Practice Substitution Instead of Deprivation to Get Used to Frugal Habits
Nothing can kill your motivation to save faster than feeling like you’re deprived of something. Instead of saving money by forcing yourself to abstain, focus on cheaper substitutions you can make to your habits.
As explained in the personal finance blog The Simple Dollar, buying a cheaper version of an item can be more beneficial, and almost as beneficial to your budget as ditching it altogether. Instead of buying a brand product, buy it from a store. Instead of giving up on buying a gadget, buy used items. Getting rid of unnecessary purchases is great, but there are some things you always need or need to do. In such cases, replacing a better deal will be more beneficial to your habits than simply blaming you for wasting money at all:
This is how I spend a lot of my free time doing mindless things like going to the doctor. I spend time looking at the day to day things I do in my life and looking at possible replacements that can save me money, time or energy and leave me more of these resources than I am doing right now.
When you are trying to save money, it may seem like any cash you spend is a problem. However, this is not always the case. If something adds value to your life, you can buy it, but there may be a cheaper way to add the same value. The more you can replace the things of your life with better deals, the better your budget will look.
The Frugal Magic of Substitution – And 25 Ways To Make The Magic Happened | Simple Dollar via Rockstar Finance