Frugal living does not have to mean boring living. With a slight tweak of mindset, you can start seeing “penny-pinching” as a means to a luxurious end.

Countless articles out there claim to help save you money. A lot of “experts” offer quick advice, hawking ideas and systems to help you save cash. But most of those ideas miss one key element crucial for saving money and really sticking with it for the long haul.

In this article, we will outline 5 specific yet simple techniques that will save you the money that is readily waiting to stuff your bank account, all while preserving the fun in your life & relationships.

1. The “3 Rs”: reduce, reuse, recycle! On a regular basis, you probably use a lot of specialized products for lots of different functions around your house. But, do you have to? For example: a big bottle of botanical soap. You can use it for everything! Literally…everything. It can be used to wash your hands and clean the counters. You can brush your teeth and the toilet with it. You can wash the dog with it. I buy it a couple of times a year and it replaces: liquid soap for every sink, toilet cleaner, shower, tub, & tile cleaner, surface cleaner, pet shampoo, the list goes on. You can save hundreds of dollars a year with this simple tweak. Imagine paying for your amazing anniversary weekend by swapping out all those worthless cleaning products?
2. Hand-me-down? No. It’s Vintage. And vintage is cool. When my kids were growing up, I decided to make it a fun activity to visit thrift stores and sort through the fun, classic clothes for sale. Piles of shirts, pants, & shoes for $5..and a lot of this stuff is one-of-a-kind. My son was one of the coolest kids in grade school wearing these vintage threads…think about it…fashion is cyclical anyway!
3. Get creative. I often use a phrase that leads to thinking outside the box and finding creative solutions: “Improvise in imperfection.” For example, you’re cooking dinner and missing an ingredient. Most people would run to the store to grab that one ingredient (and probably pick up a few other things, not on their list). FORGET IT! I only go to the grocery store once a week and if I don’t have something I need… too bad, so sad! It’s time to get creative and “improvise in imperfection.
4. Experiences are often FREE. There are a ton of cheap–or even free–things to do around town. Just go online to search for free things to do in your city or town. Take the kids to the park, rediscover the joys of the great outdoors, go to museums, community movie nights, farmer’s markets. You’ll probably find things to do in your city you never even knew about. This goes for date night too. Being on a tight budget is no excuse for not having a date night with your spouse. If you look for free ways to have fun, you are sure to find them.
5. Volunteer at an animal shelter. This is as simple as it sounds. Volunteer work in general is rewarding, but if we’re being honest, it’s not always fun. Looking after furry friends in need, though? It’s a truly amazing experience. Do it with your partner or kids, it will bring you closer together.

The Takeaway

Frugal living does not mean boring living, and it doesn’t mean deprived. I believe in accumulating wealth, without sacrificing your marriage, family, health or fun.

One More Thing

If you’re interested in diving deeper into wealth-generating strategies, and you’re saddled with some debt, check out Debt Free Accelerator. In 2018 alone, 1,271 of my clients paid off an average of $157,214 in debt (and I have proof). Why not get moving with a group of people who are eager to encourage you in your success?

In great faith,