Frugal Living

Turning Over a New Leaf: How to Embrace a Frugal Lifestyle

Turning Over a New Leaf: How to Embrace a Frugal LifestyleWhen living life, money is one of the most important factors to consider. This is because money governs much of our lives and plays a huge part in both our welfare and enjoyment. Without money, you’re going to have a pretty poor lifestyle as opposed to someone with more wealth than you. At least, that’s what we’re led to believe. The truth is that, regardless of your income, it’s possible to live a happy and fulfilling life. Just because you don’t own a fancy car or a large house, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be capable of living a life that has meaning. It also doesn’t govern how much you enjoy your life.

As explained by this article at MrBashful.com, you don’t need money to be happy in life. Admittedly, it does take some level of wealth management and good habits in order to sustain your way of life. Things like bills and insurance need paying and you can’t exactly live without food which, as you know, costs money. In short, you need to find ways to adapt your income to your lifestyle, and the best way to do this is to adopt a frugal lifestyle.

However, frugality has its myths and not everyone understands what it means to live frugally. In order to overcome this, we’ll be taking a look at the myths surrounding frugal living, the advantages it comes with and what it means to embrace frugality.

Common Myths Regarding Frugal Living

First, let’s debunk a few myths regarding frugality. Many people wrongly assume that frugality is all about being cheap and buying the lowest-cost things you can while also getting as much as you can for free. While price is an important factor in frugality, it’s also not the only concern that you need to think about. Let’s delve into a few common myths surrounding frugality and why they’re simply not true.

 

  • Frugality is about buying the cheapest things you can. As explained in the introduction paragraph, frugality is not about being cheap. Many people incorrectly assume that frugal is just another word for being cheap or tight with your cash. This isn’t the case. Frugality is more about getting the most value you can from your purchases, which means that frugal people aren’t strangers to making expensive purchases as long as what they’re getting is worth the money. Occasionally, this does mean that z   
  • Frugality is about clipping coupons and refusing to tip. Being frugal, again, doesn’t mean that you have to be cheap. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using coupons if it helps you to save money, but being frugal doesn’t mean that you’re just going to constantly clip coupons and never buy anything without them. Frugal people are absolutely fine with paying full price for something and they don’t shy from tipping if they believe that they received a good service.
  • Frugality is about living a simple lifestyle. Frugality doesn’t mean that you need to shy away from fashion and luxuries. Frugal people are masters at saving money, but they also know how to stretch their cash to make every purchase valuable. They know how to use their money effectively and they also know how to entertain themselves with what they have. A frugal lifestyle doesn’t mean giving up luxuries and it doesn’t mean you need to live a simple and boring life. Being frugal just means that you have more money to play with because you’re smarter with it.
  • Frugality is a difficult lifestyle to maintain. Absolutely false. If anything, frugality is an easier lifestyle to upkeep thanks to the reduced costs of living and the many benefits that frugality offers. Frugal lifestyles also promote healthy lifestyles and positive changes in your life, which is another fantastic reason to switch over to a frugal lifestyle.
  • Frugality is a lifestyle you’re forced into. Again, this is another common misunderstanding of frugality. Living a frugal lifestyle doesn’t mean that you’ve been forced into it due to your financial situation. A frugal lifestyle just means that you’ve chosen to save money and be smarter with your financial situation.
  • Frugality makes you look poor. If saving money and being smarter with your purchases makes you look poor in the eyes of your friends, then it’s possible that you’re hanging around with the wrong people. Being smart with your money should be a positive thing, not a negative one.

 

With so many myths regarding frugality, it’s often difficult to convince someone to take up a frugal lifestyle. Hopefully, these types have given you a different idea of what frugality actually is and why it’s such a positive thing.

What Are the Advantages of Going Frugal?

Frugality comes with many positive benefits that are often forgotten about. For starters, frugality tends to promote healthier living. Since you’ll be spending more money on healthy food such as vegetables and fruits instead of eating out and devouring fast food, you’ll ultimately become a healthier person. Frugality also means that you’ll be better at saving your money. If you follow these tips from TheSimpleDollar.com, you’ll find that many of them can help lead you to a frugal lifestyle. It’s always nice to have money ready for emergencies, and that’s one of the biggest advantages of frugal living.

Some more advantages of frugal living involve being able to save money for the future. Whether it’s saving for your child’s future or buying a home in the future, frugal living means you’ll have plenty of financial security which is always appreciated. The freedom of being able to buy what you want and live the life you want is fantastic, and frugal living can help you towards that humble goal.

Lifestyle Changes to Help Embrace Frugality

So to conclude, let’s take a look at some of the best ways to convert to a frugal lifestyle.

 

  • Get rid of debt. The first thing you want to do is get rid of any outstanding debt that you might be experiencing. Give a visit to DebtConsolidationUSA.com today and you’ll find plenty of fantastic ways to cut down your debt so you can start building financial security with your frugal lifestyle.
  • Save for the future. The future is full of unique opportunities and it’s important to have the money to be able to take advantage of them. It could be a student loan, a car, a home or even a new business opportunity–just make sure to hold onto your money as best as you can.
  • Buy used. Buying used saves you a lot of money especially if it’s things like your electronics. Refurbished products are often more reliable than new ones and you’ll save plenty on repairs and maintenance.
  • Save on entertainment. Entertainment deserves a budget, but make sure you’re not spending it on things that can be avoided. For instance, if you find cable television to be too expensive, then you might benefit from purchasing an on-demand subscription on the internet instead.
  • Be healthy. Healthy living is synonymous with frugal living. This is because a frugal lifestyle depends on purchasing cheaper foods and avoiding restaurants and fast food. For example, you could drink more water instead of chugging coffee or soda, and you can choose to eat healthier foods like fruits and vegetables instead of eating out.
  • Learn to cook. Cooking can help you eat more healthily, but it can also help you eat cheaply too. For some tips, take a look at TheKitchn.com to see some fantastic frugal cooking and shopping tips to follow.
  • No more impulse buys. With online shopping being as easy as it is, it’s incredibly easy to accidentally spend too much money on the internet. In order to combat this, you’ll need to find ways to prevent yourself from buying too many things on the internet. Try to limit your internet usage or control your spending by focusing on priorities first.
  • Focus on necessities. And speaking of priorities, it’s important to pick your necessities first before you decide to spend on other items. For example, you could consider travel costs to get to work as a necessity, and you should consider food as a necessity too. However, entertainment can always be cut down to make more room in your budget for essential things.
  • Declutter. Decluttering is good for a number of different reasons. Firstly, it’s a great way to clear out your home so that you have a clearer and more comfortable place to live in. Secondly, decluttering allows you to find items that you’ve been hoarding so you can sell them to make a little bit of money on the side. Decluttering also helps you realise that you probably have way more possessions in your home than you actually need.
  • Quit bad habits. Whether it’s smoking, eating junk food or chugging too many soft drinks, it’s important to quit your bad habits if you want to live a frugal lifestyle. Bad habits often turn into expensive ones, so identify those money sinks and get rid of them as soon as possible.

 

 

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