Top 9 things frugal people do with their paychecks

Payday doesn’t exactly feel like shopping day for frugal people, and they do some things first that help them to keep their money in their pockets.

The fast move

Here’s something they don’t do. Some people see their paycheck arrive and immediately start thinking about spending. They think about food delivery. They think about new shoes. But not frugal people. 

No, they do the exact opposite, and they move the money within minutes. It could be $200. It could be $10. But the point is that they pay themselves first. It’s before lunch. It’s before Amazon.

The smaller number

They make their checking account look a little broke. It’s on purpose. Yes, their full paycheck might be $2,000, but their checking balance suddenly becomes $400. It’s not because they spent it. They deliberately make sure their checking account looks a lot smaller. Why?

Because they don’t want to start spending. It’s a lot easier to avoid shopping when you think you don’t have money. They’re careful.

The checking account also doesn’t help them make money from their money. Transferring to a high interest savings or investment account, even for a couple of weeks, earns them money. They spend on their credit card and collect points or cash back to boot.

The one target

Frugal people get obsessed with their debt balance. But only one account. It could be a personal loan. It could be a credit card at $2,300. Whatever the highest interest cost is, they put extra money into paying it off. They still have minimum payments on other accounts. 

Yet the attack money has one address. It helps them create a debt snowball. It does look a little boring from the outside, yes, but it’s intentional. It’s also a little aggressive. They’ll get the balance to zero soon enough.

The simple day

Let’s be honest. Payday usually makes you feel richer than you are. Frugal people know it. That’s why they have a rule about not touching new money for 24 hours. They leave it alone. Bills get paid, sure. Transfers happen, of course.

But frugal people don’t start spending until the next day, and it makes sense. They don’t do impulse purchases. It’s pretty hard to suddenly start buying things when you don’t have yesterday’s excitement.

The tiny yes

These people still have fun. They just budget for it. They’ll budget for coffee, and they’ll budget for books. They’ll budget for cheap tacos. Sure, it might sound a little backward, but they’re careful about it. They handle the serious stuff.

Then, they tell themselves the other part’s for them. There’s no guilt. There’s no second-guessing. It’s pretty important, honestly, because it stops their paycheck from feeling like a punishment. They’ll stick with it for years.

The lower pretend total

The paycheck’s $1,487. But a frugal person doesn’t see it that way. No, they mentally see it as $1,400, and the extra $87? It’s already gone in their mind. It could go into savings. Or maybe it goes toward a debt payment, it doesn’t matter.

Our brains interpret round numbers differently. This trick fits into that. Frugal people can’t spend what they refuse to count, so they’re able to keep a lot more in their pockets. 

The future bill

They plan to buy things twice. Once, when they need to buy it, and once, when they start planning to replace it. Tires wear down. Phones crack. Kids’ shoes? They outgrow them in three weeks. So, frugal people put away replacement money every single month.

It could be as small as $25. It could be as big as $100. They don’t want to leave repairs feeling ‘unexpected’ because the truth is, practically everything needs to be replaced again at some point.

The catch-up move

Payday arrives. A lot of people look forward. However, not frugal people, because they look backward first. They’ll open their banking app. They’ll hunt for any gaps from the last two weeks. The groceries that came in $38 over budget? They pay it and look for ways to decrease the cost next time.  

Gas prices went up and they paid more? They cover for it next month or find ways to reduce driving so much. Frugal people don’t use their new money immediately. Instead, they’re filling the dents from the last month and avoiding starting over. They’re finishing what the last paycheck didn’t.

The grocery reset

Watch where a frugal person goes after payday. It’s not usually a restaurant. No, they’ll go straight to the grocery store to get long-lasting food. They get pasta. They get oats. They get canned beans. 

Sure, it’s boring, but it keeps them alive for another few weeks. They won’t get the little treats first, unlike some people. They want to make sure breakfast exists first. That’s the most important part.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.