For example, I've always tended to put my money toward things that will give me more of a happiness ROI, and skimped on things that don't seem to matter to me that much. Shampoo and conditioner, for example. A $2.50 bottle of Garnier Fructis or whatever's cheapest (besides Suave; even I won't stoop so low as to use Suave) seems to suit me just as well as any of the few times I've borrowed a dollop of my sister's $15 a bottle "salon quality" shampoo.
Also, clothes. Clothes are clothes. I don't care about brands that are supposedly stylish and trendy. Why should I? They cost 10 times as much as the clothes at Goodwill or other thrift stores, and I don't enjoy them any more than the latter. I just pick out what I like from affordable second hand stores and leave it at that. I don't think I've ever spent more than $12 for a pair of jeans. I generally get my shoes second hand, too, and probably the only time I've had anything "nicer," they were given to me as a gift.
Books? Second hand. Or the library. Hoopla or any other number of apps that work via the local library system are an amazing resource for free ebooks, audiobooks, music, and movies.
Car? The current one I have, I bought from my sister for $1170. It's a 2001 Toyota Camry with over 200,000 miles. Is it a nice car? Eh. Do I care? Not really. It gets me from point A to point B, it's reliable, fuel efficient, and I only pay $30/month for insurance. Most importantly, it's paid off. Sounds like a good deal to me.
Here's a big one. Food. Most people don't realize how much it costs to dine out all the time, or even just to get coffee a few days a week. That's because the money is spent in little bits and pieces, not all in one go. But if you were to sit down and start adding up how much you've spent over the course of a month on your McDonald's and Starbucks runs, there's a good chance you'd be shocked at how much these seemingly insignificant purchases end up costing. Starbucks 3 days a week, at the average cost of $4-$5 per stop? Almost $60 over the course of a month. Don't get me wrong; I like going out for coffee as much as anyone. But I keep it as a special treat, not a routine thing. I might go out for coffee once every couple of weeks, but for the most part, I make my own coffee at home.
Need espresso quality coffee? Can't live without it every single day? Invest in a Brevel. Learn how to use it. Can't live without a stylish-looking Starbucks cup in your hand? Buy a reusable one, make your own coffee at home. I'm talking thousands of dollars saved per year. The math doesn't lie.
While we're still on the topic of food, figure out grocery items you can buy that are both cheap and nutritious. Less packaged food, more dried or canned goods like rice and beans. Rice is inexpensive, and makes a great base for a nearly infinite variety of meals from all different types of cuisines. Rice and beans together are a complete protein. Veggies? Get them from a discount grocery store like Grocery Outlet, or better yet, from a farmers market.
Also, when you cook, make a big batch and eat it for a few days. Hate eating the same thing days in a row? Stock up on individual serving size food containers with lids, do a cooking day in which you make five to seven different meals, portion them out into the containers, and freeze them. This is a great idea if you work a lot, and don't have time to cook. Extremely affordable, and will save you from being caught unprepared and having to make unexpected fast food stops.
All this scrimping and saving should ultimately have some goal in mind, so what are my goals? My number one goal is to ultimately find myself in a situation where I'm able to live with extremely low monthly expenses (i.e. utilities, property taxes, insurance, etc.), such that I'm able to do what I enjoy doing and work where I enjoy working, in the amount with which I am most comfortable. To me, that should be the ultimate goal of life - prioritizing meaningful work, creativity, family/friends, and enjoyment of life, vs. keeping up with the Jones's, and having to be a workaholic in a job you hate in order to maintain a lifestyle that costs too much to ever be sustainable.
Obviously, this all seems very simple, and a lot of people's situations are far more complicated, especially when you add in things like student loan debt and mortgage payments. But still, the principles listed above are sound, and can be applied to these scenarios as well. If you're able to save even a few hundred extra dollars a month, and put it toward some sort of goal, you're doing something a lot of people aren't willing to do. I think it's important to consider first and foremost your life's priorities. Is it more important to you to have nice things, or to keep up with the ever-changing trends? Or is it more important to live within your means, and prioritize the things money can't buy, such as your health, your relationships, and your mental well-being?
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