The Road to a Frugal Life

Step One: Know your destination.

You can’t stay on the path towards your goals if you don’t even know what your goals are. Have you ever gone into a grocery store without a list? You wander up and down the aisles, not really knowing if you are getting what you need. This is a lot like your frugal living. You have to know where you are going and what you need in order to follow the correct path.

Step Two: Don’t take every path

You will quickly find that if you follow every single frugal path that you encounter, you will go crazy! It just isn’t possible. Not everything works for every person. It simply depends on where you are at in your life — and how much you want to take on.

Step Three: Keep searching for new paths

You know your destination, but you don’t always know how to get there. Frugal living is an ongoing challenge. There is no end to it. You keep learning and you keep pushing yourself to save a little bit more.

Step Four: Budgeting is your gasoline

You have to know where you are spending your money in order to spend less. It often helps to track every penny that you spend. Right down to the penny. Don’t cheat. Those small expenditures can really add up. Your budget will keep you working towards your goal and spending less each month. This is where you can really sit down and see what is necessary and what isn’t. When everything is on paper, it is easy to see the changes that could be made.

Step Five: Save your savings

If you save money on groceries, what happens to it? Do you spend it somewhere else? You should save your savings. Immediately write out a check to your savings account for the money you have saved. This ensures that the sacrifices you made in cutting back really pay off. If you don’t save it, it really isn’t saved money.
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