When you decide to go the frugal way, you will come across all sorts of advice from all kinds of people. Not every tip works for everyone. What may seem frugal to you may not be frugal to another person. Some people may go to extreme levels of being frugal and still live comfortably, while others indulge occasionally and still consider themselves to be frugal.
On that note, have you ever bought something that seemed frugal during purchase but turned out to be not frugal in the long run? My research on this topic across different social media platforms bore some interesting insights into things people bought that seemed frugal but were not. Here are examples.
Vegetable Garden
Many homesteaders insist that having a backyard vegetable garden is a frugal move. And it is. But before you do this, consider the costs involved initially. You need to buy several tools and perhaps seek the expertise of a gardener to get started. You will also be incurring costs related to maintenance of the garden (such as herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers), and for what? A few parsley leaves and vegetables that aren’t worth the time and money spent? Vegetable gardening is fulfilling as a hobby but not as a venture.
DIY Home Improvement
Home improvements can be expensive depending on your taste and preferences. This is one of the reasons why most people go the DIY way. If you are lucky and a little skilled in this, you could save substantially doing DIY at home. However, if you do not know what you are doing, you may end up spending more by paying experts to undo damages you make in your house while trying DIY. And not to mention that you still need tools to do a good job. And these tools can be quite expensive.
3D Printing
It feels amazing making cool stuff with your DIY machine, and initially, you may feel that you are saving money. And then it dawns on you that you spent a fortune to purchase the machine, and you spend more in buying accessories. If the machine breaks down, you call an expert who charges you an arm and leg to fix it.
Cheap Pet Food
You may think you have landed a bargain when you buy cheap pet food, but you may have to pay back much more in vet bills later.
Knitting
Unless you are doing this craft as a hobby, there is an enthusiast who swears that you can never knit a scarf cheaper than you can buy, even if the yarn is on clearance.
DIY Ice Cream
When you make ice cream at home, you get denser ice cream with quality products. However, you will spend much more to make ice cream at home than you would have if you bought from a stand.
Fast Food
Such foods are easy to find, but they can be detrimental to your health in the long run, and you may end up spending much more in the future.
Fast Fashion
You may look good and trendy and feel good because you spent little money to buy such, but most of these clothes wear out fast, and you will end up spending more through buying frequently in the long run.
Cheap Off-brand Items
Many people go for off-brand items when purchasing things like electronics because they believe the renowned brands are expensive. It seems like a frugal purchase initially, but these cheap off-brand items are usually of very poor quality and break down often. You will end up buying more frequently.
Raising Chicken for Eggs
Raising chicken for eggs seems like a pretty simple and straightforward venture. You get to eat delicious eggs whenever you want. Do you factor in that you have to feed the chickens, provide a coop, offer medication, provide safety, and cater to their every need before they can lay these eggs? The cost of raising chicken may be higher than the cost of buying eggs.
Making Own Coffee
Coffee is expensive, and making it at home can certainly save some money. However, if you are a coffee enthusiast who buys espresso machines, you may not see much savings in such a venture for a long time. Some coffee machines are extremely expensive.
Buying In Bulk
If you are not going to consume whatever you buy in bulk before they expire, you will have wasted your money. Do not buy things in bulk just because they are cheap.
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This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
