Extreme Couponing ruined coupons by exposing the practice to a wider audience, leading to increased competition and difficulty finding valuable coupons. Thrift stores, fixer-upper houses, and used cars have suffered similarly as frugal tips become more popular. So, what is the one frugal tip you are brave enough to share but fear will be ruined by too many people following suit?
A netizen recently asked, What’s a frugal tip you’re afraid will be ruined by too many people? We’ve curated the top 15 responses for you below:
Asian Grocers
“I was in the one the next town over, found they’d reorganized, labeled the aisles in English…and put up the prices by half. Next thing you know, they’ll turn off the Cpop and quit carrying pink dishwashing gloves.”
Costco Sundaes
“Costco sundaes.. …one day, I saw a couple buy 8 of them, put them in a cooler, and leave. They are 2.49 each, double the size and half the price of other local places.”
Ethnic Themed Stores
“Asian grocers. I was in the one the next town over, found they’d reorganized, labeled the aisles in English…and put up the prices by half. Next thing you know they’ll turn off the Cpop and quit carrying pink dishwashing gloves.” Said one.
“Was looking for this. Any ethnic-themed store (Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern) is super cheap on staples like beans, rice, and spices. Even the Hispanic section at Walmart still sells spices at a fraction of what you pay on the spice aisle.” Another added.
Restoring Old Furniture
‘Restoring old furniture. Many pieces get bought up /flipped for online stores, or sellers now want the restored value of the furniture because they “know what (they) have.” Said one.
“I think the even worse trend is chalk painting antique furniture to “flip it” and ruining it forever.” Another added.
Thrifting
“Thrifting. Those stores are catching on, and it’s not as easy to find buried treasure anymore.” Said one.
“I’m glad more people are buying secondhand, but it’s killing my budget.” Another added.
Military Surplus
“Military surplus. You used to be able to collect all sorts of gear, from firearms, tents, MREs, clothes, helmets, backpacks, cases, tools, knives, etc, for super cheap. That’s almost all gone partly because of collectors and partly because of fewer things being surplus-ed out. Although occasionally, there are still deals to be found.”
Buy Nothing Groups on Facebook
“Buy Nothing Groups on Facebook. You may not always get the item, but I have gotten so many amazing things gifted to me from our local buy-nothing and other giveaway sites.
I also regift items I no longer need to these sites, so it helps with being frugal and decluttering. Some people try to grab anything and everything and resell, but at least on our local group, if it is discovered they are reselling free items, they get banned.”
Reusing Frames For Artwork
“I paint (oils and watercolors), so I buy framed paintings cheap at thrift stores, remove the crappy painting and use the frame for my artwork.” Said one.
“If the painting is cheap enough, I even buy just to rip the canvas off and use the stretcher bars to stretch my own canvas on.” Another added.
Estate Sales
“Estate sales. All my coolest stuff comes from dead people.” Said one.
“Furnished an entire apartment off fancy estate sale gear. My king-size bed was 80 dollars and clean, but I have to assume someone died in it for the price… but a couple of extra cheap sheets, and it was such a perfect bed. I would have my son have sleepovers and the boys (7- 11 years old) got the whole bed.” Another added.
Columbia Sportswear Warranties
“Columbia sportswear warranties
Columbia offers a lifetime warranty on all their products. If it rips or tears, you can send it to them, and they will either repair it or get you a new one. While their products are not the cheapest for a cost, they are sturdy, and they stand by their warranty.
My wife had a coat that had a problem. They couldn’t fix it, and they had no more in stock, so they sent her a coupon to their store for the MSRP of that coat. She’s bought other shorts and the things from that store with it, and a couple of times, she’s had to send those in and they were just as nice and replaced the product without problem. Hopefully, they wouldn’t reduce the availability or thoroughness of their warranty if everybody knew about it and actually held them to it.”
Buying A Solid Used Car
“Buying a solid used car and driving it until it falls apart. Learn some basic mechanics to fix it yourself. Saves hundreds a month that way!”
Clearance Sales, Clearance Isles, and Clearance Sections
“Clearance sales, clearance isles, and clearance sections. Honestly, not too many people would even bother to look at a clearance sale in grocery stores or Walmart because of “quality” and “expiration” dates, but during these times, I’ve seen a heavy increase in many people taking advantage of clearance sales.
It’s not the worst thing because more people are learning to become frugal. But I used to love finding last-minute surprises on my grocery runs… Now I’m lucky if I can find anything at all.”
Rotisserie Chicken
“Rotisserie chicken, right now there are lineups in my warehouse club for them. We are talking Black Friday lineup near the chicken case. If this keeps going, they will either raise the price or stop carrying them, or there will be a feeding frenzy, and they will have to keep the chickens locked up.”
Libraries
“Libraries. I mean, I think libraries are dope, and *they* always want more people because that usually justifies more funding and grants, but if I applied the old “what if everyone did this?” the waitlists for books would be even longer, and authors would make even less money. Storytime would be a crowded chaotic mess, to say nothing of the wait time for games, toys, and all the other great stuff libraries carry now.
I’d be happy if there were a library on every block and as many librarians as school teachers, but if I think of things I enjoy that could get more crowded, libraries are up there”
Spirit Airlines Savers Club
“Spirit Airlines Savers Club. One-way from LAX to BWI next week is $75. I mean, you’re flying across the entire country for basically nothing.” Said one.
“Another spirit tip – I saved hundreds in online fees by buying my spirit tickets at the airport. I live near the airport so my partner dropped me off and picked me up a half hour later outside but even parking would be worth the cost to run in and save all that money.” Another added.
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.