The definition of Frugal is as follows:
fru·gal adj.
1.Practicing or marked by economy, as in the expenditure of money or the use of material resources. See Synonyms at sparing.
2.Costing little; inexpensive: a frugal lunch.
Living paycheck to paycheck is not a “comfortable” way to live, nor is it a very frugal way to live. However, no matter what your expenses are, everyone has the opportunity to live for less than they currently are. Unless of course you are Ms. Frugal USA. Then perhaps you already have all the advice in use, and are practicing your frugal lifestyle daily. But for most people, living frugally is not yet a lifestyle. In fact, the only people who seem to be really good at frugal living are our senior citizens. Especially those that have lived through the depression. They learned they needed to live a more frugal life in order to survive, and most of them still live that way today.
And that’s a key point. Frugal Lifestyle. Living frugally is not just something you do occasionally. It needs to be worked into your daily life; to become a lifestyle. Living a frugal lifestyle will enable you to sit back and not think, to just enjoy saving the money. It becomes a part of who you are, and what you do on a daily basis. It becomes a way of life, just like being a Christian or a Parent.
I am a pretty frugal person (I’m also a mother and a Christian). In many ways, I’ve almost always had those genes in me. But there have been some things I’ve had to really work at when trying to maintain a frugal lifestyle. It takes effort on your part to become a frugal person.
If you were to study my bank account and the receipts for the items I purchase on a daily basis, and could really see the ways that I have increased my savings and how easy it is to live on a budget, you’d recognize the ease of which it falls into your lifestyle.
Some of the more common ways that I am living a frugal lifestyle:
- Grocery Shopping
- Clothes Shopping
- Electricity and Heating & Cooling Costs
- Home Decorations
- Family Entertainment
- and a lot more!
I will discuss these more in depth in some future articles, but for now, it’s important to begin with teaching you about frugality. Practice making it a part of your everyday lifestyle. Practice saying out loud “I will live a frugal lifestyle. I will create a budget and stick to it. I will save money and be happier because I have changed my lifestyle.”
And then begin. Just start watching what you spend and how you spend it. You need to get a good grasp on that first. Seeing where your money is going. It takes about a month or so, unless you keep really good records, to see exactly what comes in and goes out each month.
So tip for today: Check out your budget, expenses and income. Dig in depth and see where your money is coming from, going to and what is left at the end. With that knowledge we will be able to begin working on your frugal lifestyle.
Please keep watching the Frugal Living blog for more great Frugal Lifestyle articles.
Some other articles of interest:
Miserable? I Don’t Think So,
You Can Do It! How To Switch To One Income,
Frugal Living Means Priorities,
Define Frugal Living,