Frugal Simplicity

How many times have you went out for an evening with your family, only to feel terrible at the amount of money it cost? The average family might spend $100 or more on a night out, just for a movie, to eat, and the gas to get there and back.

There is another way. You are not alone in wanting to have fun, yet not be broke before the week is up.

I want to let you in on a secret…..having fun does not have to cost a lot of money, if any money. You and your whole family can have fun, and you can go home and actually sleep at night, being comfortable knowing you did not spend you life savings in one night at the movies and the local diner!

You can treat yourself and your family to a host of entertaining events for under $20. You can find less expensive ways to do things and save money, too.

To make it a frugal trip when you go somewhere, take your own drinks and snacks in a cooler of ice. Leave the credit cards extra money at home, and you won’t be tempted to use them on your frugal day out.

Do you like to fish? Grab that cooler and go to the lake! A container of fresh worms won’t run into that $20, and you get some nice healthy fresh air in the process. Plus if you are a good fisher, you have supper for free! While fishing, you can also go for a nice free swim and cool yourself from all that fun fishing.

Take your kids to the city park! There’s loads of entertainment and more fresh air. Pack up that cooler again and make it a picnic for the day. If you went fishing, there’s a place to grill those fish for a yummy meal! Again, you won’t go over that $20.

If you like to read, take a trip to the local library and read to your hearts content. You still have the $20, though you might not want to take the cooler of snacks and drinks here! Start a reading circle and share books with friends and family.

If you want to see a movie that is playing at the theater, but don’t want to pay that ridiculous price, wait until the movie comes out on video or DVD and rent it! You will save lots of dollars this way and still get to view the movie! For those that just have to see the movie now rather than wait, check for special price showings and you can still save some.

Yard sales and thrift stores are wonderful ways to have fun and save money at the same time. Some people really enjoy browsing these sales. You never know what you will find. People have actually found very expensive items for pennies, because the owner did not know the value of the items they were selling!

Museums and zoos are also great places to visit with the children, and very educational. You generally have to pay a small price to get into these. If you pack your own drinks and snacks, you can still have a frugal day. I do not recommend taking the fish you caught at the lake here!

If you live near the ocean, take a trip to the beach! Pack up that sun screen to be safe, and plenty of drinks and food. Don’t forget that you do have to come back home!

If you want to walk for exercise but are not into the heat, check out your local mall! A lot of people today walk the malls just for exercise. Beware of the food court though, because you might find it difficult to walk and be carrying that cooler of drinks and snacks! Yes, this is one place that you will be spending that $20 most likely, but you can eat comfy knowing you did not expend all of your energy walking outside in the heat.

I am sure you have noticed by now that the common factor is the cooler of drinks and snacks. Just not buying drinks and a meal for you or your family on a day out can save a lot of money. The money saved here will add up and can be used for something else you want to do.

There are many other ways to have fun on a shoestring. There are countless other events that can be done without costing you tons of money to do.

If you put the money you have saved by being frugal into a jar, you will begin to see some serious savings soon. Give yourself a month of saving this way, and see the difference it will make. Then take the money you have saved, and go treat everyone to some ice cream….homemade of course (it’s more frugal)!

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Advertisements are everywhere. No matter where you go, it’s almost impossible to escape advertising. There are billboards on the highways, magazine ads, newspaper ads, advertisements on TV, internet ads, even ads on clothing.

Companies know how to tempt people into parting with their money, and often for things the person doesn’t even really need. In buying things we don’t really need, we spend money needlessly. This can wreak havoc on our budget. There are ways to fight the temptation and not spend money.

At the top of the list is the grocery store. Unless you live on a farm and grow your own food, you have to shop for groceries. Once you walk into a store, the temptations are all over the place to buy this and buy that. First, never go shopping hungry. Eating beforehand helps us to not fall and buy more than we planned on purchasing. Make a shopping list and stick to it.

If you go to a mall to shop for something, buy only what you planned on buying. Malls are loaded with stores wanting you go shop and spend your money. If you have a hard time controlling your spending, take only enough money to buy what you went for. Window shopping is fun, but it’s also very tempting.

Leave the credit card at home. Taking a credit card is great if you have the item you are charging planned, but it’s not great to fall to the temptation to buy things that you can’t really afford and don’t need to begin with. If you must take a credit card shopping, resolve to use it only for what you intended to use it for.

Shop at home TV shows are horribly tempting. They show awesome products and they can convince the worst skeptic that they absolutely need so and so product. The problem is that these shows work only when the person watches falls to temptation and orders products. The shows are fun to watch, but they can cause you to spend money shopping for products repeatedly. Either resolve not to spend any money if you watch or simply turn the channel.

The holiday season is the absolute hardest time when it comes to avoiding the temptation to spend money. Saving money at Christmas can be difficult if we don’t practice self control and not allow advertising to sway us form our budget. This is the time to be more vigilant in sticking to a list and a budget.

Having a budget and making a shopping list are the two main ways to fight the temptation to spend money. There will always be something to buy, something that we want, something that the advertising companies will try to sell us. Shopping can be an enjoyable experience and we can save money if we don’t let the advertising companies sell us things we don’t need and keep our money in our pockets and not in the pockets of the advertisers.

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You’ve met this absolutely fantastic person that you are crazy about. You want to ask them on a date. The only problem is that money is tight. You wonder two things: What can you do that won’t send you to the poor house but that both you and your date will enjoy, and what will your date think about you if you plan something frugal to do?

Unfortunately there are a lot of people whose idea of a fun and romantic date is to spend money, a lot of money. Some women have the idea that if a man doesn’t spend a great deal of money on her on a date, that he isn’t good enough for her. Leave those women in the dust! They aren’t good enough for you! A fun and romantic date is not about money at all, but about just being with the person you care about.

There are a number of things a couple can do together that costs nothing or very little. Just some ideas that your special someone is sure to enjoy with you are:

Order pizza (or better yet, make your own), rent a movie, and just stay home. Nothing speaks romance as much as two people snuggled on a sofa watching a movie and eating pizza together. And if you are watching by chance a scary movie, so much the better for cuddle time.

Pack a picnic basket and a couple of fishing poles and head for the lake for a few hours. Fishing is fun, as long as you don’t freak out at having to bait the line or taking the fish off. For the ladies, if you are prone to freak out, you have this big strong manly man there to help with things. And how much more romantic can it be than for your date to save you from the fish on the line?

Something that any man is sure to enjoy is a slow massage. A massage helps to relieve stress and tension and it feels good. While he watches a movie, get the massage oil and give his shoulders and back a nice slow rub down. Take your time and give him a lot of attention. He might just enjoy the massage so much that he forgets he’s watching a movie. If he starts to fall asleep, you are doing a great job.

There are a number of other things a couple can do together to have a fun and romantic date on a budget. The main thing to remember is that the date is about the two of you, not about money. The fact is that if a person is only interested in you for the money you can spend on them, they simply are not worth your time. Anyone that truly cares for you is not interested in what you will spend on them now or in the future, they are only interested in being with you.

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Shopping for gifts can wreak havoc on the best planned budget. Gift giving can run into an outrageous sum of money. There are ways to save money on the cost of gifts and still give a thoughtful gift that the recipient is sure to love and enjoy.

There is an old saying, “It’s the thought that counts”. This saying still holds true today. The most thoughtful gifts aren’t the ones that cost a lot of money, but rather the gifts that have the most thought and care put into them.

One of the most thoughtful gifts is a gift made especially for one person or family. The time and effort put into designing and making a special gift leaves the recipient a gift to not only enjoy, but to be treasured because it was made especially for them.

Get creative! Making a gift instead of gift shopping gives that extra special touch. Some ideas for handcrafted gifts are: personalized photo albums or scrapbooks, framed collages of favorite photos or events, or gift baskets.

Another thoughtful gift is giving a gift that isn’t about money. A bouquet of fresh handpicked flowers or a framed photo of you and your loved one make wonderful gifts to someone special. If you have a pet name for a friend, a gift that is about the pet name can bring a smile.

Added embellishments on gifts can be things such as colorful ribbons and personalizing a gift with the recipient’s name. A nice special twist in giving a gift could be something as simple as wrapping the gift in a fabric rather than traditional wrapping paper.

One of the greatest joys in giving and receiving a gift is when the gift is truly for the person that receives it. Going to a department store and shopping for a gift just to be getting a gift, any gift, results usually in nothing but money spent and gift often just set back someplace by the recipient. Shopping for or making a gift that truly has the recipient in mind results in a gift that cannot be measured.

To save money shopping for gifts, first make a list of everyone on your gift giving list. Next to their names, write what they enjoy or like, favorite colors, etc. Keep a copy of the list with you. When you are shopping and find a sale or clearance, check your gift giving list to see if there is anything that would appeal to anyone on your list. Don’t buy something on sale or clearance just to be buying it as gift for someone. If it won’t make a thoughtful gift, even if it is on sale, why buy it?

The idea is that gift giving doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, if any money at all. One doesn’t even have to be on a budget to take advantage of these thoughtful gift giving ideas. Gifts that come from the heart are the ones that will be treasured for years to come, no matter how much or little money is spent.

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It’s a good idea to have a budget set up for yourself. A budget is simply an outline or plan or what to do with your money. Budgeting allows you to set aside necessary funds for particular purposes, such as rent, food allowance, clothing, savings, car note, monthly bills, etc. Budgeting is basically estimating monthly expenses based on bills and the cost of living from previous months, and allowing for the unexpected.

The main purpose of budgeting your money is to be aside or save money for expected costs as well as unexpected situations, such as new vehicle tires or doctor visits that health insurance might not cover. Maintaining a budget helps you to achieve your financial goals and to make decisions ahead of time of where money is to allocated.

The first step to setting up your budget is to determine your monthly income and outgoing expenses. Then determine bills or expenses that occur throughout the year but not on a monthly basis, such as car insurance that might be paid twice a year rather than monthly. Afterwards, determine situations that you might need to save money for, such as clothing, furniture, new tires, possible future doctor bills that health insurance might not cover, or a new home.

As you begin to set up your budget using the above, you will begin to see where your money is going each month. Some things you can cut back on and do without, and some thing are necessary. Determine what you need to live on verses the extras. Always be sure to have a place to live, food to eat, be warm, and be able to pay your bills, in that order. Prioritize your expenses, on a monthly basis. By keeping receipts and writing down what you spend, where you spend, and what you spend money on, you will be able to make a workable budget and be able to budget better. Knowing where your money is going is a top priority in better budgeting.

If your monthly take home income is $4,000 you would want to subtract all of your monthly bills and expenses from that amount. Then you would want to subtract money for situations that you are saving for, such as birthdays or holidays, a vacation, etc. Remember to always allow for the unexpected!

Some tips for better budgeting:

1. Plan for your lifestyle and situation. What works for another person might not be for you or work for you. Plan for your needs and the way you live.

2. Pay attention to your spending habits. When you first make your budget, you might have to adjust it and tweak it. Once you get it set, stick to it. There’s no point in having a budget if you don’t use it.

3. Remember that some things are necessities but some things are luxuries. Know the difference! Always spend on what you need or must have ahead of what you want. Wants can wait!

4. Be frugal. Frugal means living within your means. Don’t spend money that you don’t have. There are many ways to have fun and not go broke doing it.

Managing your money better will give you greater control of your finances. Budgeting is something that just about anyone can do and stick with. Setting up a budget is one of the best money saving things you can do. Saving money by budgeting better and implementing a budget into your daily life is something that will greatly benefit your finances.

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