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15 Frugal Tips For Those Beginners in the Middle Class

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Living frugally doesn’t mean saving every penny you don’t spend on necessary bills. Instead, only paying for items, goods, and services add value to your life. Minimalism, homesteading, and FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) investors resonate strongly with those living a frugal lifestyle. 

That doesn’t mean that if you live frugally, you’ll be able to retire early and live happily ever after. It just means that similar traits exist among those who choose a frugal lifestyle and those who practice minimalism or retire early. However, if you want to increase your frugality, homestead, live as a minimalist, or work toward early retirement, these tips will undoubtedly become part of your everyday life. 

1. Cut Subscriptions

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Estimates show that Americans waste nearly $33 a month on unused subscriptions. If you saved that money instead, you’d add more than $390 to your savings, especially because you’d also gain interest on this extra cash. 

Cutting out those unused subscriptions can lead to a more frugal life, adding enrichment and fulfillment to your daily routine. 

2. Track Expenses

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Most Americans claim to practice frugal living, but only 56.7% say sticking to a budget is easy. For the other 35.9%, the urge to spend is real, and they admit to struggling. 

One good way to curb that impulse to spend is by tracking your expenses. Knowing exactly where your money is going can help you realize just how much you’re paying for those goods and services you think you need. Doing so gives you a better idea of where your money goes. 

3. Create Shopping Lists

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I always leave my house with a list if I’m going shopping. As a reformed impulse spender, I stick to what I need when I have a list, instead of getting lost in everything my mind tells me I need. 

Shopping lists are also helpful in reminding you of things you might have yet to pick up while you are out. Forgetting items while you’re shopping equates to a second trip to the store, where it can be easy to impulse buy because you only ran in for one item, so you don’t often bring a list. 

4. Couponing is a Thing

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I am not a couponer, although I enjoy watching reality shows on the topic. The massive hauls that some people manage to bring in are crazy. However, I live with a picky partner, so I don’t spend too much time on couponing. 

That doesn’t mean coupons can’t serve you well if you know how to use them. If you see something in the store that you know you use all the time, pick up a coupon for it. If you can find three or four coupons and have the money to buy that regular-use item in quantity, doing so with the coupons is a frugal move that can save you considerably (especially if you can combine it with a store sale). 

5. Thrifting is Fun

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One of my favorite places to shop is the thrift store. My partner and I have seven children, and keeping them in clothes would kill us financially if we tried to buy them name-brand items all the time. 

To combat this expense, we hand down clothes among our daughters and utilize the thrift stores in our area. We also love to find books, toys, blankets, and knickknacks there. If you have a hand with interior design, thrift stores are excellent places to find little items to put in your house for next to nothing. Occasionally, you can find great books, furniture, and baby items there, too. 

6. Nix the Memberships

Costco Membership
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I’m a sucker for those free trial memberships. However, I’m a stickler for canceling them within the trial period, so I don’t get charged. Businesses that utilize this tactic hope you’ll forget to cancel these trial memberships and spend enormous amounts on paying the automatic charge fees. 

Gym memberships alone cost Americans $397 million. Imagine using all that to invest and then giving fifty percent away to charity. Cutting out the sorts of memberships Americans pay for and don’t use is an easy way to help your budget and take one more step toward a frugal lifestyle. 

7. Negotiate Bills

restaurant Bill
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Negotiating your bills is a lesson in grace and strategy. You need to know the minute details of your bills and bundle the services you can to create one or two concise bills. Consolidating your debt can help you manage your payments and pay down multiple accounts with one easy-to-handle payment. 

If you’re looking to cut back on areas like streaming or cable, canceling your service can sometimes get you a steep discount because the company would rather retain a paying customer than see you go to a competitor. However, beware of upsells, and don’t be afraid to ask for more if a company won’t budge on the price point. 

8. Do-It-Yourself Repairs

DIY
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Doing your own repairs and pet projects isn’t a blanket statement for trying to fix any problem. If you know you don’t possess the skills to finish a project properly, call in an expert. However, feel free to attend to issues yourself if you want to learn, have proper training, or know how to work on repairs and projects around your home or business. 

Not only will you save considerably over calling in a licensed professional, but you’ll also use skills that could use refreshing, and the combination is unbeatable when it comes to living a more frugal lifestyle. 

9. Free and Low-Cost Adventures

Backpacks
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Almost nothing is more enjoyable than finding free and low-cost ways to have fun. My husband and I take regular walks with our children in the national forest near our home. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon:

  • Letting them run and roam.
  • Picking wild blackberries and blueberries.
  • Genuinely enjoying the outdoors. 

National parks, museum visits, art gallery explorations, and other low-cost options exist if you’re willing to work hard to find ways to enjoy them cheaply. It also doesn’t make you a cheapskate to find frugal avenues for having fun for less. For instance, anyone on food stamps in the state of Florida can visit any state park for 50% off the regular ticket price per person as long as you have your current SNAP (supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) card. 

10. Pay Yourself First

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Saving and investing your expendable cash is one lovely side perk of living frugally. With a “pay yourself first” mindset, you’ll be less likely to spend the money you intend to invest. Storing that first 20% of your disposable income in a diversified portfolio or some physical gold and silver can help you reach your retirement and savings goals. 

Ensuring your investing goals are met each month will help you remember your budgeting goals and curb the urge to spend money impulsively. Also, make sure you allot enough.

11. Reduce Energy Use

light bulbs
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If I’ve learned one thing from my mother-in-law, it’s how to turn a light off when I leave a room. She’s a stickler for keeping the light bill low, which certainly helps to turn the lights off. Other opportunities to help reduce your energy use include using energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances, insulating your home and using energy-saving windows, turning off devices that aren’t in use, and running your washing machine on cold water and lower temperatures for drying. 

Except for investing in enough solar panels to power your home and run an overage with your electric company, there’s no way to completely get out of paying for electricity. However, there are many little things you can do to help lower your costs and reduce your carbon footprint. This comprehensive list has a lot of options to help you save. 

12. Throw a Garage Sale Party 

Smiling woman in a garage sale MSN
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One of my favorite summer activities is hitting up weekend garage sales. Someone else’s junk is always another’s treasure, and you can find some steals in the proper neighborhoods. 

A garage or yard sale is also a fantastic way to declutter and add to your frugal lifestyle by selling the items you no longer use. If you need money, it’s a great way to make some; if not, you can save or donate the proceeds. In the end, it’s a win-win all around. 

13. Nix the Impulse to Spend

Grocery Shopping
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As an impulse spender, I know how easy it is to buy that sale item you don’t need. I know how easy it is to convince yourself that you need that cashmere sweater because you don’t have one in that particular shade of pink. Americansspend an average of $3,381 yearly on spontaneous purchases. 

Over ten years, you could invest an extra $33,810 into your retirement account before you include compounding interest. Over twenty years at a return rate of 10%, you’d add $216,392.45 to your nest egg, rainy day fund, whatever you want to call it. 

14. Cook and Eat at Home

old lady cooking
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I have a confession. I’m not too fond of cooking and hate the cleanup even more. I don’t like experimenting with items that cost money if I make something that tastes disgusting, so I don’t try new dishes without a recipe. My husband is the exact opposite. He’ll throw together things that sound gross and turn out fantastic. 

However, even though I don’t enjoy cooking, there is no doubt that we save a considerable amount of money by cooking and eating at home rather than buying takeout. Not to mention, we can eat healthier that way. The delivery business,which will likely expand $32 billion this year, won’t dry up if you stop ordering in, and you’ll be on your way to a much more frugal lifestyle if you start eating more meals at home. 

15. Work on Mindful Spending

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This method is an interesting approach to spending money. Instead of that high you get from a nice impulse buy, you take a more holistic look at how you pay for things. You take time to make financial decisions based on your thoughts and feelings. You consider your long-term goals, money values, and whether what you’re purchasing aligns with where you want to be financially. 

This spending method is a new concept for me personally, but I like the sound of mindful spending. As a mom, I’m so used to buying things my children say they need (like toothpaste, facial cleanser, etc.) without wondering if they need that specific brand that costs twice as much as another option that’s just as nice. So, I’ll work this into my spending to curb that urge to spend spontaneously. 

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Family Travel
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‎Halki Greece
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