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Living frugally does not mean that you have to resign yourself to a miserable, joyless life. It does, though, mean making well thought out decisions, shopping for bargains, and always working to build up savings. Applying the following five tips will help you live your life a little more frugally. Consistently, every month, the grocery bill is a massive expense. Making a grocery list at home before you ever get to the store and then making sure you stick to it will help you prevent impulse buys that you don't need to waste money on. If you find grocery shopping to be an especially difficult time to control spending, shop with a friend and exchange lists with each other. Using coupons requires an investment of time, but is well worth it. Make smart vacation plans. That means find ways to manipulate travel prices in your favor. Shop for off-season discounts, making sure that any fun attractions in the area you plan on vacationing in are still open during the slow time of year. You can save money by using vacation time to visit family members. Staying with them will draw the family closer together and, at the same time, save you from needlessly spending money on a hotel. Thrifty living does not mean you can never go out and have some fun. Most museums, zoos, and botanical gardens have free or at least discount days that you could take advantage of. They probably offer a group discount too, so get all your friends together to have some frugal fun together. Rent movies from the local library for free. It's all low cost, high quality entertainment. Clothing is one of those items that civilized society has deemed necessary. The clothing manufacturers, who realize our dilemma, often charge outrageous prices. Buying out of season (buying winter clothes in the summer and vice versa) will help to cut this item in your budget. Instead of buying new, check out your local thrift store or second-hand store where prices are a fraction of the retail (and sometimes the clothes still have the original tags). An even better way is to just trade with friends. Hand-me-downs are the frugal person's best friend. Buying a brand new car is rarely the best choice. A stylish new car is certainly nice to have and drive, but not worth the money you will have to part with to get it. Making a cash purchase after patiently saving will leave you better off in the end. When you go to buy a car in cash, you will wield significant power over the salesmen in the negotiation process. You can have confidence in your buying power and secure some nice perks, like a warranty, in the process.
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