10 Essential Financial Cuts That Slash Expenses and Boost Savings

Want to live a more frugal lifestyle? Here are some great and easy tips for a frugal lifestyle to help you live a frugal life! Living a frugal life is easy once you know how to embrace a frugal lifestyle.

Financial Cuts That Make Significant Changes

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What financial cuts have you made that have significantly impacted your savings while embracing frugal living? After polling the internet, here are the top-voted tips.

1. Create a Plan

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Creating a meal plan and cooking at home most nights of the week. As a result, we cooked enough for two extra meals and lunch the next day. We found this severely cuts down food waste and saves a packet by not buying takeaway,” shared one.

2. Avoid the Lazy Tax

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“Your insurance and loans, in particular, will draw you in with a decent rate and then slowly increase that year after year. This is because they rely on you not taking the time to check other options or refinancing,” one suggested.

 

Another added, “When your insurance comes up for renewal, get a few other quotes to see if they are competitive. There’s no reason not to, except for the effort involved. Spending 20 minutes getting other quotes can save you hundreds.”

3. Lose the Car

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“I got rid of a little four-cylinder sedan ten years ago. I didn’t use it that much, and I remember calculating that it cost me around $40 per week in standing charges (insurance + rego + a little bit of fuel).”

 

“So that’s $40 a week for ten years = approx $20,800,” one explained. “Sold my car and rode a bicycle. Got me fit, too!” another exclaimed.

4. Make a Spreadsheet

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“It’s hard to make significant cutbacks when housing is such a huge cost for most people. But, by making a budget spreadsheet to see where your money is going, you’ll be able to see what to cut where you can,” one answered.

Related: Budget Excel Template: 5 Best (and Free) Budgeting Tools 

5. Get Thrifty

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“Shop at your local thrift store. You’ll find what you’re looking for. The blazers, suits, and pants are close to almost new condition. You will never pay for a new suit again.”

Related: Frugal Mom Shares Expert Tips on Saving Money at Goodwill

6. Make Your Home Homier

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“People spend so much money unplanned to get out of a house where they’re uncomfortable or eat somewhere because they’re bored with their food,” stated one.

 

A second added, “Make your home comfortable enough that you don’t need to leave it. It sounds counterintuitive, but please do not cheap out on electricity, food, and home-based entertainment like streaming services.”

7. Learn to Do-It-Yourself

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“Learn how to fix simple things around the house, paint walls, set up irrigation, hang pictures, change tap washers, put up shelves, basic home maintenance stuff,” one suggested.

 

“Apart from useful skills, many jobs are much easier than people imagine. And there is YouTube for absolutely everything these days,” added another.

8. Stop the Little Spending

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“Saving or frugal living is about something other than grand and sweeping gestures or changes. It’s consistently saying no to little things you hadn’t budgeted or planned. It’s a game of inches, of grinding self-denial,” one noted.

9. Try the Secondhand Shops

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“In addition to thrift stores, shop at consignment stores and garage sales. You can find some excellent deals, and the stuff often looks pretty close to new,” someone informed. Another added, “Facebook Marketplace has almost anything you could need at a discount.”

 

10. Stop Paying Interest

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“The number one thing you can do is stop using your credit card. Credit cards have incredibly high interest, and if you let the balance ride for a few months, it starts to add up,” one answered. “It might be painful, but paying off that credit card and not paying that interest anymore will help you move forward financially.”

We hope you enjoyed this Reddit picks list of the best tips for living a frugal lifestyle.

10 Best Money-Saving Tips People Learned By Being Frugal That Save Them Money

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What are the best-money saving tips people have learned by being frugal? After a recent internet poll, here are the top-ten voted frugality tips for saving money.

10 Best Money-Saving Tips People Learned By Being Frugal That Save Them Money

10 Times Being Frugal Crosses Over Into Cheapskate Territory

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Frugal or cheap? Sometimes being frugal crosses into cheapskate territory.

Are there frugal practices you think are too much hassle for the savings or just too self-denying of pleasure? You’ve got company. After someone asked a popular online frugal community for examples, they responded.

10 Times Being Frugal Crosses Over Into Cheapskate Territory

10 Examples of When Being Frugal Crosses Over to Cheapskate

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Saving money and being frugal are admirable qualities, but there comes a point where frugality can cross the line into cheapness. While being mindful of your spending can help you achieve your financial goals, being a cheapskate can harm your relationships, reputation, and even your own well-being.

10 Examples of When Being Frugal Crosses Over to Cheapskate

The Big Scam: 18 Things That Are Really Just One Giant Rip-Off

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We’ve compiled a list of 18 things that are secretly just one big scam. Get ready to uncover the truth about some of the biggest rip-offs out there!

The Big Scam: 18 Things That Are Actually Just One Giant Rip-Off

From Ok Boomer To Eye Roll: Gen Z and Millennials Are Sick and Tired of These 28 Boomer Comments

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Older generations love giving advice and telling younger people things. While there are plenty of life lessons to learn from older people, young people are tired of hearing some of what boomers have to say.

From OK Boomer To Eye Roll: Gen Z and Millennials Are Sick and Tired of These 28 Boomer Comments

7 So-Called “Frugal” Habits That Are Actually A Waste Of Time And Money

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Not everything is frugal! I am sure you have read articles and tips that promote frugal living and give some ideas that are just not frugal! These frugal myths float around and sometimes even cost people a lot of money!

7 So-Called “Frugal” Habits That Are Actually a Waste of Time and Money

The 20 Things People Used To Cheap Out On, But Now They Swear By The Expensive Versions

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When budgeting and saving money, trying to cut corners wherever possible is tempting. However, some items are worth investing in due to their better durability or quality compared to their cheaper counterparts.

The 20 Things People Used To Cheap Out On, but Now They Swear by the Expensive Versions

Frugal Living Tips From The Great Depression That Are Relevant Today

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How frugal were people during The Great Depression? It was a time of hardship and uncertainty and a time when people were forced to be extremely frugal.

Money-Saving Secrets from the Great Depression: Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression That Are Relevant Today

Sorry Millennials, These 20 Skills From The 90s Are No Longer Relevant

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The 90s saw a tremendous shift in technology, and many skills that were once essential have become irrelevant in today’s world.

Sorry Millennials, These 20 Skills From the 90s Are No Longer Relevant

Eye Rolling Intensifies: 28 Boomer Comments Gen Z and Millennials Can’t Stand

Senior beautiful couple standing together
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Older generations love giving advice and telling younger people things. While there are plenty of life lessons to learn from older people, young people are tired of hearing some of what boomers have to say.

From OK Boomer To Eye Roll: Gen Z and Millennials Are Sick and Tired of These 28 Boomer Comments

 

Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.