How to Live Wealthy on a Budget

Girl walking bare foot on a beach

We’d all like to live a more luxurious life. Unfortunately, our bank account often has the final say, and will quickly put us in check when we try to go beyond our limits. There are many luxuries accessible to those on a modest budget; you just have to know where to find them. Honestly, a lot of them are right under your nose. While, your income can limit you to a certain buying power you shouldn’t let your income stand in the way of fully enjoying life. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. You can live wealth on a budget by learning to look for luxury in uncommon places.

1. Stop purchasing cheap clothes. Cheap clothing stores are great when you’re looking for a quick outfit to wear for a night out, but don’t expect those clothes to last you into next year. Cheaper clothing is often made from cheaper material that’s not able to hold up to normal wear and tear. Purchase higher quality clothing. You’ll have to purchase fewer clothes to stay within your budget, but that’s okay. Instead of buying five inexpensive shirts, buy two shirts that fit you well and look great. Higher-quality clothes last longer and if you purchase clothes off-season, you can find them at a deep discount as stores are slashing prices to make room for the styles for the upcoming season.

* Estate sales are a great way to find the designer clothing at a bargain price.

2. Take advantage of Groupon and Living Social Deals. Even the fanciest of restaurants aren’t packed at all hours, so they offer deals to help spread the word and to bring new customers into their establishments. Higher-end restaurants are often nearly empty earlier in the evening. By purchasing a Groupon or Living Social deal, you can eat at great restaurants for a fraction of the cost. We purchased a Groupon to a restaurant we’d been wanting to visit for a while, but our budget would never allow. Through Groupon, we were able to purchase a deal that would allow us to dine at this particular restaurant at a 50% savings.

3. Do your manicure at home: Weekly manicures can become expensive. Especially if priced at $10-$15 per visit plus the tip. Instead of going to the salon take the time to do your manicure at home. If you want your manicure to last your longer than a week invest in a at home Gel nails systems. These systems can be found at your local Sally’s or even ordered online. Gel nails will give you a great looking manicure for up to 3 weeks before needed a refresh. This will save you time and money

4. Be willing to move. Many people get comfortable in their situation and are afraid to move or just simply don’t want to. This could mean moving down in home or moving to a new city or state for a better-paying opportunity. Ask yourself, do you need to live in the apartment with the upgraded kitchen? Do you really need to pay the additional $150 for the walk-in closet? If you can stay in the same apartment complex but downsize to a cheaper apartment with fewer upgrades you may want to consider it. Remember, it’s only for a short time until you get your finances in order.

5. Choose your vacation destinations wisely. There are many parts of the world where your dollar will take you further. It’s not difficult to find an exotic, safe, and inexpensive vacation destination. This is where you can take advantage of Groupon and Living Social deals all over again. If there is a trip, you have your eye on plan it a couple of years out. This will give you time to work the cost of the trip into your budget that will allow you to save and pay the whole thing with cash instead of putting it all on a credit card. You’ll save money and vacation like a millionaire.

6. Purchase a pre-owned car. Never purchase a brand new car. While the new car smell and bells and whistles may be appealing it’s not worth the amount of money you lose when the car depreciates as you drive it off the lot. If you must finance a car make sure that the total amount of the car is not over 30% of your total take-home pay. Even if you can barely afford the payments, it makes no sense to be driving a $20,000 car when you only bring home $30,000 a year. Remember cars are a depreciating asset.

7. Pay for the amenities, but not the hotel room. Many fancy hotels are now offering access to their amenities, for a price. You can use the pool, beach, towels, and fitness center for a very reasonable price without the cost of an expensive hotel room. Find out the cost of a hotel’s amenities and have a girls day at the pool. Snap tons of photo’s for your social media accounts. No one will ever know that you didn’t stay at the hotel.

8. Prioritize. The more you prioritize your purchases, the less money you spend. Consider cutting unnecessary expenses and focusing your dollars on the things that matter, like piling up savings, and paying down debt. Can’t afford that pricey lawn service? Get out there yourself or hire the kid next door for a fraction of the cost. Want a deeper discount? Consider getting a membership to a wholesale store like Costco and BJ’s. This way you can do your shopping in bulk while still using coupons and not worry about prices fluctuating from week to week on things you need.

9. Keep fresh flowers around the house. A $5 investment each week can really add a touch of class to your home. Do you have space in your yard for a flower garden? Planting a mixture of wildflowers is simple, and they grow successfully without a lot of attention.

10. Have fancy coffee sparingly. It’s silly to spend $5 on a cup of coffee, but some of us can’t help it because let’s face it coffee can be addicting. Save money by creating a coffee bar at home for a fraction of what it would cost you to have bought a cup of coffee each day. This way you can have friends over for an inexpensive get-together. You can play barista and catch up on the latest deets from all your friends.

What tips do you have to live wealthy on a budget? Share them below in the comments.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Leah

    Hey Melody,

    Love the site. A way to live wealthy..it is a simple thing but I call it a comfort box and it goes a loooonnngg way to kill those pricey impulses.
    Basically it is a beautifully decorated box filled with small treats for those days when you are feeling a little poor and need a bit of Tender Loving Self Care.
    I fill my box with tiny buck samples from the grocery store, half price books (1$ discount section) the sleeve of tiny hersey bars for a buck (3 bars = 100 calories) a little tiny bottle of godiva truffles. $5 bucks for the minature, Inexpensive lotions, skin creams, facial masks. Notebook and pen (The dollar store has some pretty ones) a CD of my favs from my laptop drive…a small packet of bubble bath..whatever little luscious treats I can find..(.a small votive in a yum smell is a whopping .69 cents at the local big box store.) It is a lovely little thing I do just for myself. Yes, it is shopping but my “rule” is that it must be a dollar or less and something I really like. So my entire box is probably around 14 bucks to fill ..sometimes I might get up to 20 bucks..I fill it and fill it…until the UGH day hits..then instead of buying a beautiful 100 buck silk blouse to cheer me up, I open my box, enjoy my little treats, take a bubble bath, use the face lotion, relax … listen to my CD, light my candle. Indulge in a small minature either booze or Choc..pick your comfort and express myself journaling. I spend time MAKING the box and my entire thing on this is that it has to cost less than less as I can get it. I learned how to marbelize paper with food coloring and how to make paper in a blender, (total mess). That Box is my stopgap measure, my slow down and step away from the wallet. My family now finds and gives me little treats for my comfort box and it really is nice. Yes, I AM spending money but there is profligate blow money (WHAT did I do) and there is Quality of Life (Reasonable) Money. My little box is for me a Quality of Life Money which I budget for. 5 bucks goes a long way, and it’s nice to get out and be creative. I added a stack of index cards with little instructions on them. (For when I’m thinking not so clearly- major fight with the hub, or my sis.) Such as ..Look through Wedding Album or Sort Photo’s in the Family Album. Make a cup of Tea., lay on your back and breathe deeply for 10 minutes. etc. It’s a good mix of free things and very inexpensive things and it fill that niche of “I wanna have some Retail Therapy NOW”

    1. Melody

      Ohh I absolutely love this idea! Thank you for sharing. I might actually give it a try!

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