How To Share The Joys Of Being Frugal With Your Family

9 September 2009 No Comment

If you feel like you’re the only one trying to pinch pennies in your household, this article will help you to share the joys of your frugal ways through teaching and enjoying the frugal lifestyle with your family.

Lead By Example

Everyone knows it’s a good idea to practice what you preach, so set good examples for your family. Show your children and your spouse that it’s not hard to be frugal – in fact – it can usually be less stressful. Some people associate being frugal with constantly cutting corners and major sacrifices. By being creative with your budget, and making it a point to be obvious about what you’re doing to help save the family money, you’re showing them that life isn’t that scary under the banner of frugality.

Knowledge Is Power, Knowledge Is Fun

Don’t feel any shame in sharing books or websites with your family about this subject (hey…you made it here, didn’t you?) Show them all of the fun things that they might have never seen otherwise. The more they learn about the topic, the better chance they have of becoming genuinely involved with leading a frugal lifestyle. If you are good at tracking your expenses, share with your spouse exactly how your frugal ways have saved you so much money. Explain in detail what you’ve done differently to help reduce any excessive spending.

How To Share The Gift Of Frugal With Your Kids

Younger children are usually open to newer things, they might not grasp the concept of frugality yet, but involving them with fun homemade arts and crafts projects or even letting them help you shop are great ways to let them enjoy being frugal without even knowing it.

As for teens, some trends have been showing lately that being frugal is “cool”. Some studies have gone as far as saying some teens even think it’s tacky in this economy to walk around carrying a big tote bag with a designer logo across it. This is a great approach and angle to take with your teen. Let them know the joys you’ve experienced being frugal. Frugality breeds creativity, and if your teen is the creative type there is no better way than to get involved in making or altering clothes and helping make homemade meals.

There are wonderful life lessons to be learned by leading the frugal lifestyle, and sharing them with your children is a great step to reinforce why you’ve chosen this lifestyle, and a great way to pass down good spending habits you may have learned over the years.

You Can Still Have A Good Time, Even When You’re Frugal

Plan fun, entertaining nights on a budget. Plan a movie night where you can pick up a movie from the library, or even possibly free, and take turns on who picks the movie each week. Learn more about the inexpensive local events that might be going on around your house. Consider a weekend camping at a local park. There are plenty of ways for you and your family to enjoy great moments together without having to spend a lot of money.

Feel free to share any stories or tips you have on sharing the frugal lifestyle with your family.