But before you head out at 5:00am to get to the front of the line at your favorite store to snag some great deals on things you don’t need, let me share a secret with you. This one tip with allow you to save even more money on Black Friday.

This method is guaranteed to provide you with the most savings possible compared to any other method used on Black Friday. Forget waking up early. Forget tackling fellow customers to get the last incredible deal. Forget planning weeks in advance your entire strategy for the day.

This method leaves all the others in the dust, and I am going to give it you for free. If you want to save an incredible amount of money on Black Friday, here’s how:

Don’t go shopping!

What is better than spending money on incredible savings all day? Not spending any money at all!

Never forget that buying an item on sale, no matter how cheap, is not necessarily saving you money. If you didn’t need that item in the first place, and you’re just buying because it is on sale, then you have just been had.

Do yourself a favor on this fine Black Friday of 2008: Don’t get had.

Ah! Peanut Butter and Jelly. Some people like it. Some people don’t. Others absolutely positively love it. It is the same way with frugality. Some love it, some hate it.

Being frugal has good and bad connotations. Some people see it as being miserly, some see it as being wise. Most don’t think about it at all. I would say that if you want to live a simple life then it is something to think about, and implement in your daily life.

What does it mean to be frugal anyway? Being frugal means…

• Shopping Local
• Saving 10% of your income
• Having a budget for your household
• Eating at home more often
• Limiting the amount you spend on credit cards
• Limiting your time spent driving
• Limiting the cost of your utilities by using less energy and water
• Shopping at thrift stores and garage sales
• Learning how to do things yourself
• Partaking in more free forms of entertainment

If you caught on you would realize that these are simply ways to be frugal, not what frugality ultimately means. When it comes down to it, being frugal is all about a philosophy and a way of thinking. If I had to define frugality down to its very essence I would say it is about doing more with less.

There are many ways to do more with less, but if you don’t have a frugality mindset than you will probably not see many opportunities to be frugal, let alone take advantage of them.

Being frugal starts with having a compelling reason to do more with less. Perhaps you are forced to do more with less because you don’t make a very good income. Perhaps you have added a newborn to your family. Perhaps you were raised that way. Whatever the reason is, it is hard to really be frugal without it.

Why would you want to be frugal? When people ask me a “why” question, I am always tempted to say, “Why not?” With that being said, here are some compelling reasons to be frugal.

• The economy may not always act in your financial favor.
• It helps keep you from spending above your means. (In April of 2005 the
  American Savings Rate went negative. This means people on average are now
  paying more than they take home in pay.)
• You will have less stress.
• You will be happier, despite what people say about being frugal.
• You will be more in control of your life.
• You will enjoy life more.
• You will gain new superpowers.

Ok, I made up the last one, but becoming frugal will make it seem like you have new superpowers. Instead of buying more and more junk that you have to maintain more and more, you will live a simpler life. This in turn will help you be more productive. When you are more productive you will get more things accomplished that you want to accomplish. When you accomplish more of your dreams you will be happier, have less stress, and feel more in control of your life.

In the end being frugal will help you enjoy life so much more!

There are a million and one ways to lead a frugal life, but it all starts with a mindset, a philosophy, and a compelling reason. Once you have that the world is yours.

Jeremy writes about personal development at his blog, Insight Writer. If you found his article useful, please consider subscribing to his RSS feed. Thanks!

Photo By thebeanblog

Ok guys. This one is cheap. This one is easy. This one is quick. This one is a tad bit… white trash, but that is alright!

My girlfriend and I were raking up leaves and other fallen debris in our yard at our new place this morning. She had the great idea of buying the pumpkin design plastic trash bags to get prepared for our Halloween decorations. This screamed frugality, so I had to share it with you guys. Three of the pumpkin bags cost only $1.99 at Target! Can’t go wrong there! Anyway, I promised in the title that I would tell you “how to” make a cheap Halloween decoration. Let me break it down for you…

1. Rake the leaves in your yard.
2. Buy the pumpkin design plastic trash bags.
3. Put the raked leaves into the bags.
4. Tie the top of the bags.
5. Place them where ever you want on your property as a decoration.
6. Slap Jack Rugile from Simple Sapien in the face for even giving you these numbered directions.
   

Haha, hope you guys have fun with this one.

I would love to hear what other frugal ideas you guys have for this coming Halloween holiday. What things do you do to make it more fun and exciting while saving money in the process?

A Sam’s Club year membership costs only $40 dollars. That is a small price to pay for the immense savings you will be getting from bulk buying. If you split that with a spouse or with your roommates, the savings you get are even better! Don’t feel like you have to go out and sign up at a bulk food store to get the great deals. Even just shopping at your local grocery store instead of going out to eat can save you money. Be sure to look for the best prices that you can. Usually the grocery store brand products are the cheapest and they are almost always just as good.

Here is my top 10 cheap and simple foods that I have lived on for quite awhile now! They are in no particular order. I provided the Sam’s Club price for some of the items as well.

#1 Pasta

$5.24 for a 6 pound bag. Yes it does take some more time to prepare (only compared to the other items on this list), but can be one of the best tasting and filling dinners. Sometimes just adding butter and salt can be enough to make it taste amazing!

#2 Oatmeal

$7.88 for a 40-pack. A heart healthy breakfast that is quick, easy, and super tasty. Mmm mushy goodness! Add some milk, syrup, and or brown sugar to make it taste even better.

#3 Bananas

$1.30 for 3 pounds of bananas. One of the healthier choices on this list and definitely one of the quickest and easiest to prepare. Just peel and eat! Or try slicing it into your cereal or oatmeal. A delicious combo I must say.

#4 Cereal

$6.22 for a 62 ounce box of Quaker Life cereal. What can I say? I am a cereal fanatic. I chose Life cereal because it gave you the most bang for your buck at Sam’s Club, but cereal like Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats, or Frosted Flakes are also really cheap. I like to have a variety in my cupboard when it comes to cereal. All you need to add is some milk.

#5 Ramen

$5.93 for a 36-pack. This is one has been a life saver for me. Yea, it is not the most nutritious of the options, but you can fill your belly for almost no money at all. 3 minutes to prepare and probably the cheapest food on this list.

#6 Macaroni and Cheese

$7.53 for 12 boxes. This one is not only fast and easy, but it also reminds me of my childhood! Get your cheap and easy food with a cheesy burst of nostalgia too. I grind pepper into my Mac ‘n’ Cheese.

#7 Apples

$5.88 for a 5 pound bag of Gala apples. Just like bananas, one of the simplest items on the list. Just eat them, no preparation. I personally like to slice them up thin and then dip them in peanut butter. Healthy as well as cheap. And apparently they keep the doctor away…

#8 Waffles

$7.02 for 60 Eggo waffles. A quick two waffles in the toaster and 2-3 minutes later you are ready to go. Just add some syrup and you are set. Not a ton of nutrients, but it will fill you up. When I was a kid I would sometimes add peanut butter or chocolate syrup to my waffles… if you are interested in gaining weight as well as saving money!

#9 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

Didn’t get the prices for each individual item (peanut butter, jelly, and bread), but this one is no brainer. A big container of peanut butter and jelly will last a really long time and cheap white bread can be bought as you need it. The assembly is fast and it tastes amazing. You know this. I know this. It is a PB and J!

#10 Canned Soup

Once again, I could not find a price for this one, but I love it! Chicken noodle soup is my favorite, especially the chunky kind. Almost any brand is going to be really cheap, even in a supermarket, and all you need to do is heat it up. Makes me feel all warm inside!

This list is just a beginning and is far from exhaustive. These are just the top 10 cheap foods that have saved me an incredible amount of money and time. There are many more! Eat in more often and you will save a ton.

What are some cheap foods that have saved you a lot of money? Let us know in the comments section!

Fork Photo Source – www.discourse.net

Food Photo Source – www.samsclub.com