Live Well While Living Frugally

Guest post is brought to you by Nicole Bostic of DebtConsolidation.com

Summer is upon us and with it the urge to buy new clothes for not just your newly diet trimmed self but the kids as well! Of course, for many women, clothing shopping is the quickest way to blow your monthly budget and fall off the financial independence train. But here are a few reminders/tips to help put your financial anxieties at ease and still live well while living frugally.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. One of the most common reasons for everyone’s seasonal impulse to buy right now is “spring cleaning.” Take advantage of everyone else’s purges and hit up your friends before you hit up the store. Whether it’s for you, the kids, or even your husband, there’s sure to be someone out there cleaning out their closet – catch ‘em before they donate or resell their items. Just as you often curse yourself for buying that shirt that you never have and never will wear, there are a 1001 people out there who have buyer’s remorse for the exact same reason. You’ll be surprised to find how many untouched, pristine clothing articles you can gather up for dirt cheap, if not free. Better yet, start a swapping group with your girlfriends and relatives, that way no one comes up empty handed!

Visit your local college. Sounds weird but is far and away a great place to scavenge. I can attest to leaving boxes full of clothes (and furniture) in or outside my dorm room at the end of every year simply because . . . well . . . I was young and lazy. Luckily, most college students are the same. Check out the campus and see what people have left behind. If anything the school will simply throw it away (and charge the student a clean up fee), so there’s no guilt to be felt. College students, particularly girls, spend a lot of money on clothing during the year because that’s what 18 year old girls do when left to their own devices: hang out around the mall and spend loan money on a plethora of clothes, half of which they won’t ever wear and won’t be able to fit in a suitcase to bring home with them at the end of the year. It’s also to be noted, if you have a child who’ll be starting college in the fall, this is the time to find connect with some college seniors and get the dorm essentials (microwave, mini-fridge, TV, sofa/chair, crates, BOOKS, etc.) for cheap. If they’re not giving it away, they’ll be happy to almost give it away for a more than reasonable price.

Buy ahead. Think ahead. Summer’s come and go, and if you’re lucky enough to afford camp (or not for that matter), you know that come next summer you will need short and t-shirts in a larger size. Watch the clearance racks! It always seems so . . . so like my mother to buy a whole new summer wardrobe at the end of summer. Resist the temptation during the back to school frenzy to buy high-priced winter clothes. Instead, take advantage of the end of summer sales and stock up on summer clothes for next year’s season. Not only will it save you money but also a lot of stress since you won’t be running around trying to collect everything on your child’s camp checklist.

.