24 Ways to Start Living the Frugal Life
1. Clip coupons – Check out MissMoneyBee.com daily for the latest and BEST coupons for groceries, clothes and many other essentials!
2. Eat out less – Although eating out is fun, requires no cooking skills, and leaves you with no dirty dishes at the end of the meal, it can be expensive. Plan out your meals for the next five days, do some frugal grocery shopping with your clipped coupons and you can cut your food costs down significantly. Then, at the end of each week, or every other week, if you want to treat yourself to eating out – you don’t have to feel so bad about it!
3. Pay your bills online – this will save you the gas it will take you to drive to get a money order or the postage cost required to mail a payment.
4. Group errands – Knock everything out in one trip instead of going to the grocery store on Monday, the pet store on Tuesday, the nail shop on Wednesday…etc. Plan ahead and map out the most cost efficient way to run all your errands all at once, especially if they are close to one another.
5. Seek freebies – Check out retailer’s and specific product’s Facebook/twitter pages for deals, coupons, and freebies.
6. Cut your electricity bill – Wash your clothes and dishes in cold water; they will still come out clean and your water heater will not have to work as hard and therefore not run up your electric bill.
7. Carpool – Find out if any of your co-workers live near you. You can set up a schedule to car pool two or three times a week – which will cut your gas costs in a major way. Most cities have a car pool hotline that people can sign-up for and enables neighbors/people to set-up car pools. For Miami-Dade residents, check out http://www.1800234ride.com/section2.php?id=82&sec=53 to start carpooling!
8. Exercise outside – instead of paying $30-$40 a month for a gym membership, go to your local park or beach and run and workout for FREE!
9. Grow your own vegetables and fruits – Make your backyard your own personal veggie/fruit garden! Buy some seeds, water daily and after a few months, you can have fresh grown tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots or whatever veggies and fruits that tickles your taste buds!
10. Utilize Netflix, Redbox, Blockbuster Express or Hulu – Instead of paying $100 a month for television cable, check out other TV/movie options like Hulu and Redbox. Netflix and Hulu offer unlimited streaming of thousands of old and new movies as well as hundreds of TV shows for only $9.99 a month plus tax! Although a internet connection would be required, which will increase costs, it will be much cheaper than cable for $100+ a month. You can also go to your local grocery store and check out a Redbox or Blockbuster Express movie kiosks for $1 for 24 hours.
11. Visit your local library – Instead of paying for internet, which can cost you a pretty penny every month, visit your local library to use the internet. It is usually FREE or has a very minimal cost. This could save you up to $1,000 annually each year! Also, you can rent entertaining books and movies for FREE!
12. Shop at Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Ross, and other discount stores – These stores offer the same clothing and home goods as high-end retailers, but for half the price!
13. Change your own oil – An oil change can cost up to $40. You can cut that price in half if you buy the oil yourself and change it yourself. It is a reasonably simple process. Check out this video tutorial to learn today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nng2Ey3z8to
14. Vacation during off-season – Honestly, vacation time is just about any time, but make sure to research when spring break is occurring in various states and also avoid vacationing during major holidays; this way you have a better chance of getting a good hotel/airplane
15. Dry your clothes outside – You can air dry or sun-dry your clothes instead of putting them in a dryer machine. This could save you’re a few bucks each week on electricity.
16. Cancel magazine subscriptions – Check out your local Barnes & Noble. You can usually hang out and read as much as you want for FREE! You can spend hours in their magazine section without it costing you a dime. Those yearly magazine subscriptions could easily be cut out of your budget and put towards something better like a vacation or retirement.
17. Quit smoking – With a pack of cigarettes ranging from $5 – $10 a pack, this will not only put a lot of cash back in your pocket, but will help you become a healthier YOU!
18. Eliminate credit cards – The interest rate on any given credit card can range from 9% to 30% and that is money going right down the drain. If you have a credit card that you can pay off each month without accumulating interest while building your credit – great! Otherwise, get rid of the credit cards that charge you fees or interest.
19. Shop at the dollar store – For paper items, cleaning products and other miscellaneous goods check out your local dollar store. The items are usually significantly cheaper!
20. Get a family plan – If you, and one or two family members, get a family cell phone plan, you may be able to cut the cost by nearly half!
21. Keep your mani-pedi at home – You can do your own toenails instead of paying someone $10 – $20 to do it. You and a girlfriend can have a girls night in and paint each other’s nails for FREE!
22. Celebrate holidays frugally – instead of spending hundreds of dollars on Valentine’s Day, Christmas or any other holiday, make gifts that are unique and meaningful. This will save you a lot of money while still showing your loved ones that you care about them.
23. Comparison shop – Through the internet you can compare prices of groceries, clothing, furniture, and just about any item you are looking to buy. Dedicate a little time to do pricing research and you will save yourself a few bucks!
24. And lastly, visit MissMoneyBee.com daily! By visiting MissMoneyBee.com on a daily basis you can get the latest coupons, freebies, and tips for saving money and living a frugal yet fun lifestyle!