Are you looking forward to living frugally? You may want to live a frugal lifestyle to avoid overspending and begin building a savings account that you can put to good use in the future. If so, check out these 25 practical tips to living frugally that are simple enough to follow. It’s not as hard as it seems to live a budget-friendly lifestyle.
1. Set a Budget
Be prepared to set a budget that works best for your family. You’ll need to go over your finances and expenses to determine what you can afford to spend each month.
2. Use Coupons
Never buy anything without a coupon. You can get coupons for everything, including toothpaste, diapers, groceries, and clothes. Use both manufacturer and store coupons to save big time on essentials.
How to Save Money at the Grocery Store
3. Check for Sales at Different Stores
Check the weekly advertisements for different stores to see which ones are having the best sales. You’ll save money by shopping at places with better deals.
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Best Foods to Buy in Bulk
4. Avoid Unnecessary Purchases
Try not to shop on impulse. You’ll save money if you avoid purchasing items that you’re not really going to need or use in the future.
5. Buy Meat in Bulk
If you notice a decent meat sale, buy it in bulk and store it in your freezer. If you buy it in bulk while it’s cheaper, you’ll save hundreds of dollars per month on chicken, ground beef, pork, and more.
How and Why You Should Stock Up on Meat
6. Do Free Things to Have Fun
Try to have fun for free. Instead of visiting costly places, tae the kids to parks in and around your area. Go hiking, take bicycle rides, and visit any free museums to have a fun learning experience with the family.
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7. Plan Out Meals in Advance
Come up with a list of meals to make throughout the week. You can save more money if you know what you’re planning to prepare and can get the groceries for those meals while they’re on sale.
Meal Planning Helper
51 Freezer Meals You Can Make
8. Go Through Belongings and Have a Yard Sale
Start going through your closets and basement and get rid of items you no longer use. You can have a yard sale or garage sale to get extra cash for items that other people might want to buy from you.
How to Have an Amazing Yard Sale
9. Downsize Your Home
If it’s possible, try to downsize your home. It’s cheaper to keep a smaller home cool in the summer and warm in the winter than it is to do so for a much larger home with lots of extra space.
10. Move to a Cheaper City
If you’re willing to make a move, consider traveling to a cheaper city and living there. For example, it’s going to cost much more to live in New York City than it would to live in the suburbs somewhere.
Consider Moving to the Country
11. Buy Used Clothes and Other Items
Instead of buying your clothes at full price, visit thrift stores and consignment shops to get high-quality items for lower prices. Not only can you buy used clothes, but you can also find used cookware, shoes, furniture, and more.
The Best Things to Buy at a Thrift Store
Clothing Swap Party
12. Use Powdered Laundry Detergent
Powdered laundry detergent is great to use because it tends to last longer than liquid laundry detergent. If you want to make your laundry detergent stretch, switch over to the powdered version of your favorite brand, such as Tide or Gain.
13. Hang Clothes to Dry
Skip the dryer and hang your clothes on clothing wire out in the backyard or in the basement. You’ll waste less energy when hanging your clothes to dry instead of tossing them into the dryer.
14. Start a Vegetable Garden
Plant a veggie garden in the backyard. You’ll be able to grow lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, and other veggies that you can eat and enjoy with the family. You’ll end up spending way less on produce at the store.
Easy to Grow Vegetables
Month to Month Guide to Vegetable Gardening
15. Take the Bike Instead of the Car
Instead of driving to work, consider taking your bike. You’ll waste less gas and get some exercising by doing so.
How to Find the Cheapest Gas in Your Area
16. Shop Around for Cheaper Insurance
If your car insurance costs quite a bit each month, shop around for lower prices. You might find a better deal with a different company.
17. Make Bread From Scratch
If your kids go through bread like there is no tomorrow, make it from scratch. It’s much cheaper to make bread from scratch, and you can freeze loaves of bread to ensure that you’ll never run out of it.
Cast Iron Skillet Bread Recipe
No Yeast Bread Recipe
Old Fashioned English Muffin Recipe
18. Shop at Cheaper Stores
Start shopping at cheaper stores, such as Aldi and Lidl. These stores offer a lot of generic brands, but their groceries are available at discounted prices.
19. Participate in a Side Hustle for Quick Side Cash
Find a simple, stress-free side hustle that you can do to make some quick cash on the side. You might want to consider delivering food for DoorDash or becoming a shopper for Shipt.
Ways for Kids to Make Money
Make Money with Chickens
How to Start Selling Your Crafts on Etsy
Make Money with Backyard Meat Rabbits
How to Make an Income From Your Backyard Homestead
20. Get Rid of Cable
Stop paying such a high price for cable. There are plenty of companies offering shows, movies, and more for lower prices. You’ll need to shop around to see what is out there.
21. Avoid Eating Out at Restaurants
Eating at restaurants is fun, but it can cost a lot of money. Avoid fancy restaurants and fast food joints. Prepare your food at home! It’s better for you and will cost you much less.
10 Amazing Reasons You Need to Be Cooking from Scratch
22. Use Groupon to Get Great Deals
If you want to get a massage, visit the salon, or receive other types of services, go on Groupon to get the best deals. You’ll save a lot more money this way.
23. Repurpose Different Items at Home
Try to repurpose different items at home. For example, you can use old mason jars for canning or an old plastic container as a storage bin for cookie cutters and other baking essentials. You can repurpose these old items, turning them into useful things that will come in handy for you.
How to Reuse Banana Peels
10 Items to Never Throw Away
Fantastic Ways to Reuse Eggshells
How to Save and Use Bacon Grease
24. Use Candles
Instead of having lights on all the time, use candles more often. Leave the lights off until the sun goes down. Even after it goes down, you can light a few candles for several hours instead of wasting lots of electricity. You’ll end up with a cheaper electric bill.
25 Skip Out on Using Credit Cards
While it’s good to have credit cards to build your credit history, you don’t want to fall into a debt trap. Paying off debt will often cost you more because you’ll deal with interest rates. It’s better to avoid most credit cards to save in the long run.
What Does Frugal Living Mean?
The Importance of Being Credit Card Debt Free and How to Do It
Practical Tips to Living Frugally
If you’re interested in saving money, follow these 25 practical tips to living frugally. When you follow these helpful suggestions, you’ll have more money to save for a rainy day.
More Frugal Living Tips
Living Within Your Means
Lessons from the Great Depression
How to Save on Your Heating Bill
How to Freeze Milk For Later Use
Great list. I am putting this to work for our family.
Thank you.