The Frugal Beagle

Just look at things that you buy on a supermarket, at least a third is likely unplanned and inessentials.
• Impulse items aren’t just candy, magazines, and sodas in the checkout aisles. Supermarket designers are smarter than that. They place complementary items tightly on a shelf; need a huge glass of hot chocolate to go with those marshmallows? A cup of coffee to go with your biscotti? Watch out for other temptations within the aisles as well.

• Bring a limited amount of cash. Bring only the amount you want to spend. People are likely to spend up to twice as much, if they carry a credit card. Try to avoid the dangerous urge to spend more and you should go for the cash-only strategy. It is a good idea for those who always find it hard sticking to a list. Bringing just enough cash with you will help to discern the difference between needs and wants.

• Sort items in your cart. Place all unplanned items into the front part of the cart. When you’re about to pay, check for the items in your cart and consider whether you should return them. If they’re inessential consider putting them back.

• Have them delivered. If impulse purchases are a huge problem, try the delivery and pickup service if available. Do this for two or three times and compare your overall expenses. Make sure the saved money more than compensate the delivery charges.

• Don’t shop on an empty stomach. Everything looks tasty when you’re starved, making impulse purchases difficult to resist. A good time for shopping is right after a full meal. Keep a couple of granola bars in the car to ward off hunger if you haven’t had time to get a proper meal before shopping.

• Don’t use the cart. Opt for a basket, if you only need to buy a few items. Less space means less room to put unnecessary items and to just get what you need. With less weight, you can walk faster and get out of the supermarket quicker.

• Don’t be tempted when waiting in line. It is no accident that many impulse items are positioned close to the checkout lanes, where people tend to wait in line. As the result these things are slightly more expensive. To avoid being tempted, try to focus your attention elsewhere. Use your time to text a friend, work on a to-do list, update your Facebook wallpost, organize your coupons, whatever.

• Find exciting hobbies. For some people, shopping is a pleasurable activity, to the point where it is considered a hobby. They visit supermarkets every three of four days for “just browsing.” If this describes you, direct your love of shopping into something cheaper or even profitable (such as, planting vegetables and fruits).

One of the worst experiences in life is financial bondage. You often feel overwhelmed mentally, emotionally and physically from its effects. This is because debt brings a constant stream of worry, anxiety and fear into your life. How are you going to pay your mortgage? How are you going to provide for your family? How are you going to make ends meet? Everyone asks these questions, but when you are up to your eyeballs in debt they become tougher to answer. Here are five tips to help you overcome debt and live a better life.

Tip One: Determine your total debt load. Debt is a lot like body fat. It develops fast and does not go away. All it takes is a few bad financial decisions to be in debt for years. Most people today are drowning in debt. They owe on their homes, cars and have other expenses they can no longer really afford. How do you start getting yourself into better financial shape? You need to find out how much debt you have accumulated. This is like putting your debt on scale to find out its weight. Either way the scale does not lie. You will have a very clear idea of where you stand financially and what changes you need to make.

Tip Two: Identify discretionary expenses you can cut immediately. Do you really need to go to eat every day? Do you need to get the latest video game system for your kids? Do you need to attend that concert? Do you need to watch the latest movie on cable television? These are fun things to do. They are also discretionary expenses. These are goods are services that do not have to be bought to survive. They are also the first place you should look to cut if you are serious about getting out of debt.

Tip Three: Develop a debt management plan. This is your battle plan for fighting debt. Set your debt reduction goal and then break it down into small action steps that you can take daily. This will require self-control and a strong desire to be debt free.

Tip Four: Establish a short-term savings account. It is important to build up a savings account so you can handle various problems that pop up in life. You will be glad you did the next time your car breaks down or your house requires some work.

Tip Five: Improve your financial literacy. Financial education is the best investment you can make to become debt free. You will need to work on improving your understanding of finances so you are not so quick to sign or charge again.

These five tips can help you work towards getting out of debt and free you from your financial bondage in time.

Generally, a frugal is a person who uses his/her money in a thrifty stratagem. Most of the underpinning tactics in frugal living involves costs reduction and preventing wastes. In short, a frugal doesn’t follow the normal cycle of spending found in average consumers.

1. If possible, cook at home every day. Cooking your own food is often the cheapest way to eat. It’s a good idea to take lunch to work everyday. A chicken salad sandwich and beverages for lunch may cost you $4.5 each day or nearly $1200 a year. If possible, have breakfast and coffee at home.
2. Disconnect your telephone land line; compare cellphone providers for the cheapest monthly fee.
3. Buy pretty much everything during sales after comparing prices before and during a sale. Buy large quantity of non-perishable items during a sale.
4. Drive your car to death. If you keep a maintenance log and look after your car regularly, you may use it conveniently for 25 years or more.
5. Gather with like-minded relatives and friends. You may get great tips from experienced frugals.
6. Watch movies at cheaper theatres that play movies released 1-2 months ago and make sure you are on a full stomach.
7. Making a list before a grocery shopping is not enough, leave your credit cards at home and bring just enough cash.
8. Always check on expiry dates before buying to prevent waste.
9. Avoid vending machines. If the weather is warm, put a bottle of frozen tea in your car in the morning and you can get an iced tea for free during hot summer days.
10. Buy used products when possible
11. Ignore those advertising mailers left in your mailbox.
12. Switch off unused electric appliances. Although it’s a minor improvement, using Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs will cut the utility bill by roughly thirty dollars annually. CFL bulbs require one-third of the energy than conventional bulbs and they may last 10 times longer than normal bulbs.
13. Learn how to DIY things to avoid buying things needlessly or using expensive mechanics/plumbers/technicians service
14. If you have a plan for travel, compare discount airfares, buy weeks before the departure date and fly at nights