What's That Mean?

tsumashi 倹しい:つましい
economizing; thriftiness; prudence; frugality

kurashii 暮らし:くらしい
living; livelihood; subsistence; circumstances

The name of this blog is “Tsumashiku Kurashi” which translates into English as “living frugally.” I like this name as it is the life style I want to adopt to reach my goal of not having to rely on a job to live my life. There are many ways to get to that point. You could study for many years and become a doctor who makes tons of money and saves up to be able to retire at the same level of comfort. Or I can try to reduce my spending to a point where my life doesn’t need more than a few thousand dollars per year to thrive. It also helps out the earth to consume less. There are many paths to my goal, I am choosing the path of frugality.

What have I done so far to economize my life? Living in Japan I already have rid myself of life sucking car, and my job pays for my train fare. In addition I have cut my foot budget by reducing the number of times I eat out, or go out drinking and partying.

But I feel it is not enough yet. The cell phone, internet, and the number of trips I take per year can also be reduced.

I have a lot further to go before I reach tsumashikurashi.

Hello...

So far I have written three intro entries for this blog and I haven't published a single one.  I didn't like the tone of them and I am don't think I am that great of a writer.  That doesn't help when your trying to write a blog.

Maybe fourth times a charm.

I am "The Kechi One."  Kechi is the Japanese term to refer to people who are cheap-skates, penny-pinchers, or at the far end of the spectrum even narrow-minded.  I chose this title because from here on out I am a cheap-skate, a penny-pincher, and very narrow-minded in my views of my money, my time, and my life.

This blog is about my life in Japan and how I plan to have enough money by the time I decide to leave I never have to work another day in my life, unless I want to.

I get most if not all of my inspirations from Mr. Money Mustache, Early Retirement Extreme, the Reddit forums r/financialindependence, and the eBook “How to live on $10,000 a year” by George Ure.  If you have not read or do not read these blog regularly I don’t know how you found my blog.

It should be a fun ride.  Ikuzo!