77 Best Tips From Frugal People Who Have Mastered The Art Of Saving Money (New Pics)

Here in the north east temperatures are still to low to place seedling outside unless you happen to have a green house. I don't. What I have is an old crib and a $1.59 roll of clear plastic wrap. Notice the thermometer. Outside temp is 62F inside the green house is 77F.
Since the crib has wheels we can chase the sun around the porch to keep the temp at an optimal level for growth.

I bought butter lettuce from the grocery store for less than $5, it still had the roots attached (due to butter lettuce being fragile, it’s often packaged this way for grocery stores). Then I put it in a planter with drainage holes and placed that inside of an insulated shopping bag. I put it under a grow light on the kitchen counter and it grows enough new lettuce for me to pull off enough for a salad every 1-2 weeks for totally free! It’s as fresh as it gets and you’ll never need to buy bag lettuce again.

My dishwasher has been broken since Thanksgiving. I decided to try and fix it instead of buying new.

I’m a 35f and have no idea how appliances work. I have done simple DIY repairs around my house but nothing too crazy.

My dishwasher broke in November and I didn’t want to spend the money on a new one. We’ve been hand washing since. I’ve been getting into frugality and anticonsumption since the beginning of the year. I just read it’s more efficient to have a washing machine to do your dishes and it saves water! So I decided to do some research and get to work.

After 3 hours of research, YouTube videos, and frankly just unscrewing bits and bobs on my machine, I was able to figure out the problem. My circulation motor had gone bad. $90 later on eBay (yeah, eff you Amazon) I have the part on the way!! I am going to deep clean all the parts in vinegar and get the hard water and calcium buildup off, and my goal is to have my dishwasher fully functional within the week.

Might not seem a big deal to many, but in the past my appliances stop working and I just buy a new one. I did fix my washing machine drain pump late in 2024 and was successful, and this inspired me to stop being scared of my appliances and just try to fix them! Worst case scenario I can call someone with experience to help, or ultimately buy “new” if I have to. Even if a new dishwasher was $200, I’ve saved my appliance from ending up in landfill. Im determined to fix more of my things from now on instead of just tossing and buying new.

TLDR; dishwasher broke, would usually buy new but with some youtube and research I was able to diagnose and fix on my own and save this from ending up in a landfill.

All I have done was taken a pair of kitchen shears and cut the misaligned and frayed strands as close to the bottom as possible. Looks a whole lot better right? This helps me sweep in tighter corners and stops dirt and hair from tangling with on the edges of the broom. I am stretching to reach the character limit but try it yourself!

If you’re on a tight budget this season, homemade gifts can be thoughtful and go a long way. In my family, baked goods and homemade gifts have always been better received than store-bought desserts or gifts.
I’ve also done crocheted hats and scarves, small paintings, and things like homemade bath bombs, sugar scrubs, and salt soaks.

TLDR: If you need office furniture, consider used.

I've been researching quality office chairs for a couple of weeks, the one I had was on it's last leg and I decided that I'd spend some real money on a quality chair. I've probably bought 5 different office chairs for around $200 over the last 10-15 years and they never last.

I was looking at Hermann Miller or Steelcase, and someone on a different reddit suggested checking Used Office furniture warehouses in my area.

So I went on Saturday and found a nice high-back, heavy, memory foam cushioned one with tons of adjustment settings, very sturdy, but I was not familiar with the brand (LifeForm). There was no price tag on it, so I flagged down the sales guy and he said their used office chairs can go anywhere from $149US to $179US.

I was so hyped up because I had prepared to spend $500-$800. He said he could let me have it for $149, so I told him to ring me up!

He said I'll have a guy shampoo/steam clean it, I told him that's okay I didn't want to wait and that I had a fabric cleaner at home. He knocked $10 off the price.

I rolled out of there for $150 including sales tax.

Here's the chair at full retail. SCORE!!!

Just scored this beautiful Crate & Barrel AXIS couch. It has been meticulously maintained and was barely used by the seller. I could not stomach spending the amount that this couch goes for. We did drive to a much higher class area to get it (about an hour drive from us, but so worth the trip.)It is 6 years old and still looks brand new. Not only does it look pretty, it is SO comfortable! The best part about it? It only cost us $300. We. Are. PUMPED!!!

My coworkers and I have established a system where if we don't like or don't want a good we bring it in to share amongst each other. At the end of week if unclaimed/untouched I collect it and donated (unopened) items to the local pantry. I'm able to fo this about every other month with their help!

Not pictured is all the food I keep and cook for myself that they have given me. It's really helped reduced my overall food waste!

My win for the day
I work for a cafe/coffee roastery and we unfortunately (or not) have to get rid of a 12kg of coffee because 6kg is caffeinated and 6kg is decaf. They got slightly mixed although most of it is fine, just a little bit of each through the other.
Boss is happy for me to take it all home, freezer is gonna be stocked for months! I can just take out a bit at a time when I need it and it will last

I know this sub isn't very keen on paper towel, but some things require it (namely bacon grease, and cat vomit).
I had saved the ribbon handles from a gift bag, because metal aglets!
I had eye screws.
I had an idea to keep the paper towel roll off of my very limited counter space.
I am quite chuffed with myself, and I would like a proper pat on the head for my genius, please. 

I collect and sell posters. The USPS delivered my mailing tubes in the rain, so they got all damp and mushy.
I was about to throw them out when I realized three of them make a large tube.
Behold: the priority meowspress tube!
They just slot into each other. You can fold the tops in and they make the corners strong.
These tubes aren't available in the post office you have to order them from the web site.

I made magnets for every dinner we ever make, and plan a month at a time so we are less likely to go to a restaurant to get takeout because we can't decide what we feel like having. Not every meal has meat, most are chicken based, and there's no repeats so we don't get bored of having the same thing every week.

When the day is done I take the magnet off and put it down in the rows at the bottom of the image so I can easily see what's for dinner that night without having to look for what day it is.

Rows on the bottom are organized by type, such as chicken, beef, meatless & other, soup, pizza.

The magnets make it super easy to rearrange for any reason instead of erasing and re-writing things. It also keeps me from forgetting a recipe even exists, which is something I do a lot.

Sorry I don't have a better picture, this is from last year as I'm currently in the process of moving and the calendar is packed up.

I'm attending a casual (dressy but not formal) morning event for which I purchased a beautiful second-hand jumpsuit, because I needed something I could wear with the booties I already own.
The jumpsuit is navy blue, which looks beautiful with golden jewelry. So I was bummed that the booties have silver details.
That is, until 5 minutes ago, when I remembered I have a golden permanent marker lol
It dried and can be touched. I only need it to last a couple of hours.

This little thing basically restores “tired” looking “bobbled” clothes to their near original state. No idea where you buy these things from but my wife had one and I was like “woah” when I saw its effects. Only downside is it takes AA batteries and I think I need something more industrial since I don’t like spending time and money on new clothes. I’m sure you folks have these too, if so please drop a line on your favourite tools for this kind of restorative work.

I was at Aldi today and noticed this. I seldom buy cereal, and never buy toxic crap like this, but I was stunned at the price difference. Perhaps that’s typical, but the gap seems wider than I would have expected. I guess advertising works. The ROI on the advertising must be tremendous. I’m glad that I almost never buy the name brand. I inherited that practice from my Mom and never thought about it much.

I always put "Reddit" at the end of my search engine content and found these great threads of different ways to combine old soap pieces laying around that I felt too guilty to toss. So wasteful. Many were "Just wet them a bit and press them together, it's not difficult..." but I wanted a more refined product. Cheese grater, a bit of water, patience with 'Power Level 1' in the microwave and voila! Yes, I'm proud of myself.

Please utilize your local library. I know this is posted daily, but many of you still don't capitalize on it. They have an immeasurable amount of books, movies, computers, printers, scanners, 3D printers, supplies and video games. It is all there for the taking, might as well use it. There has never been a better public institution in this country. Period.

Save $70 and rent video games for free. It is a no brainer.

12 bucks worth of pasta sauce. Got it from my local supermarket who in my estimation is consistently more expensive than the local Walmart and Target. They were running a one day sale for .99/jar with no quantity limit and we stocked up.

Not for everyone, but if you put in the time and effort there are still good prices to be found. If you have the space, stocking up a little can save a lot of money versus buying what you need for the next week.

Since I have been laid off, we are utilizing SNAP benefits and trying to stretch it as far as possible. I was able to get all of this for 53$ at my local butcher shop, vs going to a large chain supermarket. You can get great deals on your meat there! We are lucky that our butcher has a great 5 for $25 deal, which includes thin cut ribeyes and NY Strips. $53 in my local kroger, would get us nothing close to this!

After finding out you can resharpen vintage carbon steel double edge razorblades and in theory reuse them indefinately I started a little experiment. I've used this same PAL blade for 2-3 years now and it still gives smooth shaves. I restrop it every shave using the drinking glass metod, dry it thoroughly and put it into it's special wooden box after every use. Basically free shaving.

I stopped doing balayages bc the cost and time commitment was getting outrageous the longer my hair got. A year later I reached out to my last stylist about getting a trim (“no layers or anything — truly just whatever is needed to clean up my ends”) and she directed me to her new online booking platform with this pre-selected.

So anyway, I told her none of her times worked but thank you!, sectioned my hair off into 10 groups, and went out on my deck with a pair of scissors. 2 mins later I had clean ends AND my 115 USD in pocket.

But now I can’t decide if I’ve finally crossed into being frugal after years of YOLOing it up, or the world really has lost its god mind.

Moved into our first home this past Monday. We were planning on splurging and buying a brand new washer and dryer. Randomly came across this washer and dryer set for under 550 with included delivery. The guy who was selling it happens to own an appliance and repair business. I hope it at least lasts a couple of years. Anyone else score a second hand appliance for a steal?

You can get about 40 oz of chicken meat after removing the bones and skin.
I would love a deli slicer, but don't have the space. I was recommended a cheap sushi knife that I only use for this purpose (Thanksgiving turkey leftovers as well). Letting the bird chill helps get thin cuts, too.
Partitioning with parchment paper and freezing makes it easy to section off as needed. You can use a butter knife to wedge in there and release each section. Or I'll plop the water-tight container in some warm water to free it.
Oscar Meyer Carving Board Chicken with painted-on grill marks
$0.67 /oz
[warehouse] Rotisserie Chicken ($5)
$0.13 /oz - and you can make stock from the scraps
Even if you buy the free-range organic option from the fancy store, it is only double that. $0.26 /oz.

It was 29 degrees inside when I got home from work so as usual I got a fire going in my woodstove and set about to the nights dinner, which was a 1.79lb acorn squash that I bought for $1.71. I scooped out the seeds and put a splash of water in the cavity, wrapped in foil and chucked in the woodstove for 30-40 mins turning regularly. When it’s squishy it’s done. A little butter ( ok a lot if I’m being honest) and salt and I am completely stuffed with a good nutritious meal. I planned on only eating half but man it was so good that I ate it all 😂. Cheap, easy, healthy, hard to beat.

Had some air dry clay, acrylic paint, and a dream! My husband and I lived in Portugal for a bit last year and fell in love with the azulejos. Decided to take a spin at making our own for holiday cheer. We also had the small bags lying around and carved a snowflake stamp to make them festive.
Not pictured: the presents sitting under our Christmas monstera (we just decorated the biggest plant we had instead of buying an artificial)

This was one seed I dropped in the ground and watered once in awhile. I cut it out then, tied bushels together, then hung them to dry for a few weeks.
The entire process was easy and resulted in an entire mason jar full of Thyme.
Now I am planting more and more spices to dry since they are quite easy to make where I live. If you have the option to even use a few planter pots, I recommend giving it a try!

One of my favorite hacks

I hike and walk a lot (average 10 miles a day everyday) and the shoes I prefer around about $170 a pair. I’m not willing to compromise on buying a lower quality shoe as I like how these perform and they’re better for my feet and body overall, I wear out a pair of shoes about every 2 to 3 months.

The sounds so simple but I wait for them either to go on sale or for REI to run their 20% off special and I stock up. As I don’t really care about the color, it makes it a lot easier. My shoes are usually dust covered by the third walk anyway.

I buy these for as inexpensive as $80 but usually closer to 120 or $130.

The other advantage is I always have a ready supply. The shoes on the right are worn out and I’m feeling it. This morning I simply walked to my closet and I had two pair waiting for me.

Yes, it does add up buying 2 to 4 pair at a time, but the overall benefit, at least to me, is well worth it.

Ever since I bought a $40 heated blanket rather than heating up the whole of my house using electricity, I have saved a crazy amounts of money. I have gone from having usage of about 54 kWh a typical day to about 4kwh. My projected bill this month is about $38, down from $120 the previous month. Definitely one of my most solid purchases, highly recommend for low density households.

As one cashier rang me up the manager said, “I am going to remove that sign right now!” The sticker price was $9.99. My price, $2.

The sign was supposed to say that the cheese is two dollars off. Originally 1199 and on sale for 999. I knew it was a typo so I took a photo and brought it up to the service desk and it’s usually their policy to honor what is advertised. They just go ahead and change it later.

I travel internationally for 3 weeks to a developing country once every 1-1.5 years to visit family, so I don't need the newest luggage.

The bottom is a Swiss gear Zurich roller duffel that retails for $150. It was also nearly new and looks like it may have only been used once. It's great for a carry on bag or 3rd bag as you can roll it and also carry it like a duffel bag.

The bottom was an older vintage 28" Skyway/Eddie Bauer roller. Has some cosmetic blemishes but pretty clean inside otherwise. I would say it's in good to fair condition. I like how it has 2 big wheels instead of 4 smaller wheels and a T shaped handle. The 2 wheels are much better for the hard roads my bags usually travel on, as with 4 wheels, the 2 front wheels wear out a lot quicker.

It's great for all weather, especially the mud we get here. I'm not afraid of scrubbing up my shoes in the sink, because I pop them on the boot dryer and they're ready to go for work the next morning. All of my shoes/boots are looking great because I'm not afraid to take care of them anymore. Helps keep them feeling "new" and not like I have to buy a new pair.
Also: warm boots when I go outside in the snow lol.

My son was happy with his old keyboard. Saw this at goodwill and it weighed a lot. Looked it up and normally goes for $60 new. It was barely used and it cleaned up really nice. Came with cable, just not pictured.
He loves the clicky sounds and responsiveness of the keys. Love making my kids happy.
For $6 it was a steal and he understands the value of reusing and thrifting.

Just wanted to share a lil project I was able to do without buying anything. It's not the prettiest but I think it'll work!

For the raised beds I got logs from the side of the road. I did a log on either side with a big layer of leaves in the bottom and then some free mulch I got last fall which is mostly compost now! I may end up adding a bit of garden soil on top if it looks like it needs it.

I have some herb and vegetable seeds thay im hoping so grow this summer and some fresh greens and herbs to supplement the food I have. I hope quite a bit of rice and beans, enough to last for months. Fresh tomatoes and herbs would really add a lot to the food!

I buy doggy bags in bulk and the package always comes with this bag dispenser. I don't need a new one every time, and the best deals I can find usually comes with one, so they keep piling up. I typically recycle them, but I'm trying to find ways to reuse them. One example includes winding old bits of string, yarn, rope, or twine that I have laying around, into an easy to use container. It didn't take too long to wind up since the rope bits are scrap pieces to begin with.

You can buy shoe patches on Amazon for $6, then apply them to shoes with a hair dryer. They work great.
This isn’t an ad, I’m not affiliated with this product but I hope it helps. I wish I’d known about these sooner. One of the many cruel aspects of aging is how feet can keep growing. My huge Peggy Hill feet have gone from a women’s 10 to 11.5 in the last few years so new shoes suck to find. Plus it seems like shoes are not made as well anymore. So instead of trashing a few pairs that had become worn out I fixed them!

I got on discount canned shaving cream, the blue can from gillette. It ran out of air pressure, so I used tin snips to see how much was left. It actually comes in a bag, and had a lot left that I can just squeeze out on my hand and rub on my face. It feels like there is a lot left. At least six more shades worth of cream. Waste not want not. I'm probably going with gel in the future.

Food Lion rotisserie chickens. $5.99 each with free food lion rewards number. I’ve been buying canned chicken for months this is so much better value.

Method my mom showed me - put still hot chickens into big ziploc, use your hands on the outside to slide meat off all bones, wasting almost no meat.

Plate on right is the bones/extra skin. Bag on the left is my food for the next two weeks.

The way the container was designed made it impossible to get all the laundry detergent out, even though I could see there was still some left.

I poked a few holes in the side and used pliers to create a mini funnel. This got almost all the detergent out, enough for a medium - large load ! Not a pretty process but it worked.

I hope this helps someone. And if you try this, pls be careful! I nicked my finger pretty good.

I was gifted a moka pot, figured out how to use it, and I’m never going back to my Nespresso machine! Now, I make the perfect americanos daily and am saving over $990/year.
The numbers:

• Bialetti express moka pot = $29 on Amazon, one time purchase. Makes ~2-3 shots of espresso at a time
• Ground espresso = $6.44 at Walmart. I buy the cafe bustelo 10oz canister, which makes ~45 shots of espresso total, so ~$0.14/shot of espresso. Added bonus: You can get ground espresso refills for closer to $4 per 10oz, which is great
• Nespresso pods = $1.50/pod on average (depends on batch, brand and purchase date - I’m not loyal, I just try to go for cheap). Cost savings per shot of espresso = $1.36/shot ($1.50 for Nespresso - $0.14 for moka pot)
• I typically have two shots of espresso / day.

~$200 for parts plus $100 (partially spent on beer and lunch) for my brother for teaching me and letting me borrow his tools for a day, he tried to refuse but I insisted because I saved so much not going to my dealership

Used the Nokia for a couple weeks until my cell provider had a trade in deal, got an upgrade from my broken Google Pixel 7 (screen broken and not functioning but phone still turned on) to a brand new Pixel 10 for free with trade in.

Saved approx $2500 all together (brakes would have been ~$2000, new phone ~$800)

Bonus: I actually really enjoyed working on my car and will probably keep doing it!

I cannot believe how easy this was. I feel an idiot for spending money on it. Please share your own recipes.

My method:
I boil my kettle which is 800ML I add 3 tea bags to a mason jar and pour the hot water over I let it sit for 4 minutes Add 3-6 tea spoons of sugar I remove the tea bags Leave it to cool with lid on Add the lemon (half juiced half sliced) Put it in the fridge with the lid on.

Now I have iced tea for the whole weekend.

I bought the cheapest set of jumper cables from Walmart. They melted and the handles became hot to the touch. Went back and bought the middle tier of jumper cables and not only did my car charge, I lived to tell the tale.

After hooking up the jumper cables they started to smoke. Touching the handles were extremely hot. I had to run inside and luckily I had some gloves close my. Managed to disconnect everything without dying. For a second there was exposed copper cables with live current going through them after the plastic melted off of them.

I had to wait in line for nearly an hour amidst a sea of people. I’m not big on crowds so this was honestly the hardest part. It took about two hours to break them into legs and thighs but I just put on an audiobook and went to town. After all was said and done I got 48 of each and put them in vacuum seal bags for the deep freeze. Came out to a little over 27 cents each after tax.