It's time for some deprivation-free frugality

As a naturally thrifty person, I always love a round-up of money-saving advice. The problem with much of this literature, though, is that it tends to focus on things that take a lot of time, or that aren’t much fun. Given that time is the most ultimately limited resource, and life should be joyful, this doesn’t seem like a good bargain!

But fortunately, there are lots of activities in life that save money and don’t involve any deprivation whatsoever. Here are a few of my favorites. (Like my money content? Please check out my book All the Money in the World, which came out in 2012. You probably haven’t read it, but it’s one of my favorite things I’ve written!)

1. Stay in a nicer room in a cheaper hotel. Perhaps this one might be controversial, but for me, a clean and quiet space, and courteous staff, matter more than fancy furniture in the lobby. So if I’m going to a location with lots of hotels (a big city, a popular beach) I like to stay in a mid-range but well-rated hotel, and then choose one of the nicer rooms. You can often get a room with extra space, or a balcony, or a great view, for less than a room with none of those things at what might be considered a slightly nicer property.

2. Buy whatever you want at the grocery store. A lot of frugality literature talks about how to cut grocery bills, and on some level I get it. Groceries are a variable expense and so this is a place people can trim quickly. But in a world where people spend more than half their food dollars on restaurants and take-out/delivery, I think this advice is misplaced. Even a fast food dinner is likely going to run more than $25 for a family of four, and most restaurant options will easily top $50. You can buy a lot of groceries for $50. If a $5 treat, or spending an extra $3 on a name brand product, helps you feel like there’s appealing food in the house and you don’t need to order in, this is a big win. For people who don’t enjoy cooking, a great compromise is supermarket short cuts. A pre-marinated piece of salmon (or a rotisserie chicken) plus steam-in-a-bag veggies and some pre-made pizza dough that you make into rolls will make for a very tasty dinner. No need to find or save recipes.

3. Eat ice cream for lunch on vacation. I’ll credit my podcast co-host Sarah Hart-Unger for this idea. If you’re traveling and have had a big hotel breakfast, and plan on eating dinner out, then lunch doesn’t need to be a big meal and you may not want to take an hour out of your day to sit down somewhere. So get ice cream! It fills people up, feels decadent, and is cheap and fast.