Six years ago, my work friends thought I was insane when I told them I took out forty dollars every week. I took the train to work in Virginia and that weekly allowance was earmarked for train fare and lunch money. While I did get out for an occasional lunch out, most of my savings resulted from packing lunches and saving a little bit each week to purchase the monthly commuter passes I needed. (It didn’t hurt that I received a Metro credit as a work benefit).
I was always of the frugal persuasion. I remember saving for my first Walkman in high school. That big, clunky, gold (yes, it was gold colored, yikes) cassette player set me back fifty bucks. But I dutifully paid the store each week until I could take my baby home.
Being frugal was never glamorous. But I did what my mom always taught me: Always save a little bit and don’t spend more than you have. Wiser financial advice could not have been spoken. I’ve been ridiculed for being miserly and have pinched pennies to stay home with my children. Now, the world could not have prepared enough for the financial devastation experienced by our housing and banking industry.
Lots of folks are feeling the pinch and I’ve gone from cheap to chic. In order to save money, my husband agreed to one packed lunch a week and a reduction in his weekly allowance in order to get more satellite TV channels. Now, instead of getting surprised looks at the mall when I pull out lunch for the kids, others are wishing they did the same thing. Hubby now regularly checks out craigslist and brags about the reduced priced sales he gets at Macys. One friend actually spoke about getting rid of her cleaning lady and doing her lawn herself in order to save money. (I’ve always been my own cleaning lady! Thankfully, hubby does the lawn!) I have no shame in admitting that quite a few of my kids’ clothes have come from consignment shops and clothing giveaways held at neighborhood churches. My daughter has inherited her brothers clothing, as long as it involves solid colors and no construction tools or trucks.
This recession has been an equalizer of sorts. People are no longer afraid to admit they are having a tough time making ends meet. I have trimmed expenses and led a threadbare existence as a normal way of life. Now, I can be fashionable with my commonsense ways of spending (or not spending) money. Living within your means is going to become a matter of necessity since it will be harder to qualify for credit. With that, I leave you with 4 fashionably frugal tips:
- Set up a weekly allowance for yourself and stick to it. If it’s good enough for the kids, it’s good enough for you.
- If you must buy something, buy used: eBay, Amazon, craigslist. Never, ever pay retail!
- Freecycle.org is a great way to inherit treasure for free!
- Cook once, eat twice! Leftovers or lunches, this saves time and money.
Frugally Yours,
Maribel
This post was originally published as the Frugal Families blog on Chesapeake Family in September 2010.
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