
Elementary, my dear, is where most of us were introduced to “Who, What, When, Where, and How.” These were tools for writing sentences and stories as part of English class. These same tools can be used when one is starting to live within their means or living a frugal lifestyle.
To tell you the truth you can use this tool with any lifestyle change and in business. However today I will show you how I use it to help me in my frugal life and how you can use it too.
The 4 W’s
Let’s start with what are the 4 w’s.
Who
What
When
Where
Now let’s look at them one at a time and see how they are used in our day-to-day life.
Who
This is a person in your life or someone that you will be adding to your life. Your “Who” can be one person or multiple people.
Examples:
Someone that you are following for financial advice
Someone in your life that will hold you accountable (like an accountability partner)
Someone that you need to remove from your that keeps you repeating bad habits
Someone that will help you on your financial journey
Your spouse or partner
Someone or people in your life that is your motivation (like your kids)
Your who can be good people in your life or bad people in your life. Knowing all the “Who” affects your life and what changes are best.
What
This is part of the start of the blueprint for your new lifestyle or lifestyle changes.
Examples:
What are you going to do to change your habits
What are you going to implement into your life to make it better
What have you done that worked for you
What have you done that doesn’t work for you
What do you need to help you make better habits
What tools do you use,,,, or are you going to start using
These are just a few examples. There are hundreds of “What’s” you can use,,,, but this is a start if you don’t have any.
When
This is your starting and ending point or measuring tool. Your “When” is simple and probably the easiest out of the 4 W’s.
Examples:
This is when I will start canning
This is when I will start my new budget system
When this happens,,,, I will do this.
When I get to this point,,,, I will do this
I know I have reached my goal when I am at this point
I will focus on my new goal when I am here.
Your “When” if a start or end point needs to be tangible and realistic
Where
This is your location, I know it sounds crazy, but you’re probably asking yourself what location has to do with living within your means or your lifestyle. Yet “Where” has a lot to do with living frugally.
Example:
Where do you write your budget each month
Where you shop
Where do you live or want to live
Where do you see yourself in 6 months to a year
Where you started and where you end
Where you realized you needed to change your life
This location can be physical or mental (yet, you must be able to get to that location). So you see yourself owning a home on the lake. Though you don’t physically own a home at the beginning of your journey,,, you can own one at the end of your journey even though it was first just in your mind.
The H
How
This is your blueprint for how you are going to change your lifestyle. The beginning, middle, and end of your journey.
Examples:
How did you get to this financial crisis
How come you can’t pay all your bills
How are you going to make more money
How are you going to go about saving money
How are you going to provide for your family
How did you change your life
So what is so important about the 4 W’s and the H. Knowing this information will give you a better understanding of where you are at this point of your life. It will show you how you got to this point and what you need to get you out of a bad situation or move forward with better choices. It will also help you with what tools you really need to get out of your own way or remove people from out of your way.
The hardest part about changing your life is knowing where and what to start with. This is your start; you need a picture of where you want to be.
Will, that’s all; I have for today; I hope this helps you on your journey.
Thank you for reading Everything Frugal.

Leave a comment