Frugal home living gives a satisfaction of achievement. This achievement came from the challenge to find savings in everyday life. Living frugally is a choice. Choices are not always fun or easy, but either way, we have to make them.
Frugal home living puts every purchase in the home for anything or anyone under scrutiny. The scrutiny to find a better deal, or to cut out the purchase altogether.
How To Start A Frugal Home Life
It is not always easy to save money. Especially when everyone around seems to spend money and not save it. Car choices, vacation choices, school choices, curriculum choices matter when making frugal decisions. Most of the frugal decisions have a goal in mind. Frugal living has a goal.
Our goal for living frugal was to enjoy vacations, and pay off our home. We have accomplished both…almost. Frugal home living has allowed our large family (6) to enjoy vacations, used but nice cars, piano lessons, and homeschooling on one income. The road has not been easy, but now frugal living is second nature. This minimal life has given us a better outlook on unnecessary purchases.
I don’t really need a new car, but I do need a dependable car. That is what we have been striving for as we started out on our frugal living journey. A nice, comfortable life that is not overprices.
Once a family, or a person has determined to live frugally, their habits start to change. Eating in becomes a new way of life. Paying for second hand clothes and shoes makes sense, and splurging on unnecessary expenses comes to a stop. Most purchases are planned and budgeted. Anything outside of the budget is forgotten.
Families like us start making our own laundry detergent. Not only because we don’t like the chemicals they put in detergent, but because it is more cost efficient. Luxuries like running a dryer several times a day get pushed to the back so that we can experience the wonderful outdoor smell that comes from hanging clothes on a line. Not too mention the exercise that follows when the luxuries are stopped.
Making clothes and toys last as long as possible so that another child can play with them, becomes a habit. Frugal home living may seem simple, but changing to go back would not happen. Not even re-installing a dishwasher. Hand washing dishes gives our family one on one time. That is something that I definitely do not want to miss out on!
Benefits of Frugal Home Living
There are so many benefits to frugal home living like the simplicity of life. Hand washing my dishes, hanging my clothes out to dry, turning out lights in rooms where no one is in them, and making out a menu plan for our meals are just a few of the everyday items on my to do list.
Freedom in Frugality
Frugal living is given a bad reputation. Others’ make it seem so daunting and boring. Our family doesn’t lead a boring life. We may not have instant gratification, but that’s ok. Learning a new lesson of patience and persistence are good life lessons. Social media, ATM’s, debit cards and anything else that changes your mindset from one of saving to “I can have this now” is misleading. Think about frugality as freedom. Freedom from the wants of the here and now. We still take vacations, but we save for them. How? Through not getting everything we want right now. New cars? Not every year. But, we have saved for several years’ and that allowed us to purchase a newer to us car.
There is always something bigger to have or buy, but for me I am happy living in our frugal home and eating our frugal meals. Change the way you think and it will change the way you live.
I could change, but then the savings that I see at the end of each month is worth the extra effort.
What are your thoughts on frugal home living? What do you do to save money? lFor more tips sign up for my newsletter and they will be delivered to your inbox.
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