Current frugal advice is all about giving up the little things, such as the mocha coffee or the cable television. But what if you could lower your household and general expenses each month without permanently giving up the little things that make your life more fun? It is possible.
In order to lower your expenses without giving up the luxuries, you can do one of two things. You can either find a way to get that item or service for less, or you can temporarily suspend it when it doesn’t impact your life.
Let us take that last one first, because the statement can be a little confusing.
Often we pay for services or even products that we don’t use. To lower these expenses, you can choose to suspend many services when they have the least impact. For example, if you are going on vacation for two weeks, ask your cable company to freeze your service for that time. In fact, you may want to ask them to freeze it for busy times when you aren’t able to watch as much television, such as during the summer or during the holiday season. Rely on DVDs, free network television online, Netflix or Hulu for viewing if you need it. You could save up to $100 a month this way while still enjoying your entertainment.
Other services that can be frozen temporarily include the phone, the gym membership and newspaper subscriptions.
The other strategy, of getting things for less or for free, can keep those luxuries in your life, even when you feel as though you can’t afford them. The Frugal Blog is full of money saving ways to get the things that you want, such as free entertainment, free technology, free beauty treatments and even free meals out. Look through the archives and take advantage of all of the proven ideas.