Welcome to my frugal life
The things I was taught to save money on.
According to the dictionary, ‘frugal’ means being sparing or economical with money or food1.
But, to me, being frugal goes far beyond just saving money. It’s about embracing the "reduce, reuse, and recycle" philosophy. Being frugal means avoiding waste—not just with money and food, but with all kinds of products. It involves being thoughtful about what you buy, use, and consume.
It means that you care.
Being frugal gets a bad rap. But in this economy, couldn’t we all afford (hehe) to be a little more frugal? I am amazed by some of my friends and their frugality. I don’t think it’s a bad quality, at all. Unless, of course, it affects the lives of those around you negatively (I can’t say I am 100% innocent of this.)
Some people use the term “cheap” as an insult to describe frugal individuals. It’s a judgement call on how someone spends their money. In America, or where I’m from, being cheap is a really bad thing. Most of my boyfriends have called me cheap at some point, and this always made me feel a bit of shame. Couldn’t I just have easily called them “careless” with their money?
But I was taught to be careful with money. It was just how I was raised. Paper towels, for instance, were a luxury item. We could afford them, but we were only to use them sparingly. My parents didn’t want us to go through a whole roll of toilet paper to clean up a spill. No, there were “more resourceful ways of cleaning”, they told us. They’d much prefer us to use a washable rag that we could reuse later. We’d clean up the mess ourselves and put the rag in the wash to watch my mother clean and dry them to re-use again on a bright new day.
It was the way my mother cared about how the things in our house were used. These things stay with you.
I was taught to take care of my clothes and belongings, understanding that they were made by someone, bought by my parents, and meant for me to use for as long as possible. This means hanging up my towels after a shower to prevent mildew, cleaning my sneakers regularly, folding my shirts neatly, and washing my wool sweaters at the end of each season.
Of course, being frugal can, just like anything, go way too far in the direction of extreme behavior or irrationality. I will definitely say that. For instance, I know someone who refuses to pay for a garbage pick-up, and drives her family’s trash to the dump each week. Or another person who, after ordering tea at a restaurant, stashes the tea bags in her purse for a later re-steep.
Listen, you don’t have to be low income to be frugal. Apparently, SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker) is frugal. She never buys her kids new clothes, rather, she uses hand-me-downs from her nephews2.
Being frugal means being mindful about how you spend your money, allowing you to prioritize spending in areas that matter most to you. For example, I choose to splurge on food and clothing because they are important to me, but I keep my skincare routine simple and avoid spending a lot in that area. Some of my frugal tips you might balk at, and others you might want to try implementing yourself. I hope you share your tips below, too. The whole list is only available to paid subscribers. (Frugal me timbers!!!)
So behold, 23 ways I stay frugal:
Going out to eat is a luxury, not something to do every day. Eat most meals at home, and only go out to eat at the good restaurants. This is the best way to save money, especially in cities like New York where restaurants, app-ordering and bodegas can eat up cash, fast.