Simple ways to save money

Are you caught up in a cycle of working hard every day and still living an average life? You want to have some spending money, travel to your dream holiday destinations, or give your kids the life you never had but the money never seems enough. You may change jobs but the cycle remains. You spend all your hard-earned money on recurring expenses and hardly save anything. The cycle may continue if you do not change your way of life. You can live a frugal life today and live a better life tomorrow in the following ways.

Grow your food

You can cut your current food budget by growing some vegetables, fruits, and herbs in your backyard. Most people think of growing flowers and trees in their backyards. You can utilize part of the space in your backyard to grow some food instead of buying groceries from the store throughout the year.

Eat at home

An alternative way to cut your food budget is to prepare meals at home. Consider the amount of money you spend on takeaways, snacks, or family dinners at the best food joints in your area. The amount may not seem as much until you sum the total amount spent in a year. You can reduce the amount by more than half by preparing healthy meals at home.

Take the bus

A personal car is convenient but driving it to work and back daily increases your monthly expenses. How much do you spend on gas? Add the cost of repairs and maintenance to that cost to estimate the real cost of driving a personal car daily. Reserve the car for long family trips and take the bus to work. If you live near the office or store, walk instead of driving.

Stay away from the coffee shop

Many people get it right with preparing all meals from home. Some take it a step further and carry home-cooked meals to work. However, rarely do people think about the amount spent at the coffee shops. If you have a habit of grabbing a coffee or meeting all your friends at the coffee shop, break the habit. Prepare your coffee at home and carry it to the office. If you must, limit your visits to once or twice a week.

Keep track of coupons

You cannot ignore coupons when learning to live a frugal life. Coupons are not for the poor or broke families. The coupons represent great ways to save money every day at the store. Track any new coupons and utilize them at the stores. You will save hundreds of pounds in a year if you are keen on counting coupons.

Buy second-hand items

We tend to think used items are of poor quality. Hence, we ignore second hand market and spend huge amounts of money of new items. You can get high-quality products at a low price in the second-hand market that will serve for years. For instance, you can get a used car in good condition and save a lot of money if you explore the options in the second-hand market.

Use DIY household cleaners

Living a frugal life does not mean that you compromise the cleanliness and comfort of your home. However, you do not need to spend large amounts of money on branded cleaners while you can prepare them at home. Every home should have vinegar, which is one of the best household cleaners. You can clean almost every item in your home with vinegar, water, and a piece of cloth.

Change your social entertainment habits

Entertainment is important but you should not pay more when you can save and invest. Do you really need cable TV in your home? Can you follow the same shows via the internet? Some families spend a large percentage of their income on social events and weekly visits at the movie theatre. You can download the same movies and watch them on your PC or home theatre. Consider cutting down the social hangouts because you end up spending more on drinks and foods that you can prepare at home.

Many people are skeptical about living a frugal life because they associate it with a mean life. It does not mean that you live a poor boring life. It just means that you actively look for ways to stretch your income. Frugal living makes sense when you invest the savings in ventures that will give you passive income in the future. The savings should help you create wealth that can finance the lifestyle that you desire.