Avoiding unnecessary expenses can simplify your life and make it easier to live within your means. Here are some frugal tips and hacks to help you save money.
A user asked the forum, “What’s your frugal tip that you took one step further?”. Let’s look at some of the best responses.
DOING AIR FILTERS FOR CAR
“Doing the ‘air filters’ for my car myself. Cabin air filter and the engine air filter. I buy them when they’re on sale and change on an as-needed basis.
The cabin air filters are like $20 for three on Amazon, yet the dealer charges $70 for one to be replaced. Both engine + cabin air filters take approx 5 minutes to change, and that’s with a break in the middle for thinking about why you didn’t start doing this sooner ”
ONE IN AND ONE OUT IN CLOTHING
“One in-one out on clothing—I try to only buy a new shirt, pair of shoes, etc., if I’m ready to give up one that I already have. While I haven’t stuck to this 100%, it’s been a very effective way to shop less and accumulate less.”
FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE
“FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE. People give away so many free things there! We have gotten a bed frame, bikes, books, a laptop, household products, an outdoor patio set, couches, and a lot of food from there, all for free.
I am constantly on it. The last thing I got from it last week was a Bowflex. It’s like 1,500 brand new!!!”
PREPARING GROCERY LIST
“I find it much easier to stick to my grocery list if I order my groceries online for pickup. For me, it eliminates almost all of the impulse purchases.”
PAYING WITH CASH
“This may or may not be a thing for you. I try to pay for as much as I can (restaurants, gas, little daily purchases, whatever) with cash to keep myself honest and to stop my card from being skimmed (this happened three times in six months in 2020).
Whenever I get a $10 bill, I put it aside into a special savings envelope. I usually end the month with a couple of hundred dollars in tens that I can use for emergency funds or savings or whatever. It’s a way to gamify frugality for me.”
BUYING BARE MINIMUM CLOTHES
“I figured out the bare minimum amount of clothing that my partner and I need and only purchase new items as the need arises. This means we can go several months at a time without purchasing new clothing.
The key is understanding your clothing needs and knowing when it makes better fiscal sense to buy one more expensive garment vs. multiple cheaper garments that don’t quite do the job but are close.
I also mend our clothes, and we learned how to treat grease stains, etc., to extend their life. Right now, we only need to buy things due to changes in body shapes.”
CARING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY
“When I started caring about sustainability. No, that doesn’t mean buying new fancy eco-friendly products. It means just stop consuming less. Use what you have. Truly reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS
“It started 20 years ago with high energy (electric, natural gas, gasoline) bills. When we bought the house, the gas company told us there was a $450 deposit based on the previous owner’s highest month of usage in the previous year.
We were coming from Florida, where our highest bill was $80 for electricity, and there was no natural gas bill. Our total energy bills were about $1000/month (adjusted for inflation).
Twenty years later, I have solar panels, a smart thermostat, better insulation, new windows, and 2 EVs. Our energy bills are $75/month for natural gas, and that’s it.”
REDUCING CONSUMABLES
“A few years ago, I made a big push to reduce consumables.
Bar mops instead of paper towels. Washable sponges. No paper plates or plastic cutlery. Bidets are definitely more civilized and reduce toilet paper consumption by quite a bit. Make coffee at home. Rarely do fast food (I can’t do it at all anyway).
Since then, I’ve looked for other ways to reduce paper and plastic use. Now, I try to make everything from scratch, like bread, crackers, and snacks. I’m not completely there yet, but I’m having fun trying. I already make all our meals (pretty much a necessity for me with celiac disease in a small town).
These started out as ways to reduce our carbon footprint but also reduced our grocery bill by quite a bit. Also yeah, I’m very well-versed in false economy. I suppose I could be making more money instead of stuff like this, but I’m already happy with my income, and this is more fun.”
NOT BUYING UNNECESSARY THINGS ON DISCOUNT RETAILERS
“Anything that is not an immediate need from discount retailers, Sally, or Goodwill goes on a list for our local regional yard sale: Highway 411 sale Alabama to Kentucky.
I generally shop 20 miles of this for two days and find what I want at a price I can afford. Everything except running shoes and non-washables goes into the hot wash before it ever comes into the house.
Shoes go into a bleach and detergent overnight hot water soak. Everything else goes into a landscaping trash bag with bug powder and is sealed for three weeks. Nothing is frugal if it has even one bug hiding in it.”
“I have a list of things I’m looking for at thrift stores – big roaster, crock pot, etc. If it’s not on my list, I don’t buy it. Sometimes, I’ll see something I didn’t put on the list, and I’ll get it, but it’s RARE. Having a constantly growing 2-year-old doesn’t help when I find kids’ clothing.”
COOKING INSTEAD OF EATING OUT
“Just cook instead of eating out.”
Like, it’s one thing to make a lot of rice & beans or whatever, ya know.
But now, I just make straight-up takeout at home. Pork Fried Rice, General Tso’s, Chipotle-style burritos, homemade biscuits for a McD’s breakfast sandwich.
Maybe this isn’t “more frugal,” but it’s definitely… better. If I’m in the mood for takeout, I just make it for like 1/5 the price as ordering.”
STOPPED BUYING SODA
“Stopped buying/drinking soda.
Also, I don’t give juice to my kids (they can have it on special occasions or if it’s offered at a friend’s). That’s a personal decision, of course.”
REDUCED SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
“At one time in my life, I was spending $200/month or more on high-end skin care products. I vowed never again and eventually found a routine of drugstores and low-cost products that were very affordable.
Recently, I’ve started challenging the necessity of everything I use. I’ve cut out four products, and my skin is healthier than ever. Turns out all those extra topicals were just irritating my skin!”
JOINING BUY NOTHING GROUPS
“Last December, I joined a Buy Nothing group because I was unemployed and pregnant. It was a great way to de-clutter some stuff in a more sustainable way, which was my original motivation.
But I also picked up a ton of random stuff I needed, especially for the baby. Anytime something goes into my Amazon cart now that isn’t a need, I sit with it for 24-48 hours. Then, if I still think it would be useful and make my life easier, I ask my Buy Nothing group.
Nine times out of 10, I’ve been able to get it for free and the longest I’ve had to drive to pick something up is 10 minutes. Anyway, the other week, I calculated everything I had gotten from the buy-nothing group and looked up the value on Amazon. I’ve saved approximately $750!”
DOING OWN ARTWORKS
“Artwork is expensive and, most of the time, fairly generic and probably will go out of fashion in a few years. So I pick the best art projects my kids and I have made and use it to decorate our walls.”
REUSING PLASTICS
“We save our fast food plastic cutlery and try to reuse it a few times because of the planet. But we acquired a hoard of them and realized we can use them for camping or holidays/parties.”
BATCH MEAL PREPARING ON WEEKEND
“Committing to meal prep. On the weekend, I will usually make a decent amount of two different meals. I divide up my lunches to take to work for the week so it’s ready to go. Always rice and something (chili, chicken enchiladas, a stir fry).
I can use what is seasonal and on sale. Besides the convenience and better health benefits, it has prevented me from the urge to pick up food, especially after work when I’m exhausted, which usually would be fast food.
I have food at home, which is a great thing! I also try to have ingredients on hand for easy meals I like, such as breakfast for dinner (eggs, hash browns, Canadian bacon, pancakes). I have also been making iced tea instead of getting soda.”
REMAINING CHILDFREE
“Remaining childfree. Seriously. I save so much money, and I still get to hang out with kids when I want to/babysit.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.