Frugality – a term I hadn’t really thought too much about until towards the end of last year when I realised that I seriously needed to take a look what I was spending and cut way back to save money and get back into a comfortable place. I had almost a year off work on maternity leave which means maternity pay (absolute rubbish – but better than nothing!) and we had a house extension, so after Christmas my bank was looking very scary!
Basically, being frugal means that you are less wasteful, more resourceful and spend less. Over the last couple of months I have tried to live more of a frugal life, so I thought I would share some of the ways I have been doing this.
DIY
Instagram is a killer for home décor! If it’s not peoples photos then it’s shops showing me ads! I have wanted some prints for the house for a while and had a couple in my Esty basket for AGES but I just haven’t wanted to spend the money as they are actually quite pricey! So instead I used the Canva app to make my own and then Snapfish to print them and they have turned out brilliantly. If I include postage and packaging costs then I have saved between £30-40 by making my own.
Use up before buying more
I used to be the sort of person who would buy extras of things to have a stock…you know just in case the apocalypse hit and I needed to live in a bunker underground…luckily this is highly unlikely…! I have now stopped buying a stash and am using up all the similar items I have in the cupboard (i.e. shampoo!) so I only re-buy just before whatever it is runs out. This has also has meant there is far more space in the cupboard which is great!
Meal planning
I always used to meal plan on and off but I have made a conscious effort to do this more often to stop buying food we don’t need or just reverting to getting a takeaway. Rich and I work out on a Sunday evening what we want to eat the following week and then I put it onto a magnetic meal planner on the fridge to try to stop an deviation from the plan!
Sleep on it…for a month!
Impulse purchases used to be something that would drain my money. The things that you don’t necessarily need but would see and convince yourself in the moment that you can’t live without in your life. What I am doing now is trying really hard to resist the urge by taking a photo of whatever it is and sleeping on it – if after a few weeks I still want it or it is something I know we need and don’t have anything similar of then I will buy it. But only after checking if I can get it cheaper elsewhere.
Discount codes and money back sites Discount codes I have always looked for and used as who doesn’t love getting money off?! I am currently studying for a PhD which means I have a student discount card woohoo! However, something I don’t always use but should do is moneyback apps like TopCashback. My bank has a rewards option where I can get £4 every month if a certain amount is debited into my account – only just realised this so now making use of it.
Smart meter
We have had a smart meter installed to keep an accurate track of how much electricity and gas we are using and make sure that the bills we get through are accurate. I like the ‘now’ screen and see the effect different appliances have on it – who knew that the microwave took up so much energy?!
Marie Kondo ethos – does it spark joy? I love a bit of Marie Kondo. I don’t follow all her rules but her question of does it spark joy I think is a great one. When I am decluttering and organising at home I always ask myself this question and it is now something I ask myself when buying something. Does it have a purpose, is it needed, does it make me happy? If the answer is no I don’t buy it or look for an alternative.
Budget at the beginning of the month This is a strategy I have been doing for a long time. At the beginning of every month (or the very last day of the month – pay day!) I sit down and work out what my fixed outgoings are for the month and what my variable outgoings are – i.e. am I going out for dinner, will I need to buy a birthday present for someone etc and then work out how much money I have left for the month after this. I am desperately trying to get out of my overdraft post maternity leave at the moment so any ‘extra’ money is going towards paying this off, but it is so helpful to know what is going out, what is coming in to try and stop any nasty surprises.
Shopping my own wardrobe The saying I have a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear is very true of me. Shopping my wardrobe is something I learnt from watching a YouTube video by Lara Joanna Jarvis. I have stopped thinking that I need a new top or a new dress for every small occasion and instead really looked at my wardrobe and picked out new combinations of clothes to wear instead or accessorised an outfit differently so it feels new-ish.
These are just some of the old and new strategies I have been doing to live a more frugal life. There are of course more but I feel that these are the main things.
I would love to know what our frugal tips are, let me know by heading to my Instagram and let’s have a conversation.
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