I love the concept of frugal living.
Not only can you save money to buy more freedom. You can also save the planet by using fewer finite resources.
If you follow this blog, you will know I am not the most frugal blogger around.
In fact, on some expenses such as vacation, I probably spend more than most people do.
I choose some things to spend a bit more on, but then I am very frugal in others.
So if I’m only part-time frugal, how can I give you frugal living tips? Well, I still consider my wife and myself more frugal than most people and our ideas are easy to get started with.
1. Skip the car
I don’t own a car. We always bike everywhere. Not only is it better for our health, but living in the city, it is often much faster to bike than to drive in a car. On top of this, you also see much more on a bike than in a car.
This is a very conscious choice. My wife and I could definitely use a car, but we have decided not to own a car.
What if we want to travel further than is sensible on a bike? We either borrow a car from friends and family or we take public transportation. Occasionally, I even take a cab. All three options are cheaper than owning a car.
2. Don’t buy things
I don’t buy things. My house is not cluttered, and I don’t fill it up with useless things.
I asked my wife what the most frugal thing I did was when I wrote this article. She said: “you never buy anything”. You can see on our budget that it’s not true, but she’s right. I never buy anything I don’t really need. Sure, I need clothes to wear and good food to eat, but I couldn’t dream of buying weird decorations for our house or throw out furniture to buy some new.
3. Research and buy durable goods
My wife and I always research every buy online before we buy something.
Not only do we look for the best prices, but we also look for goods that last.
We rarely buy cheap stuff that only last a season or two. We mostly buy durable goods that can last a lifetime.
In fact, I would argue most things we buy become cheaper over time because we don’t have to replace them as often. This is one of my best frugal living tips.
4. Re-sell things
My wife excels in re-selling stuff. She buys things more often than I do, but at the same time she gets rid of other things every time.
She often buys things and use it for a few years. Then she re-sells the items at the same price or slightly lower.
This is possible because we only buy durable, quality goods. If you buy cheap stuff, nobody wants to buy it again.
5. Buy on sale or second-hand
I never buy clothes if they are not on sale. Never. I don’t get the concept of buying clothes at full price when I know most of it will be half price in a few months.
I have signed up for all my favorite brands’ newsletters. I am usually one of the first ones to know when a sale is on.
I occasionally buy things second-hand too, which saves us a lot of money. My wife does it all the time and is great at spotting good deals. Often she can wear second-hand clothes an entire season only to sell it at a higher price the next season.
6. Cook double the amount
My wife and I have recently started cooking food in a new way. Most days we cook double the amount.
By cooking double the amount, we always have leftovers for lunch or dinner the following day.
Not only do we save a lot of money buying in bulk, we also save a lot of time not having to plan or shop for dinner every day.
That’s our frugal living tips. I hope you can use some of them 🙂