06 Jan 09 Frugality Rocks

Why?

I hate wasting money. I kick myself when I spend say $50 on an item, and find I could have got it, or a similar one of comparable quality for $30.

I’ve always been cynical when it comes to advertising. I check everything out. I never impulse buy, even though I am sometimes tempted.

I always remember the maxim “If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is”.

I know that unless I win the lottery (if I ever remember to buy a ticket that is), or unless I am lucky (and I’ll come back to that), I’m not going to make a million in a month with minimal or no effort.

I also am very mindful that the guy on the infomercial that makes fantastic furniture with the home routing and lathe equipment he is trying to persuade me to buy is a master carpenter (or there is one behind the scenes); that the super kitchen gadget is being operated by a professional chef, or at least someone that works in that industry every day; and that if the super ‘can’t lose’ real estate investment plan really did work, the world economy wouldn’t be in the crap pot mess it is right now.

That luck thing?

I don’t believe in it. Not big time. Ok, so you might find a $50 dollar bill on the sidewalk. That’s lucky I guess. Good luck for you; bad luck for whoever dropped it.

I’m of the belief that I’m going  to get what I want out of this life by planning, and working at it. That work can take all forms of course. It might be physical labor or it might be buying and selling. It could be writing code, or writing blog posts.

Anyway, I digress. I strongly feel that one of the ways that most of us can easily improve our wealth, and reduce our dependence on credit, is to be frugal.

Now that doesn’t mean buying the cheapest of everything. Spend $20 on something you need to replace each month,against spending $50 on something you replace every six months is definitely not being frugal.

However,  somethings are quite easy to achieve, and never forget that pennies make dollars!

For example, turn off lights when not needed – you did invest in CFLs too didn’t you?
Make a list when you go to the grocery store – and stick to it.  It might be nice but you don’t need an extra half  gallon of ice cream, or the double chocolate cheesecake, and your waist will thank you for it too, as well as your wallet.

Also don’t keep making extra car journeys to get one or two items. Check your food pantry and refrigerator for what you need, and add it to that list before you go.

Look for bargains, but don’t buy stuff simply because it is on offer, if you don’t need it – it’s not a bargain!

There are of course, whole web sites out there dealing with how to lead a more frugal lifestyle such as Frugal Dad

If you’re on Friendfeed (and if you’re not why not, it’s great place to find lots of information, and some great people too) there’s a room set up called Frugal Living. It’s got some great tips in from other users about how they save the pennies, and spend them more wisely.

Why? I hate wasting money. I kick myself when I spend say $50 on an item, and find I could have got it, or a similar one of comparable quality...

Tags: bad luck, big time, comparable quality, crap, dependence, dollar bill, fantastic furniture, Finance, good luck, impulse, infomercial, investment plan, kitchen gadget, lathe equipment, lottery, master carpenter, maxim, professional chef, real estate investment, six months, world economy