Frugal living

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What is frugal living?

Frugality is a topic which has gotten a bad name over the years.  Many people equate it with being cheap, living a boring life, or being overly concerned with how much things cost.  While monitoring the prices of things can be a key aspect of frugal living, focusing solely on it is certainly not what frugality is all about.

Frugality is about doing more with less, using what you have, appreciating the things around you, and living a simpler life.  Rather than worrying about money more, it's about thinking about money less and life more.  It's about saving the world, reducing your environmental impact, and being more able to help people.  Frugal living isn't about living less, it's about living better with less.

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Photo by Cliff Johnson

My Money and My Life frugal blog 

Check out the latest frugal articles on my blog "My Money and My Life"

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Why Frugal Living? 

For me, the biggest reason to embark on a more frugal life is that it gives you more choices on what you want to do with your life and time. When you live more frugally, you need less money and less "stuff," so you don't have to work as much to achieve the lifestyle you want. Having less stuff itelf frees up more of your time because you spend less time cleaning and maintaining things you don't really want or need anyway. It allows you to focus on the things, people, and activities that are truly important to you and, in my opinion, to lead a more rewarding and fulfilling life.

Another compelling reason to be frugal is environmental stewardship. Even if you have plenty of something, being wasteful is terrible for the environment. It can deplete our already scarce resources, from land to water to fuel, and therefore hurt us in the long run. Being more frugal and more careful and efficient with what we have is an investment in the planet and the future.

Frugal Healthcare 

There are lots of ways to make healthcare more frugal and affordable.

1. Exercise good self care. Get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, exercise, meditate, reduce stress. These things are very frugal, free even, and pay off dividends.

2. If possible, maintain some kind of health insurance, at least high deductible major medical. Medical expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcies.

3. Research your prescriptions. Ask for samples, see if you can get generics, or if not search for coupons or rebates.

4. If you have a quick question, try asking your doctor over the phone instead of making an appointment.

5. Ask questions. Make sure you understand all your problems and treatments.

Frugal Holidays 

How to make your holiday fit your budget

1. Set a budget. Decide ahead of time how much you can afford to spend on gifts, decorations and food this holiday season. A frugal holiday is one in which you control your money; it doesn't control you.

2. Talk to your friends and family. Let them know that you're being frugal this holiday season and that things might not be as all out as they've been in the past. Consider doing a Secret Santa or gift exchange game instead of buying gifts for everyone.

3. Be creative. Sometimes the best gifts are things that have special meaning but may not be very expensive.

4. Shop around. Use sites like slickdeals and fatwallet to find good deals on things that you want to buy. The earlier you start the easier this is to do.

5. Finally, go easy on yourself. The holidays are about love and togetherness, not about stuff. The more you learn to take it easy and enjoy the season, the happier everyone around you willbe.

Great books on frugality 

The Complete Tightwad Gazette

The Complete Tightwad Gazette

by: Amy Dacyczyn

The Tightwad Gazette is the greatest tome on frugality and thrift currently available. Calling herself the frugal zealot, author Amy Dacyzn offers tips and philosophy for how to become more frugal and to live a more complete life. Some of her tips may seem completely over the top, but there are enough tips that you will find some you can readily incorporate into your life.

Amazon Price: $15.61 (as of 12/19/2009) Buy Now

Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy

Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy

by: Jonni McCoy

Aimed primarily at moms, this book shatters the belief that it is impossible for a family to live on one income in today's world. It is jam packed full of tips that will help you to make do with what you have and to save enough money to be able to afford to stay home with your kids.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009) Buy Now

Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence

Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence

by: Joe Dominguez, Vicki Robin

This book will absolutely change your life. The authors underwent a huge life change when they realized that "money is something you trade your life energy for" and that they were tired of trading their life energy in. It will help you determine what is important and what is not, and to plot your own escape from the rat race.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009) Buy Now

Frugal Energy Use 

Here are some quick tips for using energy more frugally to save you money and the environment:

1. Use compact fluorescent lights. They will pay for themselves in energy savings and longevity.

2. Turn up your thermostat in the summer and turn it down in the winter. Dress seasonally and use fans to help minimize discomfort.

3. Unplug appliances when not in use, or keep them on powerstrips, to decrease the phantom load (a fancy word for energy it uses when it's not even doing anything).

4. Turn up your refrigerator a degree or two.

5. Line dry your heaviest clothes. Run clothes in the washer through an extra spin cycle to reduce their drying time. Make sure your dryer is well-maintained and clear of lint.

Energy saving supplies 

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Frugal Food 

Some tips for making your eats less costly

1. Whole, homemade food is less expensive than convenience food which is in turn less expensive than eating out. Don't jump whole hog to the cheapest possible version of everything. Find your eliquibrium point. If having a frozen lasagna in your freezer keeps you from getting fast food, you've saved your money and your health.

2. Learn a few new frugal recipes. Try to incorporate at least one less expensive menu item a week, whether it's a soup, pasta, or breakfast for dinner. This will reduce your weekly budget and give you a good stock of emergency recipes you can resort to if you are really strapped for cash.

3. Eat less meat. Meat is often the most expensive item in our budgets. Try to use it as an ingredient rather than the focus of your meals, and try to include at least a few meals that don't require meat.

4. Drink water. There's no need to spend money on soda at restaurants or at home, it has no redeeming nutritional value. If you must drink soda, buy it by the case and not from vending machines.

5. Combine coupons with sales. By doing this you can often do better than you would by buying generics and can sometimes even try new food for free.

Frugal Cookbooks 

Dining on a Dime Cook Book: 1000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips

Dining on a Dime Cook Book: 1000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips

by: Tawra Jean Kellam, Jill Cooper

Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009) Buy Now

The Use-It-Up Cookbook: A Guide for Minimizing Food Waste

The Use-It-Up Cookbook: A Guide for Minimizing Food Waste

by: Lois Carlson Willand

Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009) Buy Now

Cheap. Fast. Good!

Cheap. Fast. Good!

by: Beverly Mills, Alicia Ross

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/19/2009) Buy Now

Frugal travel 

Ways to see the world without spending a ton of money

1. Look for specials. Subscribe to feeds from the airline aggregators and book whenever the prices go down.

2. Accumulate points. Make sure you are signed up for airline and hotel points from any of the major companies you regularly book with.

3. Eat locally. Ask a local for a recommendation of a restaurant that is a little bit off the tourist track.

4. Use coupons. Purchase an Entertainment book for your destination before you travel.

Frugal grocery coupon use 

One of the easiest ways to save money on your monthly budget is by using grocery coupons for all your major grocery needs.

The key to shopping with grocery coupons is to know when to hold them. Manufacturers print coupons in the hopes that you will buy things you wouldn't otherwise buy. You will not save money this way. Instead, clip the coupons and file them away. Then, when the item in question is on sale, use the coupon in conjunction with the sale and get the product for free or very cheap.

By doing this consistently for the past year, I have gotten to a point where I can get all my groceries, including bread and fresh fruit, almost for free.

For more tips on grocery shopping, check out this ebook on grocery coupons.

Frugal Conversation 

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Frugal Summer Fun 

Looking for some great frugal things to do this summer? As the days get longer (and hotter), it's easy to get tired of the same few frugal activities, so here are a few to add to your repertoire.
  • Go to the park. If you do this already, seek out a different park. Children and adults will both find the change refreshing as they check out all the new things to do.
  • For some air conditioned relief, look for summer kids' movies programs in your area. Our local movie theaters have a series of older kids movies playing every week. The price is $1 each or $2 for the whole summer season.
  • Look for events at your local library. They may have story times for kids and book groups or writers groups for adults.
  • Go site-seeing in your own town. Use the Free Atractions list to scout out new territories.

Frugal Weddings 

We're smack in the middle of wedding season, and I thought I'd offer some tips for a more frugal wedding.

1. Scale back on stationery. Do you really need a program? If you're not inviting that many people you probably don't need save the date cards either. And while a traditional invitation, with tissue paper and about 4 envelopes, is absolutely lovely, consider going with something simpler if you need to save money. You could even print your own with pictures of you and your beloved.

2. Simplify your cake. If you don't want to go as far as to serve homemade cupcakes, at least get a small traditional tiered wedding cake for cutting. Have sheetcakes made in the same flavor to serve your guests.

3. Cut back on liquor. If you are thinking about an open bar, but it's too expensive, consider just serving beer and wine. You can do this much more cheaply. You could even ask good friends or family members to bring their own favorite bottles of wine, making it even more personal.

4. Consider alternate days. Most venues will give you a discount if you get married on a Sunday or a Friday night, since they have a harder time filling those days.

by story3girl

I am a wife, a teacher, a writer, and a friend.  I'm always looking for ways to improve the world around me and to live a simpler and more fulfil...

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