Do you want to know the secret to being frugal? Do you want to know how frugal people stay on track with their money?
These are 8 things that frugal people avoid at all costs. Everything on this is pretty expensive in the long run, encourages overspending, or could lead to a snowball effect of spending money when it isn’t necessary.
- Frugal people don’t buy into trends
Trends are fleeting. They are not permanent and will soon be “out” of fashion and favor. This means that if you buy into a trend you could not like the item very soon after you buy it and not want to wear it anymore. Not wearing a piece of clothing more than a few times is wasteful, not just for your wallet, but for the environment, too.
Buying trends isn’t totally off limits, though. If you truly love something that’s ‘trendy’ go ahead and buy it, but make sure it will be a longterm item for you!
- Frugal people do not buy everything new
Frugal people know that if you buy something secondhand you can get a great deal. And you can buy almost everything secondhand if you look hard enough.
- Frugal people don’t buy luxury goods
By luxury I mean clothing brands like Chanel and jewelry brands like Cartier. These brands make beautiful pieces but the prices are astronomical and in some cases you can buy a car for the price of one item. Someone that is frugal knows that luxury goods of this level are not for them and they stick to high quality items at reasonable price points.
- Frugal people do not get food delivered or eat at restaurants super often
Buying meals out is always going to cost more than cooking at home for yourself. Sometimes buying dinner can cost as much as groceries for a week!
Frugal people know that restaurant food is only for special occasions or just once in awhile. Otherwise it gets way too expensive.
- Frugal people do not buy daily conveniences, like coffee
Things like coffee and bagels are delicious and easy and might take less time than cooking for yourself, but the costs add up quickly. Grabbing a coffee in the morning before work might be delicious but will cost you thousands.
- Frugal people don’t upgrade their technology super often
Technology moves so fast. You could upgrade your phone and laptop every year if you wanted to! But electronics cost a pretty penny and frugal people know they can go years without replacing these items.
- Frugal people avoid unnecessary fees
Have you ever paid an ATM fee because you didn’t want to try to find an ATM for your bank? The smarter thing to do would be to think ahead and always go to the right ATM ahead of time to avoid that fee. Same thing for late fees. These kinds of fees are completely avoidable and not worth paying for the convenience.
- Frugal people never not know their credit score
Credit scores are important and frugal people keep track of theirs. If your credit score decreases, that could indicate that you’ve missed a payment, or, even worse, that someone has gotten a hold of your credit card information. Be careful!
Liked this article? Watch my YouTube video for more details about these tips!
