Frugal Living (in general)

This blog is about living frugally (but well). In case anyone needs a stronger foundation for this kind of lifestyle, here's a great link: 7 Habits of Highly Frugal People. It's a summary of the book by that title. While I'm not trying to say that college won't lead to a higher salary (so that you can stop living frugally), there are reasons to continue living frugally even if you do end up making a generous salary after graduation. It's all about creating a nice cushion in your bank account so that you never really have to worry about money when you need it. Here are my reasons for living frugally (even if you can afford not to):

1. Save money for a rainy day --- Just think about all the people who have recently lost their jobs because of the economy. Many of them probably had high-paying jobs before they were laid-off. The ones who lived frugally are probably enjoying a nice "sabbatical" while they wait for a job opening. The thing about living frugally is that you will never worry about losing your job or about having enough money if the economy starts sucking because your savings account will always have a nice "cushion".

2. Being frugal is not the same as being "cheap" --- Being "cheap" is when you try to get discounts on things that cost only a buck or deprive yourself because you don't want to let go of your money. Being frugal is just shopping for the right prices and knowing where and how to do that. For a more official definition, the Free Dictionary defines frugal as, "practising economy; living without waste; thrifty". Economists like talking about maximizing utility. Being frugal is maximizing your dollar and not wasting it. If you make frugal living a habit, you won't have to say 'no' to going to a nice restaurant with your friends or getting that pair of shoes that you need for an important interview because your bank account will have a cushion. Also, if you're cooking your own meals and not eating at restaurants on a regular basis, the times you do go will be that much more enjoyable. If you get good enough at cooking, your own meals might even start tasting better than the restaurant meals!

3. It's good for the environment --- For every thing or service you save on, there's probably a benefit to the environment too. I'm not saying that everyone in the world seriously gives a sh*t about the environment, but if you do, living frugally will put less waste out there. Everything you buy has some kind of packaging that ends up either in the garbage or in the recycling bin. Yes, recycling is "good" but it also takes energy to process that recycling. This is why I love going to thrift stores - it maximizes my money but at the same time, I'm consuming something that would have gone to a landfill otherwise.

For more information on what materialism does to people, check out this video:

4. Never feel deprived --- Perhaps this one's a little more zen than some of my readers want to see, but living frugally is very much like vegetarianism. It's a way of thinking that non-frugal people might think is somehow depriving but it really isn't. I'm sure vegetarians don't miss meat after they get used to it. Similarly, I have everything I want, even though most of my possessions are second-hand and I spend less money than most of my friends. It's about re-prioritizing your desires so that your money goes where it needs to go. Restaurant meals might feel like a necessity until you realize that you can make the same thing at home and it's healthier, tastes better, and costs much less.

I'm not going to pretend that this post is going to convert everyone to "frugalism" overnight, but there are compelling reasons for doing so in a crappy economy. The working poor and many college students need to be frugal by necessity but it doesn't mean that others can't be frugal too. If we all think about what we're buying and how it affects our environment, maybe the planet will last longer. Think of frugalism as an all encompassing consumption diet - it will make you and the planet feel better.

Treasure Hunting at thrift stores

It's amazing what you can find at places like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or Boomerang's (thrift store in the Boston area). Twenty years ago, I would have been called a cheapskate, but now, I'm "green" or "environmentally conscious". Perhaps thrift stores would be more popular and trendy if we called them "eco-friendly stores". Whatever. The point of this blog is to help my fellow poor students live well on very little money. Thrift store shopping is very important in this endeavor because you can save a lot of money from the time you move into your first apartment or dorm. It should be your first stop for household decor and supplies. Whatever you can't find at the thrift store, you get at a regular store. If you go to the regular stores first, you'll probably find the same thing at the thrift store for a fraction of the cost and slap your forehead while yelling "DOH!"

The stuff you can get at a thrift store can be divided into 4 main categories: appliances, dining, clothes & shoes, and books. In this series, I'll show you what I've found in the past 10 years at various thrift stores in the Boston area. The videos will feature some of the best items.

Appliances and Cooking tools

Here's proof!

GE Convection Toaster Oven

The popcorn popper that I used in previous posts on roasting coffee was from the Goodwill. I got that for only $6. More recently, I found this GE convection toaster oven for only about $10! When I bought it, I didn't know that it was a convection model and just thought I was getting a great deal on a huge toaster oven. As I was baking some bread in it, I heard it make some noise coming from the oven. As you know, toaster ovens are not supposed to make noise! So, I googled the toaster oven and found out that it was a convection toaster oven. The noise was the fan that blows the hot air around inside. For more on this appliance, check out my future blog post on maximizing your toaster oven.

Kitchen utensils are another great surprise that you might find in the housewares section. I found a garlic press, a potato ricer, various spatulas, and more. The quality is usually going to be pretty good because the person who has donated it has already used it and the utensil has therefore stood the test of time. The crappy utensils break before they ever make it into a thrift store.

Finally, baking pans and cooking vessels (i.e. pots & pans) of all kinds can be found in most thrift stores. Why pay $10 for a muffin pan when you can get it for $3 at the Goodwill? However, you need to check the pans carefully for scratches. Teflon pans that have scratches and rust spots will probably add some small flakes of teflon or metal to your baked goods - not cool! Stainless steel pans are usually the best bet because it's pretty hard to damage those.

Dining - Dishes and Silverware
Most of my dishes came from Boomerang's. Recently, I found a crystal mug that retails for $48. At the Goodwill, it was just any mug, so it cost me 60 cents. Unfortunately, crystal contains lead oxide, so I can't use it on a daily basis. However, I've bought quite a lot of glasses and mugs from Boomerang's and have a cupboard full of great drinking vessels. Most of my plates are stoneware. If you take some time to look around thrift stores for plates, you could probably stock up your dish cupboards with better quality plates, cups, glasses, and dishes than if you  went to a regular store AND pay much less.

Clothes and Shoes
If you have free time to look through all the racks, you can pick up most of your wardrobe if you visit 2 or 3 thrift stores. It's unlikely that you'll find everything you need at one store because the selection at each store is so random and the sizes are not always accurate because a large size from a ten-year-old shirt is not the same as a large size today. It's a time consuming process to try on all the clothes there, so try to think about what you want before you go there. That way, if you don't find it, you can move on to the next store. Just make sure you throw the clothes in the wash before you wear them.

You can find things that are better quality at thrift stores.

Shoes are another crap shoot and you need to inspect those carefully. Check the heels to see how worn out they are. I've found Doc Martens that were not worn out much at all. If you know how to shine shoes, a pair of leather shoes that look old and worn can be transformed into a pair of shiny shoes that look almost as good as new. I guess those 5 years of military service taught me something useful after all...

Books
You probably won't find all the textbooks that you need but if you're a philosophy major, it's very possible that you might find something by Chomsky or Nietzsche on the shelves. I've also found a Durkheim book and some supplementary books that came in handy. However, if you're looking for fun reading, there are usually plenty of used novels, travel guides, cook books, and autobiographies. Amazon charges $4 for shipping. Books at thrift stores range from $1 to $3 at most places.

Once you get past the funky smell of the clothes and the fact that the items were once owned by someone else, thrift shopping might just become your healthiest addiction because you'll realize that it's just not necessary to spend more money on stuff at regular stores. Some of the highest quality items in my house are from Boomerang's and the Goodwill.