Save. Live. Be Minimal.
I’ve been writing about how to be frugal for a long time and I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Frugal living looks different for everyone as each situation is unique! So whether you’re new to frugal living or have been living a frugal lifestyle for years now, this guide on how to be frugal is for you!
New year, new you, new finances? Kick start your financial goals with this $1000 Savings Challenge! I’ve suggested several different savings goals if you want to up the ante. This $1000 savings challenge is a great way to establish an emergency fund if you don’t have one. Or maybe you’re looking to start a sinking fund for a future trip or addition to the family. Whatever the case, let’s get started saving money!
The 2020s have already proven to be years of financial struggle for many. With inflation at 7.7% and mortgage interest rates at 7.63% currently, it’s not hard to see why so many of us are feeling the squeeze of tighter budgets and increased debt. I’ve looked at dozens of blog posts, articles, YouTube videos, TikToks, and more for what we can do right now to make a measurable impact on our finances. And honestly? I found a lot of the content only capturing the low hanging fruit (i.e. stop eating out, buy cheaper stuff, look for better bargains). But is that really going to help you lower your cost of living and start saving money right now?
The answer: probably not – unless you eat out for every single meal or have a luxury goods habit. My goals is to show you what I would personally do (and have done) to lower your cost of living. I have loads of posts on how to save money and be frugal and I’ll link those throughout this post – but think of those as extra credit 🙂
Reducing your waste is also a great way to save money. Part of our frugal minimalism journey includes being low waste (and just buying less in the first place). Some of the zero waste “swaps” that we’ve made over the last few years have proven to save us money. But there are also some that cost the same or a little bit more. Oh, and before I forget… my favorite zero waste swaps are the FREE ones! Yes, by using things you already own, not only can you reduce your waste but also save money at the same time.
ove. While the tangible letting go of items is fantastic (and I highly recommend decluttering!), minimalism can do good in your life in more ways than one. Minimalism saves money.
We could all use some tips to help us really save money on groceries in 2022!
With inflation at 6.2% at the end of 2021, it’s no wonder that we are all starting to see the effects of inflation. Outside of vehicles, gas, and homes, grocery products such as meat have risen nearly 6% in price in the last year. Companies have also started making packages of our favorite grocery items smaller but kept the price the same (shrinkflation). With prices going up in the grocery store, it’s time that we get into some tips on how to save money on groceries!
Lifestyle inflation is a huge drain on finances. Lifestyle inflation occurs when your income goes up, so does your spending. At first, it appears very justifiable! Fighting lifestyle inflation is tough. In a culture that says “treat yo self!” in just about every situation, here are a few tools to arm yourself with so you don’t give in to lifestyle inflation.
In January of this year, I embarked on a 100 day challenge of wearing the same dress every single day. It was a decision I made because I craved more simplicity in my wardrobe and less wondering if things still fit or looked good. This dress made me realize that my happiness with a smaller, more basic wardrobe is greater than when I owned hundreds of clothing items. And because I’m wearing the same dress everyday, a light gray dress even, I’ve learned how to take better care of my garments. Today I’m sharing how to make clothing last longer!
When we make our clothing last longer, we not only want fewer things in our wardrobe, we also have less need to replace items that wear out quickly (I see you there fast fashion). Taking good care of clothing in my capsule wardrobe has made me value quality materials over cheap “disposable” clothing.
There are loads of ways to take of your clothes, so these are just a few of the things that we do to make sure our clothing lasts longer before replacing it or buying anything new.
I’ll go ahead and spoil this one… This amazing gift idea list isn’t full of links to click to order things with free two day shipping. Everything on this Valentine’s day gift ideas list is FREE and takes very little time to prepare. You’re welcome. When did Valentine’s become a second Christmas (and Easter a third)? Cut the consumerist crap that tells you that your love one won’t feel special without this expensive gift that will eventually end up in the donate pile.
Can I get a hallelujah that 2020 is over? It was a rough, but we’ve come out the other side with refreshed goals and far more enthusiasm. One of our goals is to save as much money as we can this year. The next goal is to have a more minimalist lifestyle and be less of a consumer. By inviting more minimalism into our lives, we buy fewer and fewer things. That’s why we’ve created this list of 21 things we won’t buy in 2021.
This is list isn’t meant to shame you if you do buy these items. Everyone’s life is different and I respect that. The items that made it onto this no-buy list are there for good reason.