Being frugal used to be something associated with people who were either flat broke or just cheap. However times have changed and being frugal is nothing to be ashamed about. In this economy, frugality has become a necessity for many as household budgets have been slashed.
Google Trends reports that keywords revolving around frugality began increasing in late 2007, just as the housing market and the recession was well under way, and have continued to rise ever since. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since government programs are being cut, tuition is on the rise, unemployment is high and gas prices are at record levels.
With this in mind, you can see the importance of being frugal in these times. Here now are a couple of ways that you too can be frugal in today’s economy:
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We all want to save a few bucks here and there. In fact, the web is full of money saving advice blogs advocating all sorts of methods of keeping more money in your wallet. While saving money in general is a very good thing, there are exceptions. Here is a short list of things you shouldn’t save money on.
Ignoring Your Health
Health care costs can quickly eat up your budget. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend on it. Your health is your life. Nothing, not even saving money, is more important than your well being.
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College students are always called poor or starving for a reason. College life is both expensive and time consuming. While we can’t help you lower your college tuition costs, we can help you save money in other ways.
Food
- Two words, Ramen Noodles. There are plenty of ways to jazz up the noodles. Add some egg, onion, broccoli, and or chicken and you have a well-balanced meal.
- Grocery store. Don’t go to the grocery store unless you have coupons. They’re everywhere, so there’s no excuses for not using them. Also, before you go to the store, make sure you make a shopping list and stick to it.
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- Drinks. Restaurants overcharge for drinks. They don’t necessarily overcharge on the food so much. But the markup on drinks is enormous. So when it comes to drinks, skip the soda and ask for water. You’re coming there to eat, not to drink, right?
- Leftovers. Take your leftovers home. Don’t leave food on the plate. It’s going in the garbage. If you can take your food home and eat it for lunch the next day, you’re saving yourself a few bucks on the next meal.
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The average American family plans to spend $2,000 this year on home energy, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, with almost half of that going toward heating and cooling the home. With an uncertain economy it’s more important than ever to find ways to save money on your home heating bill. While buying a new energy efficient system is a great idea, there are other less costly ways of heating your home up for less. Here now are the 8 ways to lower your home heating bill.
1. Turn The Thermostat Down
The first tip is the most obvious one, lower your thermostat by a few degrees. The purpose of a heater in your home is to keep you from shivering in the cold winter months. The purpose of a heater isn’t to transform winter into summer. Try to make the temperature inside your home livable, rather than comfortable. If you are still too cold, wear a sweater or a jacket. At night, put on an extra blanket to stay warm.
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It’s no secret that college has become an increasingly expensive way to get an education these days. With private school costs rising faster than inflation and with public schools hiking rates to compensate for debt-ridden state governments, the price of college tuition have reached new heights in recent years. Unless you are wealthy enough to cover six-figure costs or disadvantaged and qualified enough to receive large amounts of aid, it’s almost a certainty that you will graduate from school in considerable debt. Unfortunately, you may find yourself in even greater debt if you forgo a college degree in today’s job market. It’s a catch-22.
The burden posed by college is one that should not be overlooked by any young couple that is planning to have children. Even if you don’t plan on paying for your child’s college costs someday, it is still important that you help them save and that you take steps to plan your finances for the purpose of maximizing future financial aid. After all, even if the payment burden does fall on your son or daughter, the resources of the full family will be taken into consideration when most aid decisions are made.
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Many of us who are in debt and on tight budgets likely made a basic resolution for the coming year: we resolved to save money and reduce the size of our budgets. This is naturally easier said than done. Certainly, we can go shopping less frequently, eat out less often, and avoid taking any lavish vacations. All of these more frivolous expenses add up quickly and can be easy, with some self-resolve, to minimize and avoid.
But what about those more routine costs? Specifically, how can we reduce our core expenses in the coming year? Doing so can be more difficult and less rewarding on a per-item level, but lowering our core costs – such as food, utilities, rent, and transportation – can translate into substantial savings in the long run.
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This post will discuss how you can save money in three unusual ways: on travel, coffee and college.
Travel – Free Airline Tickets
Regardless of whether airline ticket prices are high or low, traveling is expensive, especially for those who travel frequently. But there’s a way to get airline tickets for free. While sitting at an airplane terminal waiting for a flight it is common to hear an airline employee ask for volunteers to get bumped to a later flight. If you volunteer, you receive free airline vouchers for usually between $200 and $300; voucher prices differ based on how busy airports are and whether a flight is domestic or international.
The great thing is that the airlines do not limit how many vouchers you can collect in one day. So, if fliers are not in huge hurry, they should take the airline up on its offer. I’ve personally gotten $800 in airline vouchers in one day after using a free voucher for my initial flight, and I haven’t paid for an airline ticket in over a year. And in regard to trips, this is a huge savings. When airline ticket prices are high, this can mean saving money on a good 25 percent of your trip; when airline ticket prices are low, it translates to 3 to 4 days of eating out while you’re on vacation. And many times when fliers get bumped, they get to fly in the first class cabin on their next flight, which alone makes it worth catching a later flight. Some airlines have even begun allowing people to volunteer to be bumped when they check in for their flight.
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Part of the Ethernity
