Frugal living tips can be used by everyone to help you make better decisions with your hard earned cash. As gas prices and the cost of food go up finding ways to save your money is top priority for many families. By just implementing a few of these tips into your life you can begin to save money.
Save On Your Monthly Bills
Gather all of your bills and see how you can save money on each of them. One of the easiest ways to begin saving money on your bills is to call around and get quotes on your auto and home insurance to see if you can get a better rate.
Are you paying for two or three car payments when you could get by with one? Most families find it hard to even consider having only one car but if you are having trouble paying your house payment then you may have to learn to get by with only one vehicle. One of you could take public transportation or you could car pool to and from work together. Another option is buying a cheap older car as your second car instead of having two expensive SUV’s to take you to the grocery store.
Do you pay for a bunch of movie channels that you do not use or are you paying for the five movie package from Netflix when the three movie package would work out just fine. You may want to look at your cable bill and see if you can reduce your monthly bill.
One of my favorite frugal living tips, and a tip that doesn’t take a lot of effort or cause you to have to give up anything material, is to work on lowering your electric and water bill. Buy some compact fluorescent light bulbs, turn off the lights when your not in the room and unplug items when their not in use. Turning the water off and on while you are washing dishes and letting a barrel fill with rainwater to use to water your plants is an easy way to save on your water bill.
Just say no – to meat that is
At least once a week have a meal that doesn’t include meat. Meat can be the most expensive part of the grocery budget and you can save yourself some money by not using it at every meal. This may be difficult for the “meat and potatoes” bunch but with a little preparation and thinking ahead you may find that you already eat some meals that are meatless.
You can have a great meal such as beans and cornbread, bean burritos or cheese quesadillas. These all taste great and kids generally like them as well. You could also have a giant salad for dinner, vegetable soup, or a cheese and raw veggies night with dips and crackers.
Not only will these meatless meals help your wallet but they have a tendency to help your waistline as well!
Hit the Flea Market
Or garage sale. Or secondhand store. This is another of my favorite frugal living tips because it involves recycling and not sending these wonderful items to the landfill. Instead of shopping for something new first, shop for something old and see if you find something you like. It is not uncommon to find a dresser secondhand that is made of actual wood but a few years old for much cheaper than what you could buy a particle board dresser for brand new.
Flea markets, garage sales, and the Salvation Army are great places to find clothing and furniture (that is sometimes brand new with the tags still one) for extremely cheap prices. Before you go and buy an entire new living room set look at craigslist or ebay in your area to see if anyone is getting rid of one. It is possible to find furniture that is brand new and never been sat on being sold for half the price of brand new.
Sell! Sell! Sell!
Are you in need of some cash right now or are you wanting to pay off some of your bills? Sell what you don’t need! This is a great idea whether you need to or not. Clutter in your life equals clutter in your mind so get rid of it all and calm yourself in the process!
Don’t just throw away what you do not need, try and sell it first whether at a garage sale or online auction. If you try and your stuff still does not sell then donate it to a place like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Just because you don’t need that gold and velvet flowered couch anymore doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t be thrilled to have something to sit on!
Get out of debt free card!
Well, no, not exactly get out of debt free but the best of all frugal living tips is getting rid of your debt and paying in cash and being debt fee is the best feeling of all! If times get bad you want to know that you are not going to have to pay four credit card bills as well as your house payment and put food on the table. The best gift you can give yourself is to pay off the debt you owe to others and pay in cash for things you want.
Now there are times when the car needs a new tire to get you to and from work and you do not have the cash to pay for it. This is what credit cards are for, to help you buy things you need and pay for them later. Credit cards are not for buying a new outfit for Saturday night or the newest video game. You may be surprised at how good it feels to pay cash for something you just want, not need, and not have to worry about making the payments on it later.
Everyone can use at least one of these frugal living tips and make a difference in their life. Saving money on something you would have wasted money on is making money!
