How To Stick To a Frugality Plan
Frugality becomes its polar opposite if you can’t sustain the practice. Get too ambitous about cost cutting and you might have a hard time adhering to it long term. Set your sights on something more realistic — like the following suggestions.
Buy the Best
Don’t confuse frugality with being cheap. Instead, focus on making smart decisions about your money — like investing in higher quality items that will last you longer than cheap things you would have to replace every few months. This will save you money in the long run.
Don’t Overdo It
Don’t deny yourself everything or you just might succumb to an impulse purchase that will ruin your budget. Instead, plan some fun into your monthly budget — assign yourself an allotment of money that you can guiltlessly spend each month.
Don’t Buy New
Always look for used items before buying anything new — you might even find higher quality items that way if you would otherwise buy something that is not designed to last long. An important variation on buying used is refurbished; often these
Just Say No
Do whatever it takes to talk yourself out of impulse purchases — refraining from looking at advertisements is one way to weed out a lot temptation. Then there’s just saying no to seemingly small indulgences that add up over time, making your own coffee at home so you don’t spring for the marked-up java sold by chain stores.
Wait To Replenish
Don’t replenish anything until you’ve completely used up the supply of the item you’re replacing. You don’t need the week of redundancy that results from the automated subscription services so many online retailers get people hooked on — time your replenishments down to the wire and you’ll save a bundle without suffering.
Don’t Upgrade
Somewhat related to this is slowing down the pace with which you upgrade products. Just because marketers unveil a new generation of your favorite items every few months doesn’t mean you have to sign up for it. Focus on keeping what you already have and making it last longer.
Frugality Your Way
Shoehorning yourself into someone else’s frugality plan can be a recipe for failure. You’ll find the most sustainable savings practices if you begin with some trial and error.
So if you feel uncomfortable with something that others swear is a money saver, don’t agonize over it and try something else instead. You might discover something unique to your situation can save you money where others don’t realize the same benefit — double down on whatever that is.
Readers, what kinds of savings practices have resulted in the most sustainable frugality for you?
