Five Frugal Tips for Perpetually Lazy People

Myscha Theriault — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:34:37 +0000

Are you a serious slacker? Does being frugal give you a brain cramp? Here are five ways to save money and time that barely require lifting a finger.

Go modern.

With your décor that is. The uncluttered look ensures you'll have to buy less, dust less, and pack less when you need to move. And as I mentioned in Fake it Till You Make It, streamlined can be incredibly sexy.

Live somewhere walkable.

Choose a location where you can walk to many of the establishments you frequent. You'll get there quicker, save on cab fare (or gas), and have more money left over for cocktails and traveling.

Two for one restaurant coupons.

Hate to cook? Looking for something easier? If you love to eat out often and hate the regular coupon clipping hassle, consider some of the restaurant coupons in your city's weekend paper. Many of the chains such as Sweet Tomatoes have two for one coupons, as do many of the more popular local favorites. Other coupons such as free appetizers or a certain amount off an entrée are also available. While I admit to never appreciating having coupons used when someone was taking me on a date, now that I'm married with different priorities, I don't have a problem using them, especially when we are out and about errand running and not eating out for a special occasion. I particularly like the Sweet Tomatoes coupons because we end up eating a ton of produce ingredients we would never normally buy. Bonus? They are super healthy there.

Annual memberships.

Museums, tourist attractions like Busch Gardens, aquariums, arboretums . . . the list goes on. If you live next to something you like to visit a great deal, or live next to something most people find fun and routinely have lots of company, this is a way to play host without paying the same entrance fee again and again. Some even come with free beverage options. I know the Desert Museum in Tucson did. Free coffee rocks. And you don't have to dig out the card to pay for these entertainment options more than once a year.

Salvation Army's pick up service.

Need all the tax deductions you can get? Salvation Army has an eight hundred number you can call to schedule a truck. They will come to your house and load up your donations (don't expect them to haul away garbage nobody else would want) on to the truck. They even give you a printed out itemized receipt of your donation. If you bought everything cheap to begin with, this is also a great way to liquidate and save on moving costs.

So that's it, folks. Five simple ways to be frugal with very little finger lifting. Got another lazy way to save money? Frugal minds want to know.

Written by Myscha Theriault and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

frugal for lazy folks

Five Frugal Tips for Perpetually Lazy People