10 Tips for a Frugally Fantastic Life!

Who doesn’t want  more money in their pockets?! Amirite? That is what being frugal is all about.

I started living a more frugal life when I actually sat down and wrote down our expenses and earnings by month. It was scary! We decided we needed to focus our money on things that mattered and that would help our family in the long run.

Below are 10 tips for a frugally fantastic life that I want to share that has helped my family have a more secure financial future. Share the knowledge with anyone that you think may benefit from these tips!

1. Stop using Credit Cards and Pay them off FAST!

Honestly I wish I would have learned this early in life, I got my first credit card when I was 18 and it was downhill from there. I am now at a point in my life where I fully understand that not using credit cards means you don’t owe anyone anything (including the interest!). And if you don’t owe anyone anything then you don’t have monthly credit card bills!

That means you can use that money for other things like medical expenses, retirement, savings, vacation. The list goes on for better options to spend your money on then giving it away to credit card companies with high interest rates. I recommend sitting down and writing down all your credit cards as well as the interest rates for each one and start paying them off FAST. I do like to keep one credit card for emergencies only (preferably one with a lower interest rate)!

2. Use coupons

This is one of my favorite tips, I started couponing back in 2014 and got addicted to the savings that you can get from using coupons. You don’t have to be an extreme couponer to use coupons, but if you want to learn more about couponing click here for my step by step couponing guide for beginners.

Also almost all grocery stores (and even some restaurants!) have a loyalty program that will reward frequent shoppers. They also have digital coupons that you can download straight to your phone. Take advantage of these easy savings.

3. Have financial goals & invest in yourself

You will never be this young again! If you have extra money it needs to be going to your future self. Retirement is really important and not a lot of people think about it unless there job offers it. However, even if your job doesn’t provide any benefits like 401K you need to invest your money in some type of retirement account or savings.

I was waitress while I was going to school and was so concentrated on my current situation that I never opened a retirement account until I got my first corporate job. Now I am heavily investing to ensure that I have a enough to retire. I wish I would have started when I was younger but the important part is that you just start! It’s never to late!

4. Shop for holidays one year in advance

This one sounds a little crazy but trust me I have been doing this for a few years for a few holidays and you will not believe the savings I find! The days following the holidays like Easter, Valentines, Halloween, Christmas and much more have amazing sales, sometimes as low as 90% off!! I like to stock up on holiday decorations, paper items (plates, cups, etc), costumes, Easter eggs, Valentines cards and even candy, but the candy does have an expiration date so make sure you look at the dates.

5. Learn to budget

This is something that I think EVERYONE should be doing. Single, married, kids or no kids budgeting is important to help you understand your own money situation. If you have specific financial goals, it’s important to budget so you know where you are and what you need to do to accomplish these goals.

For my family I designate an amount per month to spend on family activities. We have a seperate account that we deposit into on a weekly basis (this can depend on when you get paid) and we call this the “fun card” this is our entertainment money and once it’s gone it’s gone. We can not dip into our regular account for additional expenses.

6. Doing-it-yourself (DIY)

Probably the most cost effective thing to do is to do it yourself! From DIY projects for your home to even car repairs.

For example, I recently needed to change my light bulbs on my Traverse and they were charging me $120 for labor alone! I found an easy quick video online. It took my husband less than 30 minutes to change them out and I saved $120!

I also love finding furniture pieces that are too “outdated” or no one wants because they are usually FREE or super cheap! And usually need just a little TLC and they are good as new if not better!

Check out my DIY Home Decor projects here for some money saving inspiration projects.

7. Stop eating out

This one is a hard one even for me, I love food and love going out to eat with the family on the weekends. We bond, laugh, eat good and best of all no cleaning. BUT… it adds up…. QUICKLY. So limiting the amount of times you go out to eat as a family to once a week or less can really save you a lot of money!

8. Free Family Activities

This is like the free space on the bingo card, obvious. Instead of going to the movies pack a lunch and head to the park or the beach for a picnic! My favorite thing to do with my kids to save money is arts and crafts projects.

Doing things like this every once in a while will save you anywhere from $50-$100 depending on the size of your family and is way more fun since you are interacting and bonding with your family. Check out my family crafts here for inspiration!

This is also applies to adult activities, instead of going out on a couples night of dancing and drinking, host a game night with friends. Much funner and affordable, I don’t mind being a cheap date every once in awhile 😉.

9. Shop sales/ Cashback Sites

If you have to go shopping make sure that you plan out your shopping trip. Having a plan when you go to the store could help reduce impulse shopping decisions in store.

I like to make a list of the things that I need before going to the grocery store and plan using the Flipp app.  This gives me time to look for the best sales and also clip coupons for any items that I have on my shopping list.

When I go shopping for the family for things that we need like clothes or bare necessities I give everyone a budget, I mean everyone, even my 4 year old. This helps our family be aware of how much they have to spend and helps teach them the importance of budgeting and decision making (of course we help our 4 year old make those decisions).

If you shop online make sure you are using reward sites like Ebates, they give you cashback just for shopping through their site and it’s very easy. Simply go to Ebates.com and search the online retailer that you want to purchase from and that’s it! Shop away and get your ebates refund based on the percentage and amount you spend (take advantage of this during Christmas).

10. Live Humbly & Modestly!

I saved the best for last, this one is very important at least to me personally. I started tracking our expenses a couple of years ago and I was shocked when I found out how much money we were spending a month. It was more than my mortgage, I was disappointed and embarrassed that money was being wasted like that and we had nothing to show for it. So we decided as a family that we would have to make some changes and start cutting back.

Living humbly & modestly to me is important because we get to plan for things that are more important than a fancy car or expensive shoes. Don’t get me wrong I think everyone should “TREAT YO SELF!” But living on a budget or frugally helps you save money for things that actually matter to you and your family.

Hopefully these tips also help you and your family accomplish your financial goals. Have any frugal tips that you want to share? Feel free to leave them in the comments below, I would love to hear them.