This little life of mine tends toward the very frugal. I enjoy what I see as benefits of frugal living – simplicity, appreciation, creativity. There are many lists of the things that frugal people should or shouldn’t do. There are many things that I would never dream of having and most of them are things that come with monthly payments. By living frugally for a lot of the bigger things in my life, there is room left for me to enjoy simple and sometimes expensive pleasures without guilt. So, while I do things – like visit Starbucks, wear nice clothes, and carry a Coach purse – that others in the frugal world might frown upon, I do those things because I believe that it’s okay to enjoy something and fit that into your financial picture and just let it be – no guilt.
I enjoy hanging clothes outside on the clothesline.
I don’t miss cable TV.
I like our older cars.
I love venti white chocolate mocha lattes.
I like my designer jeans.
I like growing vegetables.
I like eating leftovers.
I love do-it-yourself projects.
I don’t clip coupons.
The amount of time, energy, or desire to do certain things determines how frugal we are, right? So, I ask you…what are the splurges that you still allow yourself in your frugal life? What aren’t you willing to give up? And what aspects of frugal living are you more than happy to do because you have the time, energy and desire to do them?
I love it….reminds me of one I did a while ago. I so enjoy your thoughts and life.
lauravanderhye´s last blog post..Lower your cable bill-Just ask!!
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I don’t need many clothes.
I won’t give up nice vacations.
Great discussion!
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I won´t give up my subscription to O magazine, the internet and having my hair coloured. I can do without salon beauty treatments, expensive bottles of wine (I´m a cheap drunk) and cable TV.
RML´s last blog post..Ten Things I´m Loving
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I won’t give up tennis, but I did give up my fancy gym membership and will be going to the community centers instead.
I won’t give up going to the hair salon, but now I spread out visits so I go less.
I won’t give up vacations, but now I am way more pickier about finding deals and the places we will go.
I don’t take time to cut coupons, but I do a menu plan which helps with my grocery spending. So far I’ve spent $50 less per week!!
I will never give up my nice jeans though:-) I’m with you on that!
Amy´s last blog post..Felt is fun and so are giveaways!
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We’re frugal with our money, but we know that you shouldn’t scimp on quality when it counts. For us, we don’t cut corners when it comes to our vacations, camera equipment, and computer equipment. Yes, we look for deals in those areas, but we don’t compromise on quality!
Donna M.´s last blog post..Memorial Day Remembrance
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I won’t ever clip coupons. I’m way too lazy for that.
I could care less about having all the latest electronics. We have a nice TV that my parents bought us for Christmas a few years ago. The rest of our TVs are tube TVs and I don’t care. I would miss cable TV in the worst way, though.
I won’t give up my getting my hair cut and colored every 6 weeks or getting my eyebrows wax. I will forgo a pedicure since I can do that myself and only treat myself every once in a while.
I won’t line dry my clothes, because I have really bad seasonal allergies. I secretly wish I could because they smell good after having been outside.
I also won’t ever do without my steam clean washer. Seriously, my husband isn’t even allowed to touch it, as it’s my prized possession.
We love our old cars, too, and will drive them until they far apart (or are family expands enough to need more seating).
I’d much rather DIY than pay someone to do something for me.
living with lindsay´s last blog post..Upgrade Your Store-Bought Window Treatments
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Am I the only guy who reads this blog?!
I still eat out for my lunches but on a small budget.
We still have broad band but I need that for my job.
Jason R Fisher´s last blog post..Spring Cleaning for your Finances — Synchroblog
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there are a lot of things we are learning that we don’t {need} but i still {need} yoga class and traveling! j
LobotoME´s last blog post..{ tranquility + cleansing on the brain }
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I can and have given up cable, hair colour, fancy clothes, vacations, new cars, driving, etc., without missing it. The only two things I won’t give up are real cheese and new books. (I go to the library when I can, but often the books I want aren’t in, and then I end up buying them–plus, I like marking them up and reading them over and over, which is hard to do with someone else’s book.)
I’m enjoying your blog.
Andrea´s last blog post..Green is the New Holy
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I am wish you on the jeans and I would add good shoes. They have always been my downfall.
courtney from mommie blogs´s last blog post..LL and his pops
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Both my husband and I spend more on our clothes and shoes, for work because we find that good quality items hold up longer and tend to stay in style if they are classic pieces. Also, since my husband is on his feet all day for his job, good supportive, comfy and sylish shoes are a must. Otherwise, I do a lot of the same things you do – we eat at home most every night, we pack lunches, I line dry clothes when we have good weather, we have only basic cable to get our local stations and a few channels for the kids. I’m not good at coupons either, but I always shop the sales and plan our menus, plus I cook from scratch so I think I’m doing fine in that category anyways. We grow our own raspberries and this year blackberries and make our own jam too. Most of the frugal things we do, we truly enjoy doing. In my opinion, some of the simplest things in life are among the absolute best – who can argue with a homemade blackberry cobbler??
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WOW! I would appear to be the only religious couponer! My husband was laid off from his job of 14 years in March and I’ve found that I have to take the time to organize some coupon shopping in order to keep this family of 7 afloat. It’s really not too hard once you dive in and I enjoy the challenge of getting the really cheap things. In fact, for the first time in my life, I have EXTRA. That’s a really good feeling when money is so darn tight.
What won’t I give up in the name of frugality? I can tell you that forced frugality really makes you open your eyes to the things that you’ve selfishly wasted money on and shows you the things that were GOOD to spend money on. The pasta maker? Not so good. Good bikes? Great! Coordinated Gymboree outfits for my girls? Definitely not so good. My Coaches and Dooneys? Not too bad. The gigantic sandbox my husband put into the backyard for me? Excellent. It’s free entertainment for our kids every single day. Is it over the top large? Yes. That’s why they all enjoy it so much. Dining out? Forget about it.
What a great discussion – thanks for thinking of it!
xoxoox
Crissie´s last blog post..Weed Whacking…
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I would never, ever, in a million years give up my designer jeans either!!
I also would never buy cheap toilet paper. I love my Cottonelle and won’t sacrifice. Great topic!
Cheryl´s last blog post..I must confess
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i want to see the world with my husband, and we put a certain amount of money into a special account each month to fund our travels. we take about one big trip a year, and while that money would probably be designated for retirement or a house down-payment our our copious student debt, for me, this is the promise of frugality – that by spending less on meals out, clothes, cars, furniture, we’ll traipse through the Himalayas one day, and eat Spanish toritlla in spain, and sun ourselves on a rock in capri. Travel isn’t cheap, but it’s worth more than houses or cars or even a super kushy retirement to me. I’ll have enough , always, but I’ll have seen the world too. great topic!
neimanmarxist´s last blog post..Home Economics
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I love that there is an overall consensus about not forgoing quality to save a few bucks and that many are willing to spend less elsewhere so you have money to experience, travel, and learn. Thanks for all the input so far, I’m really enjoying reading your comments!
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Frugal can be defined in many ways. Define it for your family and live within your means. Frugal can be FUN!!!
Kelli´s last blog post..What do you Love?
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I guess I’m like most everyone else. I choose which things I can give up and those I just don’t want to. My husband is a doctor, which makes things easier in some ways, harder in others. For instance, people will sue at the drop of a hat these days for money. So that complicates our lives and lawyers end up making lots of money! Anyway, I go to Starbucks, pick out my coffee, and have them grind it. I don’t drink it there, as I think it is a little over-priced. I seldom ever buy clothing, as I am a volunteer and a homemaker. But I do splurge on magazines. I never go to the movies, which is something I never really liked anyway. Too loud. I don’t like to travel. But I do try and fix up my house. That is my vacation. That and my garden. I don’t clip coupons. And I do bargain shop. I just bought towels at Walmart, and I love places like Tuesday Morning and consignment shops.
Brenda
Brenda Kula´s last blog post..Outdoor Wednesday May 27
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I’m not much of a couponer, either. I’ll use coupons, but I don’t go out of my way to find them. We don’t get the paper, none of the stores around here double coupons, we don’t buy a lot of name brand stuff, we don’t buy a lot of processed food, and the locally-owned grocery store (with very competitive prices & much better products) doesn’t really do a lot with coupons. I know some people are coupon queens/kings, but I just don’t see it helping us out much.
Other things I won’t sacrifice: our physical & mental health (including eating good food), tasty food including chocolate, hot showers, AC (though we use a lot less nowadays, it is Florida), real friendships, time with family, our pets & their health, having a house with a yard, high speed internet, all makeup, cute shoes.
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I just told the kids – I am no longer buying them shoes from Target or any other of those type of places. They fall apart way too soon.
Denise´s last blog post..I broke all the rules
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I love coupons! I love my Suburban that I have driven for almost 10 years! I love to cook from scratch! I love to line dry my clothes. I will not give up my internet and my Directv (I get HBO for free)
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Nice tips, I may try and revert back to the simple things in life. In this hectic world we live in, people often forget that the most simple things give the biggest pleasure.
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I love the simplicity of a frugal life. Mapping out meals, cooking together, game nights, picking out movies to put on our Netflicks cue (we do not have cable), walking as much as possible and watching all the small moments, going to the library to read magazines,”staycations” and enjoying all the free simple pleasures Southern California offers, exploring new parks, and holding hands with my family as we journey through this beautiful life absent of materialistic yuck and keeping up with worthless trends, fads and the land of overindulgence. Things I cannot give up: excellent coffee, bread, and a Mac book. Costco does us well as we are able to buy in bulk these two necessary staples and The Apple Store, well it is awesome and one. The computer is how we make our living so we can continue to be frugal and happy. I enjoy all of your posts.
cindy platt´s last blog post..You are a Writer
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[...] This Life asks What Won’t You Do To Be More Frugal? I love this kind of thinking. It’s very much in line with Ramit’s Conscious Spending [...]
I always find $$ for higher end fabric–bought at the best price, turning lamps on even if there is still sunlight in the house, fast internet access, chocolate soy milk, needless beautiful ferns, sweet potato vine, playmobil toys for the boys, good shampoo, paint.
what a fun post!
The Nester´s last blog post..Lampapalooza Party!
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I don’t need Starbucks, but I buy the best possible beans and brew top notch at home….
I don’t need new furniture, but I do need new (different) fabric – reupholstery, slipcovers, etc.
I occasionally use coupons, but I will not sacrifice quality for quantity when it comes to meals – organic, home cooked, nutritious food for all of us is a practical, spiritual, and entertainment value.
Urban Industrial Farmhouse´s last blog post..Things I Love
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[...] Frugal habits vs. the occasional splurge… what does your list look like? {Remodeling this Life} [...]
I really love this post … it really is about making it all fit for yourself and not just dropping in someone else’s ideals on what is or is not frugal …
like you we drive an old car — from the 1970s – I get lots of comments on it.
we live in a small house
I still have take out coffees and colour my hair (at home) and buy olga berg bags off ebay preloved … happy life – le
le´s last blog post..The Bris Style June Freebies
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[...] What Wont You Do To Be More Frugal? – Remodeling this life (EN) [...]