Telling someone you’re practicing frugality feels like you’re admitting you’re “cheap.” But back in the day, a frugal mindset was a point of pride. And it should be, especially in our consumerist society. Here are five tried-and-true frugal hacks from the past that you can adopt today to save money and be more resourceful.
Make Your Own Cleaning Products
You might’ve heard that vinegar and baking soda was a cleaning solution of yesteryear that you could use to clean just about anything. But now that companies are flooding the market with products that promise the deepest clean (and the longest list of ingredients), this simple, frugal cleaning product has fallen by the wayside.
But most combinations of vinegar, water, and baking soda can become a powerful all-purpose cleaner. You say you aren’t a big fan of the smell of vinegar? Use a fresh lemon or essential oil to make it smell nice!
Sewing Your Clothes
You don’t have to sew your clothes from scratch. You also don’t have to throw away your favorite pair of jeans just because there’s a hole in them. There’s a very wide line between designing an entire line of sportswear and patching up your jacket — most people are capable of learning to do the latter in as little as a day.
If you’re willing to put a bit of effort in, repurposing your clothes is a retro frugal hack that saves money, teaches you new skills, and upcycles one of the hardest items to recycle on the planet: fabric.
Cooking Your Food in Batches
Remember when you went over to grandma’s and she’d always have your favorite soup ready? Don’t you wish you could do that? You can, and it’s easier than you think. Grandma wasn’t whipping up a new bowl of soup for you every time you visited: she was meal prepping, freezing, and reheating because that’s one of the best ways to minimize food waste and save money.
It saves you time, too; reheating a slice of lasagna you made earlier in the week will always be faster than waiting for a pizza to arrive at your door.
Make Handmade Gifts
The handmade gift renaissance is real: Handmade gifts can be functional, thoughtful, and easy on the wallet. Think about making personalized gifts such as photo albums, homemade candles, or baked goods. These gifts also save you money and show your loved ones that you cared enough to put in the effort. And if you find that you have a knack for crafting, you could even sell some of your handmade creations online for other people to buy!
Repair, Don’t Replace
Today, it’s completely normal to throw something away the minute it stops working. But with some elbow grease and a few skills, you can apply the sewing concept to just about anything in your home. Teach yourself some rudimentary home-repair skills via YouTube; it’s a gold mine for DIY repair videos for just about anything you can imagine.
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