Ways To Be Frugal and Live Simply

The way things are in the world today most people don't have the choice to cut down on costs and to become more frugal or money conscious. Some people think of frugal people as being poor or cheap. I beg to differ.

I find that a lot of people feel as though they have to keep up with what their neighbour has or keep up with friends that may not be in the same income bracket as they are and all that ends up happening is that they end up broke, in debt and unhappy. For what? To have a shinier car? A bigger house that is going to foreclosed on? Call me old fashioned but I really don't see the point.

I am the kind of person that what you see is what you get. I have simple values and morals that I was taught at a young age. I don't think happiness has anything to do with what you have or how much money you have in your bank account. It has to do with true friends, great family and in my case an amazing husband that I truly adore.

So here are a few things that you can do to live a simple and frugal lifestyle

1.  No Retail (or very little)

I shop at thrift stores, garage sales and craigslist for most things. I love the fact of saving all that money and I love the thrill of the hunt and finding something that is so cool that you haven't seen in years that brings back such great memories.

2.  Go to the library

Our library has all sorts of  fun things going on all the time and all for FREE. You can use the computer there, borrow DVD's and VHS tapes,  they have classes and book signings every so often and even movies sometimes on Sundays and of course you can get all sorts of books as well.

3.  Lose the landline

Our cell phone company has a shrinkage plan where after 6 months of on time payments the bill goes down 5$ until it is 35$ which includes unlimited phone, text and internet.

4.  No cable

Cable bills can be insane and we don't watch a lot of television. We have a converter and get 12 channels and that is perfect for us.

5.  Use coupons

I cut coupons on things we use, although we do buy a lot of generic the coupons come in handy for razors and toilet paper.

6.  Buy Generic

Most generic groceries taste the same, if not better than brand names. We buy 95% our our groceries generic and love it!

7.  Grow your own veggies

If you don't have the space for a garden, you can always container garden or if you are in town, lots of places are now doing community gardens.

8.  Don't eat out

Why spend 40$ for a meal you can make at home for 5$? We do order out, usually once a month for a treat or go out but when we do we use coupons.

9.  Learn to cook

Make your own food, from scratch. Why buy mac and cheese when you can make your own? We don't buy hardly any processed food, we cook everything from scratch and love it.

10. Make your own cleaners

I have been doing this for over a year and love it. Most household cleaners are made from baking soda or vinegar. Making cleaners and detergents are very easy to make and so much cheaper than buying from the store.

It really is all about what makes you happy and what you like. We like living simply and doing as much as we can to be as self sufficient as possible. I am constantly learning about new cleaner recipes to make and loving it. There is something about having the satisfaction of making your own from scratch, not to mention they are cheap to make!! So my thinking is it is a win win situation!

What does frugality and living simply mean to you?