The Minimalist Ninja

10 Frugal habits that rock!

I’ve been living frugally for almost 4 years now and figured it’s time to share with you frugal habits that rock!

Frugal living for me means enhancing my experience of life while saving money.

It’s all about focusing on what’s important and knowing what isn’t. For me, that means living in alignment with my values and being kind to the planet.

10 Frugal habits that rock!

1. Exercising at home

This is actually one of my favorite frugal habits ever!

I am a lover of ashtanga yoga and have been doing it ever since I was 18/19. In May 2016 I started my home yoga practice and I am absolutely loving it. Ashtanga yoga studios can be hard to find and doing it at home allows me to do it every day.

Whatever exercise it is that you are doing, I would suggest finding a way to do it at home, at least some of the time. That way, chances are, you will end up doing it more often.

2. Eating healthy and cheap breakfast

I’ve been eating oats, with a banana, berries, cocoa powder, cinnamon and peanut butter for years now and greatly enjoyed it. I eat it every day and have yet to grow tired of it.

If you have never tried this particular combination, I highly recommend it. Oh, and just so you know, I eat my oats cold. I know, weird.

I do realize that not everyone may be fond of eating the same foods every morning. I would simply have a set of foods that you enjoy eating in the morning. Those foods can then be eaten on rotation or you can eat the same breakfast every day.

3. Meal prepping

I really enjoy planning my meals and cooking it all ahead of time. Whenever I am working I cook every Sunday and make all my meals for the week.

Whenever I am traveling I tend to be more spontaneous and whenever I do cook I only cook enough food for a day or two.

I feel good knowing that this aspect of my life is taken care of and that I don’t need to decide what I’ll be eating every single day.

If you are interested in meal prepping I highly recommend checking out a couple videos on YouTube. Cheap Lazy Vegan has lots of meal prepping videos.

Meal prepping is one of those frugal habits that I am oh so glad I got into!

4. Carrying snacks around

Here’s the thing, I am vegan and I love snacking. Whether it’s snacking on a nutbar, an apple or a banana. Sometimes snacks can be a bit tricky to hunt down when you are on the go.

I’ve found that especially when traveling I am not always sure where to go and carrying around a snack has been a lifesaver.

I’ve made it a habit to always carry an apple or nuts with me. Should I not be able to eat or should I simply get hungry between meals my snacks are there to keep me fed and sane.

5. Public transportation and ride shares

Whenever I move to a location that’s far away from my current one I take the plane and whenever I move within a city or a shorter distance I rely on public transportation.

Whenever I travel I love taking public buses, trains, boats and of course, ride shares!

Taking public transportation is a whole lot cheaper and so much more environmentally friendly.

6. Buying used items over buying new

Looking for items used has become my default.

Most recently I purchased a laptop, camera, drying rack and blender used, all of which have been wonderful purchases. I also purchased quite a few things new because I simply wasn’t able to find them used.

If you are patient and have an open mind you’ll find what you are looking for used most of the time. It’s a great way to save money, it’s a lovely way to get in touch with your community and it’s kind to the planet.

That being said, whether you buy new or used, buying something that you don’t actually need is everything but sustainable. Definitely, think before you buy and evaluate whether the item in question is going got fulfill a need or want.

7. Think long term when it comes to money

I think when it comes to money it’s important to have a long-term view. I am big of emergency funds and have had one ever since I started my first job at age 18/19.

Having 6-12 months of expenses just for emergencies gives me peace of mind, makes me worry way less and allows me to live with ease.

Plus, thinking long-term when it comes to money can also save you a lot of money. Chances are, thinking long-term, will prevent you from spending money on items that you don’t need and that are better of left where they are and not in your home.

8. Using community resources

I am huge on using the library and greatly enjoy hiking in parks. I also highly recommend websites such as Meetup or Couchsurfing to connect with like-minded people.

While Couchsurfing is mainly used by travelers it’s also neat because it allows you to connect with locals that are living in your city or community.

9. Keeping track of your expenses

I hear you, this sounds like a lot of effort and you can trust me when I say that it really isn’t that hard.

I keep track of all my expenses and have been doing so since 2014. It’s something that I absolutely love doing. Keeping track of your expenses, is in my opinion, the best way to get a handle on your money.

If you don’t track your expenses you don’t really know where your money is going. If you don’t currently track your expenses, give it a try. Trust me, it makes all the difference.

I use Google sheets and have been doing so since 2014. This is the template that I am currently using. I amended lots of the categories and switched things around to suit my needs. The template is 100% customizable. Previously, I used a plain google sheet without any graphics.

10. Using a hanky

If you have a cold or just happen to have a runny nose you can go through a whole lot of paper tissues. That’s a whole lot of waste that really isn’t necessary. I also find it a pain to carry paper tissues around. Then there’s buying them which I am not fond of either and so I simply stopped.

A couple of years ago I got into the habit of using a reusable cloth hanky and I’ve been using one ever since. Whenever it needs washing I just wash it in the sink. It’s usually dry within a couple of hours and hardly takes up any space in my backpack.

Frugal habits rocks!

These are all things that I’ve been doing for years now and that I take great pleasure and pride in doing. If you want to kick off your frugal living journey consider doing a shopping ban. The rules for your ban can be fairly simple and yes, shopping bans are also for frugal people.

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