Have you ever thought seriously about living more frugally? Many families are turning to frugal living either out of necessity or because they simply feel better about spending less and cluttering up the world with fewer throwaway items. For that matter, frugal living can be part of the “green” movement. This is because the fewer items you buy, the fewer there will be to end up in a landfill somewhere.
What is frugal living?
There is no one single definition of frugal living. It’s probably most like fine art in that it’s usually in the eye of the beholder. However, Wikipedia.com does have a definition of frugality, which is as follows: “Frugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the use of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance.
Lavish vs. frugal
You might think of a lavish meal as a huge meal with several courses, including a rich dessert. However, it can just as easily consist of processed foods that include packaging materials that may be difficult to dispose of.
In comparison, frugal living could mean growing many of your own foods and preserving them. As an example of this, you could grow your own green beans and tomatoes and can them for consumption during the winter months.
Here is another example. Instead of buying dad an expensive tie for Father’s Day, you could actually make one. In fact, dad would probably appreciate something you made yourself much more than one you purchased. Or you could detail dad’s car as a Father’s Day gift. All that requires is a bucket of water, some soap, white vinegar, a spray bottle, a sponge or cleaning rag, a vacuum (to clean out the car’s interior) and some hands-on labor. This gift costs practically nothing but you can bet dad would love it.
Health and beauty products
You don’t need to spend money on beauty products as you can make many of them yourself. You could make an apple–cinnamon lip-gloss using nothing more than a small container or tube along with cocoa butter, cinnamon flavor oil, honey, and apple flavor oil. You melt the cocoa butter, add the apple and cinnamon flavor oil and honey and mix well. Then add cooking oil, cut open a vitamin E capsule and squeeze it into the mixture. Stir well and pour the mixture into your container. And viola! You have your own homemade lip-gloss.
See movies free
You can actually see first run movies free. There are two websites; GoFobo and Film Metro where you will find a list of movies in your area that are being screened. Just pick the movie that you would like to see and print your tickets. Each reservation normally comes with two tickets. Be aware that just because you have tickets doesn’t guarantee you will see the movie. In most cases, people enter on a first-come, first-served basis. So it’s always a good idea to get the theater 30 minutes early.
You can live frugally without sacrificing all the good things in life. In these tough economic times, less can really be more sometimes.