Author: Gary Piercebr
Source: ezinearticles.combr
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Living cheap usually conjures up feelings of denial, doing without, and negative comments from friends… the friends who are still working. Living cheap means taking care of the resources we have in an efficient manner. Some examples of smart, cheap living:

Always use coupons when available
Never buy on impulse, see something you want, leave the store, go home and research (EBay is a first stop for me). Look for product reviews. Then armed with the best price data start shopping.
Always have healthy snacks with you…not only does this save money it is healthy…cheap living does not mean skimping on health, dont throw your money away on fast food or vending machines.
Living cheap means buying in bulk for everyday items…keep an eye on your inventory for these items eliminate trips to the store to get a staple…watch for sales and then replenish.
Living cheap means research online for big purchases cars, insurance, refinance options. Make sure you dont overpay.
Especially on a car purchase, you should be able to get a $2,000 savings on line compared to what you will get walking into a dealership. The floor salespeople work on commission. You pay the commission.
You should have no more than 1 credit card and never fail to pay it off each month. Paying interest on credit card purchases is criminal and means, every time ,you have bought something you cant afford. No you dont deserve new clothes to make you feel better about yourself if you cant cover the purchase.

Heres how not to live cheap.

Go to or call an insurance office for a policy quote. Who do you think pays for the office rent and staff? You do.
You see something buy it. Dont research online. You will pay more every time.
Inquire about financing the purchase. This way you can pay double the price of the sofa or whatever else you are buying on time.

The living cheap practitioner could care less what the neighbors have, or drive, etc. He who dies with the most toys is a sad individual. Living cheap is not about sacrifice, it is not wasting the money that you have and spend. I do have a confession. When friends said I was depriving myself when I retired early 14 years ago…they were right… I deprived myself of a daily commute of 2 hours. What a sacrifice.

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pGary Pierce is the webmaster of a target=_new href=http://www.frugal-retirement-living.com rel=nofollowhttp://www.frugal-retirement-living.com/a he retired early at 49, still retired at 63. He has experience in lifestyles that are both fulfilling and frugal. It is 2009 and many are wondering if they can ever retire. Dont give up until you check out this website. Enjoy./pbr
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