Being frugal to me means knowing your priorities and spending there, as well as being happy doing with out the other things.
It means being sensible with your money so you can have or do the things you love.
Frugal living is living in a more intentional way. It is a journey that is always evolving and changing as you travel the path.
Here are a few of the frugal tips I started the journey using. Many of you already follow them, and some I no longer use as the necessity doesn't exist.
1. Build a capsule wardrobe. This is great for those that work. Now I more or less live in leggings and tunics/sweaters. If everything goes together you have much more to choose from.
2. Take packed lunches and a thermos of coffee to work. I did this every day when I worked. Saved a bundle.
3. Don't throw away leftovers. They can be eaten the next day (or day after that). Freeze them to use in meals later.
4. Shop for veggies and fruits seasonally. Right now Mandarin oranges are on sale, as well as all baking supplies.
5. Bargain hunt. This could mean shopping at thrift stores, garage sales, or just purchasing clothing at the end of a season.
6. A big one, that took me a while to get a handle on was avoiding late fees. When you live 25 miles from your bank paying things on time sometimes became a challenge. Now with online banking and bill paying things are so much easier.
Everybody have a wonderful day.
God bless.
Great tips! I would add a little bit to your #5 - if you bring in clothing from thrift stores or garage sales - always put it directly into the washing machine and dryer. Our #1 son and D-I-L got bed bugs by not doing that. Needless to say, no more thrift shopping for them!!
ReplyDeleteYes online banking sure has made life easier I agree! My sister in law buys her lunch & at least one coffee every single week day that she works. I have tried to show her how much she could save if she made her own lunches but she can't be bothered, yet constantly complains she has no money!! It does my head in.
ReplyDeleteSo sensible, Jackie.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. I totally agree about lunches when you work and always take my own lunch to work. It does save a lot of money. Luckily, I now wear a uniform, so all I need to buy to wear for work are black pants and shoes, which keeps it very simple. Online banking really is a game changer for bill paying.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had learned to be more frugal when I was working. When the children were small and I was in university, frugal was my middle name, but when I went to work and started making a decent income, I did like a lot of others do, and spent rather freely. I still did save money but I look back and wish I'd done more of that.
ReplyDeleteOh well, I've learned to be much more frugal in retirement.
I love a capsule wardrobe, I change into my "at home" clothes as soon as I get home, but being able to mix and match pretty much everything makes things so much easier - less decision making. Same with leftovers, if it's in the fridge, I know what I'm eating.
ReplyDeleteLike a previous poster, I also change as soon as I get home, to ensure that my work/out of the house clothes stay clean & nice for as long as possible. It reduces the need to wash them a bit, but also helps to avoid staining them while I cook, clean, etc.
ReplyDeleteI have special items I only wear when I’m going out. Otherwise I wear clothes for home that if it gets stained won’t bother me. Paying a late fee or overdraft charge gives me such a bad feeling that I avoid it at all costs. If they were just a few dollars it wouldn’t be as bad, but that is not the case these days!
ReplyDeleteTaking a packed lunch to work certainly was the norm in our household, goodness knows how those who eat out each day can afford it. Occasionally I would meet a friend for lunch, which was always a treat, and something to look forward to.
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