I came across a post from thefrugalgirl.com about the ways in which she practices stealth frugality, which of course is what happens when someone lives a great life on a budget.
This week on the podcast we covered all the ways in which I try to be stealthily frugal. The conversation continued over on Instagram and listeners offered up their live-like-royalty-on-a-budget hacks, too.
Here’s a laundry list of stealthily frugal hacks for your reading pleasure:
Suggest cost-free ways to catch up with friends
Ever notice how leaving the house almost always means spending money? I get around this by inviting friends over. If I want to see someone and catch up, it’s really no extra work to brew a pot of coffee and serve some muffins at my own table as opposed to meeting at a coffee shop or restaurant.
Other times, I’ll suggest a non-consumerist place to meet. A hiking trail for a walk and talk? If the kids are in tow, how about the playground? Maintaining relationships shouldnt have to mean taking out our wallets.
Learn how to make what you love *better* than the store-bought variety
Artisinal pizza? Fancy cocktails? Espresso drinks? Manicures?
Don’t deprive yourself by only getting this thing that you love only once in awhile. Get it ALL THE TIME by learning how to do or make it yourself.
Enjoy your hobbies without all the “extras”
Running is a major hobby of mine, sure. But I don’t need the latest and greatest heart rate sensor, nor do I need the latest generation Air Pods (because my old, corded headphones work just fine). I don’t need that premium training program or exclusive access to that online running community, either.
Get in the habit of discerning which products and services will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of your hobbies versus which are simply unnecessary.
Have ample reading material on hand — but don’t buy it.
Use your library and your Little Free Libraries!
Don’t forget to ask your loved ones for reading material they no longer need: When my father finishes with his National Geographics and New Yorkers he passes them onto me.
Learn how to cook *well*
When you buy food that’s on sale and know how to cook it you will eat like royalty for a fraction of the price of eating out.
Another idea? Plate your meals in any fancy-ish way. The Number One way I entice my daughters to eat more fruits and veggies is to arrange them in an attractive manner. (When they’re aesthetically placed, they get eaten. But when they’re haphazardly thrown down? My daughters turn up their noses.) So plate dinners for your whole family like a chef!
Love pets? Get them from a shelter.
I have a cat that I saved from a life on the streets. I also have a purebred Labrador Retriever that cost serious $$. Guess what? I love both these animals equally.
At the end of the day, a lovely animal is a lovely animal, regardless of their bloodline. And when you adopt a shelter pet? You also happen to be saving a life.
Surround yourself with flowers
I appreciate a good vase flowers on the kitchen table. But you know what I don’t appreciate? I don’t appreciate cut flowers from South America that traveled thousands of miles on a diesel-burning truck. I don’t appreciate their price tags, either.
Daffodils, lilacs, hydrangeas, oh my: If you have perennials growing in your yard, consider cutting a few when they’re in bloom and bringing them inside for an easy and *free* way to brighten your home.
It’s about flipping the script. Focus less on what you don’t have and more on how you can get what you want, without taking out your wallet.
More stealthily frugal ideas from listeners:
✔️ Make time to sit and read. Having the time to rest feels rich!
✔️ Keep your freezer stocked with good food for those nights you’re craving takeout
✔️ Get culture without paying for it by asking for experiences as gifts
✔️ Thrift expensive items so you can get quality items for a fraction of the price
✔️ Harness the power of your community when you need something new (Buy Nothing for the win!)
✔️ Mend! Take care of what you own so you replace less
✔️ Dress up (or at the very least, get dressed)
Have some stealthily frugal lifestyle hacks? Please leave them in the comments for the rest of us. And of course, there are plenty more tips, tricks, and actionable steps in the full podcast episode, which you can find à la your favorite podcast player:
… and don’t forget! Sustainable Minimalists has moved over to a listener-supported model. If you find yourself thinking about what you hear on the show, talking about it with others, or maybe even thinking about life a tiny bit differently, please consider becoming supporting it, and thank you!
Your minimalist friend,
Stephanie