Being frugal doesn’t mean you have to spend hours each week clipping coupons, searching for sales, and cooking everything from scratch. In fact, there are three simple steps you can take that will get you more bang for your buck and leave more money in your wallet.
I have a confession.
I am not a naturally frugal person. Sometimes doing more with less just isn’t my thing. With two small children to care for and a 9- 5 job to attend, sometimes I just like to go the fast and simple route. The fast and simple route isn’t always frugal. And, on top of that sometimes I can just be plain cheap. I skip quality and only pay attention to price, which costs me more money in the long run.
However, over the past year I have been forced to find my inner frugality. And, while it was tough at first I am feeling better than ever. Over the past few months I have stayed on budget, have only ate out 3-4 times, and have had several no spend days. And, it feels good.
My frugality is now shining through and I have really come to enjoy it. I have noticed however, that being frugal is becoming a trend. Some people are missing the whole point of frugality and only trying to save money just so they can claim they are frugal.
The problem with this is an overcomplicated system that is not very effective. You don’t need to spend hours every week clipping coupons or scouring sales to be frugal (although there’s nothing wrong with that, either.)
A minimalist guide to being frugal will get you the results you want!
#1 – Evaluate Your Purchases
Frugality is not a complex thing. All you need to do is evaluate your purchases and decide if they are a want verses a need. If your purchase is a need then be sure to get the most “bang for your buck”. Remember, the cheapest item is not always the best. Go for price AND quality.
If your purchase is a want then reevaluate. Is that item really worth your hard earned dollars? How many hours would you have to work to buy it? Are you willing to go to work now to pay for it?
You need to look at the big picture with your purchases – not only with small items but large items too. For example if you’re in the market for a new car which is better: taking out a 72 month auto loan so that you can afford it or lowering your standards? That’s up for you to decide.
#2 – Shop With A List
Completely avoid those impulse buys by shopping with a list. The last two weeks that I have went grocery shopping I only spent $40 per trip. I was able to do this by shopping with a list. I made a list of everything I needed, estimated how much money it would cost and then only brought that amount of money.
This completely prevented me from impulse buys. After all, how embarrassing would it be to check out and then not have enough money to pay?
# 3 – Prioritize According to Your Goals
If you’re like me and aren’t a natural frugalista then there must be some reason you are turning down this path. It could be a savings goal, debt repayment, or maybe you are just having a hard time keeping the bills paid. No matter what your goal is, keep it in mind and spend accordingly.
For me, I have to be very careful with my money in order to keep my bills paid each month. I have two options: debt or frugalism. I chose to avoid debt.
Here are some of the things I do to save money:
- Bring my own lunch to work.
- Bring my own drinks to work. (Stopping at a store for a drink in the morning always leads to impulse purchases.)
- Shop with a list.
- Grow a garden.
- Live in a trailer.
- I don’t have cable TV.
- I don’t have a smartphone or a cellphone contract.
Keep it Simple
Don’t over complicate frugality. Frugality is not time consuming and it’s not complex. Do the things that will help you reach your goals and evaluate your purchases. If you want your habits to stick then you need to slowly and consistently develop them. Doing too much at once will only set you up for failure.
Keep it simple and you will quickly find success.
Are you frugal? What frugal habits have you developed?
We have some of the same ideas about frugality: I don’t have cable tv and I always brought my lunch to work with me when I had an office job. All of those little moves really do add up!
They add up fast. I have been proud of myself for doing so well at bringing my own lunch to work this year. It’s double benefits – I save money and I feel so much better health wise.
Fully agree, Frugality doesn’t mean buying cheap things. Saving money by spending smartly is what frugality means to me. Sometime back I wrote the same as one of my friend told me that she tried to be frugal and bought cheap stuffs and started complaining about the quality. So I came with post about smart savings
I think associate cheapness with frugality is a common misconception. At first when I tried to be frugal I was just cheap, but now I have developed important, lasting habits.
Being cheap doesn’t make you frugal. The most important thing I do is shop for quality at a bargain. On Amazon.com, there’s a filter option where you can choose to only show items that are at least 10, 25, 50, or 70% off. I always choose 70% and see what I get. Or instead of shopping at cheap discount stores, I look for the clearance racks at the higher end stores. Shopping off-season helps with that too. I try to stock up on winter items at the end of winter/ early spring, and vice versa with summer stuff. Couponing is great, but I just don’t have the time or patience just to stockpile a bunc bunch of stuff I don’t need!
I sometimes have a problem with going for the cheap thing as well. But for the most part I have most of the same habits as you do. I think the key is to structure your regular day in such a way that you aren’t spending a lot of money. If you’re regular habits are cost-effective, then the few occasions where you step outside of that won’t matter as much.
Oh yeah, it can be hard to not go for the cheap. I am tempted every time I have a large purchase but quality pays off in the long run.
Yes! Several great points! Personally, I bring lunch to work most days and have been drinking mostly water rather than purchasing drinks. There is the occasional slip up, though.
I need to work more on drinking water. I’m a Diet Mt. Dew addict.
Me too! My addition is Caffeine Free Pepsi. Being frugal helps, though. I NEVER buy drinks out. I keep drinks in the car and order water when I eat out.
I’m having serious with drawl symptoms from StarBucks Ice Tea. It is so good. I make lots at home but their flavor is just a little different.
Tell us more about your garden! My little garden patch is pitiful! My pole beans seem to spend all their time growing and not making beans! I grew winter greens like kale last winter and loved it. Veggies can get really expensive in winter.
~ Christie
I’m going to have to take some pictures, my garden is going pretty good! And my dad has a HUGE garden that is right back my lane so I have a lot of fresh vegetables at my finger tips.
Prioritization has always been a struggle for me. I’m good at making to-do lists but I’ll often just spend my time on the things I know I can get done quickly “right now”, rather than working on the highest priority first. So I get a lot of checked boxes, but sometimes important things are neglected for a while.
This is a solid write up and a good reminder that with frugality, it’s good to KISS. 🙂
Thank you! I think we all can be a victim of doing things quickly at some point or another. I try to check off the important things before doing the quick things. It works most of the time.
I’m so with you on the frugal thing as I am the sole breadwinner in my family (I’ve never received child support), I have identified the real difference between want/need. It’s amazing how small my needs are. It doesn’t mean I don’t have any fun because sometimes a need is a fun trip to the movies with my daughter.
As for reading. I love political science books, which I get from the library but when I need a little escape I’m not ashamed to admit I like adult vampire novels with hot vampire sex. Hey I’m only human (and looking for a hot vampire guy).
🙂 I’m lovin it! I wouldn’t mind finding a hot vampire guy either!! Hmm, Avergae Joe was saying there have been studies that reading fiction is actually beneficial. Maybe I need to read some hot vampire sex books too!
My son and I are laughing! Cute! I just stretad a NEW blog! As a custom home builder, designer, decorator, Realtor, thrifter, my husband and I will have TONS of photos to post over time. It’s off to a great start w/ our Nantucket style NW home featured. Stop by. LOVE your bog! Keep it up. Sarah@ NorthwestHospitality.org
Normally I’m against killing but this article slaughtered my ignorance.
I had no idea how to approach this before-now I’m locked and loaded.
Well put, sir, well put. I’ll certainly make note of that.
It’s wonderful to have you on our side, haha!
I love that you suggest considering how many hours one would have to work to earn enough money for a purchase. It’s almost disgusting to think about sometimes, but it really helps keep impulse buys in check! Unfortunately, it also hurts in situations that one has to spend a lot of money… I don’t want to tell you how many hours I have to work to pay off my roof, but it had to be done!
Ironically, I always seem to gravitate towards the most expensive things without fail. It’s really weird! I love being frugal so that the things I really value I don’t have to skimp on. Things I value are: good quality food, travel, and friends and family! So, I’m willing to: bring my lunch to work, shop less, grocery shop a lot more efficiently, and pick up extra work.
Right on the money, Alexa! I can’t tell you how much money we’ve saved since Rick started bringing his lunch to work. The guys tease him, but we laugh all the way to the bank as they spend $7-$10 a day at the cafeteria, and we spend about $2 a day. Huge savings!
I have to say that I am pretty frugal, but I think it really is a product of my upbringing. I’m currently working full time in a 9-5 and will be going back to school in the fall, so I have been really working away at saving as much as I can. I rarely purchase lunch out at work which can cost $7-$10 per day over the course of the time that I am at work and also completely avoid buying coffee. Grocery shopping is where I try to save as much as possible with coupons and shopping sales. I definitely don’t splurge very often and my friends do say I’m “cheap” but I am aware that I’m not rolling in dough at the moment and need to save as best I can. So hey, If I’m frugal I’m happy about it.
One thing that works for me is to stay out of stores! That keeps me from wanting things I didn’t even know existed.
Oh my goodness when that llitte face popped up on my blog list I laughed out loud! There are 3 llitte ones in pull-ups running around our house and they have been pilgrims in bonnets, football players, and “poopy heads” but never a ninja. So funny, thanks for making me laugh today!Best wishes,Tammy
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