Ways to be More Frugal
And save yourself some money to boot
There is a time in most people’s life when money can be a bit tight so it’s always useful to know a few things about being frugal.
Let’s get one thing straight: being frugal is NOT about being boring, it’s about making your money work harder for you.
In this article, I’ll give you a few tips about how to be more frugal, save money and be greener at the same time. It’s a win-win, so keep reading.
Earn Extra Money
Right, so your job isn’t paying you enough or you’ve just lost it, how can you get more cash in right now? The easy way of doing it is to sell your unwanted goods online making you money and keeping items out of landfill. There are a number of great sites where you can sell everything from unwanted gifts to clothing and shoes. Here’s a list of some of them:
· Ebay
· Amazon
· Newegg
· Bonanza
· Walmart
· Ruby Lane (antiques and collectibles)
· Craigslist
· Ebid
· Rakuten (a Japanese site, but sells worldwide)
· Swappa (mobile phones and tablets)
And for selling craft there’s Etsy and Folksy. All these sites are worldwide and in the UK there’s also Gumtree, which is a British version of Craigslist.
Save Energy
This is a no brainer. If you save energy at home, you’ll keep your energy bills down to the lowest they can be. First off, do what a lot of people do in colder countries and keep the central heating off during the summertime. Yes, there may be colder days, but put on extra layers, wear socks and slippers and at night, cosy up to watch television under a blanket.
Here’s an easy one. On cold days and in winter, keep the heat in by closing windows and doors (including internal doors) and use draught excluders on your windows and doors if you need to (this will save you around £25/$32 a year, it doesn’t sound much but it all adds up). If you’re handy with the needle and have an old pillow case or piece of cloth, you can find easy directions on how to make your own online or see mine here. As soon as it gets dark, close your curtains to keep the heat in.
A bit of home maintenance is also needed here. Make sure your roof is properly insulated and fix draughty windows and doors if you can.
To further cut down your heating bills, turn your thermostat down by one or two degrees. You are unlikely to notice it and it will save you money. Wear plenty of layers and use a hot water bottle in bed.
Finally, if you have a proper fireplace, make sure the damper is shut when the fire is not in use otherwise all your heat will escape up the chimney.
Food
When saving money on food, making from scratch is best. Not only is it healthier, but it’s cheaper (although I’ve heard this might not be the case in some parts of the US). Cook in bulk to save on energy and freeze excess portions if you can. I realise not everyone has a freezer, but if you do have one, use it. Freeze extra dishes in portion sizes.
Plan your meals and make a list of ingredients. Go to your local food shop or supermarket and stick to the list. Not only will you save money by not picking up things you don’t need, but the food you do buy will be properly used up. Also, use coupons. Couponing in the UK isn’t as amazing as it is in the US, but you can still get money off. Extra tip: only use coupons on items you actually buy. Don’t buy for the sake of using up a coupon.
Talking of using food up, if you have leftovers, use them up. Sites such as Love Food, Hate Waste in the UK not only gives you portion sizes so there is not waste, but also provides suggestions for using up excess food if you have it.
Got bananas that are going black? Don’t bin them, make them into banana bread. There are loads of great recipes online. Not only will you save waste and money, but you’ll have a delicious treat for the family.
Bread going stale? Use it as a bread pudding, as breadcrumbs for various dishes or there’s a tonne of great recipes online which show you how to use it up.
The internet has a wealth of great websites you can go to for cheap recipes, tips on using up leftovers and how-tos for making meals from scratch. My favourites are: Love Food Hate Waste, Money Saving Mom, Skint Dad, Frugal Woods, The Frugal Girl, and Mortgage Free in Three.
Start Doing Useful Hobby
You can save a tonne of money if you can do your own DIY, basic car maintenance, clothing maintenance or you have a hobby where you can sell items on places like Ebay and Etsy. Here are my top ten:
1. Sewing — this is a great skill to have because you can mend and amend your own clothing, make clothes, toys and other items to give as presents or to sell. If you are good enough, you can also design and sell your own patterns.
2. Knitting and crocheting — other great skills to have. Like sewing you can make and wear/sell what you make and/or create patterns to sell.
3. Jewellery making — this can be quite lucrative especially if you design jewellery pieces that are unusual and attractive. Another great way of making money.
4. Car Maintenance — although cars are highly computerised these days, knowing basic car maintenance can prevent future (and expensive) problems with your car plus save you when you have to take it for it’s annual MOT/safety test. If the car has fewer problems, it’s more likely to pass and you won’t have to pay your mechanic to fix it.
5. Cycling — there are two reasons why cycling is here, not only does it save you money on transport costs, but also on gym membership as it’s a great way of keeping fit.
6. Taking part in free competitions — I’ve won a few things by taking part in free competitions. You can find them online or in magazines (go to your local library and trawl through their selection of magazines). The stuff you win can either be kept or be given as gifts to others.
7. Photography — most of us have a smart phone so this should be a do-able hobby for most. There are loads of online sites where you can sell your images. Make sure they are a high quality and in the correct format for the site and upload. Simple.
8. Walking/running — again another saver for transport and gym costs.
9. Reading — this might sound like a strange one, but reading not only improves your spelling and grammar, but you can learn new skills by reading the right books. Find a subject you’re interested in, read up on it and there you go! You can now knit, sew, do simple plumbing jobs, maintain your car, make items to sell, cook, bake etc.
10. Writing — okay, so you have to have some level of skill to be able to write, but you can learn a lot of it. My advice to would-be writers is to read everything you can so that your spelling, grammar and command of your language is as good as it can be. Then look at what interests you and write about it. For fiction, that could be in a genre such as adventure, romance, war, science fiction. I would also advise reading as much of your chosen genre to get a feel for what works. For non-fiction, if there’s something you’re passionate about write about it. This could be a sport, history, politics, fashion… anything at all. Not got the money to buy loads of books, you can get a great selection down at your local library or there is often free information online.
Save Money Where You Can
Saving money isn’t about being mean, penny pinching or living like a hobo. It’s about being smart with what money you have.
It can be simple things such as getting your friends together to do clothes swapping parties (provided you have a few who are similar sizes to you!), cancelling any subscriptions you don’t use, creating to and sticking with a monthly budget (see online for free budget planners), using cashback or discount apps when shopping online or shopping around for the best deal.
Don’t buy things immediately, but if you can, save up for it then you won’t have to pay any interest on your credit card (if you used that to buy it) or to the store if you bought it on some sort of hire purchase deal.
If you’re not bothered about buying new, buy second-hand. It’s cheaper and you often get a great bargain. I bought my daughter a mid-20th century wardrobe recently after the flat pack one I bought her two year’s ago disintegrated. The second-hand wardrobe was cheaper than the brand-new flat pack and is sturdier. I expect it to last for a long time to come and I am never buying flat pack again. Added to that is that it has lovely quirks to it such as internal glass doors over a shelving area that none of her friends have in their wardrobes. What did it cost me? £115. What did the flat pack cost me? Around £200. Flat pack lasted for two years. This new-to-me wardrobe is already around 60 to 70 years old and looks like new. I wish I had bought it sooner!
If you can, try and put aside a little money each month and keep it as emergency funds to cover things like the washing machine breaking down or car repairs. You may also want to do the same for Christmas and birthday presents.
A big thing I would advise anyone trying to stick to a budget is either get rid of your credit card, put it away for emergencies only or use it and pay it off each month. Do not put items on your credit card you cannot pay for that month. What you don’t want is the interest to accumulate then you will have to pay it back. The money is better in your pocket. If you currently have a big credit card bill, stop using the card and pay back more than the minimum payment. This might only be a few quid over, but at least it’s going in the right direction and that is down. If you have several credit cards, consolidate them into one and pay that back. There are a number of great organisations who can help you with regards to debt, including the Citizens Advice Bureau and the National Debt Helpers in the UK and in the USA this debt site.
Okay, so there are few pointers for you. If anyone has any other ideas for being frugal and saving money, I’d love to hear from you.
I also have a frugal website where I try to find new ways of saving money and living a better life. Find it here The Canny Lass.