The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money when You Have No Time

My sister and I were discussing frugality the other day on the phone. She and I have always been opposites when it comes to money. My sister would always have her allowance spent the second she got it, from the time it was .50 cents a week until it was 16 dollars a month. (When we turned 10, we got however old we were a month until we turned 16 and could get a job.) She got herself into a ton of credit card debt in college. My parents helped her make a budget, and she paid off most of the cards. I'm so proud of her progress. She recently asked me for advice on how to save money, since she wants to start a better cash cushion for an emergency fund and pay off her remaining cards before her wedding next year. Ecstatic that somebody I knew actually wanted me to talk about frugality, I promptly sent her a copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyzyn.

A few weeks later I got, "These were very good ideas, but I don't have time to do all this frugal stuff! You stay at home! You don't know what it's like to be tired at the end of the day."

My sister works very long hours and currently lives alone. She frequently works 12 hour shifts, and she often works weekends and holidays.

Yes, it's true that I stay home currently, but that was not always true, nor will it always be true. I will say that it is much, much easier to be frugal now that I'm not out of the house 50+ hours a week. It's harder to be frugal when you're busy and tired, but it is not impossible. Even if you can only do a few things, something is better than nothing. If you read something like the Tightwad Gazette and expect to suddenly do all your own car repairs, bake all your own bread, eat food you grew in your own giant garden and shop only at garage sales, you will set yourself up for failure. Take small steps with things that you can fit into your lifestyle.

Here's some frugal things that were not terribly difficult to do even when I worked. They are small things, but a few small savings here and there add up.