21 Ways To Live Frugally and Not Feel Any Pain

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I don’t know why but people connect frugality with pain. In fact, people seem to feel that patience isn’t a virtue when it comes to applying frugality to your daily life. There have been certain moments where I did feel that way as well.

Those were the moments when it was unclear to me what my “why” was. Why was I applying frugal habits and practices to my daily life? I now have very clear goals in mind with very specific action items in place so that I understand that I’m moving towards outcomes that will benefit me in the long run.

At this point my frugality is second nature and I find that I have a lot of fun trying to do as much as I possibly can, while spending as little money as possible. Now let’s be clear, I’m not cheap: if I go out I tip 20%, I still travel, and I have a daily coffee. But, I work hard and it doesn’t make sense to me to pay full price for anything anymore. There is always a deal to be had. So, to help you embrace the frugal life I’ve come up with a list that I think you will find pretty helpful.

Frugal lifestyles don’t have to be painful-you just have to apply some creativity to your process. YOLO!

21 Ways To Live Frugally and Not Feel Any Pain

1. National Parks Rock! Instead of going on a huge vacation out of state, go on a staycation to a national park. Colorado has a number of fabulous parks and every single U.S. state that I’ve been to has gorgeous scenery. For example: White Sands National Park (New Mexico) Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming/Montana/and..) Basically, Google your state and figure out the park that works best for you and then GO!
2. Ride Your Bike Around Town While-Dress Cute! Ladies where  a nice dress with a floppy hat, gents a nice shirt and a bowtie. Explore your city and end up at a cheap happy hour with 2 for 1 specials. Make sure it’s a cheap happy hour with excellent food. Have a $25 for the two of you and enjoy. I have a cruiser bike that I’m in love with.
3. Free Museum-Does your museum have a free day or night? Why aren’t you going. It’s highly likely that your taxes paid for it.
4. Volunteer To Help A Race-I’ve volunteered for free entrance to run a 5k. These races take a lot to put together. Before race season starts look at your favorites and see if they have opportunities to volunteer in exchange for the entrance fee.
5. Volunteer at a Dance Studio-I used to volunteer at a dance studio in exchange for free dance classes. In fact, I volunteered so much I also ended up working at the studio and then teaching dance classes as well. It was one of the best barter situations that I’ve ever participated in.
6. Volunteer at a Yoga Studio-This is also on my list for when I return to Denver. Yoga is expensive! Both Tonya from Budget and the Beach and Mrs. Frugalwoods from Frugalwoods volunteer in exchange for yoga. Nice!
7. Go To A Parade-I love a good parade. I bet there is a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in everyone’s future. Why aren’t you going?
8. Sample Wines-I love a nice wine. And, before I can make an educated purchase I need to sample a few. Luckily, most wine shops will sample their wines once a week. Don’t be lame, if you sample try to purchase a bottle at least once a month for a nice dinner in.
9. Sample Cheese-Umm, cheese pairs well with wine and most cheese shops will have samples of the different varieties that they carry. Again, don’t be lame and do purchase a nice cheese eventually.
10. Sample Chocolate-Ok, there is a theme here! But, I know that I’ve had some great chocolate samples as well. With the last three list items just have a maximum amount you’re allowed to spend to keep it frugal and stick to your plan.
11. Redeem Your Groupon-Have you looked at your deals lately? Even if the promotional price has expired you can still redeem your Groupon or LivingSocialDeal for the amount that you originally paid for several years after the initial purchase. I would strongly recommend to not wait years. Just look at those deals every 4-6 weeks and redeem your coupons.
12. Themed Potluck-We just had the Super Bowl which I consider the ultimate themed potluck.  There are so many ways to rock a potluck. Look at Pinterest to find some awesome ideas. Make a punch with a “punch” to cut down on costs
13. Redeem Points-Earned on mileage cards for gift cards to places that you enjoy
14. Scavenger Hunt-Pick a random theme and create a scavenger hunt through your city. Have a prize (or dinner) at the end. I just saw this on The Big Bang Theory.
15. Discover Your City’s Libraries-I am a library nerd. In fact, I am typing this from the Sydney Downtown library which is gorgeous. Have you visited your town’s different library branches? Depending on where they are located there may be special collections housed in different branches, art, or events to go to.
16. Library Events-Your library probably hosts events. Recently I stumbled on an event at a local library branch that was fantastic. There was a quartet from the Colorado Symphony that was performing and they also had local coffee and snacks for those of us listening.
17. Local Sports Teams-Do your local sports teams offer discounted tickets? The Denver Nuggets used to offer same day tickets for $5. Yes, they were in the 3rd level. But, it was still a great time and it was only FIVE BUCKS! Most teams won’t advertise these deals. So, just ask. And, these deals won’t be for premier games. It doesn’t matter-it’s still a lot of fun.
18. Check Out Your City’s Public Art-Colorado has a lot of very interesting art that also has conspiracy theorists in a tizzy. You are first greeted with Blucifer. You know, the giant blue stallion with blood red eyes right outside of Denver International Airport? Find your city’s art and then google the story behind it. You’ll probably be surprised at what you discover.
19. Themed Movie Nights-Have a theme, dress up, and go from there. My favorite themes for me personally would be 80’s night, 90’s angst, and Action Movies. If you do action movies all fake weaponry should not be worn outside-EVER.
20. Clothing Swaps-Maybe you don’t feel like shopping for clothes but your friends have great stuff. Organize a clothing swap and swap some fun items.
21. Go Camping-This one is tricky if you don’t have equipment. Just ask around and see if your friends have a tent/sleeping bags/etc. And then go to one of those parks I mentioned earlier. I love camping and it’s always an adventure.

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What Other Frugal Things Do You Do That Aren’t On

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Michelle

I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.

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