This is an article “How to Live a Frugal Life” by Marc Primo
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread worldwide, more people are finding themselves in financial crisis due to having lost their jobs or livelihood. To address the cost of living challenges, budget-conscious habits have suddenly become one of the most discussed topics by many of us in a time when being prudent and stretching the dollar is our only option.
It’s pretty much a given how living a frugal life is the only way most of us can cope with the current financial rut. The challenge is that it’s never easy to simply change the way we spend money and adopt practicality as a lifestyle overnight.
It’s definitely difficult, but there are still a number of ways we can still make money work for us. Here are some you can try out.
Shop for discounted insurance
One of the best pieces of advice that thrifty folks have ever told spendthrifts is to shop around for better insurance deals especially during these difficult times. Since most roads are pretty much clear of traffic nowadays, you can probably call your auto insurance provider up right now and ask if they can give you a good deal.
Most insurance companies are offering discounts to curb financial difficulties and still landing clients during the pandemic. The same advice goes for your other insurance policies including those that cover your home or life. Reviewing multiple quotes and choosing the ones that can give you more value for your money and can do a lot for your rainy day savings.
Pick the better phone plan
With so many telecom providers around, choosing the right phone plan that fits your needs should be easy. If you are quarantined at home for the moment, check if you still need your current data plan or will do best with a cheaper one.
It’s pretty common for most smartphone-dependent users to cancel their data plans due to financial constraints. So, the next time you shop around for a good deal, review your top picks for mobile providers in terms of network coverage, international availability, roaming packages, data cap and other such features or terms and conditions then match their respective rates with how much call time, SMS, or data you really need to nip unnecessary costs at the bud and save more money.
Keep things simple
This is certainly not the time for too much indulgence and celebration. After all, most restaurants and bars are closed or operating at limited capacities at the moment, so you can’t really go out as much as you might want to.
Take this time to keep things simple. Shop for those items that you only need for your quarantine period but don’t stock too many things all at once because essentials are always available. The reason why you’d want to cut back on your grocery list is that some items can only be available online and would entail delivery fees due to social distancing. Set aside the money you saved up from transportation costs, shopping, or those usual office lunch outs, and make a list of your two-week necessities while completely avoiding impulse buying. You’d be surprised how much money you can save from staying at home and keeping everything in check.
Finding more ways to cut back on your costs and save money is a worthwhile exercise you can do these days when you have more time to spend at home. For example, instead of turning yourself into a couch potato and wasting energy consumption on streaming subscriptions that can skyrocket your electric bill charges, spend more time reviewing your expenses, identifying which monthly dues you can do without, and channeling your brainpower to side gigs for profit. That way, you can cushion the blow during these difficult times and come out with some money saved when everything returns to normal.