Frugal is a very popular term these days. But what does it really mean? How much frugal is a frugal lifestyle? The good news is you don’t have to live on bread and water in order to be frugal, but some economic adjustment does need to done.

Save. Save. Save. Savings have to be mandatory in a frugal lifestyle. Not only mandatory, but it also has to be done faithfully. Aside from putting away a percentage or a fixed dollar amount each week or payday, saving also means cutting back on anything that can be cut. For example, eating out on weekends, or watching a movie in the theater every week.

Which is connection with the next item – spending less. Living a frugal lifestyle means keeping track of your spending and reducing it. Instead of buying coffee from outside when you go to work, make your coffee at home and bring it with you in a travel mug instead.

Recycle and reuse. Although this cannot be done all the time, frugal living entails maximizing the use of products and items. Recycling can be done so as to get cash for stuff such as aluminum cans and scrap metal. Reusing plastic bags for small garbage bags or product containers as containers for other things is one example.