Over the last year, many people have asked how my life has changed with the increase in our business income.
We’re still the same people, just with high incomes.
I still wear shirts that have holes, and I am still conscious of spending money.
Most people we meet have no idea what we make each month, and most assume that we inherited a lot of money (since we RV full-time) or that we are hippies (funnily enough- also because we RV full-time, haha).
Recently, I had someone tell me that they’re surprised I don’t live on a plane (and own it), and another person thought it was funny that I still use coupons and look for discounts.
I like to be frugal.
For some reason, there’s a myth that people earning high incomes are not allowed to be frugal anymore. In fact, on an article of mine, 30+ Ways To Save Thousands Each Month, I had numerous people email or comment with questions like why would I cut cable or ever eat at home.
I have even had people tell me that I shouldn’t be allowed to use discounts, use coupons, shop second hand, or anything like that. That is just crazy! Why can’t I be frugal if I want to be?
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To me, it’s a no brainer- I still don’t want to be wasteful, and if I can find ways to save money, then I will.
You won’t become wealthy if you spend all your money. We still have financial goals, and we are still realistically trying to save as much as we can, while still living fun lives.
To me, finding ways to save money isn’t just about the money, it’s also about limiting waste, being more of a minimalist, and finding what truly makes me happy (which I realize more and more means that I don’t need to spend money on material things).
Here are some of the frugal (and possibly cheap) things I still do:
I wear shirts that have holes in them. These are my favorite shirts, so I don’t care if there’s a hole or two!
I have a very minimal wardrobe, and I hardly ever go shopping.
I don’t have cable, satellite, Netflix, Hulu, or anything else. We have a nice digital antenna in our RV that can find several channels wherever we are.
We live in an RV which allows us to travel affordably for around the same amount as the house we used to own.
I use the Ibotta app to save money at the grocery store without having to clip coupons.
Instead of driving, I ride my bike to the grocery store if it’s close by.
I pretty much only drink water, and sometimes I make my own passion fruit tea at home.
I think about small or big purchases for at least 24 hours before making them.
We have free entertainment outdoors by hiking, rock climbing, cycling, and more.
I still use Ebates for cash back when shopping online.
I don’t grocery shop when I’m hungry.
I do not pay ATM fees.
My favorite shoes are a $10 pair of sandals from Forever21.
I use a fuel app for my RV to make sure that I’m paying the lowest price for fuel. My tank holds 80 gallons so even just $.25 makes a huge difference in price!
We don’t have memberships to anything, like a gym, etc.
I still churn credit cards for their rewards bonuses. We recently had a month with a lot of expenses so I signed up for three credit cards with rewards bonuses. Those bonuses earned me around $1,500 in cash.
I plan my meals and eat at home as much as I can.
I use every last squeeze of toothpaste and drop of lotion or shampoo that I can.
One of my favorite things to do at home is to rewatch my favorite TV series. I’ve watched LOST completely 3 or 4 times now, and we’re currently rewatching True Blood.
Wes picks up every coin he finds (once when we were off-roading, he picked up a penny that was tails side up- that ended horribly so we don’t do that anymore!).
We use coupons if we come across them.
I’m always looking for deals on items that I normally buy.
What frugal living things do you do? Do you believe that people with a higher income can’t be frugal and take part in the many frugal living tips?
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