Frugality is a useful tool that can help a motivated individual achieve his or her financial goals. Cheapness might help you save money, but acting cheap comes with costs that often outweigh the initial or perceived advantages.
We buy most of our food from Aldi and Costco. The cart is filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, seafoods, meats, and yes, some junk food, but we get the goods at a very reasonable price.
Habits die hard. Plus, I often eat lunch in five-minute increments and can never leave my worksite at lunchtime. If I’m not munching down leftovers, my lunch looks very much like it did in grade school.
To continue with the food trend, we prepare > 90% of our dinners at home. When we do dine out locally, we often use discount certificates sold by the local radio station or coupons from a fundraising booklet.
We currently both drive American cars with > 130,000 miles. We bought them lightly used and have owned them for six and ten years. The only reason we are tempted to upgrade one is to have the ability to pull an RV.