Living a frugal lifestyle can be very enjoyable, even if you are use to spending a lot of money in the past. It is really just a change in the way you do things.
It all comes down to a change in mindset. Instead of wanting to spend lots of money, people who live frugally are those that find ways to enjoy their life without spending a lot of money.
Frugal people take a few extra minutes each day to really think about what is most important to them when it comes to spending money and saving money.
And, they become very good at finding ways to buy what they need, and enjoy their daily lifestyle, while still having money leftover.
Fun and easy tips on living a frugal lifestyle, while actually having money leftover:
Share Your Children’s Toys Through a Toy Swap
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the toys in your house, and think about all the money that is just sitting there?
A great idea that I saw online a few years ago, for parents with little children, is a toy swap.
A toy swap is something that moms and dads can organize within their church or through their local community centre.
Clean up and bring in all the toys that your children have outgrown and swap them with what the other parents bring.
This is a perfect way for parents to save money, and your kids will love it because they will always feel like they have new toys.
Buy in Bulk
There are certain things that you may need to buy every week such as butter, milk and eggs, but there are many things that you can buy in larger quantities and store until you need them (assuming you have the room).
We like to go to Costco about once every 3 or 4 months.
We buy paper products, garbage bags and cleaning supplies.
Earlier this year we really began to wonder if we were saving any money by shopping there so we made a list of what we were paying for products there and compared their prices with the other major grocery stores in our city.
We were happy to find out that we were actually saving money by shopping at Costco.
Put Your Spare Change in the Bank
How much change do you carry around in your pocket or purse each day?
Years ago my husband and I started a spare change jar that we toss our change, including our loonies (dollars), into at the end of each day.
Just recently I went to the bank and asked for coin wrappers so that I could cash in what we currently have in our collection.
It added up nicely and I deposited it immediately.
Also, when I worked in the UK several years ago I found that I collected a lot of coins for some reason.
One day when I was at the grocery store I noticed that they had a machine that looked like an instant teller machine.
It was actually a machine that you dump all of your coins into and it counts them for you. I had never noticed one here in Canada.
Anyways, it counts your coins and gives you a receipt for the amount. But of course it deducts a small commission for counting your change.
Related: 101 Frugal Tips to Help You Save Money
Host a Potluck Party
After I graduated from college I began working in the Wills & Estates department of a major bank.
One of the ladies I worked with was an expert when it came to frugal living, and we all learned a lot from her.
She began hosting potluck parties on Saturday nights at her home.
We would each bring a unique dish that we figured others may not have tried yet, and we would share all the food and exchange recipes.
Those evenings were a lot of fun, and we saved money, by not going out to a restaurant for dinner and drinks every weekend.
Cook in Big Batches
A couple of years ago I read a story about women who get together once a month to cook huge meals.
They choose the recipes prior to getting together and each person is responsible for buying certain items and getting them ready.
On cooking day everyone brings their own storage containers and groceries and they spend the day cooking together.
As each meal is finished they divide the food up amongst themselves so that they can take it home and freeze it for their families.
Use Less Gas by Pre-Planning Your Errands and Appointments
Gas is expensive. We try to keep our spending on gas to $50 a month. Sometimes we get away with less.
When we have appointments to go to and errands to run we make a list and we make sure that we schedule them all in one day (if possible).
We always pre-plan our route so that we are not running all over town.
Not only does this reduce the amount of gas that we use but it also saves us a lot of time which allows us to work on other projects and get more done around the house.
We noticed that as we made these simple changes, they just naturally became a new way of life.
We never felt deprived, as many people think they will if they become frugal.
You find, as you spend less money on things, that simply spending time together with family and friends, is enjoyable. And, when you spend less money on “things”, you will also find your stress levels dropping because you will not be faced with huge credit card bills at the end of every month.
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