Seven ways to be frugal and not miss out

Undercover Simple Frugality: Want to look as if youre living a wealthier lifestyle than you actually are? Even though I want to life my life without spending a lot of money on it, I have no desire to look poor. One thing masters of the Live Cheap, Look Rich lifestyle will tell you is that wealth is just as much about your mindset as it is about your bank account. So learning to live a richer life may require you to start by thinking outside the (money)box.

1. Buy classics
Initially this is not a frugal move. The trick is that quality can be a better investment than cheap and often crappy items.

2. Simple frugal travelling
If you can travel at the last-minute, remaindered airline seats are sold for cheaper. Or you can consider international hosting or home-swapping services. Some of these networks charge a fee to join, but its usually reasonable. Make use of friends and relatives and travel from ome friends place to the other. In that way my little family of three spent the summer holiday with many friends and our family. We hopped from place to place and saw the people our busy schedules never allow us to otherwise. We only stayed a day or two each place so that we would not outstay our welcome.

3. Get a big return when volunteering
Major charities always need volunteers, and they often hold a yearly bash where you can meet and mingle with the rich and famous. Or you can volunteer at a local theater or arts organization and gain access to pricey cultural events without paying a dime. Expensive events are not only for those who can afford the pricy door ticket. Its for those who hold the doors, too. Here a lot of people volunteer at the annual Roskilde Music Festival. There are countless tiny jobs needed to be done. One of my friends walks his dog one evening, guarding the fence around the stages, and gets the entire festival for free in return.

4. Giving the illusion of wealth
Good manners and good breeding are tell tales of rich upbringing.

• Always be well-groomed
  Pay attention to your hair, nails and shoes
• Be gracious
  To everyone
• Speak calmly and kindly
  Rich people are too well-bred to be rude.
• Dont discuss money
  People with money dont need to mention what things cost, nor do they appear to care.

These rules also apply to yourself. You will be able to feel less poor, when you pay attention to and take care of yourself.

5. Declutter your life
Purge the poverty from your life. Cleaning out the clutter in your life, moving the furniture so that it feels more harmonious, not only feels good, it forces you to admit that the end table is broken and the lamp shade needs to be garbage bin. Pay attention to all the ways that poverty has crept into your home and make a point of fixing, discard or upgrading each one. A life of plenty means fixing that light bulb, oiling the annoying squeaky door and thus living in comfort. It may not even cost much more than elbow grease you put in to it.

6. Avoid items at retail price
Given how many discount stores and Web sites there are, its ridiculous to pay full price for anything. Look at price comparison sites like pricerunner.com to see better prices for a given item.

7. Buy second hand
We have bought a great deal of second hand baby clothing. Let’s face it, a lot of baby clothes have been worn only a couple of times and often there is items that have never been worn at all. There is many types of second hand shops.