A small change in spending will not suddenly make everyone a millionaire but spending wisely will allow you to have enough of what’s needed. The bitterness that people have is because some were forced into being frugal due to job loss or decrease in income. As a person’s situation improves will the bad taste of frugality still linger on?

When you Google “Frugality Sucks” there are close to 400,00 results that return. Even though people are saving money and scrimping here and there they don’t like it. The backlash will happen. When people are feeling comfortable again. Not many people like money saving tips even though they are very general and can be put into place with little effort. Some of the more draconian tactics are like a crash diet such as wearing shoes or socks until you have a hole in them, using less of something you need like toilet paper or driving an extra 5 miles to save 10¢ a gallon on gas. Living within your means is a lifestyle – a healthy spending plan if you will. There is always something you will buy that will make you feel good and some things that you will use and paying top dollar is really an investment – a quality pair of shoes will last longer than poorly made ones. The higher the quality, the higher the cost, but the fewer times you will have to replace the item the more you save.

Not being able to go out and buy what you used to is a common theme on anti-frugality posts. There were some who spent money they didn’t have on items they didn’t need or couldn’t afford which is a hard pattern to break. Becoming a new or forced convert to living frugally or living within your means is like eating right – no crash diets no prepared meals for the rest of your life – it means finding a way to live that suits you. If that means avoiding using a credit card or not shopping without a list then do it.

Dieters look dour and sad because they are missing out on what they can’t have – frugal people don’t have to look that way. The only thing frugal people are giving up is debt and bills they can’t pay.

There was an article in Time the other day about energy efficient light bulbs may actually cause consumers to spend more on their electric because the perceived savings makes people keep the lights on longer. The phenomenon was likened to dieters who over-indulged in reduced calorie treats. Too much of a good thing can actually be bad or negate the benefits. Energy efficient furnaces, light bulbs and other items are beneficial to saving energy but can also make people think since they are saving money they could have the lights on longer or crank the furnace up.  Then they are spending more money rather than saving money.

It is nice to have energy efficient bulbs. When the electric rates increased in Illinois I did notice a slight increase but as I changed more of my bulbs to energy efficient ones my bill didn’t increase dramatically, they remained about the same. I didn’t change any habits but I did think that it was better to save money and the need to change the light bulbs less frequently.

The amount that I saved kept my energy bill in check. If the savings were large enough, I probably could have indulged in something more tangible but keeping my bill relatively the same amount was good enough for me.

There is fruit on sale at a local grocer. I went to stock up on apples, mangoes and other fresh goodies. The first thing I saw when I went into the store was that there was a very attractive display of apples and oranges in peck bags. That was much more than I needed so I opted to buy what I wanted. I did look at the pick apples in the bags which were the only display and noticed that many of the apples beneath the first couple were unattractive – soft, bruised and bordering on overripe.

I found some nice apples and mangoes, but this made me think that people who were in a hurry might just pick up a bag where the fruit looked decent on the top and keep going. Then later they would find that their fruit wasn’t in the best condition when they got home which is a money waster.

Fruit doesn’t have to be perfect or even underripe in order for you to eat it. Eating an apple with a blemish on it won’t kill you but buying the best fruit in the quantities that you need does help you keep tabs on the grocery dollars.

Fruit isn’t the only item that can get you with attractive packaging. There are multipacks of items that are sold in stores to make you think that you really need an extra item or two in a particular fragrance you don’t like. Case in point – gift baskets. Generally unless you put a gift basket together with items that you know a person will like or that you like yourself, make a quick calculation of how much the items cost and then make the purchase. If the items that are prepacked really do not offer a “deal” then pass it up.

Beware the attractive packaging!

When I went to the bank to take a fist full of dollars to the bank in exchange for a savings bond I was chatting with the teller who was looking at me askance since I had so many singles. I told her that I took them out of my wallet whenever I got some, because they didn’t fit in my wallet well. Her response was “ I always though about doing that but I always use my debit card so I never have any cash.”

Hmmmm… I wonder how many people are in the same boat if they use their debit cards more than using cash for everyday purchases. It may make me seem like a Luddite, but by using cash for daily purchases I am able to keep track of what I am spending. I know my limits and when I use a credit card or debit card sometimes I can lose track of purchases.

Back to the bank teller, I told her that by using cash and putting my dollars away that it was basically like free money and an easy way to save.

Saving is one thing but what is the purpose of saving money? Is the goal to reallocate for another purpose or saving money to actually put aside for short term or long term goals? Saving money on a haircut in order to afford that extra coffee isn’t allowing you to get ahead. Though I have never proscribed to the put the money aside that you have saved by using a coupon or by buying on sale theory, it could work for someone. Coupons and sale items makes your money go farther yet spending less on some items and pocketing the extra cash for unnecessary items can lead to unhealthy habits.

Banks are offering very little in the way of interest and yet are still vying for the consumers money through the way of fees. One way of inciting people to save would be to offer a greater interest rate. To get the best interest rates for certificates of deposit, you must have large deposits. If you are saving for a long term goal such as a down payment, college savings or other life event, then look at savings bonds, especially if you have more than five years until your goal. Five year CDs all pay less than the current amount that I bonds pay and the minimum for an I bond is $25 for an online investment and $50 for a paper bond. The drawback to this is that the limit for savings is $5,000 per savings account per year. This helps if people want to accrue a laddered approach to savings.

To get Americans to save, raising the interest rates would be a good start – not everyone likes the risk of the stock market and by saving money this would add some security to the money that people have. When your money will only earn 2% (at the most) on a $10,000 deposit it really isn’t a great encouragement to save, if you weren’t in the saving mode. Where do people put money if earning a tiny amount of interest isn’t incentive enough to save?

This could be where we are now savers, those who are truly interested in saving will save but those who need that extra push or want a secure investment for their liquid assets would like to know that saving is really worth it and not just a waste of time.