[USER]

I’m 58. To me, frugal starts with saving more than we spend, cooking from scratch at home, enjoying free entertainment, saving in advance for “wants” and big expenses (like vacation) instead of putting them on a credit card , and upcycling items I already own for another use instead of shopping for new.

The one thing I spend money on is good quality food … organic and grass fed … to maintain health and avoid medical expenses in the long run.

How about you? How old are you and what is your frugal?

EDIT: I’m so glad I asked this question. So many wonderful ideas. It appears frugal strategies transcend generation, location, and culture. We’ve found our people

[Jenny]

Frugal means saving money on things that don’t matter to me and spending money on things that matter. For example I cut my own hair as well as my kids’ but I spend money on good quality chocolate. I reuse as much as I can and I mend our clothing. I like shopping for bargains and never pay full price if I can avoid it.

[Amy]

Probably the most frugal thing I can advise anyone is buy a house beneath your current means. I know this goes against what some advise “get the most house you can, since it’s an “investment” “.

When my hubby and I were looking for our home the bank approved us for 3x what I felt comfortable paying.

I told my realtor.. here is my budget, find one in that range, in a good, family neighborhood. He insisted it couldn’t happen. It took three months, but we did find it. We have more than tripled the value of our home. When all of our friends were upside down on their mortgage due to the housing collapse we maintained positive equity.

By buying so low beneath our means we were able to really save, and our savings account is in great shape. People get the idea they have to have a big, fancy home in a desirable neighborhood, but end up being house poor,, or worse, not being able to pay for it when something bad happens.

[Cielo]

As a 22 year old, my friends and I always look for free or low cost activities to do. It can be a concert at the park, a picnic, an at home movie night, etc. We love going yard sale hunting (I literally got a whole outfit for 3 dollars yesterday), doing our own nails, and exchanging services within our talent range (photoshoot for free facial, nails for eyebrows, etc.) I have to admit, most people my age are not great about cooking meals at home, including myself. Food is my biggest indulgence and I’ll cancel Netflix or any other subscription to keep it lol. I buy high quality foods and eat out (at healthy places) pretty frequently.

I can’t speak for all of my generation but from what I’ve seen, a lot of us prioritize community.

Plus, I’m a CA native and there’s beaches, desert, mountains, hiking trails, etc. so there’s always something to do. We enjoy surfing, rollerblading, horseback riding (Griffith park has cheap trail rides and lessons). A lot of my friends and I use what we have before buying something new and we’re constantly giving each other things we don’t need anymore. So pretty similar, except we definitely need to work on our saving.

Suggested: Thankful that we learned early to not live above our means

[Kim]

35- living below our means, finding things recycled or second hand first, budgeting and being able to contribute to savings and retirement accts, reducing waste, being mindful of what my time is worth, replacing things out of necessity not want.

[Theresa]

I’m 63 my parents grew up during the depression. My father took great effort in getting every last drop from any container… toothpaste, ketchup and all other condiments, canned goods, peanut butter. My partner will tell me the peanut butter jar is empty and I’ll get at least one more sandwich… sometimes more! I don’t use paper towels anymore. I cut up old t-shirts for rags instead. We water plants from rain water and ac condensation. I’m finding new and old frugal ways all the time!

[Evelyn]

As a WW11 baby we learned early to be happy with what we had and therefore didn’t miss what we knew nothing about. Mom stayed home made good food, home made soap for washing us and the clothes, sewed all my clothes including underpants, bras, winter coat, slips, pillowcases, dish towels, curtains and drapes, hocked rugs to name only a few.

Dad was the bread winner, gardener, house painter, home plumber, all around repair man and head of household. Never went out to eat, get hair cuts(that includes both mom and dad), ate year round from either the garden or food canned in jars by mom and me. Few women drove cars back then. We owned one car that for dad ‘s use getting to work. Shopped for food on Saturday morning when needed. Paid cash for everything. The attitude was…If we could not pay cash or afford it then we did not … need it! Never a vacation but Sunday afternoon drives were always appreciated.

If I was real good in church dad would stop for an ice cream cone 5 cents).

[Author]

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