How To Be Frugal But Not Cheap: 4 Ways

Frugal living is something making rounds in popular media. You can see how many lifestyles are evolving, and all across demographics (young and old) people are embracing a more minimalist lifestyle. However, some people think it’s quite challenging when you already live life a certain way, and having a new path might cause dysfunction. I am here to show you that it’s possible to learn how to be frugal but not cheap.

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How to be frugal but not cheap: My personal experience

Learning how to be frugal and minimalist often has its reasons. Something that struck a chord for me when I started being more mindful of my spending is when my husband and I started making serious investments. These includes buying rental properties and placing money on stocks. When we decided to take this step, I knew that there are some lifestyle changes that had to be made, but trust me, these are not outrageous things. I believe that anyone can apply these and learn how to be frugal and happy.

Perhaps you want to save money for you and your children’s future. You may also want to do this so that you can create valuable investments. If you are interested in knowing the simple things I applied so that I can learn how to be frugal and save money, take a look at the this I will be discussing below.

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How to be frugal but not cheap: 4 simple ways

Forget the need to always buy brands and inspect quality

When you are making purchases, you are well aware that there are some brands that are pricier than others. It is commonplace to think that brands have better quality, but this isn’t always the case. If you want to learn how to be frugal with groceries, it is important to know that some store brands are actually as good as the branded things you buy.

I don’t shy away from buying “Great Value” from Walmart, or “Good and Gather” from Target because I understood the supply chain of many of these businesses. No, they don’t sell subpar products–many of these store brands get their raw supplies from the same companies as the branded ones, but the repacking process is the one that leads them to another direction. The branded stores get a premium price because of the name they carry, while store brands can afford to be cheaper because they don’t pay for shelf room in their own stores. Get what I mean?

In essence, many of these items are essentially the same in quality for very different prices. However, there are some which you also have to inspect quality as well. It’s all a matter of ignoring the brand, but rather evaluating your experience and sticking to the most reasonable priced ones for their quality. This is one great way of learning how to be frugal but not cheap.

Sticking to a discipline

Another thing that really helped me is developing the discipline of being frugal. Like exercising or doing my morning Bible devotions, learning how to be frugal is a matter of disciplining yourself. Delaying gratification and holding yourself accountable is one of the best ways to save money.

If you are looking for a how to be frugal book that will help develop these habits, I encourage you to check out this book in Amazon:

This “Frugal Living” Journal will help you keep track of your daily income and expenses, while providing weekly affirmations to motivate you on saving money. If you want to be fully on track while holding yourself accountable to being frugal, this is one great way to start. Find it in Amazon.

Understanding your motivation for purchases

Another principle that helped me is understanding the motivation for the things I purchase. When I see that the motivation for my purchase is “emotional” rather than “rational”, I reconsider or find better alternatives for an expensive purchase.

For example, I got really stressed and wanted to do some retail therapy. When I finally go to the store, I think if I “really need it” or it’s just another clutter that will be added to the house. And if you know me, I hate clutter and seeing a bunch of random things laying around with minimal purpose, taking up space in my home.

Some emotional reasons include:

I want to buy it because:

My other friends have it too
A celebrity / popular figure has it too
I want to fit in
I want to impress other people
I am upset so this will make me feel better

In these reasons, the underlying thoughts are laden with very emotional reasons which do not provide a lasting value. So, if you are really striving to stay frugal, I would encourage you to stay on track by evaluating your motivations for buying.

Money as a tool rather than an end

The last principle I believe that helped me on how to be frugal but not cheap is to think of money as a tool rather than an end. I remembered the Parable of Talents in the Bible where there were three servants given coins by their master. The first two servants did something with their money to make it grow, while the third servant just hid his money in the ground. In the end, the master praised the other two and reprimanded the last one.

It is seen in this Biblical principle that money isn’t the end–it is a tool used to achieve something in life. Like the two servants, we can use money to bring value to our life such as investing it, improving our lifestyles in a wise way, and helping others. This is the difference about being cheap and using your money wisely to work for your goals. I believe this mindset is helpful whether you are learning how to be frugal with a baby, if you are a working individual, or if you are the main person who arranges the budget in your household.

So, I would encourage you to see money in that way as well. When you see that you don’t need to act like you’re hiding your income in the ground to save it, but rather use it wisely to grow it even more, this is when you’ll see that you will further be entrusted with more resources. At that point, your frugal living has reaped its fruits.

I hope this post about how to be frugal but not cheap help you out! As always, don’t forget to check out the Frugal Living Journal from Amazon to help you develop frugal living habits:

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