Most of us love finding a great bargain and want to be wise with our family’s dollar. We clip coupons, watch for clearance sales, and learn to how to stretch a pound of ground beef into the largest possible number of servings.

However, we often forget that living frugally is so much more. To truly be frugal and a wise steward of money, there are four essentials that must be mastered, or else the money saved from coupons or clearance deals will not matter.

1. Plan ahead

Planning ahead will allow you to make useful purchases at the best possible price and get better use from what you already own. We know that the 75% off Christmas clearance sales are the best time to buy for next year. But by thinking ahead, you could pick up some plain-colored plates or napkins for Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, and maybe even St. Patrick’s Day if the deal is sweet enough. In the fall when school supplies are nearly free, buy enough for the year. Start looking for your child’s next shoe size at clearance sales before they outgrow their current ones. When planning meals, consider what fresh, perishable food you have on hand and use that first, thereby eliminating waste. However, planning ahead sometimes creates a slight accumulation in our closets and pantry, so one must…

2. Organize

Organizing your purchases, stockpiles, sale ads and coupons is essential. Let’s say you bought a couple packs of birthday napkins for pennies at a clearance sale but cannot find them for the upcoming party. Now, you are forced back to the store for replacements at full price, and so you lost time and money. Likewise, if you do not know that you already purchased your child’s dress shoes in the next size and buy another pair because of the great deal, that’s wasteful as well. Coupons can save a bundle but can create quite a mess if they are not organized.

3. Be creative

One of the most important skills to living a frugal life is learning to use what you already have, and sometimes this involves quite a bit of creativity. If a recipe calls for an ingredient that you don’t have, what can you substitute? Instead of buying a new outfit, maybe you could just buy a new accessory and switch around a few pieces of clothing in your closet to create a new look. Creativity has allowed many moms to create memorable birthday parties on tiny budgets.

4. Know when to spend

A bargain is not a good idea when you will have to replace the item sooner than necessary or when your family feels they are suffering at the hands of your frugality. Consider whether it’s worth an extra few dollars for higher quality. For example, you might want a higher-quality skillet since you will use it often and it will cook better than the cheap, thin ones. Quality wouldn’t matter as much for fashionable sandals as it would for the shoes you or your husband wear all day at work.

Frugality is a lifestyle. If you plan ahead and can create a semblance of organization, it’s usually better to buy the item when it is inexpensive, if you are certain you will need it in the near future, as opposed to the last minute when it might be full-price. If you don’t already have the item, try to be creative, improvise, or do without. If you must make the purchase, consider whether the cheaper version is really a waste of money or is good enough to fit your need. With a few lifestyle changes, our smaller efforts with coupons and stretching the ground beef will have a larger impact on our family’s wallet.

Visit Biblical Womanhood for more Frugal Friday.

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