On the surface, it may not seem like organizing and frugality have very much in common, but I strongly believe they are intimately related. I think they can – and often do – feed off of and encourage one another.

Today, I want to share with you four ways that being organized helps you live frugally as well:

1. Prevent Double Purchases

Let’s face it, when things are unorganized and cluttered, it’s easy to either forget you have something or simply not be able to find it when you need it, resulting in double – or triple or quadruple – purchases of the same item.

I’ve talked before about how an organized pantry prevents this from happening, but the truth is that it’s applicable to virtually every area of our lives, from home improvement projects and school supplies to seasonal gear and toiletries. A lot of people live frugally by stockpiling necessities such as children’s clothing, household products and gifts when there’s a great deal to be had, but if you can’t find things in your stockpile, then you’re actually wasting money and time in the process.

2. Organized Spaces Are Addictive

Although organizing is an ongoing task that you have to approach regularly rather than as a one-time event, having an organized space can actually motivate you to be frugal. Once you organize an area of your home, you’re more likely to think twice before making a purchase as you consider whether you have space for that item and how it will fit into your current system.

Of course, there will be times when you need or want to make a purchase that simply won’t fit with your system, and in those cases you’ll need to reorganize to make space for it. Hopefully the thought of redoing your hard work will make you consider whether it’s truly worth it. Thinking about purchases this way clearly quantifies the money and time that we invest in every purchase we make.

3. See the Results of Impulse Purchases

The first step to getting organized is to declutter and get rid of those items that are simply taking up space without enhancing your life. You will be able to clearly see the result of many of your impulse purchases as you realize that the kitchen gadget or tool or organizing item that you just had to have has been rarely used and often forgotten. This process helps inoculate you against future impulse purchases as you calculate the amount of money you’ve wasted on such purchases.

4. Break the Ties to Stuff

Finally, decluttering is also a valuable exercise in letting go of stuff (and yes, I emphasize the word stuff because I think I think it’s important to realize that a lot of the things in our home are simply that – stuff that wastes time, space and energy because we place more value on it than we should).

Obviously there is value in keeping sentimental items that take you back in time to a memory or a connection with a loved one. However, it’s important to differentiate between the items that truly accomplish this – such as a worn photo of your great grandparents, a toy that your mother played with as a child or the outfit your brought your firstborn child home from the hospital in – and items that you’re simply holding onto in an effort to create those memories – such as a cheap trinket from vacation or all 25 onesies that your firstborn wore as a baby.

I’m not trying to imply that organizing or decluttering are easy tasks or that they’ll automatically lead to a more frugal lifestyle. However, I do believe that purposeful organizing and decluttering will help you accomplish your goals of living more frugally while also helping you to live more simply. I’ve seen it happen in my own life!

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Organizing Your Way: A Personalized Approach to Decluttering Your Life and Simple Nest: Where Beauty Meets Simplicity. She believes that living simply makes for a rich and fulfilling life and that time invested in organizing and decluttering pays back exponentially!

Miranda writes for Bankling, a new portal for personal finance information, which publishes a weblog, and a resources section that contains tools like the highest bank CD rates , the highest savings account rates, free mortgage rate calculators, and more.

With the recession on, many people are interested in saving money. It is no surprise that frugal is back — and in a big way. Here are 50 blogs (in no particular order) that can help you save money and live a frugal lifestyle.

General Frugal Living

These are general frugal living blogs that often combine frugality tips with personal finance ideas and insights.

1. Frugal Dad provides insight into living frugally by eschewing debt, getting the most for your money, and being happy with what you have.

2. Being Frugal offers a number of helpful articles on frugal living –  including a regular feature called Tightwad Tuesday.

3. Simple Mom is a blog that offers frugal living ideas, as well as personal finance information and life hacks.

4. Festival of Frugality is a rotating blog festival. It features great articles from a number of writers every week. The Festival has its own blog, which shares great information, tips and helps for frugal living.

5. Almost Frugal shares a personal journey on the road to frugality, and provides insights that can help you come along.

6. A Mother in Israel provides frugal insight for living a kosher life.

7. Domestic Sense is about finding ways to improve your quality of life while being frugal.

8. A Frugal Living Blog by a Frugal Guy focuses on making the most out of your life through frugal living.

9. The Frugal Duchess features helpful information on being frugal, while remaining fashionable and fun.

10. Pat Veretto’s Frugal Living Blog gives readers a first hand account of living frugally.

11. Frugal Zeitgeist offers personal finance ideas with a focus on saving money and frugal living.

12. Not Made of Money looks at frugal living from the perspective of a husband and wife team.

13. Fabulously Broke is a blog about saving money while still enjoying a good life.

Frugal Tips, Tricks and Bargain Hunting

Looking for tips and tricks to save a little money? Want bargain hunting advice? These blogs show you how you can save money everyday.

14. $5 Dinners is a great frugality blog that focuses on helping you create delicious dinners for less than $5.

15. Frugal Babe chronicles her quests for great deals. Once you see how she does, you will see how you can do it, too.

16. Money Saving Mom focuses on grocery shopping tips, and providing information on good deals.

17. Ebates Shopping Blog is all about tricks, tips and offers to help you save money on almost anything.

18. It’s Frugal Being Green provides proof tips and tricks for being environmentally friendly while living a frugal lifestyle. It really is possible!

19. Mashup Mom is focused on sharing tips that can help parents live more frugally every day.

20. Make It From Scratch devotes itself to tips and ideas that can help you save money by making a number of things — from food to carpet cleaner — on your own.

21. Home Ec 101 provides helpful ideas on saving money around the house, from food to cleaning to fixing things up.

22. Fabu Daily offers frugal tips, as well as deals and coupons (and how to use them).

23. Frugal Blog on Families.com is chock full of helpful advice and frugal tricks on getting the most out of your money.

24. Mighty Bargain Hunter shares tools and tips to help you get the best deals and live frugally.

25. Savvy Frugality offers a number of tips and tricks to help you remain focused on living within your means.

26. Frugal Sister features helpful information, tools and more — from a pair of sisters helping each other live the frugal life.

Coupon Blogs

Part of frugal living is clipping coupons and finding online specials. These blogs can help you do just that.

27. Coupon Cravings provides regular deals, coupons and specials that can help you save money.

28. Mommy Saves Big printable coupons lets you peruse what’s available, and then print out coupons for your offline shopping needs. Online coupon codes available as well.

29. Coupon Mom Blog offers a number of coupons — by state — and provides information on free samples and offers to boot.

30. Coupon Blog specializes in online coupons, providing daily deals from different retailers.

31. Donna’s Coupons is the About.com site on couponing. A great, daily roundup of online coupons and more.

32. Coupon Mountain has a blog that posts special deals for online and offline merchandise.

33. Coupon Chief offers a number of Internet deals. Others can submit coupons, and there is a trust score so that you know whether coupon contributors can be trusted.

34. Coupon Cactus provides codes, and even has a coupon alert system to let you know when your favorites are available.

35. Live on Coupons is from Idaho Press-Tribune, but there are plenty of coupon deals that are available anywhere.

36. Coupon Shak provides coupons on specific items, as well as rebates and travel coupons.

37. Retail Me Not lists merchants and coupon codes to help you save money when you check out.

38. Find Savings offers all a number new deals available daily.

Frugal Blog Posts

These may not be frugal living blogs per se, but there are often some good frugality posts. Here are some posts on frugal living from some great personal finance blogs.

39. Free From Broke offers 9 ways you can save money when it comes to baby costs.

40. Modern Gal shares specific ways she will save money while going green.

41. Stretchy Dollar has a great post on turning a super spender into a frugal saver.

42. M is for Money features some delicious meals that you can make frugally.

43. Savings Advice provides a handy step-by-step article on getting the most out of your coupons.

44. Christian PF lists 6 things you can buy now that will pay for themselves by this time next year.

45. Five Cent Nickel helps you avoid shopping pitfalls that can cost you more.

46. Moolanomy offers an interesting quiz: Are you frugal, or are you cheap?

47. My Two Dollars knows 25 household items that you can reuse to enhance your frugality.

48. Bible Money Matters looks at way you can eat out for less.

49. Pay Less for Food features a look at why now could be a good time to try store brand products.

50. Christian Money Mountain shares information on saving money on gas.

What a difference a few decades makes!  In the 1980’s capitalism was on the march as many technological advances were made.  An entrepreneurial spirit spread across the country.  That carried over into the 1990’s, and went into overdrive in the mid-to-late 90’s, where there were plenty of examples of on-paper employee millionaires thanks to hot IPOs, and “irrational exuberance” in the technology sector, particularly biotech companies.

Throughout this period the idea of frugal living was but an after thought, and those who practiced it were made fun of mercilessly.  We were labeled tightwads, cheapskates, and other not-so-polite terms of fiscal endearment.  After all, people were too busy comparing their net worth to try to save a buck.

Enter the recession of 2008.  Suddenly, frugal living made a comeback.  It seemed the cover story of every major media publication featured some variation of “ways to save money” or “ways to survive the recession,” or proclaimed the reemergence of frugality.  Now (some of) those same people scrambling for bigger houses, fancier cars and higher capital gains are trying to out-do one another again by scrimping, sacrificing, and poking fun at people’s purchases.  Nothing is ever frugal enough.

Sometimes the act of scaling back is traumatic enough to a family’s finances–cutting things altogether would send them over the edge.  Take my family for instance.  Last year we decided to go one year without expanded cable television service.  I wanted to cancel completely.  My wife and kids pointed out the number of educational shows we could watch on PBS, and the poor signal reception we would get from an antennae.  We compromised, and decided to drop back to basic cable, reducing our cable bill from $46 a month to $12 a month.  We made similar compromises in other areas of our budget.  At the end of the year, we decided to resume expanded cable and cut other subscriptions and forms of entertainment.

Here lately, I’ve noticed a shift in public sentiment towards frugality, and I suspect it may be a form of frugal burnout.  When people get burned out with a trend in their own lives, they tend to resent others who they perceive to be sacrificing less than them.  Many people are made to feel guilty if they are not practicing a frugal lifestyle.  Others are so condemned for spending money that they are literally ashamed to be seen with bags from high-end stores.  Give me a break.  Have we really come to that?

First of all, frugality is not a competition.  People have different levels of tolerance for all things frugal.  Some people like air conditioning, others enjoy working on classic cars.  They choose to spend their money on things that others perceive to be frivolous.  But that is simply a personal opinion, and how you choose to spend your money says more about your personal values than your level of commitment to the frugal living movement.

Of course, many of us practice frugality for reasons besides monetary gain.  We enjoy simple living, and believe in being wise stewards of resources (natural, economic, etc.).  But what you choose to do with your money is up to you.  Bottom line:  Please don’t become a self-righteous frugalist!

The Ten Commandments are widely recognized in the Judeo-Christian faith as a list of moral imperatives that believers follow. As someone who also follows the concept of frugal living, I thought I would attempt to generate ten similar imperatives, loosely based on the original commandments.

Disclaimer: I am a Christian. In no way is this post an attempt to mock, or make light of, the original Ten Commandments. It is meant to be a light post, and I hope you will read it with that perspective in mind.

The Ten Commandments for Frugal Living

1. You shall not put money before happiness. So many of us make the mistake of putting money ahead of happiness. Whether it is declaring a major in college because of the promises of a high salary upon graduation, or accepting (or putting up with) a dead end job we hate simply because we make a lot of money.

We all have to suck it up occasionally and work through something we don’t want to do, but for the most part, look at the opportunities in life as chances to increase your happiness factor.

2. You shall not idolize things. By things I mean inanimate objects. These things have no inherent value. They are only worth the value you assign to them. Do not worship these things and be consumed by them. When I was 16 I had a picture of a Ford Mustang on my wall because it was “the car” I desperately wanted. Though I never got that particular car, “car idolatry” followed me for a while until I did finally make a new car buying mistake around twenty years-old.

3. You shall not take the name of Dave Ramsey in vain. Alright, so that’s a bit of a joke. But seriously, if you do not agree with something you hear from a “financial guru” there is no need to endlessly bash them. Simply take the good with the bad. No one says you have to adopt every piece of advice these financial personalities share.

There are many things I like about Dave Ramsey’s personal finance advice, and a couple areas where we differ. The bottom line is, develop your own plan after doing a little critical thinking over the idea of others.

4. Remember to rest, occasionally taking breaks from ultra-frugality. My grandfather wrote a letter to me when I turned 20 years-old, and it is something that I still treasure today. He said, “Stop and smell the roses. Life is to be enjoyed.” What great advice! I’ve used it over the years as a reminder that while living frugal, saving money and reducing debt have been my top financial priorities these last few years, I also have to make time to enjoy life. Take vacations; enjoy a football game with your family; take your wife out to dinner. But do it all with cash!

5. Don’t blame your parents for your financial problems. I hear a lot of people today blaming parents for financial problems, or their lack of financial education. Personally, I find that a lazy excuse. There are too many libraries, radio and television shows, blogs, and similar resources on the subject of personal finance to not be able to educate yourself.

If you ran up credit card debt because your parents never taught you about debt, guess what, you just learned a painful lesson. Consider it tuition to The School of Frugal Living, because after you work for two years at night five days a week part-time to pay off credit card debt, you will have a new respect for debt, and for the struggles your own parents went through.

6. You shall not kill your dream of financial independence. Tell someone at work you dream of retiring at 45 and watch their reaction. They will give you ten reasons why your idea is crazy. What about health insurance? How can you afford it? What if you live to be 80? What it social security isn’t there in your sixties? On and on and on.

So, many of us hear those objections, believe them, and subconsciously find ways to scuttle our plan for retiring early. Ignore those people. They have already given up on their dream, but you don’t have to. Never let anyone kill your dreams.

7. You shall not commit financial adultery by hiding money issues from your spouse. For a long time, my wife knew little about the credit card debt I had accumulated while trying to finish my online degree. I thought I was doing a good thing by not burdening her with the worries of mounting debt. I was wrong. I resented her for spending money when I was trying to pay off debt, and she didn’t understand my reluctance to spend because she thought we were living with more than we had. It was a recipe for financial, and relational, disaster.

Thankfully, I wised up and came clean about all of our finances, and together we developed a plan to attack our debts together to realize our dream of debt freedom. I’m proud to say we are nearly there, and I never could have done it without her help.

8. You shall not steal money that doesn’t belong to you. No matter how desperate you get, resist the temptation to steal money. I’m a big fan of the film Cinderella Man. One moving scene depicts the aftermath of a son’s decision to steal meat from a local butcher shop to help feed his starving family. His father discovers what his son has done and makes him return the meat. He tells his son that no matter how desperate things get, he is not to steal something that does not belong to him. It was a powerful lesson about an agonizing decision – the decision to steal to feed your family.

When I worked for a bank, I saw several employees get in trouble for stealing money. Later, we found out they were having financial problems of their own, and stole the money to help pay their debts. If you find yourself in a serious financial bind, resist the temptation to steal in an effort to get out. It will undoubtedly cause many more problems.

9. You shall not attempt to swindle your neighbor. Much news has been made of the recent Ponzi scheme busts around the country. These things have been around for a while, but with the help of technology they seem to be more prevalent than ever. But you don’t have to be running a Ponzi scheme to violate this commandment. Letting your neighbor in on a “can’t miss real estate investment opportunity” you know to be garbage violates this same commandment. Falsely pumping up a stock to neighbors to solicit their investments so your own shares increase in value is also violation.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s BMW. Be happy for others. Don’t be overly judgmental of the purchasing decision of others. And whatever you do, don’t be jealous of their possessions.

We once lived across the street from a guy who bought a new car every other year. He also had a huge RV, and all the toys a guy could want – jet skis, an ATV, a huge, plasma television, etc. For all I know, he could have been $100,000 in debt! Who could be envious of that?

Don’t be alarmed. I’m not quitting the blog, or my job, or going off on a wild rant. I’ve simply had enough, and I am so thankful. Today in a moment of clarity it occurred to me that so much of our lives are driven by this one single word – enough. Few of us ever experience it, despite how rich or poor our socioeconomic class defines us.

The word “enough” is powerful. Ignoring the Webster’s definition for a moment, my own interpretation of the word in the language of frugal is that
“enough” is experienced when one reaches a sufficiency. Sure, we could have more, but we do not need more. We may want more, but we do not need more. We simply have enough.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t remember what enough feels like. When we were kids we needed to learn, and often be reminded of, what enough really meant. For example, my four year-old son could eat a three-pound bag of M&Ms if left entirely up to him. As he gets older he’ll learn that the over-indulgence in sugar and chocolate will likely leave him sick. He will reach a point of balance where he limits himself to a certain number of candies to satisfy his craving, but not so many that it makes him sick.

As we grow older our tolerance increases, our stomachs expand a little, and we can once again gorge ourselves beyond the state of enough. But now our childhood, sugar-induced nausea is replaced by things like credit card debt, a mortgage we can barely afford, a car that cost more than half our annual income, and 60-hour workweeks to pay for it all.

Imagine how much simpler our lives could be if we could go back to that point at eight years-old when we rolled down that bag of M&Ms after a couple handfuls. That point when we recognized enough and allowed our innate self-control to kick in.

I’ve tried to put these ideas into practice lately by reminding myself when I’ve had enough. From food, to material items, to money, reminding myself when I’ve reached enough has served me well. Here are a few examples.

I Have Enough

I earn enough money. Who wouldn’t like to earn a higher salary? Who wouldn’t like to earn as much as their boss? I know it sounds strange to hear someone say they earn enough, but I do. I’m not volunteering to stop earning more money, but I do recognize my basic needs and a few wants are met thanks to my adequate income.

My car is good enough. I currently drive a 19 year-old van. The radio doesn’t work, the heat and air rarely works, the gas mileage is terrible, and it has zero sex appeal. I don’t care – I love it! I have no car payment, my insurance and tag costs are negligible, and save the occasional repair it reliably gets me back and forth on my short commute to work. I could go out and finance a brand new truck, but my current vehicle is good enough.

I have had enough to eat. I’m a big guy. I’ve always been a big guy, and even in my younger days I had to stay active to make up for my love of good food. Now that I’m older, and more sedentary, those trips to the stove for seconds take more of a toll. Instead of toying with every diet under the sun (which I’ve tried to no avail at some point), I’m simply using the word enough to drive my eating habits. Mid-meal I stop to ask myself, “Have you had enough?” If I have, I stop eating.  Simple as that. Hopefully, the combination of my “enough diet” and increased activity will help me get back to fighting weight.

My house is big enough. The other day I sort of lamented about the configuration of our current home and its lack of office space. I found a frugal solution, and set up shop in our laundry/utility room. I’m also in the process of adding some gym equipment to our garage so I can get in a workout at home. Would I like a bigger house with a dedicated office, a bigger backyard, a playroom for my kids, and a workshop for myself? Sure, but my current house is big enough, and provides shelter for my family.

So the next time you find yourself crawling the mall for a new jacket, ask yourself if your current one is good enough. When you feel yourself coming down with car fever, avoid the new car lot and look at your current vehicle in a new light. Does it meet your needs? Is it paid for (or close to being paid for)? Do you remember what it is like to have a car payment? Do you really want to write that car payment check for the next 60 months? I don’t know about you, but like I said, I have had enough.

Just a few weeks ago, an old-fashioned friendly rivalry developed in the land of personal finance blogging.  One of the heavy hitters, Ramit of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com issued a challenge to another top blogger, Trent of TheSimpleDollar.com. At stake was $1,000 to the winner’s readers’ favorite charity.  At odds were the two writer’s ideas on saving money and building wealth.

Ramit’s Take

Ramit encourages readers to focus on the big stuff – things like reducing fees and interest rates at your bank, and negotiating/shopping your car insurance.  Makes sense; after all these are often the “big” expenses that really add up in our budget.  Shaving 20% off of these types of expenses can lead to big savings.  And the effort required to find these cost savings might be better placed here than in some lesser expense category, such as food or household utilities.  As Ramit puts it:

I don’t have any issue with frugality, except that I think Americans are horrible at it and, for my audience, it’s a hopeless battle of telling them to say no to things — “no more lattes! no more eating out! no more enjoying life!” — which never lasts.

Ramit’s take is a popular one. His book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, became an instant #1 best-seller at Amazon.com when released a few weeks ago. His advice resonates with young people, particularly those fresh out of school and looking for ways to save big and earn big.

Trent’s Take

Trent takes a different approach, overall, even though both bloggers have many ideas in common.  At The Simple Dollar, Trent often shares frugal tips such as how to make your own laundry detergent, homemade bread, and a number of other goodies.  He also shares many tips for finding ways to live cheap.  In fact, his book, 365 Ways to Live Cheap, is a mini-encyclopedia of cost-cutting tips.

Many of these tips require some time to pay off.  For example, Trent and I both advocate installing a programmable thermostat to reduce utility costs, particularly at night or when the house is empty during the day.  Programmable thermostats are not cheap, and they require a bit of time to install.  However, the benefits continue to pay off as long as the thermostat is in service – which should be for many years to come.

My Take

In short, I believe both bloggers are correct, and by combining their philosophies one could become very wealthy over the course of a lifetime.  It’s also worth noting that those of us who chose to live frugal do so for reasons beyond fiscal fitness.  Frugal living is about using less, or just enough, and recognizing the feelings of contentment that frugality generates.  It is about being better stewards of our resources – all of our resources.  It is about assigning value in the form of life energy to the things we purchase.  It is not a financial plan; it is a way of life.

I continue to be a fan of both sites, and their writers (and their philosophies).  While the “challenge” was diffused after Trent’s response, the arguments live on in the personal finance community.  Save more or earn more?  Be cheap or be frugal?  I say, take a little of what’s best from both.

With that I’m off to enjoy a latte – and yes, I’ll be using a coupon.

Photo courtesy of Thinking Tree

Last week I mentioned our project to cut the cost of watching television for one year.  That project recently came to an end, and after some internal discussion as a family we decided to sign back up for the expanded cable service (not digital, not high-definition, no movies – just the regular cable lineup).  The decision was an easy one for our family, but a controversial one amongst readers.

Long-time reader, Robert, called me out:

Jason, I have been following your posts for a few months now and as an outsider looking in, it kind of seems like you may be on a financial diet vice a financial lifestyle change.”

My gut reaction was to be a little defensive, but then I realized in a way, Robert was right.

A Diet or A Lifestyle Change

When people start and fail a new “diet” plan they are often told to make a lifestyle change, rather than embark on a fad diet.  It’s good advice, because diets come and go, but lifestyle changes stick.  In some ways I have been on a spending diet, because early on in our financial turnaround it was required to free up some cash to use towards debt reduction, and to build our savings.

Now that we have a little breathing room, we are relaxing that spending “diet” some to allow back in a few “quality of life” expenses that we missed. For instance, cable was something we missed for the entertainment value it brought.  The monthly cable bill is cheaper than a night out at the movies for a family four.

This phase is commonly referred to as “maintenance” in the dieting world.  It’s the phase where you reintroduce carbs or fats or whatever it is that you restricted during your weight-loss phase, and it is by far the most dangerous time.  If you let too much back in you start putting weight back on, and if you allow too many new expenses to rack up you’ll suddenly find yourself right back in debt and living paycheck to paycheck.

A Frugal Lifestyle Not Without Luxuries

One of the things I’ve tried to stress here at Frugal Dad is the idea that you can live frugal and still enjoy life.  You don’t have to live a spartan existence, or be completely miserable, to lead a frugal lifestyle.  In fact, most frugal people I know are quite happy.  Having nice things and being frugal don’t have to be mutually exclusive.  In fact, I have a few nice things I am proud of, but I make sacrifices in other areas to balance things out. I try to avoid waste, but I don’t mind spending money to get a good value.

What Robert was right about was that my dedication to minding expenses was beginning to weaken.  It was a wakeup call I needed, and I appreciate his willingness to tell me.  Oddly enough, when things are going well, financially, we tend to let down our guard.  When things are going bad we make penching pennies our top priority.  I like to think I’m usually somewhere in the middle, but I occasionally need reminders like this to make me lean more towards the side of penny-penching.