Frugality is often ridiculed. But I figure I'll have the last laugh.
$700/mo? Wow, livin' large!!!
I have my fixed costs down to $300/mo and if I don't do stupid things at casinos most months I'm still under $400 including discretionary spending.
A lot of it is having no mortgage; another huge chunk is having no other debt like car payments and etc; another is buying very little $3.75 gas. Also no cell phone or TV bills- I'm always astonished to find out what people are willing to pay per month for those things! Also pay things like insurance six months at a time to get the pre-paid cash discounts- actually pay nothing interest bearing or monthly if there's a discount for paying in larger blocs.
I haven't seen the inside of a shopping mall in eons. Even when I did go frequently with friends, gfs, etc., I almost always came out empty handed. About the only shopping I enjoy and actually pry open the wallet for is grocery shopping and at hardware stores.