Saving money often means being smart and disciplined: cutting out luxuries, sticking to budgets, and maybe brewing your own coffee instead of grabbing a $6 latte every morning.
Some frugal tips are pretty common knowledge, such as buying generic brands, shopping for things on sale, and eating at home instead of dining out.
However, there are a lot of others out there that relatively few have heard about.
A few of them sound a little silly when you say them out loud.
Buying extra lip balm?
Paying a fee to have groceries delivered?
Wearing your hood indoors?
They look wasteful, or just plain odd, until you see what they do for your budget.
Here are nine habits that earn their spot. You don’t have to try them all.
Pick the ones that fit your life, and let the rest make you smile.
Buy More Than One Lip Balm
This might sound wasteful, but there’s good sense behind it.
How many times have you forgotten where your lip balm is and had to buy a new one? Some people get one for work, one for the car, one for the bathroom counter, and so on.
The same idea works for other small things that constantly go missing, like nail clippers, phone chargers, or reading glasses.
A cheap backup in the spot where you need it costs less than replacing the original over and over, and it saves you the annoyance of a last-minute store run.
And if you manage to get the extras for ridiculously cheap while couponing, then all the better!
Pay the Fee for Grocery Delivery
Grocery delivery usually comes with an extra charge, so it might not sound very frugal.
However, ordering remotely will cut down on impulsive buying and make you more likely to order just what you need, and the savings will exceed the surcharge.
Think about the last time you walked into a store for milk and left with a full cart.
When you shop from your phone, there are no end-cap displays, no free-sample tables, and no snacks calling your name while you’re hungry. A written list plus a delivery order is one of the easiest ways to keep your grocery total in check.
Keep a Bin of “Someday” Odds and Ends
Use a separate bin or cabinet for storing and organizing little things left over from previous usage that you might need in the future.
An example would be a hex tool that came with a bookshelf you put together.
It’s the extra cabinet knobs, the spare screws, the leftover furniture bolts, and the tiny wrench from that dresser.
Most of us toss these things and then buy replacements a year later. Keeping them in one labeled spot means the next small repair costs you nothing.
Add Water to Your Dish Soap and Laundry Detergent
A liquid dish and laundry detergent can last a lot longer if you add water to it.
It’ll still do its job most of the time, and when it doesn’t, you can just use a little more.
Start with a small amount of water and see how it performs. Many people keep the diluted mix in a pump bottle by the sink. It’s an easy way to stretch a purchase you make over and over, and no one will ever know you’re doing it.
Buy an Electric Blanket
An electric blanket can go with you anywhere in your home, and it’s a way to cut your energy bills.
That’s because you can warm yourself up without turning the thermostat up, which warms the whole home and costs you more.
Instead of heating every room, you heat the one spot where you’re sitting or sleeping.
Drape one over the couch during movie night or keep one on the bed, and you might be comfortable with the thermostat set a few degrees lower all winter.
Put Your Hood Up
An even simpler way to warm up quickly in a cold room is to pull up the hood of your hoodie.
It traps body heat from your head and gets you feeling warmer within minutes.
It costs nothing, takes two seconds, and works anywhere. Pair it with warm socks or a cozy throw, and you can hold off on bumping up the heat until it’s genuinely necessary.
Install a Bidet Attachment
Bidet attachments are easy to install on most toilets, and they make a world of difference.
There’s none of the chafing and abrasiveness of toilet paper and are more environmentally friendly. Plus, you’ll save money by using less toilet paper.
Most attachments cost less than a few months of toilet paper for a busy household, and installation usually takes only a few minutes with no plumber required. Families who buy toilet paper in bulk often notice the difference in their grocery bill first.
Fill Empty Spaces with Plants
Plants add beauty to a home, and they’re not that expensive. They also fill spaces you might otherwise fill with furniture, which is much more expensive.
A bare corner or an empty shelf can make a room feel unfinished, and it’s tempting to solve that with a new piece of furniture.
A plant does the job for a fraction of the price. Cuttings from friends and family can make it even cheaper.
Leave It in Your Cart
Unless it’s a need-now item, leave it in your cart or go home and then reconsider in a day or two.
If you feel less need for the item, it may have been an impulse buy that you avoided.
There’s a bonus, too. When you leave something in your cart, you sometimes get an email offering a discount to get you to buy it.
So you either save the full price or you save part of it.
If you love the tips in this post, you’ll love my Frugal Living Planner. It’s the perfect next step, and only $10! Get it here!
Read More:
- Have Any of These 12 Items? You Could Be Rich
- 16 Shockingly Extreme Frugal Habits That Actually Save Serious Money
- 6 Common Purchases Frugal People Refuse to Pay For (And You Don’t Need To Either)
