Now more than ever people are looking for ways to start saving money. With the cost of nearly everything going up, we all want to save as much of our hard dollars as possible. Frugal living has always been a way of life for me. It’s hardly something I really think about at this point, it’s just how I operate. Growing up, my dad fixed everything from cars to blenders to furniture so I saw resourcefulness modeled in a realistic and practical way.
These 6 ideas are things I do on a daily and weekly basis. They reflect my values, not just financially, but with respect to time and environment as well. Some may take effort to learn new skills while others are more of changing habits. I hope there’s something here that inspires you!
Cook from scratch
My mom taught me to cook when I was very young and I’ve loved it ever since. Over time I’ve collected many cookbooks, mostly thrifted or gifts. A good cookbook is the best way to learn to cook if you didn’t learn from someone. For me, seeing my mom cook every single day showed me how to make it a way of life and I’ve been able to model that for my kids. Not all of them enjoy cooking but they know how to feed themselves inexpensively.
Learning to meal plan, shop, and cook healthy delicious food at home is one of the biggest ways to start saving money. In this post I shared my method for meal planning. I have several posts about how I shop, here’s a good post to start you off. Cooking from scratch is a set of skills that anyone can learn. There are a few basic things like making chicken stock, making your own seasoning blends, and steaming or roasting vegetables that will be game changers. Soups are another great way to learn some cooking skills and are a great budget friendly meal.
Buying in bulk
Buying food in bulk can save you a lot of money! It usually is a bigger chunk of money to start out since you’re buying 5, 10, or 20 pounds of something instead of standard small packages. The thing to look at is the unit price or price per ounce or pound. Again, this is something I’ve done for years so I have running categories in my head so I know if I come across a good deal. For example, the coffee beans I buy are 50 cents an ounce. If I’m looking a coffee beans somewhere else and it’s less than that I can buy a big bag. Otherwise I stick to the one I usually buy.
Spices and herbs are another product I buy in bulk. These are stored in repurposed jars in my spice cabinet. Buying small packages of spices at the grocery store is one biggest markups on food around. If you’re cooking from scratch on a regular basis, a pound of garlic powder will be really useful! Here’s a post about building your own spice collection in a way that’s affordable.
Thrifting
Thrifting fits several priorities for me. With a large family of rapidly growing kids, I thrifted nearly all of their clothes as well as my own. For kids especially, thrifting or garage sales make the most sense for clothing. Not only did they grow unbelievably fast (5 inches in one year), they were playing outside every day. If I paid 25 cents for a pair of pants or a shirt it was ok if they tore a big hole in it or played in the mud.
For the most part the only things I bought new were socks, underwear, and shoes. If you are new to thrifting and are worried about things being dirty there are a few things you can try. First of all, find thrift stores that are clean and are comfortable for you. Secondly, put any clothing or bedding straight into the washer, dishes go into the dishwasher or get scrubbed down as soon as you get home, decor such as baskets or bins get scrubbed down and set in the sun to dry.
Other reasons to thrift
The other big wins for me with thrifting are that it’s environmentally friendly and easier to find high quality items. Not only are you saving something that might otherwise go to the landfill but you are taking dollars out of a system that may not be doing right by their employees or the environment around the factories. With thrifting you are extending the life of an item and giving it new purpose in your home.
I have many high quality pieces that I love to wear and use that I could not afford new. A few favorites are a vintage Irish cashmere sweater, beautiful leather purses, down comforters, and a Restoration Hardware velvet quilt. It may take a while to find things you love but it’s worth the time and effort. Saving money on your clothes and home goods budget is well worth the time invested.
Simple entertainment
Entertainment can be a part of your budget that tricky for saving money. Puzzles, games, and books are a few of our favorite forms of free or very cheap entertainment. Of course, everything but a few of the books were thrifted. As my kids have gotten older their interests have changed but there are a few family favorite games that we still pull out occasionally. I have one child in particular who loves puzzles but inevitably others will join in once it’s set up on the kitchen table.
Since I love to read I’ve always kept stacks and shelves of books around the house. They spent hours reading these big animal books. You can see that one is taped up and one lost it’s spine, tape and all! Every now and then they will still talk about their favorite animals from these books. Several of my children have their own book collections now and they provide lots of free entertainment and fun memories.
Constructive hobbies
I have several hobbies that not only bring joy to my life but accomplish a specific purpose. When I was a kid, my mom taught me and my siblings to sew an apron. This led to years of sewing everything from quilts, clothing, dolls, curtains, pillow covers, bags, and more. It’s made my home more beautiful and a place that is custom to me. Plus saving money by making a beautiful pillow cover with thrifted linen instead of paying full price for it is a really good feeling!
Knitting is another hobby that keeps me busy while resulting in special and unique things. A lot of my yarn is thrifted but I also will buy a skein of a really beautiful yarn every now and then. One way I made knitting more affordable was learning to knit on circular needles. This way I only need one set of needles to make anything.
Frugal ways to find hobby supplies
Like most hobbies, sewing and knitting have specific equipment and supplies you will need. If you look at thrift stores, on marketplace, or let people know you’re interested in starting a specific hobby you may be surprised at what you will find. My sewing machine is from the mother-in-law of a family member. When she didn’t want to sew anymore, she gave it to me since I was the only person she knew who sewed. It’s an amazing machine, I’ve named it Martha in her honor and one day I’ll pass it on to someone else.
Other cheap hobbies
Another hobby I love is growing houseplants. Most of my plants were starts from other gardeners. So many plants are really easy to propagate and a quick google search will tell you all you need to know. I’ve started quite a few plants in small jars or vases of water. Others were divided off a parent plant when I was repotting it.
I keep my plants on our deck during the summer and bring them all inside for the winter. My preference is for terracotta pots because I love the way they look as the age. The natural clay fits well with my decorating style and looks great with the green plants. Once a year a repot them all with fresh soil and water once a week. Aside from buying soil and an occasional new pot , it’s a free or nearly free hobby.
Decorating my home is another favorite hobby. The way I do it is extremely fugal. Most items I have were thrifted or found on marketplace. Are you seeing the theme here? I prefer not to see my thrifting as an addiction. It’s a sport! When I found my dream custom green velvet couch for $100, I was hooked!
Sometimes I add a new item but often I rotate what I have from room to room or from storage. “Shopping your house” is the perfect way to get a new look in a room while saving money. Many of my decorative things have been collected over the years but if you buy things that you really love they will work together.
Saving money by decluttering
You may not think of decluttering as a way of saving money but hear me out! Have you ever bought an item only to find you already had a new one at home? What about buying a replacement because the place you keep that thing is stuffed too full to find the one you know you have? These are just two ways clutter can cost you money.
Decluttering is a constant activity for me. There is a spot in our dining room where there’s always a bag or box. Anytime I come across something we don’t need anymore it goes in the donations. Making sure you don’t have expired food or medicine that could make you sick is obviously a great way to save money not to mention misery.
Also donating to most thrift stores can earn you tax credits if you request a receipt for your items. I don’t personally do this but if you are donating something large or a lot of things it can be worthwhile.
Some other frugal thoughts
Most of these ideas are very easy to incorporate into your lifestyle. They save money, some save time, and a few can bring you lots of joy. One reason they work for me is that they fit in the natural flow of my life. They also are in line with my values which is very important to me.
They do require some effort and skills. Some of these skills may take time to learn or you may need someone to teach you. In my experience that’s part of the fun. It’s obviously more effort to cook a pot of soup from scratch to serve with a freshly baked loaf of bread than ordering from a restaurant. The trade-off in quality, flavor, and saving money can’t be compared!
There are so many more ways to save money that you might really enjoy. Look around, talk to people about how they live, read a few books on frugal living (from the library of course), and get creative!
