Being frugal isn’t just about saving money and spending cheap, it’s a way of living, living with a keen purpose of NOT spending your hard-earned money unnecessarily and use it for much important stuff like-
- Paying off debt
- Fund education
- House stuff
- Or any other personal reasons
Frugality isn’t rocket science, it is simply stated as “Making Smart money decision”.
That can be as simple as choosing to make homemade coffee over buying a Starbucks or buying a house.
Smart Money Decisions, People!
Some find it difficult while for someone it may come as naturally as walking. Wouldn’t it be great if being frugal also came naturally to you?
No worries! Given below are the few tips that might help you lead a frugal life and will save you a ton of money.
So let us dive right into the mindset of certified frugal people and how they get their sh*t done –
1: They don’t Buy Items Without Comparing The Prices
If you want to be a pro at spending your money, the first and foremost thing you need to do is know how much an item is before purchasing compared to all its alternatives.
Because it is not a wise choice to buy the product with higher prices with the same utility as the others, right?
Let’s face it: A truly frugal person is NOT a Brand enthusiast, they don’t just go around and buy something just because “Its Branded”.
They carefully select their products according to their needs at low prices.
Just having a branded logo in the packaging does not increase its utility value, but it sure takes away few extra bucks from your wallet. How is that any good?
2: They don’t Have lots of Memberships
Having a lot of Memberships might contribute to budget failures because they are literally money-drainers.
While having only one membership may not seem like a lot, but when they all add up (all the memberships including gym, book club etc), a significantly larger value comes out which is most of the time burns a giant hole in your wallet at the end of the day!
Ouch!
Also, having a gym membership is a healthy choice only if you utilize it well, but a lot of people don’t fully use their gym membership given the amount of money they spend on it.
On average, a gym membership generally costs around $60 to $700 per year. According to recent surveys, almost 67% of people having gym memberships don’t completely use them.
If you don’t go to the gym at least two to three times per week (throughout the year) you could be wasting quite a lot of money.
3: They Never Pay The Full Price Of Items
Frugal people find sneaky ways to get things at a discounted price. Do you ever wonder how they do it? Well, lucky for you, there is one tool that most frugal people rely on while shopping online.
Let me ask you something…
What will change to your savings if I tell you that you can avail discounts every single time you buy something online? Even if there is not any sale or discount season going on, you will be able to get items at a much-reduced price.
Sounds too good to be true?
Ebates – Ebates is my go-to discount angel, you can cash back on all purchases you make online, ALL PURCHASES! All you have to do is sign up for ebates and through the link, go to your favorite shopping websites (eg: Amazon) from ebates before you shop.
The service is 100% FREE and legit and you should definitely try it. Now you know a hack to get items online for much lower prices, make sure to make the best use of it.
4: They Don’t Pay Bills Late
Pay your bills late = Pay Extra interest.
Interest is an unnecessary expense that can easily be avoided if you pay your bills on time. Instead of being lazy, try to pay the bills on time, it’s that easy.
Look! I get it,
Sometimes life happens and it gets the best of you and somehow you miss the deadline so it is always better to pay the bills within the first two-three days of the payment date range. That way you don’t have to worry about when is the due approaching.
Don’t let unnecessary interests suck your bank account dry. Not from now on!
5: They Don’t Make Impulsive Purchases
One of the things that frugal people are good at is keeping their emotions in check while shopping. If they want to buy something, they don’t just make the purchase on the spot. Instead, they sleep on it and evaluate if they really need it or not.
That’s what makes all the difference!
What are the typical shopping tendencies of a non-frugal person?
I saw it, I liked it (at the moment) and hence I bought it! But NO! NO! NO! Not the frugal people.
They don’t fall for the fake sense of urgency with the products that retailers ofter imply in order to increase sales. Asking yourself if you really need the item can put your shopping impulses to rest, for good!
If impulse buying is a problem for you, take at least a week to decide if you really need something.
6: Ignore Thrift Shops and Flea Markets
Thrift stores and flea markets are kinda like an open treasure for frugal people. From clothing to bathroom stuff to electrical appliances, these are great places to find items at a dirt cheap price.
There is a high chance that you’ll find stuff in a perfect working condition. Moreover, you can get some really great quality stuff only for a FRACTION of the cost that you would normally pay.
A validating reason why frugal people find the best deals on shopping is because they aren’t ashamed to shop cheap. Other’s opinion shouldn’t easily shake up your idea of saving money.
Just no!
7: They Don’t Delay Repairs
Repeat with me” Delays causes damages“, and sometimes it costs ten times more money than the initial damage.
For example, You have a leaking tap. If you don’t get it fixed it in time, it might turn into a more severe leak, hence larger damage control costs!
Frugal people don’t typically delay repairs because they understand the potential damage it can cause in the future. So it is advised to take care of minor house and vehicle damage ASAP!
8: They Actively Maintain a Budget
Ughh! That complicated B-word again?
I know, “Budget” isn’t the most exciting word out there, but it sure makes managing your finances a lot easier.
Creating and regularly following a well-designed budget gives you control over how much you spend and save money. As a result, money expenditure becomes considerably low.
There is a popular budgeting rule called: 50/30/20 Budget Rule. According to this rule-
If you spend roughly 50% of your income (after taxes) on necessities, no more than 30% on wants and at least 20% on savings and debt repayment should be spent.
9: Frugal People Don’t Pass Up a Side Hustle
Having a side hustle does not just bring extra money to your account, but also provides you security about having multiple earning sources. Nowadays there are so many options you can do to make money that it is almost insane!
And fun fact: A lot of them do not require very much of your time or the necessity to leave the house. A few of them is listed below:
1: Blogging –
Blogging is what I do! And let me tell you, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BLOGGING. Not only because I make my full-time income from blogging but also because it has provided me Time, Money and Location freedom!
Kinda like a portable business, I carry around in my laptop!
Is starting a blogging business expensive? Yes, If you consider $3.95/month is expensive!
So yeah, starting a blog is super cheap. If you want to know how to start a blog and start making money from it, then click this link to get started.
2: Virtual Assistant–
Virtual assistants help other businesses by providing administrative help. Most Virtual Assistants are self-employed and work from home, generally creating their own schedule.
Why go into this side hustle?
The average Virtual Assistant in North America earns $35- $50/hr (Some even high as $120 per hour). Virtual Assistants are in charge of stuff like:
- Blog post writing
- Graphics design (for social media or for the online portfolio)
- Social media management
- Editing etc.
If this is something that interests you, you can head over to “30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success” to know more about getting started as a Virtual Assistant.
3: Dropshipping –
Dropshipping allows you to sell products to people without your involvement in making and shipping the product. The manufacturer of the product not only carries the inventory but he/she also ships it directly to the customer for you!
How cool is that?
If you want, You can even sell your own products too! Learn more about dropshipping here.
10: They don’t eat out that often
This is a personal problem of mine, Eating out! And, over time it becomes a habit which started as a one-time thing.
Eating out (or ordering food from home) adds up to a lot of wasted money over time, and it can simply be avoided by making your food, at home.
Try to do some meal planning, buy from local grocery shops, buy limited food or it might go bad after some time and you have to throw it away.
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In Conclusion,
Being Frugal and building up wealth goes hand in hand. Planning and staying organized also helps in being consistent. It is highly likely for you to get overwhelmed when you don’t see results, but once you develop the habit to not spend on unnecessary, frugality will come naturally to you!
Is there any frugal tip you want to add, comment below, share your strategies!
For a year I have been upending my behaviours and habits around income, frugality and lifestyle. It hasn’t been a pleasant experience to realize at retirement what I could have been doing so simply and wisely to prepare for this stage of my life. I have gained some financial security for a few future years by reading and applying tips and lessons such as the ones in this article. Thank you.
I drive a used vehicle that I pay cash for and I have not financed a vehicle for the last twenty five years. Insurance is also lower for older vehicle’s. My kids, my grandchildren and extended family are all driving new vehicles and making the payments. I am okay with driving an older vehicle, as long as its nice, I don’t live in my vehicle, I just use it to get from Point A to B. I drive them until they start needing too much repair, my husband does the regular maintenance and some repairs.