Things to consider when you’re going frugal

I’ve heard it said frugality is a lifestyle, but more accurately, it’s a collection many different lifestyles. Not everyone can be frugal in the same ways. Someone who works eighty hours a week, for example, probably cannot find time to grind his own flour. Someone who’s unemployed and cash-poor probably cannot afford to buy spiffy water saving toilets for his home. Fortunately, there are other ways to be less wasteful and save money, and that is the definition of frugality.

Avoid guilt

There’s always something more you could do to be more frugal, so why feel guilty that you’re not doing everything you’ve heard of? If you’re consuming less than you used to, you’ve made a significant improvement in your relationship with the earth. If you’re saving money compared to the days before frugality, you’re improving your own well-being (and that of anyone who depends on you financially). There’s nothing wrong with striving to do our best, but you’re just one person with one lifetime. You can’t possibly do it all. We probably haven’t even discovered all the ways we could be consuming less and saving more.

Make savings visible

To keep yourself motivated, it’s important to be very aware of how much you’re saving. Let’s say you decide to start making mochas at home instead of buying mochas at a coffee shop. Figure up what you usually spend on mochas for a month. Deduct what your home supplies cost over a month. That’s your savings – if you actually use this tip, believe me, it’ll be a surprisingly big savings.

You could take cash in the amount of that savings and put it in a jar or something. You could put the money in that jar toward paying off a debt, toward savings, or toward buying something you need or really, really want.

Have goals in mind

It’s easier to change your habits if you have a goal. If you’re saving to get out of debt or take a long-dreamed-of hiatus from work to write a book, you can stay motivated to be frugal by thinking about what it will be like to realize that goal. Daydream about it. Imagine it vividly. Get a smile on your face as you imagine how it will change your life and make you feel. That will help you stay motivated.

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