10 Things I Do To Be Frugal

After seeing posts at Mapgirl, Savvy Saver, and Young and Broke on what they do to live frugally I decided to write my own post on the subject using their lists as a guide.
1. I don’t buy books(except for school),CDs, or DVDs. I get books from the library or borrow/exchange books with friends and family. I have a collection of 3 CDs and don’t plan on getting more. I have 1 DVD but that is only because I am in it.

2. I drive an old car that is paid for. Not only do I not have to make car payments, the insurance is only $25 a month. It gets 38 MPG on the highway and until this year had minimal maintenance costs. It also provides me peace of mind. It has always started for me and I don’t worry about minor door dings and scrapes since it already has so many one more isn’t going to make a difference.

3. I don’t buy clothes. I haven’t spent any money on clothes this year and don’t plan to do so. I have plenty of clothes now and don’t need any more.

4. I don’t spend a lot of money on food. I spend about $100 a month without trying to be frugal. If I am ever successful at breaking my fast food habit my food budget will be even less.

5. I don’t buy bottled water. Most bottled water is just tap water anyway so why pay extra for it. I have a Nalgene but I mostly use Powerade bottles to carry my tap water. These are lighter and easier to drink out of.

6. I cut my own hair. Since my buzz cut doesn’t really require any skill(which is good because I don’t have any) I do it myself. I’m still using a bottle of shampoo that I bought for 39 cents last year and it is still over half-full. Total expenditure on my hair this year: $0. And I actually get compliments on my hair when I let it grow out a little bit.

7. I don’t have technolust. It was pretty easy for me to keep from buying a new iPhone or Nintendo Wii because I have no desire to have them.

8. I have a small,cheap apartment. My apartment is in a good area but since it is an older building I pay less rent than at comparable apartments in the area. I have a one bedroom now but am considering moving to a studio when my lease is up. I prefer having less space.

9. I don’t have cable or internet. Having cable would lead to me watching too much TV. Since I can use the internet at school there isn’t really a need for me to have internet at home. I’d consider getting home internet service if I didn’t have to buy cable or phone service as well.
10. I have a budget and track expenses. Knowing where your money is going can help you find where your problem areas are.

That isn’t everything I do to be frugal but that should give you an idea of what I do. I’m fairly content with my level of frugality although there is still room for improvement and I have some ideas to lower my expenses even more.