Living a frugal lifestyle can help us manage our money, time and our space. Frugal living sets us up for less stress, more freedoms and an overall happier life!
Being a naturally “cheap” person, I have had to learn how to change my mindset to being frugal and not cheap. With having been on the cheap perspective, I often would pay the lowest price I could get, bargain for anything and purchase poor quality food, just to get a good deal. Cheap is not always bad, but when it wastes time and is not what is best for our health, then there is a problem.
So…Frugal living. In my years of learning to be a frugal wife, mom and homemaker, I have come to see the benefits.
First of all, I am not a financial advisor. I am just a woman in pursuit of more contentment and how frugal living has helped that.
There are three categories that I want to talk about with frugal living: Money, Time & Space
Money ~ Frugal Living
When it comes to how we spend our money to be more frugal, we try to be intentional. Home decor, toys and clothing have been three areas where I have learned to think about what I am spending my money on. When I used to be cheap, I would buy small knick-knacks or items to clutter my home, just because they were at a garage sale or thrift store. Now, I consider if I truly enjoy the piece of decor and want that to be part of my home, even if that means I spend a little more.
I am a thrifter at heart, so the majority of our clothes come second hand. The same rule applies to our clothes shopping as the decor though. If I really do not love the item and just want it because it’s clearanced or cheap, then I do not need it. Don’t get me wrong, I still make the mistake and thrift a blouse that I think I’ll wear and find out several month later that I never touched it. On the other hand I’ll find a dress at a garage sale that I love and years later, I’m still wearing it
Being intentional with all we bring into our homes pays major dividends.
How we invest in our food is part of our frugal living story. I used to always buy the cheapest meats, produce and other packaged items. Through my health and frugal living journey, I have come to realize that quality food is better for us than quantity. We do invest in locally raised meats, eggs and dairy, along with cooking mainly from scratch.
Another way we are frugal with our money in the food realm is eating from home and using left overs. Our family of five eats out around one to two times a month, if that. Making our own food often satisfies us more, we don’t waste what was not eaten and it’s honestly a more pleasureable experience. Using left overs is a big money saver and frugal way of living. I may cook five evening meals a week, but we eat what is left in the fridge for lunches or for a Saturday “potluck” style meal.
One of the bigger ticket items for us in being frugal is with our vehicles. We have never bought a new vehicle and in our ten years of marriage we have only purchased one used car. With that vehicle we also made sure to pay cash instead of taking out a car loan. For us, a vehicle is a means of getting us from location to location. It does not have to have all the fancy gadgets and gismos.
Time ~ Frugal Living
Frugal living does not always have to mean with our money. How we spend our time can be part of our frugal life. Again, going back to my previously cheaper lifestyle. When I was always trying to get the best deal, I would go from store to store or from website to website, searching for the best and lowest cost item. In all reality, I was wasting valuable time. I could have been spending quality time with my family, working on my side job, or being productive in the home.
Space ~ Frugal Living
Our homes and spaces we have can be an asset or hindrance to our frugal living. We live in a 950 square foot home as a family of 5. I shared about our small home living story and the tips and tricks for living in the space we do. How does our space help us live more frugally? Well, if we have unoccupied rooms, or places that are never used in our homes, then we are wasting money. We have to heat and cool those spaces, furnish those rooms and take care of keeping those spaces up.
Living large may seem enjoyable, but weigh out the options. If possible, live in a smaller home that still suits your families needs.
Decluttering our spaces and keeping our home simple, can be helpful for frugal life. Keep a donation box in the back porch or in the closet. Pare down your wardrobe to what you know you wear. Keep only items that are useful tools in your kitchen. These are just some ways that decluttering can keep you in check with your space as well.
Frugal living can be such an asset for you and your family. I hope you look through what your money, time and space are doing for you and re-evaluate.
Best wishes on your frugal living journey and I hope to hear how it is going for you down in the comments!
Love,
Davee
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