Frugal Living

Many people often confuse living a frugal life with not having anything.  In fact, living frugally is not living without, it is living smarter (not to mention cheaper).  Being frugal on purchases shows that the person has thought through the purchase.  Frugality also shows that the purchaser has made every attempt to obtain an item by the lowest price possible.

I offer a living example:  a movie date versus watching a DVD at home, etc.  Recently, my wife and I took my 6 year old son to see “Alvin and the Chipmunks”.  A wonderful family outing.  Tickets cost $19.  A popcorn and soda combo was another $10.  Total cost of the movie was $29, right?  Nope.  You have to examine the “hidden” costs of the outing.  We live in an ultra-small town, the movie theatre is in the next town.  Gas was about $5 roundtrip.  Of course, we made a day of it and ate out at our favorite restaurant ($46).  Total cost of the $29 movie?  $80.  How could we have duplicated this day and still had nice, quiet quality time as a family?  This is a no-brainer.  Movie rentals at Wal-Mart are $1 per day.  Gas would have cost us $2 round trip.  Popcorn and drinks would have been about $2.  We could have ordered pizza for $20.  Total cost could have been $25.  This means that our 4 hour jaunt could have been parlayed into a comfortable evening with my wonderful family and saved $58.  Huge difference.  But, you say, you can not rent a first run movie.  This is true.  My son is 6 years old.  Do you honestly think he would really notice the difference within a week?  Nope, not at all.

Nearly every facet of our lives can be lived frugally.  For instance, our family tries to primarily eat organic foods.  They taste better and have been proven to be better for you.  We used to shop for organics exclusively at Earth Fare; however, a local supermarket has recently begun increasing its organic footprint.  The price difference is almost 40% for the exact same items.  40%!  Same food, lower price.  To boot, the supermarket is much closer to our home, so we are saving more gas money.  With gas over $3 per gallon, saving fuel everywhere we can is a big help to our finances. 

As you can see, we try our best to save on prices where we can, when we can.  If it means going to multiple stores, so be it.  If it means clipping coupons, then get the scissors out.  You have to look for bargains because from my experience, bargains do not simply fall out of the sky into your lap.  That is the reason they are called bargains.  Do not forget to calculate the hidden costs of your bargains.  The primary hidden costs are time spent and gas.

Of course, living frugally is usually frowned upon.  Sure, people always like to announce the good deal they received here or there, but can it become a lifestyle?  Of course living frugally can be a lifestyle.  Why can it not be?  Outside of personal choice, there is absolutely no reason you can not find a multitude of items at a reduced price.  You have to buckle down and decide to put forth the effort.  Your bank account will thank you