5 Low-Effort Steps Towards Saving Money

Everyone wants to save money, right? The resistance to adopting a frugal lifestyle often is the belief that shaving costs from your monthly spending habits means major lifestyle changes.

Truthfully, that is not necessarily the case. Living a frugal life comes with adopting an attitude as opposed to making a major behavioural overhaul. Make it your mission to get more with less, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

Price Tags are not Set in Stone

When shopping retail, the assumption is that the price tag is absolute. While this may be the case much of the time, there is opportunity to negotiate.

Is the item damaged or nearing the end of its life-cycle? Is there an opportunity to buy multiple products, saving costs in volume? The retailer can always say no, but if you make a reasonable request they may take it on in the interest of completing a sale. Bottom line, you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Preserve your Food

Letting food spoil is akin to throwing money into the garbage can, and you know that you certainly wouldn’t do that!

Make sure that your fridge and freezer are set at the proper temperature (too cold will freeze items in the fridge and promote freezer burn in the freezer. Too warm will not keep food appropriately cold).

Put food in the appropriate storage place. For instance, tomatoes are meant to ripen at room temperature on the counter. Potatoes and onions should be stored in a cool, dark place.

Re-package dried grains (i.e. rice and pastas) into air-tight containers to prevent spoilage.

Low-Cost Exercise

Do you spend loads every month on a gym membership, simply because the gym is convenient to work, or because the hours work well around your schedule?

Shop around. Gyms are all vying for your membership dollars, and you can benefit by negotiating both cost and terms of the membership.

Also, consider doing away with the gym membership altogether, and adopt a low-cost exercise routine, like running or walking.

Elbow Grease= Cash

Wherever possible, DIY. That means, cooking, cleaning, yard work, cleaning the car, bringing your lunch to work- you name it.

Convenience is expensive. If you are willing to roll up your sleeves a little, you instantly reap in the savings.

Make Consignment Shopping a Habit

Consignment shops are not just to trade-in your child’s outgrown clothing and toys, nor are they completely filled with moth-ridden attic clothes.

You will be pleasantly surprised to find that consignment shopping for ladies wear is emerging to include many designer labels and fashions, that are gently used- not tattered and torn. In fact, more and more designer-label only consignment shops are dotting the retail landscape.

Frugal fashionistas unite!