Being Frugal or Being Foolish?

Being Frugal or being foolish from North Carolina Lifestyle Blogger Adventures of Frugal Mom

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Did you know that it’s easier to spend money when you don’t know how much you have? That sounds like a bit of a strange statement but think about times when you’ve had cash in your hand to pay for a day and when you’ve had a card. With cash, you know how much you have, how much you need to budget and will know when it’s all gone. With a debit or credit card, it’s a different story altogether.

The great thing about online shopping is that you don’t need cash to make a purchase. You simply type in the numbers on your card and away you go – or if you have PayPal, an even simpler type in of a username and password. We’ve never had it so easy, and the store-owners have never had it so good. We want to hand over our money as quick as we can, and they’re only too happy to take it off our hands.

With the quickness of it all comes the inevitable downfall – unlike sticking to a budget and seeing the physical evidence of how much you’ve got to spend in the palm of your hand, you can easily get carried away.

Don’t Be Sucked In By Cheap Prices

It’s not long after Christmas, and the sales are still going on. Shops are still so eager to get your custom that they’re driving their prices down like crazy. Think about whether you really need the product, or whether you’ll use it in the coming months. If you’re buying ahead of the next season to save yourself from purchasing said item at its original price and you will put it to good use, then go ahead – that is good frugality. However, if you’re buying something just because the price tag seems a bit cheaper than usual, stop and ask yourself if you would have saved up to buy it full price. If the answer is no, take a step back from the computer.

Use Coupon Sites

There are websites out there (such as DontPayFull) that are handy to search on for any offers, codes, or promotions before you start surfing for bargains. Sites like these have come up in place of sitting and cutting out coupons when you go out for a ‘real’ shop, and they are super-efficient at saving you money; make sure that you know fully how much you are saving, though, as 5% could be the difference between a huge saving or mere pennies spared – if it’s not something that you really want or need, the pennies saved won’t make much of a difference when the item is sat unused.

Watch Out For Hidden Charges

Postage, tax, subscription fees – make sure that you’re not making a fool of yourself and read everything correctly. Don’t go through with a purchase if you feel uncomfortable about the amount that it comes to when all of the extras are added on. Unlike places like eBay, some sites don’t let you check out having known the full price beforehand – they wait until you’ve got to the last page before completion and then slam it on. If you haven’t clicked the button for payment, you’re not committed to purchasing – again, take a step back from the computer.

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