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Being frugal is not just about reducing spending. Reducing waste and appreciating what you already have are also great frugal goals. Recently, u/_josaiahbartlet asked people on Reddit to share the frugal changes they really enjoyed making in their lives, and people had a lot to say. Here are some of the top responses:
1.
“I was extremely skeptical about reusable paper towels, but I was sold the moment I started using them. They are essentially super thin cloths that are rolled onto a core, just like paper towels. We wash them in our normal load of colors and rolled them up. “We still have regular paper towels for particularly gross things, but we go through a few rolls a year. I think we have 48 reusable ones and we have been using them for a year and a half very well. The two of us from Never Run Out of Time between laundry days.”
2.
“I bring all my snacks, drinks, breakfasts, and lunches from home every day when I go to work. I work in downtown Brooklyn, which is almost as expensive as Manhattan. It saves me about $400 a month!”
3.
“Cutting my own hair. I started during the pandemic because none of the hair salons were open and I figured if it looked terrible, no one would see it anyway. I tend to prefer simple cuts that are easy to do myself, and this too eliminates the awkward conversations and all the chemical smells that trigger my asthma. If I decide I want a more complicated hairstyle, I’ll pay a professional, but if all I want is a cut, I can do it myself for free (the hair scissors hair paid for themselves with the first haircut)”.
4.
“I went a year without spending on clothes. It was so much easier and more fun than I expected. I forced myself to ‘shop’ my own closet and discovered so many great pieces I had forgotten about. Aside from replacing essentials that got worn out/falling apart “I don’t really need new clothes. It was a liberating discovery.”
5.
“This year I stopped drinking coffee and drinks outside. This saves me between $125 and $150 a month. Unexpectedly, I don’t even miss it and I’m planning to invest this money in my retirement account.”
6.
“Quit alcohol. I quit last year after reviewing my budget at the end of 2022 and realizing how much I spent on going out. I still go out with my friends, but now I drink soda, something bartenders don’t normally do. “Even Do they charge me or are they free refills. I went from spending over $500 a month on alcohol to maybe $30 on flavored sodas. A big win and I’m not only better off financially but also mentally and physically.”
7.
“I bought a bread machine from Goodwill for $15. We used to buy bread that was $3 a loaf, but now making our own bread costs us pennies.”
8.
“I only buy second-hand clothes. Three years later, frankly, I no longer see the point in paying retail prices for new clothes. I wear second-hand clothes about once a week and, over time, I have easily found everything I I need it. Plus, it’s helped me with my thinking. “It’s kind of a training out of immediacy/instant gratification and into longer-term planning and patience. However, I will buy new shoes as necessary.”
9.
“Adding insulation to my attic and air sealing my house. Yes, it certainly helped our energy bill, but the increase in comfort is also greatly appreciated.”
10.
“Switch to old school razors instead of plastic ones. Shaves fantastic, lasts forever and the razor blades are incredibly cheap.”
eleven.
“Menstrual cup and menstrual underwear. I don’t even feel like I’m on my period anymore.”
12.
“Cutting the lids off tube-type containers, such as facial cleansers, lotions, etc., and scooping out the rest of what’s left has been a huge money saver. You’ll be surprised at how much is left once it stops coming out. To prevent “After the product dries, slide the cut piece down over the area where you made the cut.”
13.
“I get more containers and prepare as much food as possible. Doubling the amount of food rarely means twice the work. Then I freeze what I know I can’t eat. Frozen soup or chili lasts for months; I can have a full buffet in my freezer and not eat the same thing all the time.
14.
“I swapped out the coffee filter papers for a reusable coffee filter made of steel. Turns out I need 25% less coffee per cup when using the reusable filter. Apparently some of the coffee doesn’t go through the paper.”
fifteen.
“Buying an upright freezer made it easier to prepare meals in bulk at a much lower cost, thus saving not only money but time. Why cook rice nine times for nine meals when you could do it once, portion it and freeze it right then and there? Does it need to be cooked for two? Why make bolognese sauce for eight servings when you could make 40 at a time plus another 10 minutes to divide the servings? Even my skeptical husband has admitted it was worth it.”
sixteen.
“Almost four years ago I switched to a plant-based diet due to health concerns. A huge added benefit is that legumes, grains, seeds, fruits and vegetables are much cheaper than processed foods and meats. My “grocery bill is almost half what it was before it changed.”
17.
“I used to eat out two or three times a day. Then I moved to a more expensive city and was forced to start eating at home. Now I prefer eating my own home-cooked meals to fast food.”
18.
“Airthreds makes reusable air filters for your HVAC system. We bought two and haven’t looked back since. It took us 10 months to get our money back and we’ve been running fine for at least four years. We’re on the Airstream for the Canadian wildfire “Every year and I haven’t had any problems with them. It makes it easy, during the weeks when the air quality is horrible, to change them and wash them as needed. Best reusable investment I’ve ever made for our home!”
19.
“Quit smoking. Of course, this brought better health benefits. But the biggest initial impact was on my wallet. Smokers are literally burning their money.”
twenty.
“Not eating fast food at all. As strange as it may seem to say, I’m glad they raised the prices.”
twenty-one.
“Shopping groceries almost exclusively for what’s on sale rather than out of habit buying the same products. It saves a ton of money and allows us to try new products all the time! It’s been great, and my partner and I really have a lot of es “So fun to read the brochure and see what new things are on sale every two weeks. Then we get to cook new things all the time. It’s been great!”
22.
“I eat beans for lunch every day. On the weekends, I make a big batch of some type of bean dish. Falafel, beans and rice, white bean soup, bean burritos, etc. Then I just pack them up for lunch during the work day. Buying dried beans costs about $1.50 for five meals. It’s delicious and healthy.”
23.
And finally, “Don’t try to ‘keep up with the neighbors’.” I was in a weird cycle of seeing something on social media and immediately going out to find it and buy it. So it’s a lot less burdensome to step back and watch my savings grow. It also makes the times I DO splurge that much more special.”
What are some of your favorite frugal habits that reduce waste, save money, and just make you feel good? Let’s talk about them in the comments!