I am always talking about how having resources is beneficial in our lives. Today, I will be talking about more resources that can be useful for you if you are looking for ways to cut your expenses and live on less to achieve your financial goals faster. Having a frugal lifestyle (temporarily or long-term) is a common way to live on less. A little sacrifice may be necessary, but it is worth the reward of getting what you want in the end. Here are some things you can do achieve your life goals.
Frugal Ideas
Shop at discount grocery stores: Aldi, WinCo Foods, Food 4 Less, Wegman, Market Basket, Grocery Outlet, Walmart, Market Basket, Trader Joe, Giant Eagle, etc. Bulk discounts: Sam’s Club, Costco, BJ’s.
Make your own coffee/tea/smoothies at home.
Use rewards credit cards to get cash back and points from your purchases.
Buy clothing at your local thrift stores or secondhand stores in your area.
Meal prep your meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will always recommend knowing how to cook for yourself as it is a necessary survival skill. It also saves you money and time cooking at home and having food to eat at work for lunch and food to eat for dinner when you come home. However, if you are not a good cook, you can try using your grocery budget for healthy ready-made meals from a grocery store deli (sub sandwiches, salads, pasta, roast chicken, etc.) or towards a meal prep delivery service (Ex: HelloFresh, Every Plate, Mosaic Foods, Dinnerly, HungryRoot, Purple Carrot, Daily Harvest, Home Chef, Sun Basket, Clean Eatz, Factor.
Invest in a pressure cooker and/slow cooker to prepare meals that will last for days to save you time and keep you disciplined to avoid eating out.
Buy used items (Ex: Amazon Marketplace used items, OfferUp, Poshmark, Ebay, Local Thrift stores, etc.).
Prioritize and make a budget to track your spending. Many banks credit card companies can do this automatically for you so you can see the expense summary of your debits (expenses) and your credits (income). You can also use a budget tracking app.
Quality over quantity. If you buy something made cheaply, its lifespan will be short and you will have to buy that product again. If you buy better quality, its lifespan will be longer which will allow you to focus your budget on other things.
Use coupons, discounts, warranties, and price match opportunities available to you. Many supermarkets and retailers offer free membership/loyalty programs so that you can buy things at a discounted rate all the time. Always ask about discounts! Many retailers have free apps you can download to receive the discount. A popular app to find discounts is Free Stuff Finder.
Know what your values are so that you are making well-informed decisions based on those and not about the money. For example: One of your values is spending time with friends. You don’t always have to spend money to be with another person. Instead of going to the movie theater to watch a movie with friends, you can watch a movie at home. You have saved yourself the money you would have spent on the movie ticket, and refreshments. Winning with your values!
Review your expenses periodically using a method I’d like to call R.E.N.: Reduce your expenses, Eliminate the expenses, Negotiate the expenses.
Know when to say no. Set spending boundaries for yourself.
Use public transportation or bike when you need to travel if available and feasible.
Depending on your climate, use a clothesline instead of a dryer to save on electricity.
Use reusable shopping bags to avoid buying a new one every time and to avoid extra plastic waste.
Cut your own hair instead of spending money on a salon. YouTube videos are out there to help you learn how to do this.
Use a barrel to catch rainwater to water your plants to save on your water bill and save the planet.
Buy or find secondhand furniture for free. You can often find good affordable furniture from ‘Buy Nothing’ groups on Facebook, your local city auctions and community garage sales in your local neighborhood.
Use free trials at gyms to try before committing and don’t forget to cancel the membership.
Use a water filter to avoid buying bottled water. This saves you money and you help the planet.
Go to the public library to read books instead of buying them.
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