Frugal living is at the very centre of what we do here at The Frugal Cottage. After all, it’s part of the name! But frugal living can transform your life – and finances. There are so many fantastic frugal living resources out there that can help you become more frugal!
And it’s not something negative. It doesn’t mean that you are going to miss out. Frugal living means changing your mindset slightly but reaping the rewards.
Here are 30 frugal living tips that will save you thousands!
Budget properly.
I keep coming back to the same idea but a proper budget will help you with your finances. It will enhance your frugal living, if done properly. I share our budget over on YouTube every month and I fill my budge planner daily. It doesn’t take long and it has transformed our finances. In fact, the thought of not having a budget scares me a little! A proper budget will help, I promise.
Use your library.
Your local library is such a great resource and will help with frugal living. You can borrow books plus a whole heap of other things – audio books, cds, magazines. You can use the computers and the internet there. It is such a fantastic free resource and we should all use our libraries more often.
Drive a used car.
Driving a used car and therefore having no car payment will save you so much money over the long term. Cars are one of the fastest depreciated assets; they lose value constantly. If you buy a new car then as soon as you drive it off the forecourt, it drops dramatically in value. Drive a used car and invest the difference 🙂
Dry your clothes outside.
This is easier in the summer months but dry your clothes outside, if you can. It is better for your clothes so they will last long. Plus, it is better for the environment plus tumble dryers are expensive to run! Air drying is best. And free 🙂
Say no!
It is ok to say no to something that you don’t want to do or that you don’t like. It is so easy to feel pressured into buying something or doing something. Be strong and say no that doesn’t fit in with you.
Repurpose items.
That t-shirt that is past its best and probably shouldn’t be worn any more? Turn it into a duster, or a wash cloth. With a little patience and tie, you can repurpose many items into new things, rather than just throwing them away. Frugal living is all about making the best of everything; home items included.
Don’t get expensive tv services.
The amount of money that people are willing to pay for tv services is so mind boggling. Especially as they probably don’t watch that many channels in the end! Frugal living is taking the joy in the little things; find a different hobby or read a book that will help your finances. Ditch the expensive tv packages; they are not worth it.
Use freebie sites.
Sites such a Shopmium and Checkoutsmart often have free things you can get from the supermarket. Mainly food items but there are occasionally homewares on there too. They can be useful and if it’s not something you want, then get it and donate it to your local food bank instead 🙂
Pay annually rather than monthly.
If you can afford to do this, many of the monthly payments you have could be a one-off annual charge instead. This is often at a discount when paid in one go. It’s worth a check to see if you can!
Meal planning.
If you’re a long time reader of The Frugal Cottage then you’ll know I’m a huge advocate about meal planning. It can save you SO much money and really encompasses frugal living.
Batch cooking.
This links in to meal planning but batch cooking can help in the long run. Often, the bigger amount of food you can buy, the cheaper per kg it is. So if you’ve got space in your freezer, then get batch cooking and stick some in there! This goulash recipe is perfect for this.
Wash your own car.
If you have the space and time to do so, then washing your car is such a frugal living thing to do! It can save money plus you will probably use less chemicals than taking it to a car wash. You can buy car washing kits fairly cheaply and then you’re set to go 🙂
Set your thermostat slightly lower.
This is something that might take a bit of getting used to. However, if you can set your thermostat a lower temperature – even by one degree – then your energy usage will be lower. Then your electricity bill might go down 🙂 simple frugal living.
Look for free events happening near you.
There are often free events happening in the community, if you keep an eye out. Some of these will be family orientated but not always. Whenever we go to one, we just take a picnic and enjoy the free entertainment! Keep an eye on local Facebook groups for these.
Entertain at home instead of going out.
Get everyone to bring a pot luck round and have people to your house rather than going out for a meal. It is often much more enjoyable, a lot cheaper and you can talk properly! Make sure you organise it a bit beforehand so you don’t just get four puddings turning up.
Do all your errands on the same day.
This can cut down on petrol/travel costs and reduces that temptation when you’re out. Frugal living means simplifying your life including how many times you need to pop to the shop.
Go to the cinema for free.
A bit like the events happening, often there are cinema tickets available for free. These can be for new films not yet released, or a film at a random time which there’s lot of seats for. We have managed to do this a couple of times and it was great! Cinema tickets aren’t cheap so it’s a great way to see a new film for free.
Swap services.
This could be babysitting, as an example. You might want to go on a night out with your other half, so get a friend to come and babysit. Next time, they go out and you babysit for them! Frugal living and savings money. Any service could be done like this; I have paid someone by baking them a cake before!
Share lifts to work.
If you can, then share lifts to work. It can cut down on petrol consumption plus wear and tear to your vehicle. Plus not as many cars on the road 🙂
Don’t buy bottled water.
Fundamental frugal living tip here is to not buy bottled water. Why would you, when we have it in the tap at home! Get yourself a reusable water bottle and fill up before you go.
Use coupons/discounts.
Back when Mr FC and I used to go out for meals, we would quite often find a discount code or coupon for where we were going. Bigger chains are best for this but it can save you a lot of money. Just make sure you tell your server at the start of the meal so that they know.
Shop in charity shops.
I know in the UK it seems like charity shops have a bit of a bad rep, but you can get some great bargains in there. We have bought children’s toys in there which have hardly been played with at a fraction of the cost. The boys have no idea and it means that something else doesn’t end up in a landfill.
Make your own cleaning products.
There are so many tutorials about this on YouTube but making your cleaning producing is such a frugal living thing to do. Plus, it is kinder to the environment and you are reducing the amount of chemicals you have in your home.
Use Cashback sites when shopping online.
I have a whole post about this, but make sure you use them! It’s essentially free money for something you are purchasing anyway.
Reduce your food waste.
When you throw food away, you are literally throwing money away. Reduce your food waste and it’s better for the environment and for your pocket! I have a course all about this, check it out here.
Limit eating out.
Eating out should be a treat; not an everyday occurrence. Frugal living is taking the joy in things and one of those is cooking from scratch. There are so many fabulous cook books available so teach yourself something new; it’s healthier too.
Use glass containers for leftovers.
Now that you’ve got yourself in the hang of batch cooking, it’s time to look at what you’re using to freeze them in. Glass containers are much better for your food and can be put in the freezer. Something like this would be a good starting point.
Grow your own.
This comes from someone who is attempting it this year, but try and grow some of your own fruit and vegetables. We currently have tomatoes and strawberries on the go. It is exciting to see them appear on the plants! It can be a learning curve but incredibly rewarding.
DIY around the house.
Learn to fix things and to mend things. Frugal living is about making the best of what you’ve got and that might mean patching up from time to time. Again, there are so many tutorials on just about anything – so just search when you need to find an answer.
Save your small change.
Have a pot where you put in all your loose change. You know; the 1ps, 2ps, 5ps and 10ps that languish at the bottom of a purse? Put that in a jar and either pay it into savings every so often or use it for that annoying purchases that need cash. I do this and then sometimes take it to the supermarket to pay using the self checkout tills. It’s surprising how much this adds up!
So there you have it. Frugal living tips to help you get started and save you thousands. And if this post was of interest, then make sure you check out this that tells you the daily habits of frugal people 🙂
Do you do any of these? Anything else you would add to the list? Let me know in the comments!Â
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I just wanted to say this list is great. And to add – don’t forget the local library has usually got a Which? (Consumer Guide) with reviews of all those big things you don’t buy very often that you can look up for free.
We keep tap water in a couple of 1L bottles in the fridge as it just seems to taste so much nicer when it is cold, and research suggests some of the chemicals they use to keep it drinkable are less evident if it has rested for a while.
We plan our meals from what we have in, rather than what we would like, which further reduces the grocery shopping bill – and “meat” rather then “chicken” means we look at the reduced counter first for the bargains
One thing I’ve found is that having that well stocked emergency fund removes a lot of the worries that other people presumably have. We don’t have to worry about how to pay the bills or buy food etc if for whatever reason I stop getting paid, and it means we can remain calmer and not as stressed about the situation, financially at least.
That’s very true 🙂
I am 56 and achieved exactly what you are trying to do. One thing I did was buy children’s clothes at the end of the season in the sale and put them up for next year. Another particularly frugal tip was on a hot summers day out rather than buy four ice creams from a van, I would pop in a supermarket and buy a multipack.
Love the end of season sale tip – thanks for sharing that! And the multipack idea is great 🙂