University of Missouri Extension
        Franklin County

Go to Extension Publications

Consumer Update

Live Well on Less

Trace the word “frugality” back to its roots and you learn that it does not mean being cheap. It means enjoying the virtue of getting good value from everything you have in life. The key to frugality is to consciously reduce expenses so you can use your time, money and energy most effectively.

Try living by these money-saving principles:

  • Do not go shopping unless you really need something

  • Live within your means. Buy only what you can afford. Wait until you have enough money to pay cash.

  • Take care of what you have – your health and possessions.

  • Do not throw out anything if it is still usable.

  • Do it yourself  or learn enough about it to choose the right person to fix it

  • Before buying, comparison shop.

  • Buy secondhand. Know regular prices before you buy and then explore thrift stores and garage sales.

  • Stop trying to impress other people. Satisfy your own needs, not your expectations of what others will think.

Source:  “Live Well on Less: The American Dream on a Shoestring,” Bottom Line Secrets, August 1, 2001; www.newroadmap.org; Vicki Robin, co-author of Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence.

Return to the main Franklin County page
University of Missouri Extension Franklin County University of Missouri Extension Center FranklinCo@missouri.edu
Last revised: 08/21/08		 Find an Office