. A study in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues found that higher financial worries were significantly associated with higher mental distress among U.S. adults.
The more financial strain people carry, the worse their mental and physical health outcomes tend to be. Having a cushion changes that equation entirely.
Benefit #2: You’ll set the right example for your kids
Jordan González / Unsplash+
You can tell kids all day not to be materialistic, to avoid debt, to conserve and recycle, to save for the future, but if you don’t practice it, all your preaching is meaningless. We believe in what we live every day.
Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, a licensed clinical psychologist, explains that raising kids who aren’t materialistic requires what she calls “intentional parenting.” This includes deliberately modeling gratitude and teaching kids to delay gratification rather than always getting what they want. You can’t tell kids not to equate things with happiness if your own habits tell them otherwise every day.
Benefit #3: You’ll be more likely to be able to afford college
If your kids choose to attend a four-year college (not a necessity, by the way), you can help them do so without racking up major debt.
Marriage and family therapist Lianne Avila notes that living simply and below your means is about having options. The families who can help with college, emergencies, and big life moments are almost always the ones who made deliberate choices earlier.
Benefit #4: You'll be able to retire someday
If you choose to, that is. Hopefully, part of your simpler life involves work that’s not so soul-crushing. You might choose to keep working for a long time, and that’s great. True prosperity is about freedom to do what you want.
Genuinely happy people don’t wait until retirement to start living well. Avila notes that they build contentment into the daily habits and choices they make right now. True financial freedom isn’t a destination; it’s what happens when your life doesn’t cost more than you can afford.
Benefit #5: You’ll get to know your community
Daniel & Hannah Snipes / Pexels
When we’re not spending thousands on big vacation getaways, we’re more likely to explore local parks, libraries, and other close-to-home attractions.
This, in turn, can make us more engaged and involved citizens. A 2023 study in Family Medicine and Community Health found that people with a negative sense of community had significantly higher odds of reporting depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms compared to those with a positive sense of community belonging.
Benefit #6: You’ll spend more time with family
Without expensive distractions to, well, distract you, you might find yourself going on hikes or bike rides, playing board games at home, or volunteering at the local food pantry or animal shelter together.
Dr. Ziegler notes that children who feel genuinely listened to and valued by their parents develop lower anxiety and stronger mental health long-term. The hikes, the board games, and the volunteer afternoons are some of the most protective things you can do for your kids.
Benefit #7: You’ll find a new sense of peace
Getty Images / Unsplash+
Ask anyone who has started controlling their money rather than letting it control them: Instead of feeling deprived, you feel good. You won’t have the low-grade hum of anxiety that comes with overspending and racking up debt.
A study in Social Science and Medicine examining 8,400 young adult respondents found that high financial debt relative to available assets was associated with higher perceived stress, depression, and worse general health. The peace people describe when they get control of their money is what your nervous system feels like without that weight on it.
Benefit #8: You’ll become more intentional with how you spend
Consumerism creates a desire for more, more, more. In the quest for what we can buy and where we can go tomorrow, we miss out on the present. When we refocus, we may start noticing sunsets, birds at the feeder, or the simple pleasures of baking cookies or throwing a football with our kids.
Consumerism operates on mimetic desire, meaning we want things because we see others wanting them, not because those things actually fulfill us. Licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Tarra Bates-Duford suggests that when you step off that treadmill, you start noticing what was already there: the sunset, the backyard, the cookie that just came out of the oven.
Benefit #9: You'll grow more generous and giving
The less you spend on yourself, the more you’ll free up to spend on others. And as the way you see the world changes, you’ll want to give. It feels good to be able to help, and even better to see your kids discover the joys of caring and sharing.
Dr. Bates-Duford notes that genuine human connection is at the core of our health, and generosity is one of the most direct ways to build it. The less you spend on yourself, the more capacity you have to show up for others, and research consistently finds that giving activates the same reward pathways in the brain as receiving.
“Making the decision to live simply and sanely changes everything,” says Cook. “It’s not just a change in spending habits. It’s a shift in values and priorities. It changes who you are as a parent, a partner, a neighbor, and a human being.”
Steve Cook is a freelance writer, business coach, and the author of Lifeonaire: An Uncommon Approach to Wealth, Success, and Prosperity.
