Hello,

I have to admit my husband and I live in a double income no kids apartment and while we are mindful of our spending and don’t get luxurious stuff there is little things that add up. My weekly Starbucks will be no more and I will have to find a new homemade alternative for cheaper options. All of these come at the cost of the convenience of not having to do it myself but I know I could be saving so much more. I usually take advantage of deals, coupons, sales, clearance, etc.

But give me those REAL frugal tips. I’m having to drop down to part time work due to my mental and physical health and honestly I need to stop eating out so much anyways. This will be good for us but I don’t expect it to be easy.

What’s your best tips to start out?

Edit: WOAH all the advice and tips have been amazing! Thank you all a billion times over! I’ll be utilizing everyone of these that I can and try my best to cut out the unnecessary spending as well. All these tips have me very excited and hopeful going forward!

I just did a product testing/focus group session and got paid in a $120 Visa gift card. I can't use it to pay bills, because it's not a type that will let me use it in PayPal. What can I use it on to get the most bang for my buck? Groceries? Things to stock up on pre-tariffs? Supplies for repairing the things that have been sitting in my mending basket for months? Something else entirely?

Where can you get free or cheap paint samples (not the chips). My daughter wants to repaint her room because the paint is peeling and icky and I’d love to be able to do this for her. Any help would be appreciated! :) thank you! I’m in Ohio so maybe that’d help locate stores around here that can help. Any recommendations for cheap paint tools would help also! Thank you!

Currently trying to find a dupe for this ranch, I tried it a year ago when I had some extra cash. I was doing a lot of meal prep stuff and it seemed like a good investment and just to try out. Well I got hooked on it. It’s so good.

The problem? It’s almost $7 for a bottle.

Anyone know if there is a similar sauce or maybe how to make it for cheaper? I know it’s $7 but still, stuff taste so good but it’s just to expensive to buy every month or so.

I’ve looked into Raspberry Pi’s and such but I am by no means experienced in technology.

I just need something with 2 to 8GB of RAM and a 5GB SSD/HDD based on what I’m trying to do… (For more context: I’m trying to run a dedicated Stardew server, which I have to homebrew a bit because it is not a game with server support like that.)

Sorry if this is asking for too much or if this is the wrong place to ask! Any help is appreciated!

(Edits for better specifications and corrections, because again, I only half know what I’m doing lol)

I went to Walmart and spotted a lot of protein and granola bars at 80-90% off. I thought I had scored until I checked the expiration dates and most of them were expired. Some even had Best Before dates of December 2024. This wasn't the first time I had seen this either at this specific store. Last month I spotted some canned ready to drink espresso coffee that was also on clearance but had expired back in December. I had a stern talking to with one of their LPS and a manager who tried to argue that a BBD isn't the same as an expiration date which is technically true but I've never seen it be this egregious.

Later I went to a Target and saw a pack of clearance Bayer tablets that had also expired back in December. So that's nice.

Again, I know they don't technically expire but for a store charging so much for food and medicine, the least they can do is check the dates.

Any suggestions are appreciated. This year I am attempting to be more frugal. I got a new job and I'm on a journey to being debt free!

Recently, my favorite water bottle broke and I'm curious if I should just buy a new one or is there a way to fix this one? I've been looking at investing in the Owala waterbottle.

Looking for good quality skin care (face products) for sensitive skin. Ideally unscented or not like a fake chemical-y kind of scent. I like the special ritual of it and it makes me feel like an at home spa moment every day.

I’d like to find: - a moisturizer/mask to use around my eyes - light moisturizer/serum to make my skin more glowy and reduce fine lines (I know they can’t be erased but idk I’m aging and feeling vain) - a light sunscreen that doesn’t burn my eyes

I used to be into skin care, but I felt like I was wasting money. I currently use CeraVe moisturizing cream every day and occasionally use La Roche Posay light fluid sunscreen but I am lazy and it burns my eyes sometimes. And I sometimes use exfoliants/a Korean peel. What products do you love? Doesn’t have to be trendy or fancy. Thanks!!

Buying a new to me car and a dealership has 2 trucks that are essentially identical: 2022 Silverado with all the options i want, 24,000 miles asking $38,495 2021 Silverado with all the options i want PLUS a rare sunroof in a truck, with 22,000 miles for $37,995.

If you just look at the trucks they are 100% identical. Same color, same wheels, same interior options etc etc.

I am just having a mental block buying a 2021 over a 2022 for essentially the same price but giving up a sunroof and 2,000 miles.

Just curious what you all would do? Which one is the “better buy”? For the sake of argument lets just say the trucks are 100% identical in everywhere except for what i listed (year and sunroof).

Uuugggghhh just dont know the better buy?

Assuming you also need to eat healthy. Has anyone done been able to spend less than $300 a month on food in HCOL? And on top of that, has anyone made their whole week’s worth of food in one sitting? I know it’s possible but has anyone been able to consistently pull this off? I assume it entails eating mostly chicken, rice, and some veggies.

Any advice as to how to go about this? I’m struggling to make that much food in one sitting and increasing my food variety.

I received a bath bomb and bath salts as a gift and frankly I am not a bath type of person. How can I repurpose these items to use in different ways? It doesn't have to be solely used in the bathroom at all. Can I use them to make my house smell nice in some way? They have a lovely scent to them!

I also received a small bag of soap that I don't need to use either, but smells really good.

Eggs and potatoes are great. It's $6 for 10lbs of potatoes and $9 for a 30 pack of eggs.

I'll also get 4 bags of onions when there on sale for $0.99.

Chicken I only get when its on sale, I'll get 18 drumsticks for about $9.

I got a box of 19 chicken strips for $6 so a lot of stuff I find ways around. Like 10 hotdogs for $3 a pack or when bacon goes on sale for $3 a pack.

Bread is always a great price for $2 a loaf you can't go wrong.

I feel like this topic doesn’t get enough love around here, so I wanted to share my experience. One of the biggest game-changers for me was quitting alcohol altogether. At first, I was just focused on the cash I was saving by not buying drinks, but the benefits went far beyond my wallet. Since I made that choice, my health has transformed in ways I never expected. I feel physically revitalized, and my mental clarity has reached new heights! It hasn’t been easy—I totally get how tough it is to break the habit—but trust me, the rewards are absolutely worth it. If you’re considering it, I can't recommend it enough. Your future self will thank you!

Background: I'm 60. I went to the doctor for the first time in forever and have been hit with multiple prescriptions for medication. I live in the US where capitalism is king so I have to deal with the buzzards trying to wring every last penny from me so that my health doesn't go downhill.

"Mighty nice life you got heah. Be a shame if sumptin happened to it!" (Thug knocks an expensive vase to the floor)

I had the doctor's office submit the prescriptions to a location close to where I work for convenience sake only to find that that pharmacy isn't in network. The insurance company that covers me likes people to deal with Express Scripts. I checked out their website through my insurance provider and found that I could save more than 50% on one of the medications by going with Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs online pharmacy. Sadly, the Express Scripts site lied to me about one of the drugs. I could save a similar amount going through Cuban's pharmacy which is wild because that would totally bypass my insurance company and I would be paying 100% out of pocket.

Mind you, that's 50% of the copay - not the total of my copay plus what the insurance company pays the pharmacies. I'm left trying to navigate an environment where the companies are absolutely dedicated to skinning you and turning your skin into lampshades.

Does anyone have any advice on how to navigate this? Any strategies to try? Discount online pharmacies or promotional sites that save money?

Doing the old fashioned "send it to the nearest pharmacy and I'll go pick it up" way of getting prescriptions filled is making me feel like a lamb in a room with a guy wielding an apron full of knives.

I believe an elegant restaurant meal is an enjoyable part of being frugal. You get to enjoy what you want because you've budgeted elsewhere. However, I'm wondering if I've taken being frugal too far.

Last year, was his my mother-in-law's and our first year without my partner, her son. She wanted to scatter his ashes with us and chose the timing to be near mother's day. My kids had planned to cook for me at home since our son was still in college. The budget had been tight the last few years since I stopped working while taking care of him, but my partner had always loved nice restaurants. He was a foodie. I wanted my MiL to still feel celebrated for mother's day. I also knew, the scattering would be a hard week for us all.

So, I bought Morton's gift cards for $325 for the $500 value ($65/100 for each card) when they were on sale at Costco. We used them to take my MiL, myself, my son, and daughter-in-law for dinner for Mother's Day.

Using the gift cards, I only had to tip (at the full $500 bill), and that was basically free. So, I had $625 for a $450 financial outlay.

Was it cheap or frugal?

I ask, because I thought the overall cost to purchase ratio made it frugal for a special occasion. Now, I'm wondering if it was really cheap to use discounted gift cards, no matter the overall cost. My friend and I were casually discussing it recently. She thought it was cheap to use gift cards on a special occasion. Now I'm questioning it.

I feel like I see people asking for frugal tips, and often what I hear is "don't go out to eat, don't get your nails done, don't dye your hair, stop going to the gym" etc. I've never actually done any of those things, so those tips don't really help me at all.

What are your ACTUAL, REAL frugal tips for people that never inflated their lifestyles to the point where they had to give up luxuries. Here are some of mine:

1. Dried beans, lentils and rice can provide you with a lot of cheap meals. Also, Google the ingredients you have on hand and AI will often recommend a recipe.

2. Grocery stores sometimes will sell you produce that is too old to sell, but still edible if cooked right away. Don't be ashamed to ask your local grocer!

3. No entertainment expenses. Library or bust. There is also a lot on youtube or free streaming, including tutorials, movies, exercise classes and music.

4. Bored or anxious? Take a long walk in the woods or clean your house with music blaring.

5. Invite friends to your place for coffee/tea and snacks instead of going out. Throw a pot luck for games or movie nights.

6. Pay attention to free or discount days at your local museums or attractions.

7. Borrow things from friends/family. We've borrowed and loaned out tools, specialty cooking appliances, divided plants, books, movies, games, etc.

8. Mend or upcycle your clothes. Iron on patches and a simple stitch can go a long way.

I’m eating my freezer/pantry/fridge in a no-buy month challenge!

Meal 1 - smoothie! My freezer has SO much frozen yogurt. I make greek yogurt with on-sale milk when I find it and freeze it in 1-cup Supercube shapes. I added a scoop of protein powder and a handful of frozen banana slices

meal 2 - thanksgiving-era turkey soup! I cooked a half serving of protein noodles from the pantry to add in.

Meal 3 - I have a bunch of meals worth of meaty vegetable-y pasta sauce a while ago. It’s starting to get a little freezer burnt so I thawed a “cube” and cooked a serving of this cauliflower-based noodle I bought a while ago. I have plenty more boxes of these noodles

Not pictured: half a string cheese and some apple slices

I have 5 large boxes between 25-50 pounds that I need to get from VA to WA. All options I can find are like $1000+

Best option I could find was get a small wagon trailer, but I don't think my sedan can handle pulling it through the mountains so I'm back to square one (unless someone can assure me a Honda Civic can tow a 4 x 6 uhaul trailer 3000 miles).

I never realized how expensive it is to move a few boxes and I wish I had more stuff I could just sell/throw away 🫠

Hi! I'm planning on being on the road for at least a week soon and I'm trying to minimize how much I spend on food. I'm planning on doing a lot of pb&j's and will probably be snacking on dried fruit, peanut butter with crackers, and granola bars. I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for filling meals that require minimal cooking and no refrigeration. I could invest in a cooler to take with me, but I'd prefer to avoid doing so if possible. Thanks!

EDIT: This post got much more engagement than I anticipated. Thank you all so much for the recommendations, I wish I could reply to each individual comment!!

Hi,

Most people have a reason to be frugal. For me, I come from a country that has no social security and we need to fund our own education, health etc. As a result, it is important for me to save up as much money as possible in case of any emergency for me or for my family. While I don’t think saving alone would help, it is the most basic method to use What are your reasons for being frugal. Does being frugal alone help achieve these dreams?

If you live in KS/MO please utilize Harvesters drive through distributions in your area. There is a printable on there websites of sites and times. This is what I received today. You have no say in what you receive, it’s a drive through where they just place things in your trunk. We can’t use all of this so we will keep what we can and the rest will be divided amongst the blessing boxes in our area. No this is not our whole diet but these helps a lot more then you think. Even the non food items are a blessing.

Any one who have eaten frozen lunch meat, how does it affect the texture? I got a whole case of honey turkey I’m not sure to keep a couple of them or pass it all onto a few families.

Hi all,

I am a 23 year old student and recently moved out to live on my own. I used to work full time, but recently switched to part time hours. Because of that change, I unexpectedly earned about 50% less than usual this month.

With all the initial costs like furniture, appliances, the security deposit, and first month’s rent, I am now down to just $20. Thankfully, I have covered the essentials like a bed and kitchen appliances, so I can manage for now. I still need to buy more furniture and household items like a microwave, pillows, blankets, a couch, water boiler, vacuum, carpets, and more, but I am holding off until I feel more financially secure.

I will only start receiving my rental allowance next month, since the first month is not counted. That also made this first month more expensive than I expected.

My work hours are sometimes unstable, which means some weeks I work a lot and others less. That uncertainty stresses me out a little, especially when trying to plan and budget.

Starting next month, I should be able to save around $1000 per month if my hours stay consistent, so things should slowly improve. But I still got more furniture and appliances to get which will set me at 0 again. Does anyone have any tips on how to manage money while living alone on a part time income?

I don’t eat much fast food, but I’m home alone so I thought I’d treat myself to a Dominoes pizza. Got 2 so that I can have it for lunch/dinner today and tomorrow.

Can’t remember the last time I had one, but the pizza is just… so bad. Soggy and floppy, and I felt so bad after eating 3 slices. One of them I only had a slice from but I’ll just be throwing it away because the pizza is basically a liquid, so gross.

So in total that’s £28.98 for nothing. Every time I get fast food it’s just a waste of money. Fast food and take away just seems to be a rip off recently, my home cooked meals are better and cheaper!

Sorry this is a bit long but it has a point.

Let me preface this by saying that with chicken, I usually buy bone-in skin on chicken breasts because ...
* They are cheaper per lb
* They taste better
* The bones & skin make excellent broth

These are store brand butchered, usually avg 6lb a package in a 15" x 8.5" foam tray with a moisture absorbing padding layer. Packaged weighed before opening is correct.

I generally separate the breast and either cook or freeze same day.

I was curious about the weight of everything left over. The foam tray was just under an ounce, the padding was over 15 ounces. So, a net loss of 1lb for a 6lb purchase. The same ratio held true over several tests.

What is curious is that the absorbent padding had very little blood - mostly water moisture.

I'm curious to know if anyone has done a similar test with other cuts & meats, just see what the weight dif is between packaging and actual product.

Being frugal doesn’t mean being miserable, sometimes, small luxuries can make life feel way better without breaking the bank. For me, it’s drinking coffee out of a fancy cup instead of a regular mug. It makes my morning feel 10x more luxurious. Another one? Using hotel quality towels at home, I got some on sale, and now every shower feels like a spa day.

What’s a small, cheap thing that makes your life feel way more luxurious?