Countless “Save-Money” tips

So you want to come up with a plan for saving money. There is a limitless amount of ways of which you can save money, and we could probably sit here and talk about it for ages. We could tell you to not buy that cup of coffee in the morning, stay away from the bagel shop and from that cafe in the evening. We could tell you to eliminate cable or satellite and cancel your gym membership.

We could tell you to make an account on trade me to sell your TV, stereo and iPod, as well as half of your wardrobe. And persuade you that you actually only need three pairs of shoes (dress, sneakers, casual). But what is the fun in all that?

Don’t Make it a Chore

Saving money does not have to be such a chore, all one needs are a few adjustments in the way one spends his or her money. For me personally, if I had to avoid that cup of tea in the morning I would get fed up and forget about my expenses and spend like I had compulsive shopping disorder.

Talk about being dramatic, but what I mean is that frugality is key when it comes to saving money and dissolving deeper debt. It’s all about how you buy your goods, not so much avoiding it all together.

Value of Life

I don’t mean to be all philosophical here, but what would be the point of living if you can’t even enjoy the small things in life? Think of it this way, half the joy of buying something is actually buying (paying for) the item, rather than using it.  Meaning that when you do go buy that cup of coffee in the morning or an evening snack, you will get about a good amount of euphoria worth more than the $4 you spent.

This euphoria will last not much shorter than when buying a new TV. This is because people tend to get used to what they have, hence never being satisfied with their current lifestyle and always wanting more. So a new TV will only give you a thrill for a very temporary amount of time.

Affecting People Around You

Being frugal is not so much trying to avoid buying everything at all costs. On the contrary, being frugal means you understand the value of what you buy, and you weight the cost and benefit. Being cheap on the other hand means you are only looking for the lowest price. A cheap person might be negligent of tax when paying someone back, or forget about a tip.  A frugal person would avoid buying a drink so that she can stay on her budget.

Most importantly, cheap people think of the now, how much they could save at this instant. Frugal people think long term, they have a plan and purpose, and they put it into conscience action. Cheap people might affect the friends and family around them, doing anything they can to try to save money. A frugal person is conscience of their personal expenses, and whether or not buying a specific item is worth their money.

Would you be able to tell the difference between a frugal person and a cheap person? Have you met people that have been a bit of an annoyance because of being cheap? And have you learned anything from a frugal person?