Many people think frugal living is a bad thing, however, is it really such a bad idea to live frugally and save money for the future or other personal goals?
To put this into perspective, living frugally can actually help people to achieve their goals of retiring early, traveling around the world, or sending all of their kids to college while remaining debt free.
Frugal living can give just about anyone true freedom and joy in their lives. We will explore extreme frugal living tips that may be worth looking into if this lifestyle interests you.
Save On Your Grocery Bill
An easy way to save money is to create meal plans and cook in bulk. Eating out too much will put a dent in your wallet and you will probably end up gaining weight if you choose fast food.
Most supermarkets have weekly specials and sales which can be taken advantage of. By cooking the following week’s meals on a weekend, meals can be portioned out and stored in the freezer. This will save money as well as improve health and well being.
Take advantage of coupons to save even more money on food, groceries, toiletries and other essentials. These coupons can typically be found in newspapers, magazines and even online.
When done well, it is possible to shave off hundreds of dollars on your grocery bill. You can find extreme couponing tutorials on YouTube and websites and can be worth looking into.
Get Rid Of Your Vehicle
Another expense that takes up a large amount of money is fuel and car related maintenance. This can be solved by walking or even purchasing a bike to get around.
Alternatively, it may be wise to buy a smaller fuel efficient car that uses less gasoline than larger vehicles. Also, by using a bike, the exercise will help to keep you more fit, reducing medical bills as well.
Reduce Your Energy Costs
The electric bill is another huge expense. Thankfully, there are many ways to reduce power usage. One of the easiest ways is to swap out the typical light bulbs for LED lights. These type of light bulbs use significantly less electricity and will reduce the bill.
Reducing the temperature on your heater and using fans more than your air conditioning units will save money throughout the year.
Free Recreation
Living frugally doesn’t mean giving up fun just to save money. Instead of going out to expensive restaurants or nightclubs, opt instead for going to the beach or even a nature park.
In most areas, these locations are free. Even enjoying movies or setting up a romantic dinner at home can be a lot more appealing and intimate than being in a large crowd.
These are just a few extreme frugal living tips that will definitely help anyone to save money. Be sure to put them into practice and continue learning even more ways to save money for a more minimalist lifestyle.