How to be more frugal and save money is the question of the modern dog-day era. With prices rising every day and our demand for more rooted in the tons of stuff the heat has to offer, all of us would benefit with a few extra bucks in our pockets. But is it possible to collaborate with our dormant inner saver? It is if you commit to following the frugal lifestyle tips below.
Today, we’ll draw a clear line between what works and doesn’t work when it comes to frugal living. We have ten excellent saving ideas for grounding the pennies to your wallet’s floor. If you give them a serious chance, you won’t have to sweat over your budget for long. So, read on for our top frugal living tips!
For video learners – watch this video to learn about all these tricks:
1. Don’t Touch the Store Shelves Without a List in Your Hand
Grab that milk, pick up the juice, take the tortillas, bag the popcorn — where does this chaotic shopping plan end? When tote time strikes, you’ll need a well-thought-of list to take with you! Otherwise, your tempted mind, the fiery shopper, will take over, and you’ll buy lots of what you don’t need!
Not only that, but those unnecessary things will rob you of precious cash that you could save or spend on essentials. Humans are into all sorts of stuff: the shiny, the nicely colored, the tasty. But where there is a frugal budget, there is a limit. So, next time you’re ready to hit the packed aisles AND spend less, number the needed items in your notes file or jot down a list of what to get on paper.
2. Hold the Horses for the Impulse Shopper in You
Do you really need to snatch those super cheap Ali Express spandex? How about the sleek plasma that’s on sale for Black Friday? Be honest — probably not. And now you might be thinking, “But it shouldn’t always be about what I need — there are things I want, too! “We’d say, that’s okay, but your goal is also to practice self-control, so maybe one guilty pleasure per month only?
It’s all about finding a balance that keeps you soaring over the wealthier side of the financial fence. And, of course, you don’t need or want everything that pops in front of you. So, whenever an item begs you to add it to your cart, let the initial excitement decrease. If you still want it a day or two later and have enough money for the essentials, go for it.
3. Decrease Your Recurring Expenses
If you’ve been wondering about how to maintain a frugal lifestyle for a while, you might want to take a look at your recurring expenses. It could be the mundane that’s suffocating your budget, so pay attention to your bills, car insurance, and subscriptions. Prices have escalated across the world, but some providers offer good deals. So, see if you can opt for plans that can help you spend less over time.
Also, you don’t always need your home shining from the inside! Turn off the lights when you don’t need them. Introduce more Earth days into your everyday routine. And use the Unsubscribe button a bit more often to help your savings — tons of excellent content is available online for free!
4. Don’t Waste Your Food
If your fridge is about to become an ancient buffet, it’s time to open its doors, dig in, and start saving money. Those leftovers were once tasty recipes; they can regrow their charm with heating! And if you’re not into older treats, rethink your cooking habits to keep things more frugal. You can stir through as much as you can have in a single meal or lower your leftover quantities.
Also, as much as we’re all for trying new dishes, sticking to what you know goes down well as a delicious frugal tip. Sure, you can mix things up with an occasional Crème brûlée a la something, but the tried and approved reduces food waste the most. So, go for the finger-licking-good goods, and be smart with the sautéed experiments!
5. Stuff Your Food Storage With Double-Batched Food
We all cook and recook our food day after day. Still, stretching the interval between two cookouts can lower electricity costs, saving money in the process. If you make more time to chop and flop a double-size dish, you’ll have more to eat for longer. Therefore, prepare your edibles in batches, store them in your fridge or pantry (if canned), and break ties with your stove for a while!
Instead of heating the cooled-off delicacies, let them sit at room temperature and save some cash. That is unless you really enjoy the waves of warmth in your mouth while munching. However it might be, cooking more food at once will use your cooker’s potential for a maximum quantity of food and grant you time outside the kitchen, as long as you have a few hours for a massive fry-and-boil moment.
6. Have Fun for Free
If you’re an adventurer aiming to live frugally, taking your fun time out of the expensive zone will be nice. There are tons of cheap thrills and parties to crush for free! Have you checked out your community’s website for extraordinary events that cost nothing? Are you familiar with venues that let people in without tickets? If not, have some fun exploring those two things to help your savings!
Alternatively, hosting an at-home pantomime marathon or chilling with your friends with a Netflix flick in the background is one of the best frugal living tips. Pull out some of those flashy leftovers from earlier out of the freezer, and fiest the night away in company! You CAN definitely save money by simply switching from luxury clubbing to a homemade fun atmosphere.
7. Shop Second-Hand and Refresh Your Wardrobe for Less
Used clothes aren’t as bad as they sound. They’re a hit with anyone looking to maintain a frugal lifestyle! If you have enough time to window shop, you will find something worth more than it’s selling for. And you’ll save some cash for something else! So why not dress up for cheaper and rethink your style from an eco-conscious perspective?
If a piece is in a second-hand shop, it doesn’t mean it was too trashy to keep wearing it. It could have been that it just doesn’t fit the lengths and curves of the person who set it free. But it could suit you super nicely! Just imagine the millions of not-once-worn dresses, the T-shirts that could show your character, and the coats ready to flick off the cold winter breeze of your shoulders. They’re all waiting for a chance!
8. Sell What You No Longer Use
Sometimes, we have too much of something and tons of everything. Hoarding is a common phenomenon in a world of many things! But that doesn’t mean we need every knickknack we’re attached to — we can outgrow stuff and leave room for new, more suitable attachments! That said, it’s perfectly okay if the thought of selling some of your belongings to people who’ll find them helpful and cherish them crosses your mind.
Any dated shoes that no longer match the new you around? A TV reminiscent of the old days when you would fall asleep with the cheering of on-screen football audiences? It might be time for some of these things to go to a new place. They could make someone else happy, and you’ll let yourself walk steadily into a more frugal future filled with new meaningful purchases and some money earned.
9. Become the Freelancer of Your Dreams
Keeping an eye on your budget and expenses will only get you so far when it comes to frugal living. But if you want to do more than leaving cash on the side, you might need to find a job. Still, school and the other buzz of young adulthood don’t leave much room for the regular unwrapping of a career. However, you can, in fact, earn and enjoy your youth as a freelancer.
If you can find a few hours to do something for someone online, you can significantly enhance your finances without compromising your frugal lifestyle. And, as of recently, the online space couldn’t be richer, with exciting earning opportunities for those who can sniff the dollar in the search bar. You can be literally anything: a content writer, a transcriptionist, a graphic designer, or a data analyst. And some of these jobs don’t require many skills!
10. Start Using Pawns.app for the Extra Buck-y Hit
If you need quick and easy ways to be more frugal, Pawns.app is the perfect place to start. The app will teach you a valuable financial lesson — that you can make and save money with minimal effort if you have the right means. And with Pawns, you have four main ways to earn money: by completing surveys, sharing your internet for 100% passive income, referring the app to others, and more.
All these features offer a straightforward opportunity to supplement your income, so why not give them a chance? Download the app, tap on a few buttons, make a few choices, and unleash your frugal self today! Those extra bucks are all yours as long as you have it running in the background and turn it into your go-to pastime activity!
Time to Roll up the Sleeves and Start Saving Before the Heat Strikes!
So, how did you like our frugal tips? Can you give them a real shot, or will it take you some time to get there? Remember that YOU are the one in charge of your financial destiny, so pick a day and start investing in your budget and savings!
In the meantime, did you get a chance to install the Pawns.app? If not, feel free to check it out and keep visiting our blog. We’re always here to help you spend less and be more frugal. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next time!
