Feasible Steps to be Frugal

Good evening dear friends! I hope that the start of your week has been a delight. I am currently sitting in the living room with a show on in the background to share with you some small steps that I have implemented in my life to maintain living below my means, in a more frugal manner. All of these tips are things that I think you can implement right away and have relatively equal levels of importance.

1. Maintain Accountability

This does not mean that you need to have someone watching your every move, but it does mean that you should find someone who you trust that you can discuss the points of stress or weakness when it comes to spending money. This person should be someone who can tell you the truth and be honest with you even in uncomfortable situations.

If you are married or in a long-term committed relationship, consider having your husband, fiance, or boyfriend be the person who you are able to be accountable with. If you are single or do not feel comfortable sharing that information with someone you are not married to, then consider having a parent, close friend, or other family member be your accountability person. 

Don’t feel as though you need to hide shopping and have an open dialogue about your spending habits so that you can build up your savings account to be well-suited to invest in you and your family’s future.

2. Limit Hobby/Habit Shopping

I am sure that this is much easier said than done, but it is so very important. I know of many people that shop when they are bored, sad or discontent with their life. I do not believe that it is a healthy choice to have a vice with your negative feelings when there are many healthy ways to find happiness and contentment in your life without feeling the need to indulge in things of this world.

There is also the fact that we were not made to consume as much as we currently do. The media and society are telling us to consume online and in stores to purchase an item, wear it a few times, and then purchase another item. These “fast fashion” trends will wear on your bank account significantly if you are not careful with your spending. It is my hope that I can encourage you to invest in your clothing to fit your personal style that will be timeless and elegant. Clothing that will last you for a good long while, as opposed to only a wear or two. 

I like to think about shopping as our modern means to gather the necessities of life, not to clutter our homes and minds. Please still purchase items that make you happy, but know when to draw the line. Will the item that you are purchasing better your life and home, or will it just accumulate dust on a shelf over time?

3. Cook at Home

One very easy step to saving a lot of money is preparing your meals at home. When I say this I do not mean indulging in a meal subscription service or meal delivery service, but rather utilizing Pinterest or the Food Network website or app to plan your meals. Then you are able to strategically plan your meals and know what to make when you are cooking then you will save so much money. 

Sure eating out on a busy night can be okay, or choosing to eat out on date night. But instead of instinctually turning into your favorite fast-food restaurant or stopping by a “fast-casual” restaurant for lunch, choose to pack your lunch and plan for eating out to be only for special occasions. 

I think that eating in is one of the more effective ways to get out of debt and getting your finances in order if that is what you are aiming to do. You will be blown away at how much money you are saving by choosing to shop at your grocery store and prepare your meals at home. I also recommend purchasing the generic store brand items when they are comparable in quality but less expensive. This is a great way to save money over time. 

4. Minimize the Frequency of Redecorating

Something that truly baffles me is the frequency in which people redecorate their homes. I think that this is very closely correlated to the concept of “fast fashion” and the prevalence of people influencing others to purchase items that they recommend or others trying to imitate other people’s homes. 

There is something to be said about the timelessness and comfort of a home that is established in its styling. Being able to grow and build your home throughout time is something that people will notice and will create a more functional and comfortable home. Instead of purchasing inexpensive home items from your local value store. Instead, save your funds for items that are of good quality that will last you for a while as well as having high functionality in all of your life chapters.

5. Set a “Contemplation Period”

This is something that I implement for a wide variety of purchases. I have a limit set for myself that if I am going to make a frivolous purchase over about $25 I usually choose to think about the item that I am getting/desire to get for at least 48 hours (2 days) to minimize the amount of money that I spend on impulsive purchases. 

This technique is extremely beneficial for online purchases. There is something to be said about the ease of purchasing items online where they lose the tangible feeling of purchasing an item (especially when you don't have to input your card information). Add things to your cart as you please, but don’t check out and purchase those items after about dinner time and spend a couple of days with the items sitting in your cart to ensure that the items that you have selected are actually a reasonable purchase. 

The tips are not immediate fixes, but I do think that they are wildly useful to implement to counteract the messages that are constantly in front of most of us regarding the incessant purchasing and spending of money. It is OKAY to not buy something when you go out to the store with your friend, family, husband, or significant other. 

If you have any tips for spending less money, please drop them in the comments below. I would love to get a conversation started about this because I know that there are so many other ways to reduce spending, these are just the tried and true methods for me.