Living well doesn’t have to mean living expensively. In fact, it is entirely possible to enjoy the finer things in life without breaking your bank account. It all comes down to living frugally. Here are 8 ways you can cut costs without compromising your lifestyle.
Where You Live
Your home is clearly going to be your largest expense, whether you are paying rent or buying your home. If you can content yourself to live in a relatively, simple, compact home, you will be able to save a lot of money. Consider Warren Buffet, one of the world’s most successful investors and the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He still lives in the modest home he purchased in 1958.
If you own your own home, you should also check out the possibility of refinancing to a lower mortgage interest rate. Banks are fiercely competitive so you could well end up saving hundreds of dollars each month in mortgage payments. You can find out how much you can borrow using a mortgage calculator like the one you can find here.
Get off the Tech Gadget Treadmill
The big tech companies have got most of the world hooked. Every year they pump out a new version of their hardware with a few essentially meaningless tweaks. Like sheep, millions of people line up to max out their credit cards so they can keep up with the latest. Frugal people have broken out of enslavement to Silicon Valley and learned to think for themselves. They have figured out that they don’t need to buy the latest version of a phone when they already only use a fraction of the capability of their existing phone.
Rather than throwing out your old computer, look to get it upgraded. For a few hundred bucks you can probably get something that meets all of your needs and them some.
If you do decide to buy a new piece of technology, check online reviews for the best quality and price. Don’t assume that the big name retailers are the best value for money.
Save on Your Holidays
Travelling is one of the great pleasures in life. But it is also one of the most expensive. One way you can save on your accommodation expenses is to attend sales presentations put on by hotels about their resorts. You can often score complimentary meals, save on your room rate and receive other benefits simply by giving up an hour and half of your time to attend one of these seminars.
When looking to book accommodation overseas, search out accommodation alternatives to the big hotel chains. One that has proven to save a lot of Australians a lot of money is HomeAway.com .
Power, Internet and Phone Providers
The power of the internet allows us to shop round like never before. You can quickly find a website that will compare all of the providers in the country, breaking them down in terms of price, service, reliability and customer service. Not only is it quite possible to cut your service fee in half, many of them will also provide you with one or more month’s service fee if you introduce friends to the service!
Coupons
Making use of discount coupons makes good economic sense. Whether you’re dining at a restaurant or buying a Subway, clipping or scanning your coupon can save you some serious money. Many coupon cards for food and beverages also provide you with a free product after so many purchases. Some coffee rewards cards also allow for free refills!
Designer Brands
We all love designer brands. But they are also expensive. Many people resort to cheap imitations, but you don’t have to go that route. By shopping on eBay, you will be able to pick up designer brand items for around half the price of the designer brand stores. It’s also worth scoping out garage sales in the more well to do suburbs in your area.
Movies
Going to the movies is an experience in itself. The reality, however, is that you can probably find the same movie online for a lot less than the cost of a movie ticket. Reserve your movie going experience for the special blockbusters that only deserve the large screen experience. For the others’ plug in your HDMI cable, microwave some popcorn and enjoy them on your TV screen.