As you try and live a more frugal life, keep in mind the following frugal commandments:
- Learn the Cost. Doesn’t matter what it is; milk or a car. You need to know the cost involved or you cannot possibly compare costs and figure out if you have a bargain on your hands or you need to continue shopping. Buy a dollar store booklet to record costs if you must but learn the cost of everything you buy and need.
- Make Do. This is a hard one for our society at large. Everyone wants shiny new, instant replacements for everything. Learn to love the three Rs: Recycle, Repurpose, Reinvent. I recently decided to create a watering system for a large half wine barrel-turned planter that I have tucked away in the corner of my back deck. I was weary of always having to haul the water hose all the way across the lawn and figured, how hard can it be to rig something up? Turns out, not hard at all and nor did I need to spend a small fortune on some fancy watering system. I simply took two empty old soda liter bottles and filled one up almost all the way. Then I froze it. Once frozen, I took that bottle, now full of ice and removed the cap. I inverted the bottle into the soil of the half barrel and then took the other bottle and filled it with water and froze it. I now alternate the bottles. It takes a couple of days for the ice-filled bottle to drip water into the soil but once it empty, I simply swap out the bottles, refilling the empty one with water prior to freezing it again. Cost? Zero. And I am reusing two one-liter soda bottles in the process.
- Choose Vintage Not New. I am serious. Once you happen upon that 40s beaded skirt for a few dollars or a pristine 80s cocktail dress you will be hooked. And, as much as I love fashion the statistics are appalling: The fashion industry contributes 8–10% of global carbon emissions, uses up to 93 billion m³ of water annually, and generates around 92 million tons of textile waste each year, making it one of the world’s most environmentally damaging sectors. Back to the three Rs.
- Stop Trashing your Trash. Globally, humans produce roughly 2 billion metric tons of solid waste per year, averaging about 1.6 pounds per person per day, while in the United States, the average is 4.9 pounds per person per day. Shame on us. Nearly everything you are currently throwing away can be reused for a purpose. Egg shells make powdered calcium for your plants and garden; chicken bones can easily be turned into bone meal. Nearly all vegetable scraps can be saved to make broth or blended up to go into your garden if you don’t have a compost pile already. It takes very little to reuse what you have and what you cannot reuse should be in your recycle bin for sure.
- From Scratch. Figure out what you eat a lot of and make it from scratch. From scratch is healthier, cheaper and better for you. Plus, there is nothing so satisfying as pulling a loaf of freshly baked homemade bread out of the oven. Frugal folks know what I am talking about here.
- Delayed Gratification. The most successful frugal folk know a lot about this habit. Cultivate patience. Save, plan, research and save some more before you buy especially for major purchases. I want some additional planters but am happy to wait for a local estate or garage sale to snap up larger ones for pennies. I’ll wait, thanks. I know a bargain is just around the corner.
- Make Do. Learn to sew, mend, fix. Swap talents with a friend who can figure out why that pesky light fixture keeps glitching. I have made more tomato pies than I thought possible and all because my now-grown partner’s stepson loves them. He has diagnosed more glitches in our home than we can count in return. He never once asked for anything, but I insist because he can fix nearly anything and I know he adores a tomato pie. He is the reason I learned how to make them because they sure are cheaper than hiring an electrician or mechanic for most mundane home repairs. Thank you, Michael. We love you.
- Don’t Live within Your Means. Live Well Below Your Means. Figure out how to spend less than you make, period. This way you will always have money for emergencies. My partner was never so shocked when we bought our first car together. I calmly wrote a check for my half, and it was no small amount. He had to finance his half. He was so impressed and vowed never to do that again. It bears repeating: Live below your means. Always.
- Hope for the Best, Save for the Worst. Always have an emergency liquid cash fund for when the worst happens. A blown car engine, a job lost suddenly, it honestly doesn’t matter what the worst is, only that you have the cash to cover. Save, save, save.
- Get out of Debt Once and For All. I love not having debt. Love it. I have more disposable income, I am more relaxed when I pay my monthly bills and I have enough saved for an emergency, whatever that happens to be. It didn’t happen overnight but once upon a time I had a lot of credit card debt. A lot. No longer. I saved, scrimped and paid off all my credit cards before canceling all but one of them. That one I pay off monthly now. Freedom is having options and options come from not owing anyone a red cent.
