Top Tips for Frugal Living: How it Can Work for You

"Frugal", "cheap", "penny pinching". Have you ever been called any of these names? I have and it wasn't a very pleasant experience! A friend once told me off for turning the light switch off after her son left it on in my house. My view is that if something is not in use, why waste electricity on it? Some people will look down on you if you try to save money, especially if you have stockpiles of money already. They may wonder what all the fuss is about. But a growing number of people have come to see the benefits of maintaining a more cost effective lifestyle that can free up cash for other expenses. I learned to be frugal from my parents, starting in childhood! It can work for you too.

Food shopping

When it comes to food shopping there are lots of things you can do to stretch your budget and ensure that you have everything you need. But you must prepare before you even get in your car to drive to the supermarket. First of all, make sure that you are not hungry, as you are more likely to impulse buy. How many times do you get home to find a large tub of ice cream and a multi pack of chocolate bars in your bags? You won't really be needing them after today, but at the time you were hungry and so you tried to compensate for that with an instant sugar rush. Also, try to go shopping when you are not tired, so that you are more alert and all your senses are sharp. Keep a calculator in your handbag or pocket so that you can work out if certain "deals" are really as cheap as they say they are. I am often shocked to look at a 5lb bag of oranges that say they are on sale. I turn to the loose oranges and then weigh the bag in order to work out how much the bag costs per pound and compare the two. It often works out that the loose oranges are cheaper. So buying a bag of potatoes, oranges or apples may actually be more expensive than buying fruit and vegetables that are loose. I also spend a few minutes comparing prices of staples such as frozen vegetables. It's amazing how much difference in price there can be just between certain brands. I opt for the cheaper options and tend to buy several bags at a time. Supermarkets are clever! But you can still bag yourself a good deal. Keeping a shopping list handy is a good idea. Stock up your pantry with staple items such as rice, pasta, pasta sauces, condiments and canned foods when they are on sale. They will have a long shelf life. You are also less likely to waste food that has a longer shelf life. When you go shopping at other times, buy only what you know you need, unless you see any marked down items that will be needed soon, such as cat litter or laundry detergent.

Eat out less often

It goes without saying that if you eat out on a regular basis you will be spending a lot of money in the long run. The $30 you just spent at Chili's for two meals could have been made much more cheaply at home. I'm not saying all trips out to restaurants are necessarily bad. It is nice to have a change of scenery and have someone else take away the stress of cooking once in a while. It is also a good way to celebrate a wedding anniversary or a graduation. But if it is a regular occurrence you will not be able to save money on other items. Perhaps you have been trying to save for a once in a lifetime trip to Hawaii. It will not be happening any time soon if you spend a lot of your disposable income on eating out. Try to keep it to a treat and you will actually find that you enjoy the experience more.

Cook from scratch

Not everyone can claim to be a gourmet chef with years of experience in a world renowned Parisian chef school, but many can change their ways and make some lovely meals. Invest in a few good cook books, perhaps even some basic cooking technique books to begin with or go online and look for recipes. Watch cookery shows and take down some notes. I am very fond of the Food Network channel and I like to follow some of the suggestions I see on TV. Some shows can help you make a meal within minutes. Let's face it, we are all busy. We cannot all devote hours each day in the kitchen, so taking a few shortcuts will help. Pre-prepared ingredients are more readily available in supermarkets these days. They are chopped, diced or sliced ready to pop in the pan with other ingredients for a fast meal. Enlist the help of your spouse and you can prepare a good meal very quickly. Make larger batches that can be frozen for later consumption and look ahead to the week's meals. How about making up a pancake batter on a Sunday ready for the Monday morning rush? Or try preparing some potatoes for hash browns in advance. Even omelette fillings can be prepared in advance. My husband tends to use leftovers from homemade chili, sauteed vegetables or fresh ingredients from tacos for an omelette at a later stage. Use up the last of that chopped up onion and sliced mushrooms that are left in the fridge, combine with some cheese and there you have it, a quick lunchtime treat that is cheap and tasty. How much would that cost you if you ate out? Nowhere near what it would be at home!

Take a packed lunch with you to school or work

When I was in school those who took a packed lunch with them were teased and ridiculed. Other children made fun of them because they viewed them as "poor" and not able to mix in with all the other "normal" children who ate a school lunch. I don't know if this trend still continues, but there is really nothing wrong in taking a packed lunch with you to school. Prepare a varied, wholesome lunch for your children by including pitas stuffed with salad or scrambled eggs, yogurt, fruit and a bottle of water. Each day can be a surprise. This is a much cheaper alternative and can help your child get a balanced diet. Adults can do the same thing. Rather than grabbing a snack from the vending machine at work and eating it quickly at the desk, try providing proper fuel and nutrition for your body. Take in some leftover Spaghetti Bolognese (meat sauce) or casserole. Brown bag days need not include sandwiches everyday. That would be so boring! So even if you do not want to take in a packed lunch each day, try to do so as much as possible, perhaps 3 to 4 times each week. Put the money you would have spent into a jar and count it at the end of the week. You will be surprised at how much you have saved.

Paying bills

I don't know about you, but I love to pay for most of my bills online. If you are able to do so, automatic payments or one time payments from your account to the creditors are a great way to pay your bills. It saves you a stamp and the time and effort it takes to post it. If you have a credit card, try not to run it up so much each month. I try to view mine more as a debit card that I know will be paid off in full each month. If you are able to do this, you will save yourself interest payments. Paying the minimum is really not a good idea, except for the credit card company! If you owe $400 and only pay a few dollars each month, how long do you think it will take to pay it off? Rather than using your credit card so often, try using your debit card for your purchases. You will have the peace of mind knowing the items are already paid for and that you will not have a bill to pay in a few weeks. For more expensive purchases, try saving up for them and paying for them in full or using layaway, if that is best for you. It is quite satisfying walking into a shop and paying cash for a more substantial purchase and not having to worry about the financial burden later on. While you are saving, you may even realize that you do not need to make that purchase after all. The money can then be put into the bank or put aside for some other necessary household purchase.

Learn to save

It is easy to say that we all need to save and put money aside for the future, but harder to do. The here and now can be so alluring. So saving may not be viewed as such a priority. It should be! Whether you are saving for a deposit to put down on a house, or even saving for retirement, saving is a sensible option for everyone, not just the frugal person. How much you save really depends on your income. My husband and I subscribe to the "pay yourself first" view. That means that the income we receive is not all spent on food, bills and recreation. We do not view our income as a figure that needs to be spent within a certain amount of time. I have known people like that in the past. They would spend their pay all at once and be left destitute until the next pay day. They could not go out or really enjoy themselves as they would have liked. We also make sure that we put money aside into a savings account. That is what we have been doing for a few years. It is surprising how quickly money can start to add up, particularly if you are fortunate enough to have your money stocked away in a high interest paying account.

Reward yourself

Being frugal does not mean you should be miserly. You still deserve to treat yourself now and then. You may do this by taking a well earned weekend break away from home or indulging in a makeover. My husband and I still make time for these treats and we feel so much better about ourselves afterwards. Do something that will also help to make you feel good about yourself. You will soon see that leading a frugal lifestyle will free up a lot more cash for you to spend on items that you may not have been able to afford before. Being frugal is a wise and beneficial choice that you can make in life. It can easily be incorporated into your present lifestyle. Before long, you will wonder how you could have lived any other way.