How to Save More Money Like a Hipster

In a global culture influenced by bling-blings, gold teeth, and tons of cash, getting rich seems to be the epitome of living the “cool” life. Owning a Maserati, living in a mansion, traveling on a private jet… These scenarios just seem to come off as the perfect life as depicted by countless TV shows and music videos.

But a counterculture has emerged and it seems to fend off the idea of living an excessively classy life. Donning a beanie, fake glasses, and vintage clothes are the so-called hipsters. They’re those people over there by the train wearing earphones. Or, they’re those guys who are reading books at the park. Laidback, simple, and basically frugal, these are the traits that hipsters are trying to bring into the world. And, if you’re into saving money, you might just learn some nifty ideas from them. So before you start borrowing money, consider these cheap and cool hipster tips:

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Hipsters are first and foremost, environment-friendly. It is not impossible to meet a tree-hugging hipster who’s also thrifty at the same time. For example, collecting vintage mason jars is a ‘cool’ hipster thing (hipster rulebook: anything vintage is cool!) but at the same time, these jars can save more money versus disposable containers. Old newspapers can be used for cleaning, making your own art or even selling it at a junk shop for some cash. Vintage memorabilia, instead of disposing them, are being sold on ebay or on rummage sales. By monetizing these items, they don’t only save money, they also get to earn!

Hunt for old school cool

Again, hipsters go by the rule that anything vintage is cool. From old vinyl records to comic books, being a hipster means you make use of old stuff. So, living by the principle of a hipster, rummaging through old clothes is way better than getting new clothes. Instead of spending on new and expensive clothing, you get to save money by borrowing clothes from your grandparents’ closet. Or, you can go to a second-hand store to find cool vintage clothes. Even for items, antique shops and flea markets are better preferred than going to high-end shopping malls.

Take public transport, or ride a bike

Flashy cars and limousines are probably the last things you’d see from a hipster. Instead, you’ll see them walking more often, taking public transport or even riding a bike. Imagine how much money you get to save when you don’t spend on gas. That alone will cut a huge part of your expenses. In addition to that, not owning a car can save you more money. You don’t have to pay yearly car registration fees, car maintenance fees, parking fees, and other costs that go along with it. It’s true that you sacrifice some comfort without your own vehicle, but the bigger reward goes in to your savings.

Cook like Jamie Oliver

Who doesn’t love Jamie Oliver right? This hipster chef from the UK does away with all the fancy cookery and shows a more rustic approach to cooking. He has his own little garden patch where he grows his own vegetables. He uses vintage pots to cook his stew. And he cooks some pretty healthy food!  If you’re a penny-pincher, you’ll realize that growing and cooking your own food saves you a lot more money than buying or dining out. And shifting to a more vegetable-based diet means you don’t have to spend on meat which is typically more expensive.

Enjoy free hobbies

The hipster life basically tells you that you don’t have to spend much to enjoy life. Find hobbies that won’t require you to spend so much. Jogging, going to parks, visiting museums, and reading books in the library coast very little money or none at all. Hanging out at a mall is the last thing you’d want to do as you will only be enticed to spend. Instead, find free places where you can be amused or entertained without paying for an expensive price tag.

So, there’s actually a lot of good things we could learn from hipsters! They may not be flashy or filthy rich, but the simplicity in the way they live actually helps them save more rather than spend more. And that’s a good way of enjoying your life.

Resources
https://www.selflender.com/blog/seven-money-saving-tips-from-hipsters.html
http://www.aol.com/article/2010/03/28/how-to-save-money-the-hipster-way/19411612/
http://www.wisebread.com/12-money-saving-tricks-you-can-learn-from-hipsters

**Guest Post by:
Maricor Bunal

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