The Art of Being Frugal and Still Having a Full Social Life

If you’re going to be frugal, you might feel like it’s going to impact your social life. The truth is that while being extremely money conscious can indeed affect the number of social outings you have, it’s not like that actually has to be the case at all. It’s quite possible to have a full social calendar and still be fairly frugal. Here’s how to make it work.

First and foremost, you just need to be honest with your friends. It can be hard to do this without coming across as arrogant. This is even more the case if your friends really aren’t into savings but you are. They will feel like you’re putting down their lifestyle, and that can really alienate people. Try to come from a viewpoint that indicates you deeply care for them and you just don’t want money to be an issue. You want to save up for something that matters to you, and you would appreciate their support and consideration.

This brings us to the next point — in order to make it less awkward on your friends, have everything defined early on. Do you have a problem going to free concerts? If not, then that’s definitely something that you can indulge in. On the other hand, what about those cheap activities that don’t cost that much? Surely you could fit in a fast food run every few weeks or so? That wouldn’t be too much to ask, and your friends wouldn’t have to feel weird. Of course, if you’re trying to get out of a lot of debt, then this might not be suitable for you. It’s just about what you’re comfortable with and what you aren’t comfortable with. If you’re someone that really wants to make sure that you can focus on the bigger picture, then it’s time to get serious about personal finance.

Deep down, do you really care if your friends are alienated? Probably not. Still, this guide is for those that aren’t at that point yet. If you really are about where you stand in the social order, then you want to at least do the same things your friends do every once in a while. Plus, it’s nice to splurge every now and then so you’re not tempted to make it a habit. When we feel deprived we tend to really go overboard. That’s a bad idea no matter how you look at it.

So the big point from here is that you always need to be thinking about how to balance the two desires in your life. You want to be liked by your friends, but you still want to have an emergency fund to fall back on.

The secret? Use automatic accounts. After all, you literally cannot spend what isn’t here. If you’re paying yourself first, then it is valid to say “Hey, I don’t have any money right now.” Trying to save money and not touch it is the key to really putting everything back together. It’s the key to getting things done. It’s the key to making everything work together.

You have to keep your wits about you when it comes to saving for a goal because it’s easy to get derailed. Remember that there’s nothing wrong with not following the crowd. Even though frugality is looked down upon, it’s always in season — truly!