What is frugality? How to Save More Money Realistically

It’s been a popular subject for quite some time now, with endless articles of how-tos or lists of ways to cut spending, like hanging your clothes to dry rather than paying for electricity. 

While these lists are good and often repetitive, not everyone wants to live such an extreme life. 

I’m not saying hanging your clothes to dry is extreme, but for some, it is. 

I mean, if you live in a place with winter, you can’t exactly hang your clothes up in the yard when it’s -35 and there are 3 feet of snow. 

So these lists all seem to come from the same place and get recycled, with most of the points either not very practical or very efficient.

I’m going to go through a few examples of how these aren’t fully useful, so bear with me as I won’t be producing my list but rather my thoughts on the subject and how to save more money productively rather than give you a list of 47 ways to be more frugal. 

One example I always see in these articles is “walking or biking” to get around. 

While this could apply to a small demographic, it’s not overly useful information. 

I’m not a bike rider, and although I do enjoy the occasional walk in the spring, summer, and fall, I don’t want to walk and bike most of the time. 

Imagine you want to go for lunch with a friend or with your family. Do you want to bike there or walk for 35 minutes one way and be all sweaty? 

I have done it, and it’s not great, believe me. 

The fact is that a lot of people have vehicles, and they love to use them even though gas prices are ridiculous. 

Another example of a weird tip is to make gifts rather than buy them. I, for one, as frugal as I am, would not appreciate a gift made unless it was pretty cool, but then again, what would anyone make me? 

I mean, don’t get me wrong; if this was something that happened, I wouldn’t complain, and I would accept the gift with no issue, especially if I knew someone didn’t have the money. 

Then again, if I knew that was the case, I’d rather they just come to my party or Christmas without a gift. 

I’d rather just spend time with people; I don’t need a gift.

Being Skint

Now just hang on. I promise there is a point here and some valuable nuggets for you to use. 

I love watching a series on YouTube about being skint. If you’re not British and I’m not myself, then skint just means broke. 

Like flat broke. 

These people and families are on benefits, and they usually have their rent paid for them and get a benefit amount every fortnight, as they say, which is 14 days for us non-British people. 

After watching many episodes, I can see where they go wrong. I’m not saying their lives are easy or that they don’t have challenges, so please keep that in mind. 

I did notice that almost all of them smoke. Now if they quit, and I realize it’s not easy to quit, they would then have that extra money to either pay off debt or save a baby emergency fund of, say, $500, which for them would be a fortune. 

Some do drugs, so that’s another issue altogether, but others do recreational drugs like weed. 

That’s another expense, and of all the ones I’ve seen, none are used for medical purposes. 

One lady had purchased a brand new car, which cost her around 28,000 pounds, so you can do the conversion in your currency. 

I mean, I am debt-free and have an emergency fund and investments for retirement, and I drive a 2009 Toyota Corolla with 195,000 km on it, but it does have a feature most cars don’t have. 

It’s paid for. 

There was another lady who was in her early 20s, and she lived with her mom, which was smart as it was rent-free, but what did she do with her money besides smoke and drink it away? 

She takes vacations every year!

What can you even say to that? It’s mind-boggling. 

She could save a decent amount in no time, and then, when and if she gets a job, she’s prepared. For example, if she needs $40 to get a background check done, she has the money.

I realize these people on the show aren’t living like royalty; however, their spending is questionable at best. 

If they quit smoking, drinking, doing recreational drugs, and vacationing, they would not be in arrears with the council, the electric or gas company, or whoever else was in line. 

I’m not saying it’s easy, but they are their own worst enemies. 

For most people who consider themselves middle-class or poor but not skint, I will give you a few suggestions to watch out for that ruin your finances.

• Eating out: This has to be numero uno, and boy am I guilty of this. I love to eat out, and the cost is so subtle until you add up a month even after thinking you did well. I recently went to a little microbrewery with my kids and their mom, and it ended up costing us $198 in total, which still keeps me up at night. I find that’s ridiculous for a burger and some apps. Keep track of all your restaurant receipts for the month, and you’ll see how crazy it is, and then multiply that month by 12 for your yearly total to pass out quietly on your floor. Also, don’t get me started on food delivery; just don’t.

• Makeup and Clothes: This one is more for the female audience; not that men don’t shop, but men kind of don’t shop. The last report I heard was that 83% of all the money spent in the world was by women, so don’t blame me for that. I used to work for Sephora, so I know how expensive makeup is, and there is a ton of stuff from standard eyeliners to miracle creams for wrinkles. It’s fine to spend some money to look good, but it’s very easy to go overboard. I also know men who spend thousands on hunting or fishing gear or golfing equipment, so they aren’t saints either; it’s just a different addiction.

• Travel: Who doesn’t like to travel? I’m addicted to it, and I dream about it way too much. It’s the most expensive thing to do when you average it all out. A fancy dinner might cost you a few hundred per person, but a normal hotel stay is around $200 in an average place. In New York, that’s a bargain, so you can see how travelling is by far the most expensive thing you can do. However, as a minimalist, I enjoy it. The experience is completely worth it, but broke people should not travel!

There are many other ways to be frugal, but I’m sure you’ve heard them all like the classic “don’t buy your $7 cup of coffee and save a fortune.” 

That one irks me, as it’s good advice, but everyone knows it. 

It’s ok to sometimes treat yourself, and it could help keep you sane. With the current recession and inflation issues, it’s more important than ever to save money and cut back. 

We have more than we think and are living in the most profitable times of human existence. 

The only problem is that people don’t see it and spend money like it’s going out of style. 

Who in the 1950s even owned a car? 

Seriously, it was an extreme luxury, but today everyone needs one. 

Forget the unreliable 10-year-old car that might break down once every 2 years or even once every 6 months. 

It’s surely a lot cheaper than dishing out $500+ a month in payments. 

I’ll end this by giving you one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given by a very wealthy man a few years ago. 

”Rich people stay rich by spending like they are poor, and poor people stay poor by spending like they are rich.”

Thank you for reading :)