While modern American culture has accepted consumer debt as a fact of life, you can, even today, live without credit card bills, without that financed new refrigerator or HDTV. You can live modestly and within your means. You can even live comfortably and well, pursue hobbies, enjoy your family, and make choices that allow you to have the things that are meaningful to you. In the simplest terms, this is financial responsibility. How? It's really not so hard. You do it just like Grandma and Grandpa did.

Your grandparents managed their money with a few simple principles that are just as valid today as they were way back then. Make a budget and stick to it. Save what you can, because you never know what the future will bring. Work hard and think about how you spend your money and spend only within your budget. Live a life in line with your values, and keep your spending in line with your values. If you have to borrow money, borrow as little as possible and pay it off as quickly as possible. Make do with what you have, as much as possible. These simple guiding principles are just as useful now as they were during years past.

The first step in living cash only, spending only money you actually have and not that which you might someday have? Simply make a budget. Total up the money coming in the door each month, then tally up the non-negotiable expenses. Then figure up your typical utility bills, phone expenses, cell phone bills, gas, food, car payments and other monthly costs. Look at where you can simplify. Do you have a gym membership you never use, additional services on your phone line, or a weekly pizza habit because you ran out of time to make dinner? One of the benefits to life before credit and debit cards, before automatic bank withdrawals was a simple one. Your grandparents knew where their money was going. Do you? MyMoneyChoice.com offers many articles on budgeting to help you find the budgeting system that is right for you and your family.

Many of our grandparents knew financial struggle well beyond what we have experienced. Perhaps they remember the hungry years of the depression, or rationing during World War II. Because of these lean times, they knew to save for the future. Money put aside for tomorrow was there in case it was needed, and leaving money for the next generation was a mark of pride. For those of us looking at longer and healthier lifespans, we may be more concerned with saving for our own old age, but the principle is the same. You should have both emergency savings and long term savings. Savings should be a priority in everyday life.

Hard work was another part of Grandma and Grandpa's life. If money was tight, they didn't rely on credit. They took on extra work. That might have meant more shifts, or taking in laundry, or a second job. Working more was one way that your grandparents paid for extras, whether that was their first television or a washing machine. This particular strategy works just as well today as it did back then. If you need to pay for something, work more to cover the cost. Taking on an additional part time job, doing freelance work, or selling items on Ebay are all viable means of increasing your income to pay for needed or wanted items or allow you to reduce debt more quickly.

Your grandparents thought about what they spent money on, and who they supported with their money. Many of us know older Americans who consciously bought American, or shopped at local businesses owned by members of their own community. They did not shop for entertainment or on a whim. Purchases were made with care, thought and planning. Larger purchases were saved for, and smaller ones, like new clothes for the children, were budgeted for in the weekly or monthly budget. They took the time to shop around for a fair price.

Previous generations did not accept debt as a normal part of their daily reality. While a mortgage might have been typical, they bought what they could afford to pay off in a reasonable time frame. Buying less house rather than more was typical, and making do with a smaller space was expected. Many Americans today opt for more house than they can afford, and then find themselves lacking equity thanks to interest only loans and other financial tricks at which our grandparents would have shuddered.

Also, our grandparents knew how to make do with what they had. Things were repaired and cared for to keep them working longer. When items were worn, if they could not be fixed they were repurposed. While we may not all wish to turn that old toilet into a garden planter, we can take a message of buying quality and caring for it well from our grandparents. Repairing rather than replacing an appliance or buying used instead of new may be an option, even in today's culture of easy credit and instant gratification.

If you want to simplify, to take these lessons from generations past to heart, what can you do? If you currently have little debt, it may not take much to make this lifestyle a reality for you. If your debt is mounting, leaving you in a financial crisis that would make your grandfather roll in his grave, seek help to make a fresh start toward better financial habits and a better financial future. Provanta has helped thousands of families over the past fifteen years and can help you settle your debts and move toward a financial outlook that would have made your grandparents proud.