My Frugal Tips

We live in hard times. Yet some are still doing rather well for themselves. Why is that?
This piece will look at how being frugal will help my readers save more and live a little better.

Those who know me personally know that i made a huge move about a year ago to another country to pursue graduate studies. I was fortunate enough that, that move was accompanied by enormous good fortune. I think God realized it was time for his baby girl to smile again.

For 8 months I did not have to worry about money because I had a sizeable (for me) allowance.

But some advice my dad gave me years ago and that he regularly repeated, stuck with me.

He advocates that a person live their life in such a way that whether they are richer or poorer, nobody knows it unless they choose to tell. This advice is the kind that can be applied to all facets of life. Be moderate in your eating and you wouldn't be like me, always struggling with my weight. Be moderate in speech and you wouldn't get into too much trouble. Balance is key to navigating life's unpredictabilities.

Anyway, so even though it was more money than i was used to, i sort of kept my head and saved money, although i lived well and still do. Living well meant that i bought good quality foodstuff and cooked regularly. I travelled for cheap. Initially, i did not know the funding was only for 8 months. I didn't expect it to stop when it did. But because i was financially prudent i didn't struggle too much when the axe finally came down. Even now, in this period when i'm working on my thesis, i don't have to work too much to stay on top of my bills.

What did i do?

Saved and invested as much as i could.

It doesn't have to be much but it has to be something. I set up an automatic deposit on my account which sent money directly to wealthsimple.com. I actually made some money. A lot more than the 5 cents my savings account was earning me. I'm actually about to start learning about investing proper because I don't see myself working forever. Your girl likes to travel and eat and i need to fund my lifestyle lol. A note on travel. If you're like me and have a wandering urge, do your research and find the deals. For instance, I found that i could travel around the region I live in currently for a rather low rate with this company called alternativeroutes.ca. The owner has a van and with a load of customers she takes us on an entertaining tour.

For trips that require plane travel:

Always search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode to see the lowest prices.
Skyscanner.ca is a great tool to compare flight prices after you use google flights to show which airlines are going in your direction.
Be flexible with your travel days. Usually when you are comparing flight prices, it opens in a calendar and usually has prices listed underneath. Shine your eyes well well.
Budget airlines can be your best friend although you should make allowance for the possibility that the airports they operate out of might be a little further out of town or they might not have free check-in baggage, or something. Just do your due diligence.
Always book in advance on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Got a credit card that paid me back whenever I used it.

Note however that i used it as a debit card. In short I didn't spend money I didn't have. Whenever I used it, at the end of the day I paid it in full the minute I got home. I believe this is a trap a lot of people fall into. That you have a credit card with a spending limit of say $1000, doesn't mean you conclude that money is for you. It is not. I even had a friend try to convince me that you build credit by having as many credit cards as possible, using them and paying them off gradually. No thank you.

Cook more than you buy food.

I save so much in this way. And bonus point is I always have food in my fridge for me and whichever visitor I might have.

My cooking has also gotten so much better yay. It is actually something I learned from a friend about 7 years ago, when I wasn't very smart with my money.

During the early part of my undergraduate days, whatever allowance my parents gave me was spent frivolously as soon as it reached me. This led to me being in a regular state of being broke and hungry. This friend told me that I could spend all I wanted so long as I bought my foodstuff and personal necessities first. So what happened now was that even though I was broke cash wise, I wasn't hungry. In time though I matured enough to learn to save cash too 😂😂.

Change out your bulbs to energy saving ones.

This is something I'm planning to do the instant i hear about sales on those bulbs. All to save money on power bills.


Speaking of sales.

If you can't help shopping, always shop the clearance racks or go thrift shopping. The clearance racks of Forever21 are my one stop shop for clothes and Payless Shoes whenever they run their buy one get one half off sales is where I go shoe shopping. But only when I actually need shoes. Currently I don't need shoes because I sorted that out during their winter sale on spring and summer shoes.

Did you know you could negotiate your cell phone bill?

I know someone who managed to do this, although when i tried i wasn't very successful. I did manage to improve my package by being on the look out for savings.

In short, its doable. You don't need to go out every weekend. Remember you're only young once. Save money and invest now so that you can chill when you're older without relying on handouts. Stay in with a drink you bought and get to know yourself. Its about time you got re-acquainted with the MVP-You.