Can Frugality Become a Habit?

January 30, 2008 · Filed Under ·  

Can frugality become a habit? Absolutely. I have not always been frugal. When I got into major credit debt I knew I had to make changes in the way I was living, changes that not only cut back on living expenses, but also would lead to permanent frugal habits. It did not happen overnight, it took time to develop these new frugal habits.  Aristotle once said:

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

Aristotle understood that in order to do something exceptionally well, you had to do it over and over until new habits developed. With Aristotle in my head, I slowly incorporated new frugal habits in my life that helped me not only get out of debt, but also increased my overall happiness. My new habits made me healthier, helped me sleep better, and made me look at the big picture. Here are 25 of my Frugal Habits:

  1. Turn the lights off when you leave a room.
  2. Open the dishwasher before the dry cycle; air dry the dishes.
  3. Leave oven door open after using; free heat in the winter.
  4. Order water only at the restaurant; free and much better for you.
  5. Start compost pile; use it to fertilize flower beds/garden.
  6. Bring my own lunch to work; easy since I work from home. ;-)
  7. Pack our lunch when going to amusement parks/fairs/beach, etc.
  8. Redeem my aluminum/plastic/glass for cash.
  9. Stock up pantry when we find good deals on non-perishables.
  10. Buy used books/DVDs/CDs; great online deals for these.
  11. Maintain autos; change oil every 3,000; rotate tires; follow maintenance schedule.
  12. Drive the speed limit; avoid quick accelerations and stops.
  13. Shop online; only when coupons are available.
  14. Shop at Ross/TJ Maxx/Marshalls for quality clothing at discounted prices.
  15. Maintain things around the house before they become big expenses.
  16. Turn the thermostat down and burn free firewood.
  17. Cut way back on junk food; healthy move and much easier on the pocketbook.
  18. Sought out cheaper recreation for myself and the family.
  19. Reduced or cancelled subscriptions that we rarely use.
  20. Cut back to the most basic satellite cable package.
  21. Stopped using vending machines.
  22. Only go to Starbucks/Jamba Juice on special occassions.
  23. Bought quality furniture for kids room; no re-occuring replacement costs.
  24. Utilized the public library.
  25. Limited vacations to small weekend trips; stay with friends when possible.

Oxford defines hardship as “a state of misfortune or affliction”.  I don’t see any of the things on my list as a hardship. If anything, the frugal things that I choose to do help me save money and relieve many financial pressures, which in turn gives me the time to reflect on the good things in my life; in particular, my family and friends. What I like to call the “state of my fortune”, is looking better and better everyday!

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Comments

7 Responses to “Can Frugality Become a Habit?”

  1. LJ on January 30th, 2008 1:47 pm

    YES! Frugality can be a habit for sure!
    It wasn’t that long ago that I bought things willy-nilly without checking price tags and I would just throw money away every chance I got.
    Now, I am the complete opposite, I never pay full price for ANYTHING! And I live much more frugally than I every thought possible and I am happier now because of that. I used to think that frugal was the same as poor, but OBVIOUSLY I was wrong!

    Great post and great frugal ideas!

    Take Care

    LJ

  2. Kyle on January 30th, 2008 4:42 pm

    LJ - Yeah don’t you wish you could get that money back that you basically threw away. Oh well, you live, you learn. Thanks for coming by!

  3. Jennifer on January 30th, 2008 8:40 pm

    I am working to establish frugal habits. These are such great ones you’ve suggested. The one I’m working on right now (still) is not eating out. It is such a hard habit for me to kick, but also a huge money drain.

  4. Meg from The Bargain Queens & All About Appearances on January 30th, 2008 11:07 pm

    Wow! I’m actually surprised how many of those I do (or do one step further).

    If only I had always been this way, I think we’d be doing pretty good right now. Ya live, ya learn, I guess (and pay the interest later).

  5. Momma on February 6th, 2008 9:47 am

    Thanks for posting these! I’ve only recently started really watching what I spend and trying to cut unnecessary costs consistently. It’s a bit challenging, so I’ve been following along with lots of the PF blogs to see where I can pick up tips and ideas. Yours really helped.

  6. JohannaB on February 7th, 2008 3:15 pm

    Great post. I do many of the things you mention. Today I had a sandwich from our cafeteria at work and the first thing I thought was … I could have sandwiches for a week on what the one ham sandwich cost.

  7. Amphritrite on February 27th, 2008 8:35 pm

    Frugality is both a challenge and a habit in my house.

    A challenge - beat my grocery savings record in an area that has no double or triple coupons, no CVS, and no Aldi’s.

    A habit - Every night when I go to bed, I turn the heat off, hit the switch on the powerstrip, turn off all the lights, and add an extra blanket to my bed. The heat and electricity stay off during the day, and when I get home the next evening, the heat is turned up to a comfy level (55-65), the powerstrip is turned back on for computing, and the blanket is snuggled up with me on the couch (or…just folded over the back).

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