Frugal living doesn’t mean you are cheap or boring. It means you are conscious about where you spend your money and you use every avenue possible to save money and don’t spend on unnecessary items. This comprehensive list will give you the best frugal living tips on the internet. Pick the ones that fit into your lifestyle and start saving today!
Are you looking for the best frugal living tips so you can cut your living expenses to build up your savings account faster or make it easier for financial ends to meet?
If so, this list of 160 frugal living tips was created just for you!
It will immediately help you save cash every month in the main budgeting areas of housing, transportation, and food.
Plus with this ultimate list packed with frugal tips, you will start saving money in other areas such as health and wellness, clothing, bathroom, laundry room, general shopping, and more!
Let’s dive in!
NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. Read the disclosure for details.
What does it mean to be frugal?
Being frugal doesn’t mean you are cheap or miserly.
Being frugal means being careful with your spending so you can save more money to reach your financial goals quicker.
Being frugal allows you to pay for the things that matter in life instead of wasting hard-earned cash on unnecessary expenses.
For example, things like eating out, buying expensive clothes, paying for entertainment, and such, are typically not part of a frugal person’s spending habits.
Frugality is a state of mind where you will go out of your way to make something last longer and find value in every purchase by avoiding excess spending wherever possible while still getting what you need.
What’s really cool is that once you start living frugally, you will likely enjoy it because you’ve become more money conscious and you start to see the reward that comes from being disciplined.
Imagine being able to save thousands of dollars every year just by shopping smartly for groceries, cutting out cable TV service, getting rid of your landline phone, changing the showerhead, or canceling your monthly gym membership (just to name a few ways to save money and still live a comfortable lifestyle!)
I’d take all that savings over designer purses any day! (Speaking of purses, this is a fun read on why you should never put your purse on the floor!)
To live frugally gives you a personal feeling of success because you are in total control of your money and financial future.
How do I get the most out of the frugal living tips?
To get the most out of this ultimate list of frugal living tips you need to first understand where you want to cut expenses and by how much (after you grab your favorite beverage and find a comfy place to read. There is a LOT of valuable information in this post!)
You can also use these tips to determine what areas of your life you can reduce spending in and save more money now in areas you may not even think about!
Once you have decided which areas you are willing to cut down the cash going out, I recommend you make a list on a piece of paper and mark those that you are willing to change your spending habits in.
Start saving right away by using just one frugal living tip at a time.
As you start making small changes and see how they make a difference in your monthly budget, you will know which areas to expand even further or try out other options.
Once you have planted the seed of an idea on how to save money, it will begin to grow into more money-saving ideas.
Since everyone’s situation is different some of these tips may not apply to you. Keep that in mind before moving on to the list below.
That’s OK because I’ve given plenty of ideas so pick up the ones you can use right now!
Just take the money-saving tips to help you live frugally and start applying them.
I hope you get some value from my ultimate list of 160 frugal living tips!
Save money on food
1. Set a food budget
Know how much money you have to spend on food and follow it.
The best way to budget for food is weekly.
2. Eat at home
When you cut the money it costs to eat at a restaurant or run through the drive-thru, you will be amazed at how quickly money starts accumulating in your account!
If you struggle with not turning into your favorite stop on the way home, take a snack to work and eat it before you leave so you aren’t so hungry when you drive by.
3. Double all your meals
When you cook a meal at home, make double what you typically cook.
Take the leftovers for lunch at work or heat them up when you are home. Many times we choose not to cook because we’re tired and that pushes us to grab fast food.
When there is food ready to eat, there isn’t a reason to go out.
4. Take lunch and snacks to work or on outings
Plan ahead so you have snacks and lunch to take with you when you leave your home.
This means thinking forward when you make your grocery list so you can buy what you need so it is on hand and you aren’t tempted to grab something out of the vending machine.
5. Purchase meat in bulk
Purchasing your meat in bulk will cut the price per pound too much less than when you don’t purchase in bulk.
Look for the section in the meat refrigerator that says things like ‘family size’.
Another way to save money by purchasing in bulk is to shop at membership warehouse clubs like Costco or Sam’s Club.
6. Eat more meatless dishes
One of the most expensive products at the store is meat.
Cut your grocery bill by eating meals without meat to see a quick upswing with more cash in your pocket.
Jessica shares over 60 amazing meatless meals in her post, Best Meatless Meals to Help Save You Money.
Her Kale and Mushroom Pizza in the image are one of my favorites!
What I really love about this post is every recipe is her own and there is a variety of all types of food to make everyone in the family happy!
7. Create a meal plan
Knowing what you are going to fix for the coming week or two is a big save at the grocery store.
It doesn’t matter what day you fix it, so if you aren’t one of those people that post the weekly menu on the refrigerator door so everyone knows what meal will be served on which day, that’s ok!
Keeping a list for yourself so you know what you plan to fix is good enough, and you will be assured you have the ingredients you need to make the meal.
8. Keep an ongoing grocery list
When you keep an ongoing list of what you need at the grocery store, you aren’t trying to remember what you need when it is time to shop.
If you shop for groceries by guessing what you’re out of, you will purchase items you don’t need and spend more than necessary.
When I had my kids at home, I kept a list on the side of the refrigerator they could add to. When we ran out of something, whoever used the last of it would add it to the grocery list.
This was also great when they would complain we were out of something.
All I had to say was, “Who used it up?” Whichever one it was would go to the list and add it on!
QUICK WIN TIP
If you use the idea of putting a magnetic notepad on the side of your refrigerator for an ongoing grocery list, be sure to include a pen close by if you expect your family to actually add items to the list!
This magnetic pen holder works great for us!
9. Make a grocery list centered around your meal plan
Before you make your grocery store run, plan all your meals for the next 1-2 weeks.
Check your recipes to see what you already have in the pantry to use, and add the ingredients you don’t have to your list.
Shopping for exactly what you need will save many pennies in the long run and grow your money. However, for this to work, you need to follow the meal plan you created!
10. Drink more water
Water is the cheapest thing you can drink. Even if you need to purchase your water, it costs far less than other drinks.
If you don’t like the taste of the water out of your faucet, using a water filter system can make your water taste better and be less expensive than purchasing bottled water.
If you do have to purchase bottled water, buy it by the gallon, not individual bottles.
11. Eat leftovers
Leftovers make great meals that are easy!
I actually cook to intentionally have food leftover so I can take a few nights off from cooking each week.
Keep in mind just because you have leftovers doesn’t mean you have to eat the exact same meal. For example, if you have leftover roasted chicken, make your next meal chicken noodle soup.
12. Go to farms that allow you to pick your fruits and vegetables
We have a local blueberry farm that opens up during the season to pick your own blueberries and several other types of fruit and vegetables.
I can spend about an hour there and $12 to get 8-10 times more blueberries than if I were to purchase them at the grocery store.
Do a search and see if there are any farms within driving distance of your location you could pick your own and save some cash.
13. Buy the generic brand
Store brand items are typically much less than name-brand.
In most cases, there is no difference in taste and you can keep money in your pocket and get the same item by buying the generic brand.
14. Invest in a deep (or upright) freezer
The initial purchase of a deep or upright freezer will pay for itself long-term.
If you have a place to freeze meat, chicken, vegetables, etc., you can stock up when there is a big sale and cut your grocery bill.
15. Can or freeze seasonal fruits and vegetables
Buying fruit and vegetables out of season sends a large spike to the grocery bill.
You don’t have to go without these foods most of the year or live with spending more on them and messing up your budget.
Enjoy them year-round by purchasing extra amounts when they are in season and can or freeze them.
This is another reason to invest in an additional freezer.
16. Eat whole/healthy food
The opposite of eating whole foods is eating pre-made ‘microwaveable’ or ‘heat and serve’ options.
Quick foods may be convenient, but they will impact your grocery bill in a negative way.
Save by eating whole foods. If you aren’t sure how to identify whole foods, think of items that don’t have a product label that takes up the entire back of the package.
17. Use a slow cooker
A slow cooker is one of my favorite kitchen accessories.
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There isn’t anything like walking in the house after a long day at work and smelling dinner ready to be served.
You can make almost any food in a slow cooker, so even the typical tough meats and other inexpensive grocery items can make a delicious meal while saving you money.
It is worth investing in two slow cookers for your kitchen accessories so you can make two recipes at the same time, just as a dessert and a main dish.
They will save you so much time and money over the course of the time they last.
This is one of my favorite slow cooker cookbooks. I love the spiral-bound version so it lays open on the countertop.
You can’t beat 5-ingredient meals to save time and money!
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18. Brew your own coffee
Brewing your own coffee doesn’t only make the house smell great, it also saves you money!
Even if you stop at the local gas station instead of a leading brand like Starbucks, you’re going to spend a lot more money than brewing your own at home before you leave.
19. Use an instant pot
We have a way of wanting everything to be quick in today’s fast-paced world.
If you use an instant pot to cook your dinner, you will get fast and yummy. This is the instant pot I have and wouldn’t want to live without.
20. Invest in a multi-purpose convection toaster oven/air fryer/broiler
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This is the Cuisinart Air-Fryer oven I have owned for several years. I use it practically every day.]Since I purchased it I can count the number of times, on one hand, I haven’t used my full-size oven in 4 years.
When you use a small convection or air fryer oven it heats up quickly and cooks your food quickly, so it doesn’t have to be left on very long.
This is the first place you save.
It also doesn’t heat up the house, giving you more savings on your electric bill.
21. Ask your grocer when they do markdowns for bread, meat, etc.
When products are getting close to their expiration date, the price is marked down and they are put in a specific place for discounted products.
Most grocery stores have a place for discounted bakery goods, meat, and other products.
22. Use a grocery pickup or delivery service
The major retailers offer grocery pickup.
You complete your order on the merchant’s website, schedule a pickup time, then a store employee gathers the items for you and you drive up and pick them up.
Stores like Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and many others offer this valuable service.
Target doesn’t require you to select a time so you can pick up anytime, which is an added convenience that is super helpful because you can pick up when you are in the area instead of making a special trip.
The first time I used a grocery pickup service I thought it was the best thing ever invented!
23. Grow your own herbs
Growing your own herb garden can save you lots of money. Especially if you buy herbs at specialty grocery markets.
Herbs, such as Rosemary, are simple to grow and will make your meals taste delicious.
To get the most out of spending your money, you want to plant the cost-effective herbs that will save you from buying at the store.
24. Start a garden
Growing a garden can be a fun activity for the whole family, plus save you money at the store!
In addition to these benefits, nothing compares to the taste of fresh garden vegetables freshly picked!
25. Join a co-op
A food co-op is just like a grocery store except for the people who shop there own it.
However, people that are not owners can also shop at a food co-op and pay higher prices.
Typically, if you choose to become a member there is a lifetime membership for a flat fee.
26. Make your own bread
Homemade bread tastes heavenly, makes the house smell amazing, and with a simple recipe, it can save you money on your grocery bill!
It’s also a great family activity with a sweet treat to enjoy together when it comes out of the oven. I use my Cuisinart for this loaf and it works perfectly.
I love this recipe from Jessica and Nellie at Butter with a Side of Bread.
27. Ditch mixes
Mixes can be a good buy when they go on sale or if you can pick them up at a store like Dollar Tree.
In most cases, they cost you much more than making the recipe from scratch and should only be used in an emergency situation if your focus is on saving money and frugal living in general.
28. Use Ibotta when you grocery shop
Ibotta is one of my all-time favorite apps. It is one of the easiest ways to earn money for doing something you are already doing – grocery shopping!
Get cash back on groceries, pet supplies, health and wellness products, and more!
29. Avoid the middle aisles in the grocery store
Processed and pre-packaged foods are convenient . . . and more expensive.
When you add them to your grocery list, you will see your bill rise, and you will get less food than if you prepare the same foods yourself.
30. Use Supercook and the Supercook App
If you have never visited the Supercook website, you have a treat coming your way!
Do you have odds and ends ingredients in your pantry and are short on cash this week? Not sure what to fix?
Enter the ingredients you have on hand into Supercook and you will get a list of recipes to use them!
31. Cook cheap meals
Food is a large expense in the budget that can be trimmed down immediately for quick savings.
It is also one of the budget categories you have complete control over.
There are plenty of ways to save money on groceries, and the best way to start is with planning your meals and using cheap food to keep your cost down.
32. Ditch ‘heat and eat’ meals
Food that is prepared before you buy it is convenient, and it is also much more expensive than making the dish yourself.
If you are buying meals or even side dishes that have the directions to heat it up and it is ready to serve, take them off your list.
You will be amazed how much money you save at the grocery store when you stop buying this type of food.
33. Prep meals before your week gets busy
If you wait until the last minute to figure out what your meals for the week are going to be, I can almost guarantee you will have a larger grocery bill than if you plan it out and have your food for the week prepped and ready to prepare.
For example, if you need to chop up a head of lettuce for salads, do it on Sunday if your week starts on Monday.
If you are making a casserole on Wednesday that requires fresh broccoli, clean and cut the vegetable up before you go back to work for the week.
If your food is not prepped and ready to cook, there is a much higher chance you will tell yourself that is a good reason to stop at the drive-through burger joint on your way home, throwing out your intentions to whittle down the food bill.
34. Use veggie scraps to make homemade broth
Using everything possible when you cook will add up to hundreds of dollars over time.
For example, instead of buying vegetable broth when you need it in a recipe, pull out the frozen cubes of broth from the freezer you made with the leftover steamed veggies the week before.
35. Save bread ends and make croutons
This is a perfect example of using all the food you have so you don’t have to buy it at the store.
Many people don’t like to eat the heel of the bread, and sometimes even cut the crust off around the edges.
Don’t throw it out! Save it and find a recipe that calls for bread crumbs for one of your meals, or bake them into homemade croutons for a salad topping.
36. Cook in batches
Cooking meals in batches saves time and money.
If you have never tried batch cooking, The Batch Lady: Shop Once. Cook Once, Eat Well All Week is a must-have for your kitchen.
In her international bestseller book, Suzanne Mulholland teaches you how to prepare different dishes using similar base ingredients.
Known as the batch lady around the world, she shares her secrets to save time and money in the kitchen, as well as making it fun, all at the same time.
Her secret falls in the importance of planning and preparation.
When you’re finished reading this book, you will know how to prepare 10 different meals in one hour!
37. Grocery shop on a schedule
It might feel odd to do your shopping on a schedule instead of when you feel like you need to go in the beginning.
In the long run, it will save you money because you buy what you need on your list without going overboard because you feel like you are out of everything.
For example, if you prefer to shop early mornings, make Saturday morning before the weekend rush hits your grocery shopping scheduled day.
If you are trying out grocery delivery or pickup, keep your schedule the same and just change the method of how you get the groceries.
38. Shop your pantry when making your grocery list
When you create your menu for the week and make your grocery list, be sure to check any items you have in your pantry you might have forgotten about.
39. Add a small amount of water to salad dressings, bbq sauce, etc.
This trick will make your product last a bit longer without anyone ever knowing that you mixed in a small amount of water.
You can do this with salad dressings, pasta sauce, bbq sauce, etc.
40. Make your own Keurig pods
If you use a Keurig coffee maker, using refillable pods can save money on every cup of coffee.
This definitely adds up over time, and more so if you drink multiple cups a day.
Save money on household expenses
41. Shut off your house phone
If you still have a phone connected through a telephone company, it may be time to think about having it shut off if you have a cellular phone with good service coverage.
This could save you several hundred dollars a year.
42. Stop using paper towels
If you are used to using paper towels, it can be a challenge to go cold turkey and stop using them. Keep in mind how much money it is going to save you!
Almost everyone has rags they can use to replace them, and even old towels can be cut into squares or worn-out socks can be used as rags.
If you use paper towels to clean with such as when you dust, clean mirrors, etc., consider swapping them for a Microfiber Magic cloth.
These are the microfiber cloths I use to clean my mirrors, stainless steel appliances, fronts of cabinets, glass tables, and so much more!
I wet one with water and use it to clean the surface, then follow behind with the dry microfiber for a gleaming clean surface.
Not all microfiber cloths are created equal! Microfiber Magic Streak Free Cloth is amazing and does everything it says! I wouldn’t clean without them!
If you love to save time and money with cleaning hacks this is a great read!
43. Fill the dishwasher completely
If you find yourself running the dishwasher when it is half full, save some money by waiting until it is full so you get more out of the money you are spending on electricity and detergent you are buying to put in it.
44. Purchase your internet router, don’t lease it
If you have wireless internet hooked up in your house, you are using a router to carry the signal throughout the home or apartment.
It can seem like a great deal to pay $5 or $10 a month to lease one from the company because you don’t have to spend a chunk of money to purchase your own.
Over the course of the year, you could easily have paid for the cost of your own router. Year after year the monthly lease fee adds up to many hundreds of wasted dollars.
The important part is to ensure the one you purchase is compatible with the company’s equipment.
45. Use insulated curtains
This type of curtain is also known as blackout curtains, light blocker curtains, or drapes.
Whether you live in a hot or cold climate, these all-purpose curtains can help you cut your home energy bill. They block cold out and hold heat in, and they block the heat out and hold cool air in.
The biggest reason people use insulated curtains is that their windows are not efficient with heat or cold.
However, these curtains are also nice if you have littles that take naps during the day or work a night job because they make a room feel like it is nighttime outside in the middle of the day!
These are the blackout curtains I use. I love them because they are easy to slide open on the rod when I want to let the outside light come into the room.
46. Don’t open a product until the first container is empty
This seems to be a struggle for a lot of my friends and family!
I go to their house and start setting the table for dinner, only to find 3 opened bottles of ketchup in the refrigerator!
Not only does this lead to waste, but it also adds to the grocery bill because you’re buying an item before it is necessary.
47. Don’t use the heat dry setting on the dishwasher
Using the air-dry setting will save money on electricity and make your dishwasher run more cost-efficiently.
This is an easy one, just turn off the heat setting and you’re good to go!
48. Quit using disposable
Using disposable products may seem like they don’t cost much, but over the course of a year they can add up to a chunk of hard-earned money that is the same as throwing it in the trash.
Think of how much it costs year after year for a lifetime of using disposable products! That can be a depressing number, or at least a nice family vacation!
49. Use less water when hand-washing dishes
There are some dishes that need to be washed by hand, even if you have a dishwasher.
It just takes a small amount of water to mix with the detergent and you have sparkling clean dishes!
Tips to use less water on hand-washed dishes:
- Use a small dishpan (sit it in your sink) and cover the bottom with warm soapy water
- Use a soap-dispensing dish brush (this is the one I use)
- Before you rinse the dish make sure it is completely clean
- Don’t leave the water running while you wash
50. Use rechargeable batteries
Batteries are expensive, and if you have a lot of items (think remote controls, flashlights, etc.) that use them they are a big chunk of money when you run out.
You can get rid of battery expenses by using rechargeable batteries.
I keep an extra set charging so when batteries go dead, I swap them for the charged ones.
They cost more up-front but will save hundreds of dollars year after year, especially if you have children because almost every toy makes some kind of noise that needs a battery to operate.
This is the rechargeable battery set I use.
51. Unplug small appliances when not in use
You obviously don’t want to keep everything in your house unplugged when you aren’t using it, especially the things you use several times a day.
If you have appliances or small electrical items that you only use once a week or less, unplug them so they aren’t pulling any electricity and adding usage to your bill.
52. Don’t use the oven in the summer
Using your oven in the summer months adds heat to your living space, making your air conditioner have to run more often to cool it down.
Of course, this can make a difference where you live, but if you are in a hot summer climate keep your oven off during the summer months!
I use my Cuisinart Air Fryer and Convection Oven year-round and seldom even turn my kitchen oven on!
53. Use cloth napkins
Using disposable napkins is like throwing money in the trash.
You use them a couple of times and sometimes not at all, then when cleaning up the meal they all go into the garbage.
I understand the need for napkins at mealtime.
Discount stores like Dollar Tree are a great place to pick up all-purpose cloth napkins. This might also be an item you want to hand-select to match dishes or kitchen decor.
54. Keep your freezer full
Fill your freezer to the top if you want it to use the least amount of energy possible.
When a freezer is full, the frozen food keeps the unit’s temperature low so it takes less electricity to keep the food frozen.
QUICK WIN TIP
If you don’t have enough food to keep your freezer full (and I don’t recommend purchasing food you don’t need) fill up gallon water bottles about 3-4 inches from the top and put them in the freezer.
Plastic milk cartons or two-liter bottles can be filled with water the same way!
55. Cut down the amount of everything you use – detergents, shampoo, lotions, shower gel, toothpaste, etc.
I would venture to guess most people use way more of this type of product than necessary, making it run out faster than it needs to.
This means purchasing it more frequently than necessary, which is unnecessary money out of your pocket!
Start with a very small amount, and if it isn’t enough add a small dab at a time until you get enough. Once you squeeze toothpaste out of the tube, it can’t be put back inside, but you can always get more out!
56. Reuse jars and containers for food storage
When I was a child and visited my grandmother, I loved helping her cook dinner.
However, I still recall how frustrating it was to open the tub of butter only to find gravy or beans or any food besides what the container said it was!
Now I understand why, and it totally makes sense! Why pay money for storage containers when you already paid for them once when you made a purchase!
If you struggle like me with not being able to see what is in a container, these erasable and reuseable food labels work wonders! I bet my grandma would have loved to have these in her kitchen!
57. Keep gallons of frozen water in the refrigerator
This tip isn’t about keeping your refrigerator full, but more about keeping the temperature colder easier so the unit doesn’t have to pull as much electricity to stay at the correct temperature.
58. Use insulation weather stripping to stop drafts in the winter
If your doors don’t keep a tight seal around the door frame, insulation weather stripping will stop the draft from seeping into your living area.
You will stay warmer and your furnace will not have to run more frequently to warm the cold air coming in.
59. Stop buying plug-in air freshener
I love the smell of fresh scents throughout my home, and plug-in air fresheners are fabulous at this.
However, not only are they using electricity (although a small amount), they also don’t last nearly as long as the manufacturer states they will last.
Did I mention they are also expensive, especially for only lasting a small amount of time and you’re back purchasing more refills?
There are plenty of natural and inexpensive ways to get a fresh smell in your house, choose that route instead to keep your hard-earned money in your bank account.
60. Buy printer ink online
If you need to print documents very often, you understand how expensive printer ink is to purchase.
This is especially true for laser printers and even more so for <