15 Frugal Living Secrets We Wish We Knew Sooner

Let’s be honest: most of us have experienced at least once in our lives that feeling of bills going too fast and our bank account feeling emptier and emptier, especially at times like the end of the year, days when our expenses can increase by up to 29%.

That’s why saving a little never hurts. Whether it’s to make ends meet, treat yourself extra, or simply avoid unnecessary expenses, we’re all looking for ways to simplify life without breaking the bank. And while there are some expenses we can’t afford to skip, there are others that can be avoided very easily by following a little trick or two. Luckily, Reddit is full of anonymous geniuses who have turned frugality into an art form. Ready to get inspired with some tips that could change your routine?

1.

“I shower once a day for 5 minutes, which is comfortable for me and allows a good wash. I turn my shower water off when I shave.

I use one high quality soft, thick cotton dark-colored towel for everything and wash my towel every couple of weeks with my sheets and linens. I’m clean after a shower, and it’s just water! I’ve had the towel for about 5 years. I do wash my washcloth every week with my clothes.” @dlm5774 / Reddit

2.

“I have a little game I play with myself to help save money.

When I get paid, I pay all my bills that are due and check the balance of what’s left. Then I divide the leftover amount by the days until my next pay. I am only allowed to spend the amount I have for that day. If I don’t spend the full amount, it gets recycled into the full amount and recalculated the next day, bringing the daily totals up. I try to do as many no-spend days in a row as I can. If I haven’t spent the full amount by the next pay, I put it into savings.

It makes my brain feel like I’m making money every day and my bank account is going up. It also makes me think about whether a purchase is worth it or not before spending. It’s quite the dopamine hit.

For example, I have $140 left over, and it’s 14 days to the next pay, so $10/day. I don’t spend any money on day 1, so the amount per day gets changed to $140/13 = $10.77 per day. $140/12 = $11.67 etc. Let’s say on day 3 I have to spend $6. On the 4th day, it would be 140-6= 134/11 = $12.18. The closer you are to the next pay, the faster it feels like it accumulates.” @Sprinqqueen / Reddit

3.

“I stopped buying new clothes. There are a few nice thrift stores in my area, and everything I wear comes from there.” @CingKobraJFS / Reddit

4.

“Buy concentrated bleach — it is cheaper, has less packaging, and is easier to carry. Use it in your bathroom (to kill the mold, sanitize and leave the sink, toilet bowl, and shower super white) and to clean your floors.

Want a scent? Throw in orange and lime peel when you put it in a bottle back to normal scale (nonconcentrated version, don’t keep it in the concentrated version we tend to use more than needed in that case).” @sohereiamacrazyalien / Reddit

5.

“At our school, they offer free dinner to all after school kids. It seems most of the kids turn their noses up at it and choose to eat at home. At the end of the day, for whatever legal reason, the school throws all of the extra food away (I know, waste of money). My kid mentioned this, and I told him to check if he could bring some of it home. They were more than happy to give it to him.

The haul often includes containers of salsa, cheddar cheese dip, chip/pretzel bags, burritos, juice packets, chocolate milk, fruit snacks, and a few other things (items like pizza and cheeseburgers tend to actually get eaten at school). All of these are in their original sealed containers from the companies (yes, they throw these out).

If we weren’t going to eat it, I could put it out for the delivery drivers in our snack box or even donate it. So check with your elementary school-aged kids if they do after school programs and see if there is a similar situation. No reason for it to go to waste.” @pinback77 / Reddit

6.

“I have an electric toothbrush that I’ve had for years. I replace the head every few months with a generic one I get in a multipack from Amazon. I floss. I have sensitive teeth, so I buy a multipack of sensitive toothpaste from Amazon.

It works out cheaper than Walmart’s house brand. I go to the dentist twice a year for cleanings. This is covered by my work health insurance. I brush my teeth for 2 minutes and don’t leave the water running.” @dlm5774 / Reddit

7.

“I started doing my nails myself. It used to be I could get a nice manicure and pedicure for under $100, and it would last a few weeks. Now if I tried to go it would be well over $100 plus tip.

It’s not worth it for me to spend that much every time I want to get my nails done. Now I do them myself, and I save nail salon trips for special occasions.” @Daoffdutymermaid / Reddit

8.

“I noticed that when I use soap with a pump, so much more than I need comes out. Usually half a pump is more than enough lather for washing my hands.

Doing this hack has extended the life of my soap, and now it lasts me twice as long. I just simply remove the cap, then add a rubber band (you can also cut a straw and put it around the pump like a collar. This definitely looks much better aesthetically) around the pump to reduce the amount it can pump down, therefore dispensing less soap.” @HeavyFunction2201 / Reddit [edited]

9.

“My dad had a lot of ’zero-waste’ ideas that I thought were soooooo weird. He has always been a bit out there. I remember being so embarrassed as a kid because whenever I had extremely dry lips, he refused to buy chapstick. Instead, he would cut off a piece of our giant aloe plant and send me to school with it. I thought it was the most embarrassing thing and would only put it on in a stall where no one could see.

It was the 90s and I hadn’t heard of climate change yet. Looking back, now I’m just really proud to have been brought up by someone who was aware of waste and brought me up in a conscious manner.” @Scatterbrained_Ok / Reddit

10.

“I called the cable company today because ’I lost my job.’ I called because they were going to raise it from $54 to $85/ month. And you know what happened? It went from $54 to $33/ month.

It helped that I mentally prepared to disconnect (and have my wife reconnect at their promotion rate). I also had a believable story.” @der_physik / Reddit

11.

“Examine your spending from the last 6 months. See where there are areas you feel you can spend less in. Research how to save money in those specific areas (there are lots of resources here).

Consider some ’no buy’ areas. For example, I’m not buying any new clothes this year because I have more clothes than I need. You could try a no takeout/dine out month. Or a no hobby purchase month.” @Bunnyeatsdesign / Reddit

12.

“I rotate and repair my dog’s soft toys when they get holes in them. He’s had them for a few years. I got most of them for 0.50 cents at Goodwill. He inherited his nylabones, tennis balls, leash, collar, food bowl...etc. from my previous dog.

They are probably 10 years old. I do buy poop bags, but they are $1 for 80 bags from the Dollar Tree.” @dlm5774 / Reddit

13.

“I refuse to pay for water. Whenever I see someone at the market with a case of plastic bottles, I think of all the plastic pollution and the wasted money.” @RedViperGTS / Reddit

14.

“My grandfather-in-law has motion sensor lights in every room in his home. He got me some for my apartment back in the day, and man oh man. I felt like a KING every time I walked in, and the lights just popped on. My energy bill was also noticeably smaller. Still not sure why they changed to walled-sized bills...

Also, as an eco-conscious human, I was glad to be saving energy. Finally, I found it to be more hygienic and less stressful when not have to worry about touching lights when cooking or whatever. Still, swear by automated illumination to this day.” @KVNTRY / Reddit

15.

“I charge my devices at work (keyboard, mouse, AirPods, battery pack and phone). I know I’m saving a negligible amount of money, but it feels nice using someone else’s utilities.” @Cautious_Intern7824 / Reddit

Solving everyday problems creatively and inexpensively is not only practical, it can also be fun! These tips from Reddit show us that often the best ideas come from the simplest and most common situations. Next time you’re faced with a challenge, let your ingenuity surprise you (or tap into the collective wisdom of the internet). And if you’re looking for even more clever tricks, check out this article—you might just find your next favorite solution!