Frugal Living Tips for the Rest of Us

Websites with frugal living tips abound on the internet. However, they're not typically useful to someone in my situation. The tips are generally geared toward a married couple (consisting of one wage-earner and one at-home individual) with several kids. This family lives in a house with a yard suitable for growing a vegetable garden. I'm single, I juggle work and school, and I live in an apartment where the only dirt available is whatever the dog tracks in.

Nonetheless, I'm known as the queen of frugality. I manage to have monthly living expenses of slightly under $500. (Given that I live in Silicon Valley, one of the most expensive areas of the entire country, this is nothing short of a miracle.) Here's what I've learned along the way. (I'm sure I've missed stuff; this is just what I remember right now. After a while, frugality just becomes an automatic way of life.)

Frugal Living Tips for People Who Don't Have Time, Space, or Inclination to Raise Chickens for Their Eggs*:

1. Get a roommate (or two, or three, though I don't really recommend four): This is, by far, the biggest piece of frugal living advice. A two bedroom apartment costs only slightly more than a one bedroom, and a three bedroom is only slightly more than a two bedroom. I have a three bedroom apartment, and there are five of us living there. My rent is next to nothing. (However, my personal space and peace and quiet are next to nothing as well. You win some, you lose some.)

2. Cook your own food: This is a huge one, too. It costs so much less to cook than to eat out. Of course, there's so little time in the day for cooking. The crock-pot and the freezer are your friend. I make large batches and freeze leftovers. This way, I get to have variety, and I can cook a lot when I have time. Then I have homemade TV dinners for those nights when I just don't have it in me to cook.

3. Don't let food go to waste: Eat your leftovers. Don't buy more produce than you can eat before it spoils. (Perhaps you can share it with your roommates.) My mom made me drink milk with my dinner every day when I was a kid. So, one of the first things I did when I became an adult was to stop drinking milk, since I was so sick of it. I don't have any objection to it; I cook with it, and I put it on my cereal when I have it. I don't recall the last time I drank a glass of milk. Since milk spoils so easily, I almost never buy it. I cook with powdered milk (you can't taste the difference), and when I eat cereal, I use almond milk. (Some people use soy or rice milk, but I like the flavor of almond better.) Both have long shelf-lives. I get the joy of using milk without the spoilage.

4. Buy used: This goes for the obvious, like cars, (my car is 20 years old and I don't have a car payment), but also for the less obvious. All of my dishes and most of my other housewares came from the thrift store. People give away some nice stuff, so you don't have to suffer with green and orange paisley. I also get a lot of clothes from thrift stores, too. For electronics, I use craigslist and eBay.

5. Buy in bulk: There are plenty of things that are cheaper in bulk. Toilet paper, for example. It never spoils, so, as long as you have the space for it, go for it. I like to shop at Smart & Final. It's like Costco, but there's no membership fee. I can get 24 rolls of TP for $12 or so. I also by cat food and litter in bulk. (I keep the cat food in an airtight container so it stays fresh.)

6. Save money on your laundry: As some of you may know, laundry is something of a hobby of mine. Here are a few money-saving tips.

• Hang some of your laundry to dry. The wind and sun are free, and clothes last longer. (I still use my dryer for heavy stuff, but my delicates and lightweight items go on the drying rack.)
• Only run full loads. The fewer loads you run, the less water and electricity you'll use. If you don't have enough stuff for a full load, combine with your roommates.
• Use dryer balls. They're these neat plastic balls that kind of look like blue blowfish. They sell for about $9, and I use them instead of dryer sheets. They last for a long time. (I think my first set broke after a year.) They cut the static and make the clothes soft and fluffy without the noxious dryer sheet smell or price.
• Make your own laundry detergent. Recipes can be found here. (I use a variation of recipe #2, but if you prefer powdered, I've had success with recipe #4.) I can make 5 gallons of liquid detergent for about $1.50, in 15 minutes. That much store-bought detergent would cost at least $30.
  

7. Reuse: Recycling is good for the environment, but it's also good for your wallet. Take your lunch to work in reusable containers. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones. Clean with rags instead of paper towels.

8. Know what to splurge on: For some things, the apparently frugal solution really isn't. We all have our things that we need to spend more on. Mine is toothpaste. Because I inherited the teeth of my British forebears, I need to practice extra-good dental care to keep my pearly-whites in good health. I buy high-end toothpaste to ensure that. (I do, however, buy it in bulk and on sale.) Nice toothpaste is cheaper than a root canal! For other people, it may be some form of hypo-allergenic cleanser, or low-sugar food product. Whatever it is, don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

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*Your mileage may vary. Void where prohibited. This blog post does not constitute legal advice, financial advice, medical advice, or any other kind of vice. Results not typical. Talk to your doctor if you experience any dreadful side effects like Lyme Disease or triskaidekaphobia.