Embracing frugal and living is not necessarily the easiest thing to do. You have to change the way
you think, change your habits, and get comfortable with the idea of living in a non-traditional way.
Sounds hard especially if you have no idea where to start,
but I promise you it’s not that bad if you break up it into manageable steps.
And that’s exactly what I’ve done for you in this video. Here are
six steps to help you get ready and start your frugal living journey.
Step #1: Gather ideas.
Before you jump on Facebook or IG and start updating your bio, #frugal,
it’s important that you take a step back and learn about the ways to save money through frugality.
To give you some ideas I posted a guide to frugal living right here on this channel
that walks you though how to save more money, from A-Z. I talk about groceries,
banking, entertainment, housing and utilities, the whole works.
So I’ll leave a link to that video down below, and I encourage you to check it out after this one.
Step #2: Keep your values in mind.
One of the first things that comes to mind whenever someone begins to explore frugal
living and this was particularly true for me so I’m speaking from experience here,
is how can I cut more of my expenses or what else can I stop paying for?
Don’t get me wrong, this is a great place to start, but this eagerness many of us have to
start cutting our expenses willy-nilly is us putting the cart before the horse.
Comment below of you’ve ever heard that expression before.
But what I mean by that is essentially our approach to frugal living is backwards.
If you’re just cutting expenses left and right. Sacrificing things that you value
or are critical to your survival, just so you can call yourself frugal, then you’re doing it wrong.
The best approach to getting started, is starting with your values.
By keeping your values in mind, you’re more likely
to make decisions about your finances and what you can cut out or want to cut out,
without running the risk of regret or facing frustration because life feels miserable.
So before you cancel, cut, unsubscribe or call customer service demanding a refund.
Take a moment and get clear on what you value.
That way you'll gain a greater sense of satisfaction when your frugal decisions
are true to your values. In turn, that will motivate you to keep going.
Step #3: Start thoughtfully.
Once your values are clear and you’ve gathered a solid list of ideas that you can implement to
help you save money. The next step is to try to be thoughtful when choosing your initial
money-saving tasks. Don't start with overly difficult or drawn-out ones that may present
challenges for you out the gate. This is how you lose motivation and derail the whole process.
Instead select tasks that are relatively easy to accomplish—things
like using window light as much as you can over practical lights in your home,
or eating leftovers to cut down of food waste which directly impacts your grocery bill.
Doing the simple things like this first will help give you a boost
and encourage you to stay motivated over time.
Step #4: Challenge your comfort zone.
As you begin to tick off some of the easier tasks,
nows the time to challenge yourself and take on some of the harder ones.
Things like paying debt, not using credit cards, downsizing your home in order to reduce your
rent or monthly bills. Maybe it’s getting a smaller car that gets better gas mileage.
Regardless of what it is for you, these may require more time and effort to complete,
but they also tend to create a greater impact that leads to bigger savings.
Step #5: Make plans for your savings.
Start making plans to put your savings to work. This is a crucial step that many people
overlook because they get hung up on things like which grocery store has a better deal on grapes
rather than thinking through the entire process.
Like I said earlier, the eagerness to cut expenses that many of us have is cool.
I’m all for the motivation, but what are you doing with the money you’re saving?
Step #6: Put your savings to work.
Finally it’s time to put your newly-gained savings to work. So again I ask you,
what are your plans for the money you’re saving? Here are a few things you should consider.
Pay off your debt, build your emergency fund—3-6 months of your total monthly expenses
saved in a separate account, you can also start investing for your future.
Putting a portion of the money you save into a Roth IRA, that is then invested into the
market and working to make you more money over time—building wealth for your future.
You may choose to enjoy some of it as well,
take your family on vacation or buy that thing you want.
But here’s best part, and something I can attest to 1000%.
As you watch your net worth increase,
you’ll further fuel your desire to find even more ways to save money.
I hope you found value in this, and if so comment below which step you
believe is going to help you most on your journey to living more frugally.
Click on this video right here to watch next. This is a guide to frugal living that
is filled with steps that you can easily implement starting today and save money.
Keep growing, keep learning and always stay true to you.
I’ll see you in the next one.
Peace!