People often confuse being frugal with being cheap or live in poverty. But it’s not.

I define frugal living as spending smarter. Spending money on the things that truly bring value to your live, which means reducing mindless spending on material things that do nothing to you. 

Prioritizing the things I want in my life, has allowed me to save more money and helped me understand what I want to do and how I want to spend my money. 

If you are a beginner and you want to make some changes, there are some simple changes to help bring awareness into your spending habits and help you start saving money from day one. 

Get inspired by my frugal living tips.

1) Know your goals

Taking pictures was always one of my passions. I had an older camera, but since technology doesn’t sleep, I wasn’t really satisfied with it. I found a brand new one of a good quality , with all I needed to take awesome pictures. But it was very expensive. And since I was unemployed back then I could not afford it. 

That’s when I became interested in frugal living. Having a goal allowed me to clear the clutter in my life and adjust my spending so I had savings for things I truly wanted and bring value to my life.

Same for you. You need to be clear about your goals. Note down some of your goals and plans. Make them action-orientated don’t just write „save more money“ instead be more specific „save 100€ every month“.

I think that noting your goals down can be a great first steps in actually achieving your goals. 

2) Address and know your worst spending problem

Each of us has that „one thing“ that drains our wallet. Mine is definitely membership to yoga classes. However I adjust the rest of my spending so that I can afford it to spend it this way and on things I love to do.  For ex. I do not shop that much, I do not own the car,  we don’t go out for dinner instead we enjoy eating our meals at home. I am also vegan I only buy fresh fruits and veggies, no expensive unhealthy processed food etc.

For yourself, find that big drain and decide whether it bring real value to your life go if you could live without it.  As soon as you know the answer you’ll know where you should remove it or adjust your lifestyle to accommodate the thing you love.

3) Do things from home more often

Start to enjoy your home more. I am not saying that you should spend the whole day locked at your home.
But it’s obvious that you’ll spend far less money if you for ex. Spend the weekend at home compared to go out and clubbing. 

Staying at home does not mean you should give up your social live or things you enjoy. Just get creative. You and your family can also make this into fun to spend some time together. Have your friends over to socialize from home. 

4) Consider decluttering

Previously I had clutter everywhere. From my wardrobe to the kitchen cupboards , and I am not talking about the basement . 

Now, I try to be more mindful about the material things. When it comes to clothes I do not buy a lot only things I really need for ex. According to seasons. I also mostly buy second hand. In the past I would mindlessly spend just because . 

In my opinion frugal living also starts with making decluttering a habit in your life. Donate, recycle or sell items you never use or do not want anymore. You can also make an extra money.

5) Get some frugal hobbies

When you find an inexpensive hobby that you love to do, it could be a great way to embrace frugal living. Having fun doing something you love and save money at the same time, frugal living doesn't seem like a huge lifestyle change. 

Ex. Selling /Buying Items, online surveys, gardening, running, hiking, volunteering, knitting, creative writing, yoga, reading, painting, cooking, baking, etc…

There are so many examples of hobbies that will not cost you a fortune and you can enjoy them either. 

Keep in mind that frugal living is not about sacrifice and deprivation. It's about living smarter you can afford to live the life you want.