How To Live Frugally Without Feeling Poor
Want to learn how to live frugally without feeling poor? The answers you were searching for are in this article. You won’t miss out.
If you are frugal, does it mean you’re poor?
Being frugal does not make you poor. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “frugal,” it’s a trendy buzzword that means living within your means or spending less than you earn.
Frugality is something most people won’t admit to because they feel too ashamed. We all have our ways of living, but I’m here to share mine with you today!
Why am I sharing this? Because I want you to all to stop thinking that being rich from your high paying job or inheritance is the only way.
Yes, life would be a lot easier if we were loaded up with cash like the celebrities are, but we aren’t, so don’t let this discourage you. Frugality can be fun! So let’s learn how.
Bonus topic: 10 Unusual Ways To Get Rich You Never Thought Of Before
Who can benefit from living frugally?
Everyone can benefit from living frugally. It’s not necessarily about the amount of money you have to spend, but it’s more about how you use it.
Using your money wisely is key!
Frugality doesn’t mean skimping on food and utilities, not buying clothes, or going out to eat every weekend.
Frugal living means finding ways to live well with less, making wiser choices in housing, transportation, and entertainment. You might even end up reducing waste by recycling and even composting!
Living frugally will improve your quality of life for many reasons:
- You save the majority of your income.
- You free cash flow for valuable things like savings, education/training, and even retirement.
- You will even be able to afford more luxuries.
Continue reading: How To Lower Your Cost Of Living, Despite High Inflation
Live frugally without feeling the FOMO
Fear of Missing Out it’s a feeling that hits most of us at least once or twice in our lives, especially with social media running wild.
A good example of the “FOMOs” is watching videos by the creators you love or follow, they have all the latest and greatest gadgets, and they take the most luxurious vacations.
When you get caught up fantasizing about the unrealistic lives of social media it can be depressing. Creators make their lives seem so easy and carefree, they have the life you want and you feel envy, like you are missing out.
Bonus: How We Paid Our Mortgage In Less Than Five Years. You Can Do It Too In 5 Easy Steps.
Just remember, when you choose frugal living, you are not missing out. You are getting the most “bang for your buck” once you get comfortable with the idea, you will see how fun it is to save and find creative ways to spend money.
Challenge yourself to find “hot deals” for fun activities you did when you were not conscious how you spent money.
You’re not in the poor house. You’re in the best place of your life. You may even keep this frugal lifestyle after you see all the benefits it has to offer.
Let’s jump into how to live frugally but not feel poor.
1. Build up a capsule wardrobe
Building a capsule wardrobe is totally worth your time. It will help you save money by decreasing clothing purchases and make you stylish.
When I started my capsule wardrobe, I found inspiration online. My favorite website was my own muse.
I followed their simple and easy to use checklist to create my capsule wardrobe, it is even broken down in an all-year-long format.
There are endless for ideas online, so take advantage of the free tools available.
I started my first capsule wardrobe about five years ago, and I still use some of the pieces today!
Buy clothes that fit lifestyle. Do you work in an office? Buy clothes that can get used from work to play.
Purchasing play clothes and work clothes can get costly, they clutter your closet and life.
I remember when I was not organized, pre-capsule wardrobe, my dresser and closet were stuffed, not one more thing fit.
I was renting a two-bedroom apartment and ended up using the second bedroom as a big closet.
I was ridiculous! My capsule wardrobe opened so much space in my life and time to do the things I loved.
2. Find deals for entertainment
Tomorrow you’re hosting a group of friends at your house, these events typically cost a fortune. What do you do? If you are trying to cut costs, you might feel slightly threatened, but if you have a plan you will have it all under control.
Hop online to look for creative ideas to make your hosting night fun and exciting.
I suggest checking out Pinterest for fun, affordable recipes for your party.
A general rule of thumb is to always review your pantry first to see what you already have and work a menu around your current groceries.
Get creative with grocery store sale items.
Your friends are only looking to have fun together. Whatever you put together will always be more than enough.
When your party is over don’t throw away the leftovers, save them and freeze what you can.
Check for deals on movies. My local movie theater has specials every Tuesday all day on reduced-price movies. Another great idea when catching a movie is to go for a matinee, these are usually two to five dollars less.
Bring snacks from home to the movies, stock up on treats you love, and enjoy the show.
Finding entertainment and hosting deals is fun, there are so many sweet deals to find, just take a little time to plan.
3. Try “Meatless Mondays”
Meatless Monday is a great way to save money on groceries. Schedule one day per week, no-meat day, and watch the savings.
Cutting back on meat will also benefit your health. Research fun recipes that are meat-free.
Challenge your friends and family to meatless Monday too.
The goal is to make changes that make your life easier, healthier and fun.
Living frugally doesn’t make you poor or deprived. It is just a way of living that improves your savings.
You’ll begin to see how much you spend on stuff that doesn’t bring you joy. Frugality really is great.
4. Make your health a priority
Make your health your number one priority.Eating well and exercising often will make you look and feel better, and have more peace of mind!
By maintaining an active, healthy life, you get rewarded in many ways like these:
- Keep your weight down by exercising means, less reason to have the “just in case wardrobe.”
- Lowers your chance of developing health conditions caused by your lifestyles. Maintain your health by regular exercise and healthy eating. You reduce your odds of developing conditions that can be avoided like Type 2 diabetes.
- No need to spend tons of money on gym memberships. Youtube has unlimited free programs for every fitness level.
- Schedule your annual examinations to make your health a top priority. Since we have easy access to top health care here in the United States, early and on-time health care is less expensive than emergency health care.
Tying everything up
Living frugally does make you poor. Frugal living is a fulfilling lifestyle that results in high levels of satisfaction.
Try it out.
Make small adjustments, and work your way up to bigger challenges. Trust me, you will enjoy frugal living more than you think.
When you see how much “stuff” you hold on to for no real reason, you will feel so much lighter and free.
You might even convince some of your friends and family to try it, and they can enjoy the same rewards as you.
Make a challenge with your friends to track how they spend money, they will be shocked at how much they waste every day.
Enjoy frugal living without feeling poor. Trust me. It makes you rich with time and you will achieve financial success.
Cheers!
