10 Ways to Live Frugally on One Income

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Trying to live on one income and have a one income budget is challenging. Being a one income family is definitely part of the frugal living club. You have to plan out everything in advance and seek out frugal living ideas. These one income family tips help get you started with your frugal lifestyle.

For most of my marriage, we have been living on one income. With that being said we have had to mindfully make decisions on what we can afford and what we know we can live without. All these tips are things we live without and make a conscious effort to budget with the mindset of minimalism.

Living Frugally on One Income

#1. Make a Budget

This is the one thing that has to be done first in order to live frugally on one income. Planning out your expenses and cutting out the fat so you don’t end up broke is key to living frugally. A budget has saved our butt’s numerous times when we have been pinching pennies.

#2. New Cars

I can’t tell you enough how thankful I am to not have a car payment anymore. That’s $250+ a month saved. Now let me say that when I got my car it was brand new, fresh off the lot. I was young and did not have any major bills so buying a brand new car was not a big deal. I thought I could easily swing the payments and I then got married and still had two years left on my loan. In the end, I hustled and made sure I paid off the loan as fast as I could and I ended up paying it off a whole year early. Woohoo!

The plan, currently, is to drive our vehicles until they die. Now, when the thought of getting a new car has crossed our minds we think of ways we can save for one versus taking out a loan. Plus, we do not plan on getting brand spanking new. We plan on getting slightly used so we don’t have to pay top dollar.

#3. Clothes

You would be surprised at how much people spend on clothes. This is something we do budget for at least once a year. Even so, we tend to wear our old clothes alongside new ones so they last longer. For people who are shopaholics, try laying out all the clothes you have a create capsule wardrobe. This helps really define what you already have and helps you spend less on what you don’t need.

#4. Eating Out

Oh man. Do I need to say more? We all know how expensive it is to eat out and then on top of eating out you have to tip your server. This eats into the budget majorly if you miscalculate because you wanted that appetizer of mozzarella sticks. Now don’t think we don’t eat out at all. When we do, we consciously make an effort to plan a dining experience at least every other month at an affordable restaurant that doesn’t break the bank.

#5. Cut Down Your Grocery Bill

Have you ever sat down and really looked at what you are spending on groceries? I did and I was not happy at what we were spending. In order to live frugally on one income, you have to go through your list and figure out how you can save more and cut out what you don’t need. If you need help with this I discovered an awesome solution. There is a course on how to trim your grocery budget called the Grocery Budget Makeover. This is such a fantastic tool to help you make sure you aren’t overspending on food.

#6. Upgrades

I can be a sucker for a new phone or the latest gizmo but no one beats me than my husband. He likes his gadgets but he isn’t stupid with his purchases. He’ll patiently wait until prices drop to next to nothing before he buys anything. If the price doesn’t drop it just simply “isn’t meant to be” and we leave it at that. We definitely don’t go out of our way to get the latest and the best. We can be perfectly content with the cheap phones we have had for the past three years rather than spending over $500 on something new.

#7. Monthly Subscriptions

Monthly subscriptions can really put a bind on your wallet. You sometimes don’t realize when the charges are coming out and they can throw off your entire budget. We nixed the majority of our subscriptions when we started making a strict budget. The only two that was have left are Netflix and Amazon Prime.

#8. Cable

Do we really need to have cable? Really all you’re doing is paying for commercials. Having a simple service like Netflix or Hulu makes more sense if you need some sort of TV in your home. You save so much money cutting out cable altogether.

#9. Clubs/Gyms

I used to be a member of a few different gyms over the period of a few years. It was mostly to try out their features and see how much bang I could get for my buck. Over time I learned that the routines I was doing at the gym were simple enough to where I could do them at home. I canceled my membership and made sure to establish a routine that would fit my home schedule. I know this doesn’t necessarily work for everyone but if you want to live frugally, cutting out the gym membership will help.

#10. DIY Home Maintenance

When it comes to home maintenance most of us like to do things ourselves rather than hiring out. You would be surprised at how many people actually contract someone to take care of common maintenance items in their home. For instance, I live in the sunshine state which means you need to mow your lawn all year round. There are so many lawn mowing services in my area that when you watch cars drive down a busy road almost 3 out of 5 vehicles are towing a mower. This is something you can definitely DIY rather than paying a someone. It will help the budget and keep you living frugally on one income.

Other issues like plumbing or electrical I would prefer a professional to handle. Sometimes if it is something minor and you want to save $100 on a service call you might want to handle it yourself.

Are you ready to get going on the budget? This is your chance to start living frugally on one income. I hope these tips help get you started! If you have any insight and would love to share your strategies to save money, please leave a comment below.

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Kim Calderon

Kim is a wife and a stay at home mom who loves spending time with her little boy. She likes managing her home and seeking out ways to improve her way of living.

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