In today’s world, it seems as though everything keeps getting more expensive but wages are staying the same. It’s no longer about keeping up with the Jones’, but instead, it’s about just being able to pay your bills on time and trying to keep some money set aside for when you really need it. If you’re not used to it, living on less may be challenging!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to Amazon and/or Etsy, which means that I may earn a small commission from some of the links in this post. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.
It may also require determination and willpower! Living on less is possible, you just need the right tools. Here are 10 Simple Ways To Live On Less.
10 Ways To Live On Less
1. Go without – This may be easier said than done! But it’s worth trying. Even if you can’t totally go without something, it would be good to stretch the time in between purchases.
2. Make your own stuff – Start with something as simple as your own hand soap or taco mix. I have a whole Nesting Skills Series that shows you how to make all sorts of things yourself!
3. Ditch the extra and declutter – You don’t need to buy a bigger house to store your stuff in or more organizing bins. Most of the time, the size of your house is just fine, you just need to ditch the extra stuff. In a world where we’re consumed by “things” sometimes it’s nice to just ditch the extras and in doing so you can either donate items or sell them and beef up your savings account.
4. Keep things simple – Signing up for a million and one extra-curricular activities doesn’t help the budget or the sanity. Keep your schedule as clear as possible to help keep your budget simple.
5. Get Thrifty – Thrift stores are an awesome way to live on less. You can also support a locally owned thrift store by doing an Internet search for thrift stores in your area. You can find clothing, household items, toys, tools, almost everything at thrift shops. If you don’t have thrift stores in your area then check out garage sales and Facebook groups that buy and sell items in your area. You’ll be surprised at all the resources for buying second hand!
6. Wash your own car and change the oil yourself. Every time you go to change your own oil, you are probably spending close to $40. Learning how to change your own oil can easily cut that cost in half!
7. Use Freecycle – If you’re looking for something in particular, then consider checking out Freecycle. You can get plants, furniture, clothes, food, boxes, all sorts of items for free! All you usually have to do is pick up the item.
8. Live Below Your Means – Living on a lobster budget when you have the budget of raman noodles is one way to not live on less. Start living on less by spending less and actually spending the amount of money you earn. It may take you several tries to get it right, but make a budget and stick to it.
9. Buy at Discount Stores – If you do a quick search, you will find discount stores around your area. These stores sell all kinds of things from home decor to food items at prices below marketed value. Purchase discounted items to stay on budget and overall spend less.
10. Pay Attention – How many times have you lost money because you didn’t pay attention? Maybe you got charged too much at the grocery store or overcharged at the gas tank. Paying attention to what happens with your transactions can really help you live on less in the long run.
What are some tips you have for living on less? I’d love to hear them!
Great post, Manuela! I’ll have to check out Freecycle.
Good tips, Manuela. May I also add – the price of technology. A lot of people are cutting cable and sticking with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Then there’s all the different smart phones and plans…don’t upgrade your phone every time a new version comes out and shop around for the best plan.
We use Netflix and Amazon Prime. I just read about a new one – Sling TV – I think it’s called. You can get some sports with that. Which will make a lot of people happy! I think it’s 20 a month and it’s live cable channels.
It would be so easy to run my car to the car wash, it is filthy, but I will wash it by hand this weekend! We are also going to look for a lawnmower so we can mow our own stinkin’ lawn this year;0) At $40 a pop, that should save us some good cash!
It’s definitely worth buying a lawnmower to do your own lawn. Especially if it’s not a huge lawn. At our last house we had a huge front yard (corner property) and a big backyard. We went through 3 ride-on mowers in 10 years. But we’re in Atlanta and mow the yard at least 9-10 months a year. When the last one stopped working we finally hired someone to do the front lawn. It used to take us almost 2 hours to mow the front and back! We were very happy to give the front yard to someone else to do. The backyard we did with a walk behind but we could take our time and do some today and some tomorrow since no one could see it.
Hello, this is certainly a topic I am interested as I am trying to pay our only debt by the end of this year so my husband can retire from a physically demanding job.
I would prefer to just shop at one store but I have increasingly found that prices vary and to get the most for our money, I have to shop around. I buy meats and cheese and some staples at the commissary, individual snacks and a few house items at Dollar Tree, produce at Aldi, coupon deals at CVS and then the rest is bought at Walmart and I always enter those receipts into their Savings Catcher program.
I am also trying to use those store coupons and rewards when I need something. I used a JCP $10/25 coupon to buy 3 very cute outfits that will be grand daughters birthday gifts. Their regular price was $72 but after sale and coupon, just $26.
About Freecycle, when it first started about 10 years or so, my daughter requested a washer and dryer and got a really nice that day from someone moving. Free!
What a motivating goal! I know you’re good at the CVS game. I haven’t really explored the whole drugstore game thing. I hear ya on going to more than one store, I go to Kroger, Publix (BOGOs only), Aldi, Costco (once a month), a asian indoor farmer’s market (they have THE best prices on produce), and Wal-mart. They are all on the same road except the asian market so I can do them all in the same day if I’m motivated 🙂 I occasionally go to Trader Joe’s. A Sprout’s is opening close by and I hear it’s a good place to buy organics at a reasonable price. Did you see that Sat is the last day to double your Savings Catcher $ – they’ve changed the program.
I’ve given so many things away on Freecycle! Every few years I would offer free plants as long as people came and dug them up. It was a great way to get all my daylillies thinned!
Stay out of stores as much as possible! That may sound silly, but if you always seem to find things to buy, even on sale, you are better off not stepping foot into a store. Put off running to the store for just a few things. If you are missing something for a recipe, make something different for dinner that you do have on hand. If you shop every ten days instead of once a week for groceries, that’s once less trip per month and one less opportunity for spending. Wal-Mart is usually the cheapest around here, but they have so much other stuff that can tempt you. I find that shopping at the regular grocery store can be cheaper if you only buy what is on special. Shop to replenish your pantry, and be more flexible with your meal planning. If you don’t run to the store all the time, you can practice making do or doing without. Something we all need more practice with as it is not so much a habit with us as it was with our grandparents.
Great tips. We’ve have attempted to live this way for years because we were a single income family, raising 6 children. We’re now working to pay off our mortgage so my hubby can retire. It’s so nice to see the fruits of living like this, and no one in my family has ever gone without 🙂
I love visiting blogs again. Yours has always been a favorite of mine!
Blessings my friend,
Marcia
These are great ideas! Paying attention makes such a difference.. recently I made an online purchase but forgot to go through ebates so I missed out on cash back. Oops!
Thanks for sharing these tips.. found you on Thrifty Thursday 🙂
This is excellent advice! My husband and I are both in our early twenties and are saving up so that we can buy our first house together. We both have no issues with living below our means. I find that what’s helped us a lot is couponing and buying only what’s on sale. We have a pantry stocked full of items that we’d be able to live off of for about a month if we had to.
I just checked out Freecycle and wow, that website is great! There’s been a few furniture items I’ve been on the lookout for and if I could maybe get a few of those things from there then that would be fantastic. 🙂
All such good tips…the pay attention one is spot on. It’s hard sometimes at the grocery store when the bagger is trying to make small talk. I just ignore then when the transaction is done turn and say I’m sorry what did you say.
We are lucky in our area at the car dealership for the past couple of years they offer $14.00 oil changes. We live in a cold climate with no garage to speak of, so we just can’t be that deal. Maybe other areas offer this at car dealerships? Not sure.
Love this post. I have something similar in mind in the future. I haven’t used Freecycle yet as I am on an active mailing list. However, it’s worth a try