Am I the Only One Who Goes This Far? Overly Detailed Frugality Tips

To those who are new here, and to those who have read my work before,
thank you.
I am Clover.

Among the many articles out there,
I hope to deliver small moments of happiness and realization,
like finding a four-leaf clover.
That is the spirit with which I share my posts.

I write under the theme of "investing to become happy."
Investment is not just about money.
I value cultivating happiness for the present and the future through investments in my mind, body, and heart.

Today, I'd like to talk about
"overly detailed frugality tips."
The top image is a flower called "Satsuki."

Contrary to its glamorous appearance,
its flower language is "frugality."
When you hear the word frugality, you might think of:

・Switching to a budget smartphone

・Reviewing your insurance
・Cutting fixed costs
Those are the classic methods that come to mind.

Of course, those are very important.

They are highly effective, so you should definitely do them.
But today, that is not what I am talking about.

Today's theme is:

Frugality that might only save a few hundred yen a year.

The effect is small.

But for some reason, I end up doing it.
I will introduce

frugality tips that are so detailed I feel like I'm the only one doing them.

Please read this as entertainment.

Pouring the milk carton until the very last drop

Pouring milk into a glass.

I tilt the carton
and take over 20 seconds to get every last drop out.

Even if I think halfway through,
"Is it empty now?"
I don't give up.

Because there is a possibility that
2 or 3 more drops might come out.

It's only a few drops, but
that is also perfectly good milk.

I will responsibly enjoy
every last drop.

Measuring cereal and milk to the gram

Cereal and milk for breakfast.

I use a kitchen scale.

The recommended portion written on the package:
50g of cereal
200ml of milk

I measure it accurately.

The reason is simple.
Because I don't need any more than that.

Making instant coffee a little weak

The instructions for instant coffee
usually say

"X teaspoons."

However, I

use just a little bit less.
The reason is simple.

It tastes fine even if it's weak, and

it lasts a little longer.
It's just that, but

I can extend the life of the coffee a little bit.

For this purpose, I have a spoon that is just the right size.
Because it's a hassle to measure out a little less every time.

Using up the residual heat of the Tefal kettle

When boiling water in an electric kettle.

I
put in a little less water.

Once it boils,
I pour it into a cup.

I add the missing amount of water
to the Tefal.

The residual heat of the kettle warms the water.

In other words, I can save just a little bit of the electricity
that I would have otherwise used.

Honestly,
I don't think the electricity bill changes much.

Even so,

I get a sense of satisfaction from "using up the heat to the very end."

For small amounts, the microwave is actually more economical, but

this is the result of feeling that the residual heat after making a large amount of barley tea
was going to waste.

Entrusting the natto mustard to my future self

I am the type who doesn't put mustard in my natto.

So every time,
I have one packet of mustard left over.

Normally, it would be destined for the trash, but
I don't throw it away.

I put it in a small box
and store it diligently.

And a few days later,

on oden night,
it suddenly appears like a hero.

There is no need to go out and buy any.

Because I
have a natto mustard savings account.

The second life of a Ziploc bag

Ziploc bags.

After using them to marinate ingredients or prepare quick pickles,
I put them to work once more.
The job title changes.

It becomes a food waste bag.

Since it has a zipper,

it also keeps odors down.
In other words, this is

a small, high-performance trash bag.
I let it live

a second life as a bag.

The "three barriers" before buying something new

When there is something I want,
I don't buy it immediately.

First, the first barrier.

Can I fix it?

The next barrier.

Can I make it myself?

And the final barrier.

Is it available at a flea market?

I go through these three
two or three times.

When that still doesn't work,
I finally buy it new.

However, my feeling at that moment is not

"I bought it!"

It is

"I was defeated this time... next time for sure."

Summary

To be honest,

these kinds of frugality tips
have almost no financial impact.

But I think that

frugality is
not just a technique to keep from spending money, but

leads to a mindful life where you cherish the things you use.
Thank you for reading until the end.😊

If you have any frugality tips that you think only you do,

please let me know.
I hope to see you in another article.

🍀May you be happy🍀