My mother has always told me “money gives you choices”. That is her argument for working hard and making money, therefore putting your salary in front of your job satisfaction.

I’ve been dealing with this issue for a long time now. I work primarily in the art, mostly for non-profits. If you like money, this is not the career for you. But I do have to say, I’d much rather enjoy myself for the 40 or so hours a week that I work, than be sitting behind a desk mindlessly working for people I have no emotional investment in.
However, this does of course mean that I am poor. I’m not destitute, I have a roof over my head, food in the pantry, and water to shower with, but I’m not flush with cash by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t go on lots of vacations, or buy lots of clothes. I don’t eat in expensive restaurants and I don’t buy swanky cars.

So the question here is, how do I stay on a low budget, but avoid getting cranky over everything I can’t have? Here are the three main ways in which I swallow my pride and go cheaper without sacrificing happiness.

Thrift Stores

I go clothes shopping every couple of months. My budget when I go is $50 and I usually don’t spend that. I did a little research and found a thrift store not too far from me that must be where all of the suburban moms take everything they couldn’t be bothered to take the tag off of. Thrift stores are actually pretty picky about what they will sell. I find almost completely new or totally new clothing all the time. The selection is huge and varied. I usually end up spending about $38 and come away with six or seven items. My last trip, I bought a dress and six tops for $38. The time before that was a pair of jeans, two skirts, and five shirts, also for $38. I come home with new clothes and I haven’t blown my budget in any way. When I’m done with these items, I take them to a local consignment store and usually make most of my money back.

Eating Out

I do eat out with my friends here and there, but as a general rule, I order the least expensive item on the menu. I limit myself to one drink, and I almost never order dessert. Ordering appetizers is a great way to keep the price down and not feel left out. Because most appetizers are designed to be shared, you’ll find that in most places the portion size rivals that of a main course.
If I bought a drink, no dessert for me for sure. That’s my specific rule. Usually if I get dessert, I try and split it with someone else. This makes sense both in calories and in cost.

Used Cars

My car gets me from A to B. I drive a 1996 Toyota Corolla and it never breaks down. I bought it for $1300 cash more than two years ago. There isn’t really a secret here other than a lack of pride. It also costs me much less to insure my paid off older car. For me, I understand that I don’t spend that much time in my car as a whole, so I just make do with the cheaper one. My significant others 2005 Ford Focus seems to break down often, and I don’t envy his car payment. If you are lucky and you look carefully, you can save yourself a lot of money by toning down your transportation.

How about you? What have you toned down in order to cut costs, but not give up happiness?