find time for yourself. make time every day, and every week, to spend time alone. it really gives more meaning and enjoyment to your life, rather than rushing through life with no time to think, to breathe. for ideas on how to make this time, see these ways to create time for solitude .

　　sometimes, splurge. you shouldn't restrict yourself from expensive pleasures all the time — it's not good to develop the feeling of deprivation. to prevent that, once in awhile, buy yourself something … or better yet, give yourself a decadent treat. i love things with dark chocolate or berries. crepes with ice cream and berries are one of my favorites. just don't go overboard … and learn to enjoy the splurge to the fullest. if you truly take the time to enjoy a treat, you don't need a lot of it.track your successes. it doesn't really matter how you track your success … you can use gold stars for creating a new simplifying or frugalfying habit, or a spreadsheet chart to track your decreasing debt and increasing savings or investments. tracking is a great way to not only provide motivation, but make the process of changing fun.

　　reward yourself. and in order to make it more fun, celebrate every little success! set rewards for yourself (hopefully not too expensive!) along your path to success — celebrate one day, two days, three days, a week, two weeks, three, a month … you get the idea.volunteer. one of the most rewarding things for my family has been when we have managed to volunteer. it's actually something we only started doing last year, but since then, we've done it a bunch of times in a number of different ways. and while it doesn't cost a dime, it is tremendously satisfying in ways that money could never buy. read more .

　　live in the moment. learn to think not so much about the past or future, but about what you are going through right now. be present. it may seem trite, but it's the key to enjoying life to the fullest — without having to spend money. think about it — you can spend money on eating out, but if you are not really thinking about what you're eating, you may not enjoy it much at all. but if you cook a simple but delicious meal, and really taste every bite, it can be tremendously enjoyable without costing a lot. read more .slow down. in the same way, you can't really enjoy life to the fullest if it's rushing past you like it's on fast forward. ever think about how quickly a week, a month, or a year goes by? perhaps you're in the fast lane too much. try slowing down, and things will be less stressful and more enjoyable. drive slower , eat slower , live slower .

　　learn to find cheap, cool stuff. call me crazy, but i love shopping at thrift stores. you can find so many cool things there, and it costs so little. garage sales are the same way. or check out freecycle , or read 20 ways to find free or cheap books .