What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say ‘Frugal’ ? Someone that never spends money, dumpster dives hoards their money, does not give to charity and analyze every cent they spend ? If so, you are wrong. That is a miser.
There is a very big difference between being frugal and a miser. A frugal person lives life within their means. They
spend money when they need/want and does not do impulsive purchases. A miser is a person that analyzes every penny and lives in a scarcity mentality. They have a hard time enjoying what they earn and they hardly ever give to others.
Some people are born to be frugal. They can save or make their money stretch further than most. They can save and
more than the average American. Here are 30 actionable Frugal hacks to try or add to your daily life. You may
agree with some or already practice others but they are worth a second glance:
- Making your own coffee everyday
Most of us love our morning Joe. We can barely function without it but, do we have to buy a $5 plus dollar coffee everyday ?
You can make your own coffee at home for a fraction of the price. Don’t get me wrong. If this is the highlight of your day and it does not take a big bite out of your budget; sure do it. But, if you skip a day or a week and you forget what “Starbucks” logo looks like: its time to rethink this spending.
- Buying second hand cloth
If you want quality cloth without the premium price second hand cloth are your best bet. I especially like consignment stores. Look for one in your local area with good reviews and you will be surprised at what you have been missing out on. Double green: environmental and some money in your account. Need I say anything else! ?
- Buying second hand furniture
I have been disappointed by the quality of wood furniture recently and been recycling old furniture. You can find some solid items in second hand stores. The finish might not match your current home aesthetics but you can refinish it yourself. Paint with your kids or spouse. Make it a weekend activity. In the end you will have a strong, sturdy furniture and lots of memories.
- Walking
“The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure.” – Tibetan Proverb
Walking is a triple threat: gets you places, keeps you healthy & helps you admire/think in nature. All the walkers I know are living proof that it is healthy. It can also be cost effective. Try running your closest errand by walking. The more you get used to the shorter walks the bolder you will feel to try the longer ones.
Here are some tips that help me walk longer:
- walk with a friend, spouse or your kids
- use a smart watch to stay motivated
- Listen to an audio book or talk on the phone
- If you are pressed for time walk indoors open a YouTube walking workout.
this “grow with joe” is my favorite one
5. Using parks as your gym
I used to be a non-gym going religiously paying member. During the pandemic my mindset about gym’s shifted. Unless I start lifting I don’t see myself joining a gym anytime soon. Be honest with yourself. How many times in the past 6 months have you gone to a gym ? If you don’t remember the color of your gym door or the face of the people at the front desk. You need to rethink your gym membership.
- Doing clothing, kitchen gadget & tool exchanges
The average American has an appliance or two they don’t use. Even though you may not use it, it doesn’t mean it wont be useful to someone else in your family. Before you buy your next ice cream maker or other Ninja product check with your close circle. See if they have one and if they even use it. People want to get rid of their older unused items and you can offer something in exchange.
- Living with roommates
If you are young and want to save this is your best lifehack. If you are older try a variation of this. Rent out unused rooms or if and when you are ready
to purchase a house buy a multi-family. If you get the right kind of multi-family it will help you live rent free.
- shopping at a discounted grocery store
Life is already expensive. You should not pay premium for food. Plan your trips before living your house. Check the stores website or app for discounted products and plan your meals around them.
- pre-plan your dinning
For most foodie’s ,like me, this is a big chunk of our budget. You may not be able to eliminate all of your eating out every week but reducing the frequency will have a big impact as well. Start by reducing the number by one or plan inexpensive outings. If you are a social foodie, plan a potluck and game night.
- Meal prepping to save money, time and energy
Meal prepping saves you time, money and energy. It allows you to bulk cook: save energy. Use all of your ingredients: saves food and money. Reduces the amount of dishes: saves time. If you can carve out two to three hours once a week; you should definitely try this.
- Having a no spend week
Challenge yourself to do this. You will be surprised by how many of your spending habits are wants than needs. Also, many things in life are free.
- Growing their own food or raise livestock
If you think buying in bulk saves you money, growing/raising your own food is major savings. It is also more rewarding. It teaches you to be patient and consistent. You know where your food comes from and its fresh.
- Purchase older used vehicles
New vehicles lose value when you drive them off the lot. They also lose most of their value the first two years, so buying a car two or more years older saves you money. Buy easy to maintain, very well taken care of cars.
- Always borrow books from libraries
If you love reading or audio books, you need to visit your local library. Most libraries also offer activities or host events.
You can also use your library to borrow on your phone or tablet using apps like Hoopla or Libby.
- Become friends with or join online frugal communities
You can learn a lot from a group of frugal people. Both Reddit and meetup have great communities. You can join local ones through meetups as well.
- Make your own bread
If you think fresh baked cookies smell great, wait till you smell fresh baked bread. YUMMMY! The best part is: with a bread maker the active baking time short. It allows you to save money & time.
- Cut your own hair
Cutting your own hair will save you a lot of money and its convenient. You don’t have to make appointments, wait in line or wait for business hours. Its a skill a lot of people appreciated/learned during the pandemic. With trimming tools like these for men and woman on Amazon it has never been easier.
- Alternate or not pay for any subscription services
A good TV show or movie is very therapeutic but you can only watch one at a time so, why are you paying for multiple subscription service. Alternate between your subscription services. They may not cost much but if you don’t use it why waste the money.
- Track and Budget
Learning how to budget is an essential part of adulting. Find a budgeting style that works for you and stick with it. Because a consistent monthly budget the starting path to sucess.
- Sell their used items
If you have items in your house you don’t use, sell them. Additionally use sites/apps like offer up or craigslist to sell your items. I have seen anything from kids cloth to cars listed on these sites.
- Have garage sells
If you have more than 30 items to sell; its time to think about a garage sell. You can make anywhere from a couple hundred to a $1,000 dollars in a garage sell. After all, uncle Sam doesn’t get a cut.
- Use reusable paper towels
I did not know these existed until recently. If you go through a lot of paper towels try reusable ones. They are environmentally friendly and inexpensive. You can find them in several different sizes and colors.
- Renovate/Maintain your own house
If you own your own house, you are not shocked by how expensive labor has become. Sometimes the material cost is a third of your total cost. By doing most of your own renovations and maintenance you save and learn new skills.
- Plan their own large events such as weddings
A saving on a big expense will have more impact than cutting out on a 100 smaller items. If you have large events in your life like a wedding or a birthday: try to plan them with the least amount of expenses. Classy events can happen without splurging. You can plan a wedding on a weekday to save big on the venue, additionally making your own centerpiece, bouquet or decorations.
- Coupon or wait for sales
Don’t buy something unless you need it and when you do; wait for a sale. There is no reason to pay full price for something you want. Almost everything is negotiable. If you are renting ask your landlords for a discount. The worst they could say is “no”. Don’t buy two of something when you only need one just because the second item is half off.
Book recommendations:
- Use a spatula to get the last of their products
We throw away so many beauty products without fully using them. I used to do that too until I started using these spatula’s. They come in different sizes and you can scrape all those lotions and sun screens down to the last bit. They are worth every dollar!
- Buy and store a year worth of meat
Buy quality meat in bulk from the source. You can then partition and store it in the freezer. This was a hack my family used growing up. It saved them a lot of money and allows you to do less store runs. You can also get good quality meat.
- Shop at a warehouse store
Costco is my second home. Buying some items from there just makes more sense. Especially non perishable ones. If you have a large family even some produce items are a bargain, especially if you have teens. Be careful though; it easy to go for a quick run and end up with hundreds. If you shop in wholesale stores always go with a shopping list; don’t buy everything you need from there (pair it with a smaller store like ALDI) & compare prices.
- Avoid/pay off debt
It is no use saving if you are giving it all to the bank in interest payments. Pay off your consumer loans every month. If you have debt pay it off as fast as possible. A debt is like a gas leak: you can put as much gas as you want but with a leak its pointless.
- Avoid ordering alcohol or soda
Did you know most of the profits made from restaurant’s are from alcohol and soda ? It’s good for them and bad for your purse strings. Try to reduce the drinks you order when you go out. Its just healthier and cheaper to drink water.
- Only go to movies on discounted days or times
AMC Tuesdays still exist, evidently half the price of regular movie price. If movie pass ever makes a come back, it is a subscription service movie lovers should consider.
- Shopping around for recurring bills
Recurring bills are the other items that can compound in your favor. Look at your previous month statement and try to window shop any recurring bill. Also ask for a discount, see if there is a change in price for prepaying or shop around with competitors. If you have debt be aggressive with this method. You can call your credit card companies and ask them to lower your interest rate. Additionally, ask for a credit increase. Afterwards your utilization ratio will decrease and your credit score increase. You can qualify for more than favorable loans.
Bonus: If you can afford to, pay your insurance every six months & shop around every other year.
After trying out these methods and stacking all of your savings don’t leave it in the bank. Invest! Saving is just half of it.
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