10 People Whose Frugal Purchases Saved Them From Spending Crazy Money

Sometimes, the smallest purchases can make the biggest difference in saving money. In this list, 10 people reveal the smartest, most frugal buys that changed their financial game—from gadgets that cut monthly bills to everyday items that last a lifetime. Whether it’s a $20 tool that slashes repair costs or a kitchen gadget that keeps you from ordering takeout, these budget-friendly finds prove you don’t have to spend big to save big.

1. “Got a $200 all-clad pan for $1.50 at the Goodwill bins.”

2.

“I’m a bit of a thrifter. I find great things under $10 quite often, but I’d have to say one of the best ones was a pair of women’s leather Prada boots that were worn *maybe* once (and probably never outside a house) for $2.50.

My best find for under $20 was a brand new (included certificate of authenticity) IN-season, but out of stock color at Barney’s New York Proenza Schuler mini-crossbody which I purchased immediately for $20 (it was ‘that much because it’s real Italian leather,’ I was told). That purse, at the time, was currently retailing for $1,695.00! I sold it for $1,200!” Tiffany Unger / Quora

3.

“My feet are small enough to fit in the larger sizes of some children’s shoes. Some shoe manufacturers make essentially the same shoes for children as for adults, but where the women’s shoes might cost $80 or $100, the children’s cost $50.” Betsy Megas / Quora

4.

“New windows on our house. Replaced the old single pane metal framed windows. It was like a waterfall of cold air coming off of them, and the noise from the street was obnoxious. Heating bill was cut in half.” peanutbuttersnoflake / Reddit

5. “The gift I got from my frugal aunt”

“What do I call this and where can I get one?” HireThisWriter / Reddit

“Art store. They’re sold for wringing paint tubes.” Kelekona / Reddit

6.

“I had an important interview and I needed a suit. The problem? My wardrobe was basically T-shirts and jeans, and I was broke. I called my dad in a total panic. He calmly told me to just go to a big clothing store, explain my situation, and see what they could do.

So I walk in there, feeling totally out of place, explain the interview scenario, and one of the salespeople basically does a full makeover on me. They tailor a suit right then and there, pick out a good shirt, tie, belt, shoes—the whole nine yards. By the time I’m done, I’m out $600, which was literally all I had in my bank account at the time (which, trust me, felt like a million bucks back then).

But I roll into that interview the next day looking sharp, and somehow I absolutely nail it. It ended up being the job that kicked off my entire career and helped me climb out of poverty. I can still remember how stressful it was dropping all that cash, but in hindsight, it was the best investment I ever made. That suit pretty much changed my life.”

7.

“I bought a DASH CAM for my car. A while back, I was stopped at the stop light behind a F350. Guy runs out of gas and gets out of his truck without putting it in park. It rolls backwards and hits my truck. It did a reasonable amount of damage to my front end and messed up his paint.

He calls the cops and said I rear ended him. I was talking to the cop and told him what happened, and it was then when he said the other guy was accusing me of causing the accident, which is when I said ’Oh really cause I have video.’ Without it, I am sure no one would have believed the true story and I would have been responsible.” flylikeIdo / Reddit

8.

“When my wife and I first started dating, she wanted to learn to cut hair. She offered that if I bought her a $25 pair of scissors (which was a lot for us then) she’d cut my hair for free as long as we were together.

Turns out she lied, because after 25 years she declared that she’d repaid me for the scissors and was going to stop cutting my hair. Still not a bad deal.” h2f / Reddit

9. “I gave my dad this Batman wallet 10 years ago, I was like 4 or 5 years old, and I got it in preschool. He uses it to this day.”

10. “£585 (~$730) of Le Creuset that I got for £50 (~$65)”

What if the chair you’re sitting on during a job interview isn’t just for comfort but part of the test? The “Chair” Method is a sneaky technique some interviewers use to size up candidates in ways most never see coming.