Living a Frugal Lifestyle and Surviving the Government Shutdown

Right now thousands of government workers are quickly discovering just how difficult it is to be living without receiving a steady paycheck.  The essential workers will be paid when the government re-opens, but for now it’s basically a case of “the paycheck is in the mail.”  It’ll eventually arrive, but nobody knows *when* that will happen.

The timing is even worse for a lot of people because Christmas was just last month, and we all know just how easy it is to keep spending money on gifts, vacations, expensive meals, and other ways to celebrate it.  Now we’re in the middle of January and people are anxious to receive those paychecks to not only pay for their everyday lifestyle, but to also start paying off that holiday debt before being hit by high fees and other penalties.

Thankfully, there are several ways of cutting bills and making your money last as long as possible.  The more you can change your lifestyle, then the more money you can save each month.

— THE BASICS OF SURVIVAL —

When you have to save every penny, you’re essentially fighting for the survival of yourself and your family.  Watch any survival TV show and you’ll quickly learn that you need three basic elements to survive: food, water and shelter.  The human body needs food and water to be properly fueled to give you energy and help fight off diseases and illnesses, and the body needs to be protected from the harsh elements of nature in the forms of a residence as well as clothing.

That being said, it’s critical to have enough money to pay for your home, whether it’s a mortgage payment, rent, or a daily or weekly payment to live in a hotel for short or long terms.  Otherwise, if you’re unable to support yourself, then you’ll have to rely on staying in temporary government housing (such as a homeless shelter), or be allowed to temporarily live with family or friends.

Of course, it can be difficult to suddenly change residences when you’re hit with a financial crunch.  That’s really not an option for most people.  Housing is one of the most important bills though, so it’s critical to keep that in mind when you sit down and analyze your financial situation.

The second most important area for spending money and watching your budget is for food.

It’s easy to go overboard when grocery shopping.  Many items look tempting and before you know it you’ve got an overflowing grocery cart that can easily cost $200 or more.  For many people, that can be a weekly bill, too.  Fortunately, that grocery bill can be significantly smaller with some helpful tips.

  • NEVER GO GROCERY SHOPPING WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY!

Never!  No exceptions!  Do not ever do this or you will purchase more food than you realistically need to get you through the week.  Have a snack before leaving the house, or stop and grab one of those $4 combo meals at Wendy’s before shopping.  My wife and I do this all the time before grocery shopping and it greatly helps reducing those impulse purchases.

  • PLAN YOUR MEALS AHEAD OF TIME!

Create a general listing of which meals you’d like to have during the week.  Make sure to leave some wiggle room so that the meals can easily be changed depending on your mood or other factors.  Once you determine your meals, check your supplies at home and then make a listing for what’s actually needed from the store.  Don’t forget to include breakfast items and occasional snacks.

  • USE COUPONS!

There’s no shame in clipping coupons from advertisements or using manufacturer coupons attached to the items in the store.  Try to stick with using coupons for items that you actually need, and not buying stuff simply because it’s on sale.  That’s fine when you’ve got a steady paycheck and the money is rolling it, but that’s not a luxury when you’re fighting for survival.

  • BUY IN BULK (IF POSSIBLE)

Remember that you pay for convenience.  You can save a ton of money by purchasing some items in bulk and learning how to partition it and save it for later.  For example, we typically purchase a large pork loin (large being about 20 inches long) from Sam’s Club for about $9.  We’ll bring it home and then cut it into over a dozen chops, and the remainder is used for a pork roast.  The chops are then placed in bags and stored in the freezer until it’s needed.  In the end, the two of us can easily have four pork meals for less than half the cost of buying the pork pre-sliced at our local Walmart.

  • LEARN TO COMPARE PRODUCTS

It sounds rather obvious, but so many people needlessly waste money by not comparing products and sizes.  When looking at different sizes, check out how much it costs per ounce/fluid.  Many stores will tell you right there on the price tag on the shelf.  See which sizes and brands are cheaper, and use that knowledge to your advantage.

  • IGNORE THE ADVERTISING

That being said, look past the name brands and fancy packaging and graphics.  It’s all there to get your attention.  You can practically see the boxes jumping around on the shelves, all of them yelling, “Buy me!  Buy me!”  The stores also place those more tempting items right in the middle and on the end caps, in places where you’re most likely to look.  This is all by design as the stores want you to purchase the expensive items.

So look past that.  Check out the upper and lower shelves.  Look around and see if you can find the store brands instead of paying for the more expensive name brands.

Disclaimer – Yes, in some cases the name brands have a significantly better taste, texture and/or smell.  I’m not going to argue with you on that one.  But that’s not going to be the case every single time.  Explore and see which store brands are good substitutes, especially for the more expensive items.

  • LEARN TO COOK

Go online and check out websites and videos where people show you how to cook meals.  Learn some of the science behind cooking and go from there.  Using incredibly simple and cheap items, you can create fantastic meals with lots of variety.

— DO YOU REALLY NEED IT? —

We just covered shelter and food.  While you may not have much flexibility with saving money with your housing (at least right now), you can easily save lots of grocery shopping money by being a smart shopper.  That brings us to the next area of the budget:  everything else.

Take a look at your monthly bills and ask yourself this question:  Do you really need it?

  • ENTERTAINMENT

The easiest bill to cut is the monthly TV bill.  Whether you’re spending $50, $80, or $100 or more a month, that money adds up FAST.  And it’s all for what?  Personal entertainment?  A distraction from reality?  A simple way to keep the kids quiet?

Three years ago we “cut the cable” and I installed a TV antenna in our attic.  By cutting out our $65 monthly bill, so far we’ve saved over $2,300.  Yes, over two thousand dollars.  That’s money in our pocket that we use for other expenses.  We live in the greater metro area, and for the most part we can see almost all of the local broadcast channels, depending on the weather (when you’re on the edge of reception, a windy day can disrupt your viewing).  It works, we can watch local news and other junk, and there are usually plenty of sports being broadcast on the local channels each weekend.

And you know what?  It’s not the end of the world if you miss an episode of the TV show that all of your idiot friends are blabbering about on Facebook or Twitter.  Big deal.  The sun will still rise the next day.  You can always catch it later by renting or streaming it.

The same is true for going to the movies.  That’s an expense that can quickly add up fast, especially if you go on the weekend and also purchase snacks at the theater.  The most popular movie times are often the most expensive.  If you really want to go, see when your local theaters do promotions (such as AMC’s $5 tickets on Tuesdays with their Stubs rewards program (free to join, BTW)), and use that to your advantage.  Just be sure to avoid that costly snack bar and you’ll be fine.  Remember that the goal here is to get the most for your money, not to stuff your face with significantly overpriced popcorn.

Cutting out entertainment also includes sporting events.  Seeing a sport live can be a great experience, but it can also be very expensive, from parking at the stadium to the tickets to any food, drinks or souvenirs.  Save the sporting venues for when times are better.  You can still catch a particular game on TV, at a friend’s house, or even at a sport bar / restaurant.  When talking to my friends, I’ll use the lame joke, “I’ll be sitting in section HDTV.”

  • PERSONAL CARS

Most people will simply say, “Of course I need my car!”  But is that really true?

Cars can be a very big expense, especially if you’re still making payments on it.  You also have the costly expense of insurance, and then the costs of gasoline, routine maintenance, and any annual inspections required by your state.  But does your family really need multiple cars during a time of financial crisis?  Can you downgrade to a smaller car?  Is it possible to use a service like Uber or Lyft to get around for your everyday lifestyle?

Take a serious look and see if it’s possible to downsize or temporarily eliminate the need of a car.  The potential savings (and eliminating some headaches) can be substantial.

  • CELL PHONES

Do you honestly need the biggest and baddest cell phone on the market, and the costly monthly phone plan needed to use it?  What would happen if you replaced your expensive smart phone with a simple flip phone?

Remember that it really wasn’t that long ago when cell phones began dominating our lives.  Twenty years ago cell phones were becoming more affordable, though phone plans were still limited and expensive.  Just over ten years ago there was basically the “smart phone” revolution, and everybody has been hooked on them since that point.  Phone continue to be further developed, and the most desired phones have some insane price tags.  And if you want to get the most out of the phone and be able to stream HD content everywhere you go, then chances are likely that you’re also paying a lot of money each month for the “privilege” of such a luxury.

But is it really needed?  Can your cell phone be downgraded to a simpler option that’s significantly cheaper?

  • CLOTHING

Of course you need clothes in today’s society, but that doesn’t mean purchasing the expensive brands.  It also doesn’t mean purchasing everything brand new.  Save the new clothing for items like undergarments and socks.  But for everything else, don’t be afraid (or ashamed) to purchase second-hand (a.k.a. used) clothing.

With the rare exception of a novelty item or particular souvenir, I haven’t bought any new clothes in years.  Practically all of my clothes (shirts, shorts, jeans, jackets, shoes, etc.) were purchased in thrift stores.  Take the stuff home, wash it, and nobody will know that you’re wearing used clothing, not unless you choose to tell them.  It’s easy to go thrifting and find good clothing brands for very low prices, and even lower if you’re there when items are on sale.

— DEALING WITH REALITY —

It’s tough when you suddenly find yourself in a situation where you have to make severe cuts to your monthly spending budget, especially if it was caused by something out of your control.  It’s not fun, nor is it easy.  I know this for a fact as I’ve lived through several of these scenarios, including very recently.

It’s sad, it’s depressing, sometimes you feel helpless, and you have to fight to survive.  While your idiot friends on Facebook are making elaborate purchases and going on fancy vacations, you’re wondering how you’ll be able to pay for rent and groceries.  It leads to sleepless nights along with extra stress and tension.

One of the best tips is to eliminate the temptations, and to just focus on pulling yourself out of this situation.

  • Stop watching TV.
  • Stop going out each weekend.
  • Stop going to bars and restaurants.
  • Stop browsing social media and seeing how practically everybody else is living better than you.

All of those factors keep reminding you of the places you cannot visit and the items you cannot afford.  Instead of dealing with those negative reminders throughout the day, eliminate them.  Instead, focus on your family.  Concentrate on getting through the dark times and pulling yourself back into the light.

When the situation improves and the steady paychecks return – – – SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!  Keep maintaining your thrifty lifestyle while putting aside and saving as much money as possible.  Make that “rainy day” account grow and swell so that if you’re hit with another financial problem, you’ll be better able to handle it.

It can be done.