How to Make Frugal Living as a Way of Life

Frugal living is not being cheap! I am a staunch advocate of a frugal lifestyle. It is about living better for less. It's a smart way to manage your financial resources. In fact, it is fundamental to cash flow management. 

Frugal living can be a way of life. Teach your children a frugal way of life and they will eventually become good managers of their own finances. 

A frugal lifestyle can be adopted in practically all aspects of day to day living such as:

  • Health care
  • Food 
  • Energy Use
  • Financial Services
  • Travel

General Practical Frugal Living Strategies

Healthcare:

  • Keep a healthy lifestyle: healthy diet, adequate sleep, regular exercise, and positive outlook
  • Back to basic: natural environment, water therapy, herbal garden
  • Go generic: Generic drugs have the same efficacy with pioneering brands
  • Have a long term health care plan just in case you live too long

Food:

  • Plan meals: Prepare weekly or even monthly menus
  • Cook at home: Eating out is costly
  • Go natural: Plant your own vegetables
  • Go for  fruits and vegetables in season
  • Minimize spoilage:Practice First In, First Out

Groceries

  • Buy in bulk
  • Have a grocery list on hand to avoid buying on impulse
  • Buy on sale: Stockpile if feasible
  • Switch to generic: Consider substitution of ingredients

Energy 

  • Pay bills on time: Avoid penalties
  • Buy energy savings appliances
  • Make it a habit to unplug and put off gadgets when not in use
  • Use energy saver gadgets

Financial Services

  • Be financially literate: Become your own financial advisor
  • Pay higher interest debts first
  • Take advantage of "free" money: Optimize employer retirement plans
  • Optimize tax credits

Travel

  • Plan your travel: Prepare a budget and save for it.
  • Research and compare prices:flights, hotels, travel agencies
  • Be alert of travel promos
  • Travel light: Put personal necessities such as shampoo, toothpaste, lotion, etc in small containers
  • Don't be picky on food and accommodation

These are just among the ways you can cut down costs of maintaining a household. You can look into other innovative ways of frugal living yet still enjoy life to the fullest. 



Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.