Have you heard the word frugal floating around? Maybe it’s a word that stresses you out or makes you happy. Something I have wondered for awhile is what is considered frugal living?
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WHAT IS FRUGAL
Before we can dive into that question, we need to talk about what is frugal? What does the word mean?
Frugal is being careful in spending or using resources
Normally when we associate frugal living, we think to live a simple not luxurious life and being thrifty. But what about the last part of the definition, using resources? This last part suggests managing one’s resources wisely.
Let’s consider this resources in 3 different categories:
- money – the funds you have
- products – things you purchase
- energy – your time
ARE YOU FRUGAL?
Looking at those 3 categories are you being frugal in any of them? In other words, do you manage these categories wisely for your life? Or could you do better (we all probably feel like we could do better)?
Let’s dive in a little deeper with each of these categories with a couple of questions. If you say “YES” your are frugal. If you say “NO” it means, if you want, you could be more frugal.
- MONEY
- Do you have a budget & you are using it?
- Do you have a meal plan each month?
- Are you cutting cost on things you don’t need or could get for cheaper? (memberships, cell phone, insurance, etc…)
- PRODUCTS
- Do you purchase energy-efficient light bulbs? (this will save you money)
- Do-it-yourself instead of buying it? (mow the lawn, make bread, take a lunch, etc…)
- Do you wait for something to come on sale before purchasing?
- ENERGY
- Do you have a weekly schedule? Do you know what is happening in the week?
- Do you manage your hours wisely? (Not sure if anyone can say yes to this one)
- Are you careful about the amount of time you spend doing things that don’t make you happy?
Remember frugal can be different for each person or maybe you’re frugal in something but not another. This would still make you frugal because you are careful in using your resources. Remember frugal is considered being simple!
LEARN FOR THE PAST
Something I want to touch base on is learning from the past. This past could be yours and the things you would like to change to be more frugal (CAREFUL). But I want to talk about an older generation. When I think about this I think of my grandparents. Now that I am older, I see the value of living a simple life that makes you happy! Living within your means and only spending the money you have.
Take a look at the past and see if you can find any frugal tips you would love to live!
WHAT IS CONSIDERED FRUGAL LIVING
We have determined that being frugal means you manage your resources carefully. And if you do this with money, products, or energy you are being frugal. So if you have changed your light bulbs to LED’s, you would be considered living frugal.
If you are using your budget every month, you are living frugal. You eat the left-overs from the fridge or take a lunch to work, that’s frugal. You go to your local library to borrow a book instead of buying them. Frugal can be many different things and probably can be improved in any one’s life but YOU decide what works for you to simplify your life just a little bit to manage your resources carefully.
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