Frugal Living

One tip that may seem obvious is to try not to throw out any food. Do a daily inventory if necessary to try to figure out what is about to go bad and how you can use it now before it does. Always look and take inventory before going to the grocery store to avoid buying multiples and to see what you can buy to work with what you already have.

Looking forward to seeing what tips others share!

 

I like to repurpose items that can beused more than once. I use the bread wrapper for storage of items instead of baggies. I make my own bread crumbs from old bread also. I try to shop at the second hand store often to stretch my dollars.

 

If you wear flip flops to the beach and your strap pops out of the shoe because the hole is ripped, you can use a plastic bread tab to anchor the strap so it doesn't pop out of the shoe. I can't post images from this tablet, but Google "fix flip flops with bread clip".

 

I think that frugal living is just all about spending only on the things that you really need most and those that you will use that frequently. They don't have to be cheap, but above all they should meet your purpose as well as their price. It is a well-known that the more expensive something is, the more of quality it has, but this isn't always true. There are ones out there that don't necessarily cost that expensive, but durable, presentable and of course efficient. Frugal living is about finding those stuff, and not just resorting immediately to the expensive ones because of their known quality.

 

We are a very frugal family. We live off of one income so i am always looking for ways to reuse things and save money wherever i can. I enjoy it though, it's a hobby i am good at.

 

Never throw out left over food. There are many ways you can use them:

- Make a meal from them.

- Freeze left overs and make some soup the next day.

- Feed them to a pet [most people would rather not do this but once in a while doesn't hurt the pets].

- Got a garden? Toss your table scraps into the compost.

In short, don't waste food.

 

I feel like the word frugal has a lot of negative connotations to it. People often tend to see it as a bad thing, or use it to demean, make fun of, or degrade people. Luckily, I do not subscribe to that idea, or the peer pressure that may or may not come with it. The money is mine, and I will spend it as loosely or as tightly as I want to lol. To me, if you can live a nice inexpensive lifestyle - especially if you are living in a relatively expensive place - then more power to you. Some people are also lower maintenance then other people, naturally. I think that people should live the life that is most comfortable to them, given that they can.

 

This is what I do with trousers where the knees have worn out. I cut the legs off at the knees. Now I have a pair of shorts. The legs which I have cut off are used as rags. Nothing wasted at all.

 

I saw that! the only problem with that solution is that you have to already be carrying around that plastic tab from the bread everywhere you go just in case your flip flops break. A friend of mine used to repair his birkenstocks with duct tape, lol! Duct tape and wine corks; it was quite a sight!

 

I think the best way to live frugally is to practice "waste not want not." If you only buy what you really need and will use, you'll have less clutter and less waste. People often buy stuff because they can, including food - a lot of which ends up spoiled and in the trash. When you cut back to the essentials you're saving money at both ends.

 

I opinion the most efficient way to be frugal is expanding your trading and bartering skills with other people. Instead of worrying about spending less or not spending money for things, I rather find family members, friends, or internet sites to trade or barter things I can give for something I need, this way, both parties save money and gain something. In short,"One man's trash, is another man's treasure!"

 

Although I don't mind traipsing down flee markets for a great buy, I prefer to buy new but affordable and quality items. Not everyone has the stamina for scouring such items so the buyer needs to have patience aside from being always up-to-date with the latest sales and promos. I use discount coupons all the time regardless of how people see me. They help a lot. Buying in bulk also saves you a lot of money compared to buying one item at a time.

 

I found out that a relative of mine who is always crying about money spent $300 on a bottle of New Year's Eve champagne. That seems insane to me because that's half a month's rent to some Americans. I agree that there's nothing shameful about being frugal and it's worse to live above your means and buy expensive champagne when you can't pay your bills.

 

Wow, I can't even fathom spending that much money on something that has no long lasting benefit to my family. That's simply like throwing away money. The next time they cry to you about money I would tell them to go drink that champagne and cry to someone else about it.

 

I have seen this happen, too. People who are just living a very little bit above the poverty line buying things which they don't need. On installment, too. Or splurging on lavish weddings which put them years into debt.

 

I think that frugal living is the best way to live(unless you're making millions of dollars of course). It's important to have a good relationship with money because it is something that we deal with on a daily basis. Being frugal let's you know where the majority of your cash is going, and let's you put some cash to the side for things you really want. I was always scared to spend money until I started being more frugal. I not only found that I had money for things that I really wanted, but I would end up finding things that I really want for half the price most of the time.

 

I think the best frugal advice nowadays is to always look up what you are about to purchase as much as possible. These days it's way too easy to find out more about your desired product and there really isn't much more of an excuse not to check if you could have possibly gotten that product for a lower price somewhere else or maybe there is even a better brand out there.

 

I think it's silly that some people spend everything they have on their wedding. It makes their actual marriage harder by putting them into debt. The money some people spend on weddings could go for a down payment on a house to start their life together.

 

I believe that living frugally is one step towards financial freedom that's why my family is very keen on practicing frugal living. We rarely spend on clothes and whenever we buy clothes, we make sure that quality is always the number one factor in buying. We look for clothes that is made from materials that's durable and machine washable. We also don't spend on designer clothes because we find it very wasteful. It's not that we can't afford to buy designer clothes. It's just that we choose not to because my parents are trying to save more money for the things that matter. Which is their retirement hahaha.

In any case, I support them a hundred percent and I prefer a frugal life than a materialistic one. I'd rather invest my money than spend it on things that I'd eventually replace years from now.