Are you looking for tips on how to be frugal with money? Even though I have lived a frugal lifestyle for years, I am always looking for tips for living with very little money. I’ve compiled a list of some of the best frugal living tips.
Some of these tips on frugal living you may be already doing. Others you may find fall under the extreme budgeting category and are just a little too much for you personally. But even if you can take a couple of these ideas and adapt them to your life, you will find that every little bit helps.
Sometimes people wonder how something so small like washing a milk bag out to use as a freezer bag can make a difference in your budget. When you decide you want to save money by frugal living, combining small changes adds up to savings in your budget.
Also, sometimes it is those little changes that help us get into the mindset of frugal choices. Sometimes it’s just the momentum you are building to push and motivate you to continue to do little things to save money and live within your means.
Speaking of budget, maybe you don’t have one that’s working. If that’s the case, that is the first change you want to make. Having a budget is the single most important way to start working towards financial freedom and to have less financial stress. That’s where a workbook can really get you ahead. Over at The Budget Mama, Jessi Fearon has an amazing budget workbook to help you get started. She has a pretty amazing financial freedom story as well – this woman knows what she’s talking about!
Some of these tips on how to be more frugal are easy money saving options, others will require a little more commitment. Read on to see how to be super frugal and start working towards financial freedom.
TIPS ON HOW TO BE FRUGAL – Over 80 SAVING MONEY TIPS AND TRICKS
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1. Use coupons when applicable.
(Try Coupons.com or Red Plum coupons for printable coupons or if you prefer apps where you don’t have to cut coupons but can still save money, look into Checkout51 app or Ibotta to get you started!)
2. Use Cashback programs when shopping online
(Rakuten, which used to be Ebates, will give you cashback for things you were going to buy anyways. Think of all you can do with that cashback!)
3. Cook more foods from scratch.
4. Use the cash envelope system.
5. Use cloth napkins instead of paper.
6. Use cloth towels to clean up instead of paper towels.
7. Add meat as a stretcher and not as a main event in your meals.
8. Buy a programmable thermostat and set it a few degrees lower while you sleep.
9. Grow a garden.
10. Preserve and can your harvest.
11. Shop secondhand for clothes and furniture.
12. Pack a lunch for work or school.
13. Pack snacks and meals when travelling.
14. Exercise at home or outside instead of buying a gym membership.
15. Make gifts for birthdays and holidays.
16. Give up alcohol or cut back.
17. Make your coffee at home.
18. Hang your laundry instead of using a dryer.
19. Drink water instead of juice or pop.
20. Rent movies instead of going to the theatre.
21. Take data off of your cellphone and just use wifi, or consider a cheaper plan.
Check out Republic Wireless for some really cheap cell phone plan options. Stop overpaying and start saving money on your cell phone bill.
22. Cut hair at home. Try these clippers for all your haircuts.
23. Eat meals made with cheaper food options.
24. Sell some of your items you no longer need or use.
25. Invite friends over instead of going out.
26. Sew and repair ripped clothes instead of buying new ones.
27. Make use of the library instead of buying books.
28. Price match at the grocery store.
29. Cancel magazine subscriptions.
30. Shop for Christmas gifts all year long.
31. Buy generic brands.
32. Downsize your vehicle to a more gas efficient car.
33. Downsize to a smaller home.
34. Trade babysitting services with a friend.
35. Learn to fix things around your home instead of hiring someone.
36. Attend free local events.
37. Use public transportation instead of owning a car.
38. Buy in bulk.
39. Shop around for a cheaper insurance rate.
40. Make your own cleaning supplies.
41. Unplug appliances and electronics when not in use.
42. Turn lights off when you leave a room.
43. Use wood heat if you have a woodstove.
44. Buy eyeglasses online. Zenni and Clearly have excellent prices.
45. Camp instead of staying at a hotel on vacations.
46. Use Netflix instead of cable or satellite.
47. Carpool.
48. Grocery shop online to avoid going over budget.
49. Do a 30 day no-spend challenge.
50. Don’t impulse buy. If you see something you want, wait 30 days before buying it.
51. Involve your children in extra curriculars that are on the cheaper side.
52. Apply for subsidy for children’s extra-curriculars if you qualify.
53. Use the bigger size garbage bags if you live in a community that charges per bag.
54. Cut back on waste to minimize garbage disposal expenses.
55. Use your tax refunds for debt or expenses.
56. Buy homeschool materials used when you can.
57. Weatherproof your home.
58. Find the cheapest gas prices with Gasbuddy.
59. Don’t drive around with extra weight in the trunk of your vehicle.
60. Wash milk bags to use as freezer and sandwich bags.
61. Use reusable lunch containers.
62. If you have a cell phone, get rid of your landline.
63. Switch our your incandescent lightbulbs for LEDs.
64. Use a low flow shower head.
65. Eat out of your pantry before you go shopping.
66. Stock up on items during a grocery sale.
67. Grate your own cheese instead of buying it pre-grated.
68. Cut up your own veggies instead of buying them pre-cut.
69. Skip the bottled water and invest in a reusable water bottle.
70. Pay more than the bare minimum on your student loans and credit card debts.
71. Switch to a bank that has low or no service fees.
72. Dye your hair at home rather than going to a salon.
73. Shop the sales.
74. When eating out order water instead of a pricey beverage.
75. Make Halloween costumes or buy them secondhand.
76. If you live on your own, get a roommate.
77. Don’t grocery shop while hungry.
78. Make a meal plan.
If making a menu sounds daunting to you, try this 5 dollar meal plan. All you do is pay 5 dollars a month, and each week they send you a weekly meal plan. While spending money might seem counterintuitive to saving money, sometimes we spend WAY MORE than that 5 extra dollars when we DON’T meal plan. This 5 dollar meal plan does all the work for you, along with recipes and shopping lists which means you won’t spend money on food you don’t need. Oh, and they also have a 14 day free trial so you can test it out.
79. Use natural remedies when possible.
80. Grow your own flowers instead of buying them.
81. Wash your car at home yourself.
It’s no secret on my blog that I really believe that another great way to live frugally and cut your budget is through your grocery bills. You can see on the above list I share various ways to save at the grocery store, like using coupons, shopping sales, etc. I like to use as many money saving tips at home as possible.
On top of that, one of my favorite ways to save in the kitchen is by making cheap meals that are delicious but use budget-friendly ingredients.
I often use one of my favorite cookbooks, Dining on a Dime, which is full of recipes that can be made on a super tight budget. Be sure to check it out as they also have it in eBook form now. The more frugal living tips you have in your back pocket, the more money you save!
If you have a tight budget and are struggling to live within your means, apply some of these best frugal living tips for ways to incorporate saving money into your everyday life.
Whether you chose to implement every single tip on this list for some extreme budgeting, or you apply just one or two to start your journey towards a more frugal lifestyle than you are currently living, your bank account can benefit in some way. I hope these ideas for frugal living can help you save in some big ways.
Related: Frugal Living Tips from The Great Depression
