‘Frugal Living’ or ‘Frugal Lifestyles’ have been given a bad rep by people who associate the term with being ‘cheap.’ But there is a world of a difference between these two concepts and inherently people want to be ‘frugal.’ Being ‘cheap’ is when you sacrifice ‘quality of life’ for the sake of saving money. However, frugal living is quite the opposite. There are many ways that you can improve your quality of life while saving a few bucks. Sounds great, doesn’t it?!

What is ‘Frugal Living/Lifestyle?’

‘Frugal living’ is when you start being mindful about your lifestyle and its associated spending habits. Again, this has nothing to do with spending the least amount of money possible on something. Rather, it is about being in control of your expenses to less burden yourself on financial pressures.

Why Live Frugally?

There are several benefits to adopting a frugal lifestyle;

1. less stress stemming from day-to-day financial needs,
2. save money towards a goal (eg: buy a car, pay off student loans, etc.),
3. invest towards your retirement,
4. ultimately, financial freedom.

Best Easy Tips on Frugal Living

Let’s look at different ways we can integrate ‘frugality’ into our own lifestyles. The below list is in the order I think is best for many. However, your situation is unique to you, and you can change the ranking on each item to best-fit your lifestyle.

Also, you don’t have to start everything at once. Each of these will take some time and effort to be part of your lifestyle. So, again, depending on your personality, you could start trying out 10 things at once or 1 thing at a time.

1. Pre-plan everything!!!
   
   AKA plan ahead. Make a plan before doing anything. This includes going shopping, going on a trip, monthly expenses, meals, entertainment, and so on. As the wise-old motto goes “fail to plan; plan to fail.”
   
   When you start planning ahead, you will begin to see different ways you can optimize your task. Make a list of items you need before going to the store. This allows you to stay focused on what you came for, prevent you from impulse buying, and save time on just wandering around.
   
   Plan ahead the meals for the coming week. Have a rough sketch in your head and try to stick to it. This will help you with the shopping run beforehand and also prevent you from making another or a few more grocery runs mid-week.
   
   Almost all of the tips in the list below are directly or indirectly related to planning ahead. It is an excellent trait to cultivate within yourself.
   
   
2. Learn to cook and eat out less
   
   Now now, don’t start having a panic attack with this one. Nobody is a great cook off the bat. Try out with simple things. Make a salad, make breakfast with eggs and toast and bacon. Replace your morning coffee with a homemade smoothie.
   
   On average, Americans spend anywhere from $2,000 to $3,500 a year eating out. This is a lot of money considering student loans average about $30,000, or a brand new car costs around $20,000. There are many ways to repurpose $2,000 a year.
   
   Every meal you cook for yourself is a saving of a minimum of $10, and it all adds up in the long run.
   
   
3. Cook for a few meals at once
   
   This has to do with having a meal plan for the week. Plan ahead for the week, and cook enough stuff for a few meals. This will not only save time from having to cook several times, but also save on electricity. This will also put a lock on craving for takeout since you already have cooked food in the fridge.
   
   
4. Track discounts/flyers on groceries
   
   We make it a habit to wait for the best discounts available when making a substantial purchase. But we don’t do the same for our grocery shopping, which is a way more frequent expense. It is true that you could probably save $500 on a brand new smart TV during Black Friday offers. But what about tracking down a dollar saving on milk or a carton of eggs? One dollar might seem insignificant. But how many times do you purchase eggs and milk and bread per annum? Hundreds of times, translating to hundreds of dollars or potentially thousands.
   
   Some stores offer discounted prices on essential grocery items on a specific day of the week or a specific time of the day. Plan your grocery runs during these time slots. Without additional effort, you save! Subscribe to your favorite stores’ e-flyers that come directly into your email so you can plan ahead!
   
   
5. Buy in bulk
   
   When possible, buy large quantities and stock up–only what you need though. Oftentimes, I have seen discounted prices on toilet paper, shampoo, body wash, etc. in supermarkets. If your favorite shampoo or conditioner is on sale, buy one or two extra. The same goes for 2-in-1 deals for a few dollars slashed.
   
   Wholesale stores could be a very smart idea when it comes to saving a few dollars on your routine purchases. If you are cooking for a party, definitely check out a wholesale store.
   
   
6. Reduce the number of runs to stores
   
   It’s a waste of your time, your energy, and most importantly, an additional traveling cost that could have been avoided altogether.
   
   
7. Hunt for cashback and reward points
   
   In my research leading up to this article, almost all articles I read strictly warned against using credit cards. As long as you keep your credit card expenses under check, you can reap some amazing benefits from them. Keeping credit card expenses under check entail, only spending what you can pay for at the end of the month. Don’t use the credit card as some extra money you have in hand. Use it as a means of spending the money you already have in your bank account.
   
   Credit cards often give you amazing discounts on hotel stays, restaurants, trips, utensils, groceries, and much more. Make use of these offers. But never spend more than what you already have.
   
   Credit cards and loyalty cards from stores also offer reward points and cashback offers. Reap these benefits because they translate to ‘free’ money over time.
   
   Again, never use a credit card to pay for something you cannot pay back within 30 days. Make sure to pay each month’s credit card statement balance IN FULL. If not, the penalty, AKA the interest, will cost you dearly.
   
   
8. Get rid of/repurpose unused assets
   
   Maintaining an unused asset such as a house, a room, or a car can be more costly than it can be beneficial. Almost all assets need upkeep (except for land), and unless you have some benefit out of it, try to get rid of it or repurpose it to a beneficial venture. A spare room can be rented. Your second car can be rented. Or sell the extra things cluttering up your space.
   
   
9. Re-evaluate your monthly subscriptions
   
   If you are a proud consumer of Apple Music, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Uber Eats Eat Pass, Apple One, and whatever else is out there, it might be time to reconsider if you really need them and if they can be replaced with free services. For example, Apple Music can be replaced with Spotify or YouTube Music, and Netflix with cable TV or vice versa depending on the cost and your actual usage of the services. Services such as Amazon Prime and Uber Eats Eat Pass can give you benefits on delivery charges, but re-think if you really need these on a monthly basis. You could be spending more than you actually save.
   
   However, if you actually do need a music subscription, TV, news, and other premium services, look for bundled offers.
   
   If you pay for magazines or news, please do look around. There are plenty of free alternatives online.
   
   
10. Buy used
    
    This does not apply to everything and might not be the cup of tea for everybody. Something like a used bicycle, laptop, phone, study table, bed frames, and couches can be a nice holiday for your bank. Just don’t dismiss the idea!
    
    
11. Grow a few vegetables at home
    
    Whether you have a backyard or not, growing one or two vegetables in a few pots is not going to be too difficult. A few plants of chili, bell pepper, or tomato, are some easy and low-maintenance veggies to consider. It will be a nice little home project that will also save a few bucks along the way.
    
    
12. Workout at home
    
    Unless you are into lifting heavy weights, a normal exercise can be done at home. There are many ways to do a complete home workout using bodyweight. A good cardio workout can be done by a jog or a run in your neighborhood. This can save you a lot of money on gym membership fees.
    
    
13. Eat before going out
    
    Having some food before going out for a drink can help you prevent stuffing yourself with a lot of junk food which is usually overpriced as well.
    
    
14. Dates/gatherings at home can be nice
    
    Once in a while have your date nights at home. A homemade meal, a movie, some games, and some cuddle time can be wonderous. The same goes for family gatherings. Nothing beats the comfort and security of your own household.
    
    
    
15. Have outings in nature
    
    When you do need to go out, pick nature instead of a restaurant. A fishing trip, a hike, playing catch at the beach, a picnic in the summer sun, are both good for your mind-body-soul-bank.
    
    
16. Plan your car rides
    
    Use your car when you have to. If you do pre-plan your store visits, most likely you will not be driving back and forth to stores as frequently. If you have a family, plan your family’s outings. If you have to drop your kid/spouse at school/work, plan your store visits into the same schedules. You will be saving on fuel cost and the wear and tear of your vehicle, and by reducing running miles, hopefully, a reduced insurance premium as well.
    
    Also, if you can walk the distance, do it, or bicycle it. If you have to shop for one small item (eg: bread, milk, a dessert) make it part of your daily walk.
    
    
17. Smart traveling
    
    With fuel costs, plane tickets, hotel stays, and food, traveling can be one of the most expensive endeavors. However, most of these expenses can be curtailed if you put a little thought and effort into it. Make it a habit to travel in the offseason to the destination. This alone can save you an average of 30% on plane tickets and hotel rates. Check out this amazing article on traveling on a budget.
    
    
18. Cut down on bad habits
    
    Bad habits, by definition of the term, are bad for us. So, you should be trying to reduce them as much as possible even without a frugal lifestyle. If you are smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, challenge yourself to stretch it out to two days. When you get to two days, challenge yourself to stretch it for three days. You don’t have to try to quit overnight. Take baby steps towards better. The same goes for alcohol consumption, fast food, and carbonated beverages.
    
    
19. Be handy around the house
    
    Try to get little things in your household done by yourself. This can be activities such as washing your car, repairing your fence, cleaning the gutter, painting your room, trimming the bushes, and so on. Labour is expensive. And your partner/family will appreciate the effort you put in.
    
    
20. Switch to LED bulbs
    
    Changing your traditional incandescents, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is possibly one of the easiest and smartest money moves you can make. Depending on the energy star ratings, LEDs can save up to 80% energy compared to traditional bulbs, while lasting up to 3 times more in useful life. Check out these LED bulbs from Amazon (affiliate link). You will see a noticeable drop in the electricity bill after the switch.
    
    
21. Disconnect unnecessary electronics
    
    Try not to leave the TV, radio, printer, laptop, lamps, or any other electronic devices connected to the wall plugs. Standby mode consumes a small amount of energy and overcharging your devices does, too.
    
    
22. Optimize electronic device usage
    
    The washing machine, dryer, oven, and iron are some of the heavy energy-consuming and frequently utilized devices at home. There is no way to stop using them. Instead, minimize the number of times these are used by planning the loads. Iron the full week’s clothes at once, preferably during off-peak hours. Collect enough dirty clothes for one full load in the washing machine and use it.
    
    Also, use the good ol’ clothesline to dry your clothes whenever possible. The sunlight helps kill germs as an additional bonus.
    
    
23. Never depend on one income source
    
    As much as you love or hate your full-time job, your job most likely does not love you back equally. Some of the most reputed and highly qualified people such as pilots lost their jobs during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. So, jobs are not guaranteed and not the way for financial freedom.
    
    Maybe you have a hobby that you can turn into a side gig. Start a blog and monetize it. Take pictures on your camera and sell them online. Convert your knowledge into an online course and sell it. There are many ways to make a passive income from a side gig.
    
    
24. Drink more water!
    
    Water is the best beverage there is, and there will be. It is excellent for your health and, so far, very cheap. Make it a habit to replace your glass of wine with a glass of water. Shift from carbonated drinks to water. Before and after a workout, drink water, not energy drinks. Drink as much water as you can. It’s good for you, cheaper, and saves money on potential health issues stemming from artificial beverages.
    
    
25. Maintain a personal budget
    
    Remember how you spent your salary in March 2020? Of course not. Neither do I. But thankfully, I have my expenses recorded in a personal budget. What it allows is giving me the information on the different expense types where my salary disappears into. And this information can be used to better manage your future expenses. You can evaluate your spending habits and determine cutting down on which areas are going to save you how much.

So, these are some tips to help you start your frugal living journey. Try to adopt these into your lifestyle. But most importantly, be creative! Based on your lifestyle and what you do, there could be plenty of other ways to save a dollar here and another there.

If you have any other helpful tips, do share them in the comments below. And let us know your success stories as well.