Sweet Ass Savings: A Few Ways You Can Be More Frugal

Keeping up with Cult tradition, I thought it was high time for my sweet-ass post. And, I could think of nothing more awesome than the sweet ass savings from living a frugal lifestyle.

That’s because, if you’re reading this right now I’m willing to bet you have financial goals. If you have financial goals there’s no better way to meet them than to practice some good ole frugality.

Without further ado here are a few ways you can score some sweet ass savings by being a little more frugal!

 

Practice Minimalism

You’ve heard the key to creating wealth is to live on less. Well, the key to living on less is living with less. This is where minimalism comes into play.

If your house is cluttered it’s time to clear it all out. Start by doing a thorough cleaning of your home and getting rid of any items you don’t love, use, or need. You can sell these items, donate them, or trash them. It doesn’t matter what you do with the excess as long as it’s gone.

When you have ridded your home of clutter you will feel a sense of relief. And, since you now have fewer items lying around it will be much easier to organize the things you do have.

Now that you have spent all that time de-cluttering and organizing your house make sure it doesn’t get that away again. Only buy things you need or love. A clutter free house is a clutter free mind.

 

Avoid Holiday Over-Spending

Holidays are wonderful times of the year. They give you an opportunity to see family that you may not see on a regular basis and to make lasting memories with loved ones. However, it’s very easy to go overboard with gifts during holiday seasons – especially if you have children.

Think about the true meaning of the holiday and avoid buying into all of the consumer hype. This is something that I am avidly working on this year. My budget does not allow me to lavish my daughters with Christmas gifts. And, for this I am thankful.

I plan to teach my kids the true meaning of Christmas. We will spend time with family, sponsor kids in need, and do a lot of arts and crafts. The gifts they do get will be quality items that suit their needs.

 

Go for Quality – Not Price

There is a myth surrounding frugality that in order to be frugal you need to buy the cheapest item – this is far from the truth. Frugality is about saving money but it’s also about value.

Think about it. Say, you buy a low quality vacuum cleaner for $150. Six months after you purchase it, it stops working. You are now purchasing a new vacuum cleaner every six months and buying the cheapest model in order to “save money.” However if you opted to buy the $400, quality vacuum cleaner it might last for 3-4 years without having any problems.

By purchasing the more expensive item in this example you will save $500 over the course of three years.

Remember higher price does not always mean higher value. Do your research and make educated purchases. Sometimes you may even be better off by purchasing used items.

 

Get Rid of the Car

Okay, I’ll admit this one can seem a tad bit extreme even to me, but sometimes extreme savings call for extreme measures.

If you live in a city or walking distance to work is there really any reason to drive? I personally, live out in the country about 15 miles from my job. I know that getting rid of a car altogether isn’t feasible for a lot of people, but reducing the amount you drive is.

If you’re hesitant to go carless, start small. Start walking to work or nearby stores if possible. If you are a two car family try using only one car for a week and see how it goes.

Without a car you can save on car payments, gas, insurance, maintenance, and repairs. When added up those are some hefty savings.

 

Move to a Less Expensive Area

If the area you live in is so expensive that basic necessities are eating up your entire pay, looking into lower cost neighborhoods could result in some serious savings for you.

Relocation can be tough, especially if you have kids and don’t want to switch school districts. But, you might be surprised at the money you can save by only moving a few miles out of the city. Check all of your options and research other neighborhoods within the same school district.

If you want to save money on housing but stay in the same area consider going for a smaller, lower priced home.

It pays to be frugal. There are so many ways in which you can save money and you need to find the ones that best suit your lifestyle. Once you regularly practice frugality it will become a habit. If you are looking for some sweet savings, these frugality tips will get you there.

What creative sweet ass savings tips do you have?