When it comes to saving money, frugal practices are often looked down upon because they are very minimalist and people often feel like a frugal lifestyle isn’t enjoying life. However, regardless what people think, a frugal lifestyle will undoubtedly save more money than a “regular lifestyle”. While you don’t need to be eating canned food for the rest of your life, there are definitely things that you can cut out from your lifestyle that will save you a lot of money.
Unfortunately, many people don’t like to admit this. There are so many creature comforts that we pay for on a regular basis that we’d feel lost if we didn’t have them. For instance, things like cable TV, high-speed internet connections and subscription services are nice and all, but are they really necessary? Do you really make use of that magazine subscription you’ve had for over half a year? Are you watching enough cable TV to justify subscribing to it?
Those are just a couple of examples, but we’ll be exploring these options in greater detail below. You’ll have to come to terms with sacrificing creature comforts in order to save cash, but without further ado, here are a couple of ways to save money and cut costs that you simply don’t want to admit.
Your Car
People spend on average 30 minutes in the car despite paying a ridiculous amount of money per year to maintain their vehicles. The cost of owning a vehicle hurts our wallets 
and can honestly be cut out. If you live in a suburb, then having a vehicle is brilliant and it might seem like a must-have, but what about trading in your hunk of metal for a bicycle or a scooter? They’re much lighter, easier to move around, cheaper to maintain, and they still get you from point A to B. If you have multiple vehicles, then consider trading them in for a larger one if you need to ferry people around, or consider carpooling so you don’t use too much fuel. You may have noticed that even the cost of driving your vehicle has increased, and you can learn about gasoline pricing if you want to understand why the costs are rising.
If you live in a city, make use of public transportation such as buses and trains, or consider using a cheap private transportation service such as Uber. You won’t be using nearly as much money as driving a car and you don’t have to worry about driving it yourself. You can simply download the app, call a driver and relax while you are ferried to your destination for a price that is probably cheaper than the cost of petrol.
Phone Bill
Do you really make use of all your minutes and text messages? In fact, do people even use text messaging still when there are so many social media apps nowadays? Internet data can be pretty expensive, but are you making use of WiFi hotspots and remembering to turn off internet data when you are updating apps, downloading games and at home? Let’s face it, the cost of our phones are incredibly high and we probably don’t even make use of those thousands of free minutes and text messages. Consider swapping to another plan such as a pay-as-you-go tariff, especially if you don’t use your phone very often. If you do, then try to look for a plan that suits your needs. For instance, if you are a heavy internet user then you can look for a plan that offers lots of internet data but fewer minutes and texts. The more flexibility you have, the more money you will save.
Entertainment
As mentioned before, your cable TV service is probably being underutilised if you’re reading this article. All of the latest shows and sports games can be found online with cheaper services. For instance, Amazon Prime offers many recent films, exclusive shows and TV series in addition to giving you access to Twitch Prime for Twitch.tv and also free delivery for an entire year. Compare this to the cost of your average cable TV subscription and you’ll realise that you are paying far too much for the entertainment that you enjoy and that you could get a better on-demand service for a much lower price. It’s convenient, you can view it on any device from your living room television to your mobile phone, and there are no expensive setup fees. Cut your cable subscription now and consider subscription services—you’ll save more money than you can imagine. You should also consider subscriptions to services such as Playstation Plus. Although you get some nice benefits such as free games each month and access to online play, ask yourself if you actually enjoy those games and if you plan online enough to warrant the annual payment.
Food
If you go out to eat on a regular basis then you probably enjoy many of the finer things in life. However, if you’re planning on living a more frugal lifestyle then you should consider cutting out some of the junk and reducing the number of trips you make to your favourite restaurants. This is because cooking your own food is going to be infinitely healthier if you learn your way around the kitchen and also far cheaper if you know how to buy produce. You need to pick fresh and cheap ingredients from local markets, speak to butchers to get good quality meat for a great price and focus on value instead of overpriced quality. It also helps if you buy frozen or in bulk. Most supermarkets offer great deals that you can always check online so you can stock up on your favourite snacks and essentials and keep them stored in the freezer or in your pantry for a long period of time. Stop relying on fast food and expensive restaurants and deliveries. Get involved in the kitchen if you want to make huge savings on your average grocery bill and also learn some useful skills that’ll impress your friends and family.
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