One concerned Redditor posted on the platform about how some frugal tips are likely to be abused by many people. He offered an example of couponing. People are now doing extreme couponing. Thrift shops used cars, and fixer-upper houses are other abused frugal tips because everyone seems to be doing it. He asked other members of the Reddit community about frugal tips they felt brave enough to share but were afraid they may get ruined by many people.
Here are some of the best responses from this conversation;
Abused Gas Station App
“There was a guy on Reddit who used a 7-11 gas station app feature that would match gas prices anywhere in the world, yeah, like literally anywhere. He would match the price in a country where gas was pennies/dirt cheap (converted to $). He said he used it for years. He posted it on Reddit in a thread just like this. it got upvoted because it actually worked, and within 3 hours, the app was changed to not allow any location matching, ruining it for everyone,” notes one person
Asian Grocers
These were popular, and they had to reorganize, “I was in the one the next town over, found they’d reorganized, labeled the aisles in English…and put up the prices by half. Next thing you know, they’ll turn off the Cpop and quit carrying pink dishwashing gloves.”
Restoring Old Furniture
This DIY project has become very popular and pushed prices up, “Many pieces get bought up /flipped for online stores or sellers now want the restored value of the furniture because they “know what (they) have.”
Military Surplus
“You used to be able to collect all sorts of gear from firearms, tents, MREs, clothes, helmets, backpacks, cases, tools, knives, etc for super cheap. That’s almost all gone partly because of collectors and partly because of fewer things being surplused out. Although occasionally there are still deals to be found,” notes another user.
Buy Nothing Groups
Many people flock to these groups to get stuff and sell, “My local buy-nothing group is so popular now that you compete with 20 people for a bag of coffee beans.”
“Buy Nothing Groups on Facebook. You may not always get the item, but I have gotten so many amazing things gifted to me from our local buy-nothing and other giveaway sites. I also regift items I no longer need to these sites, so it helps with both being frugal and decluttering,” adds another
Estate Sales
You could get great deals from such sales, “Estate sales. All my coolest stuff comes from dead people.”
Clearance Sales
“Clearance sales, clearance isles, and clearance sections. Honestly, not too many people would even bother to look at a clearance sale in grocery stores or Walmart because of “quality” and “expiration” dates, but during these times, I’ve seen a heavy increase in many people taking advantage of clearance sales,” adds another
Restaurant Supply Stores
These stores sell groceries at great discounts, “Groceries from restaurant supply stores, not many are open to the public as is; the last thing I’d want to see is they all shut their doors because that’s where I get my food in bulk.”
Branded Clothes From Charity Shops
Charity shops have started stocking branded clothes, “Getting branded clothes from a charity shop. Pre covid, you could grab a bargain on a piece of branded clothing as they were just mixed up with all the other clothes. Shops started to realize more people were coming in to get this stuff, so they now put top branded clothes on their own rack and doubled the price.”
Bin Stores
These stores stock great deals they get from return pallets from giant online retailers, “Bin stores that buy overstock pallets of stuff from Amazon, Target, etc., sell the individual items for massive discounts. One price per day, which decreases all the way down to $1 to clear out the bins before the weekly restock. Lots of cool finds there!”
Rving/Camping for Frugal Vacations
“COVID saw the rise in exploding sales and demand for RVs, but we knew afterward there would be a ton of people who would regret their purchases and get rid of them. Campsite demand has gone down, and the crazy crowds have diminished, so maybe it’ll stay that way,” explains another user
Dumpster Diving
This is becoming a very popular frugal activity among people in urban areas, “Dumpster diving is still good everywhere. Really enjoying my new Galaxy S9 and all the woodworking tools. I collected enough furniture plates at Ikea to start building some desks, cabinets, or dressers soon. And I used to always need an extension cord. Now I can supply a neighborhood with electricity.”
Goodwill Outlets
If you take time in a Goodwill store, you can get great deals, “Going to the Goodwill outlet. You need time to dig through stuff, but I got some stuff there that was in excellent condition for .99/lb (they were having a promotion, but it’s really cheap per pound anyway.”
12 Frugal Hacks That Make All The Difference
A Reddit user who started the frugal journey with his wife a couple of years ago wanted to know the frugal hacks people had that made all the difference.
According to the OP, shopping grocery sales every week and planning their meals helped cut their bill from $250 to $100 per week. Other users shared their stories about frugal hacks they had that made some difference in their lives. Here are some of the best ones.
12 Frugal Hacks That Make All The Difference
12 Items Frugal People Proudly Exclude From Their Shopping List
Frugal people are known to spend their money wisely. They live within their means and don’t spend a lot of money. According to a thread on Quora, here are some common things frugal people never buy.
12 Items Frugal People Proudly Exclude from Their Shopping List
23 Side Hustles You Never Considered That Make More Than Your 9 to 5
Have you ever wanted to make a lot of money from a side hustle and quit your 9 to 5? You may know about the typical side hustles, but I bet you never even heard of these lucrative side hustles!
23 Side Hustles You Never Considered That Make More Than Your 9 to 5
9 So-Called “Frugal” Habits That Are Actually a Waste of Time and Money
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!
9 So-Called “Frugal” Habits That Are Actually a Waste of Time and Money
10 Stupid Scams People Won’t Stop Falling For
It seems like every day there is a new scam popping up, promising to make you rich or solve all of your problems. Yet, despite the prevalence of scams and the numerous warnings about them, people still fall for them.
10 Stupid Scams People Won’t Stop Falling For
This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
