Want to save big? Learn from the masters! Discover the ten money-saving tips that frugal people swear by and start learning about all the ways they just saved a ton of money.
Do you have any excellent money-saving ideas? You’ve got company.
Someone recently asked, “What’s a way to save money that most people don’t realize?” Here are the top-voted responses.
1. Buy What You Can Afford
“Only buy a home you can afford to pay off in 15 years or less. You’ll save a ton in interest and get a smaller home. You’ll save a ton on utilities and maintenance. Invest the money you save for retirement,” shared one.
2. Preplan Your Meals
Another said, “Plan your meals and grocery list ahead of time and stick to it!” “I’m bad about this. Though mostly because I plan meals, nobody in my house will help me cook, so I pretty much ask what they want for food,” a second person said.
Finally, a third stated, “An app called MEALIME gives you different recipes to build meal plans. Then, once you pick your meals, it compiles a grocery list for you.”
3. Bulk Food
“A 40lb sack of rice is so cheap vs. buying a pound or five at a time. Also, most dried foods are much cheaper in a large sack. Same with meat, buy the bulk pack, portion it into smaller amounts, and freeze most of it,” shared one.
4. Don’t Grocery Shop Hungry
“Go grocery shopping on a (very) full stomach. You’d be surprised at how little junk food you walk out with,” one person suggested. “Always buy one junk dinner and one junk dessert. Hey, I don’t feel like cooking. Should we go out to eat? Oh hey, what about these Mac and cheese balls and Hulu? You just saved $60,” a second person replied.
5. Alcohol and Cigarettes
“I stopped drinking a few months back. I feel like I paid off some bills or something from the extra money I saved,” one person said. “Quitting smoking will have the same effect,” a second person replied. Finally, a third person commented, “I don’t drink and need to calculate how much I have saved during my lifetime by not buying alcoholic beverages.”
6. Budget Money for Fun
“Budget money for fun,” one person said. “In addition, when going out to do something fun, see if there are any additional discounts, value days, or coupons,” another added.
7. Steer Clear of Sales
“Forget about Black Friday sales. It’s never a good deal if you don’t need it,” one person commented. “Sales in general. Oh, it’s $50 less! But you weren’t planning on buying it anyways, so now you’re still out $150,” another suggested.
8. Pack Lunches
“Pack lunch, pay off debt. Profit,” someone replied. “Cooking your food, in general, is a good way to save money in addition to being able to customize everything to your taste and knowing what goes into the food,” another agreed.
9. Sewing Skills/ Kit
“Learning how to sew and a decent sewing kit will save you a lot of money in the long run,” one person commented.
“Not many people do it these days, but it only costs a few bucks to patch clothes that get tears, rips, or holes. No need to worry about how good you can sew a stitch if no one is going to see it,” said another.
10. Maintain What You Have
“Take good care of the things you currently own and use them for as long as possible. Buy replacement things less often. For example, cars, phones, clothes, etc.,” one person stated.
“I like to take everything to total component failure. For example, my last SUV had 310,000 miles. The current car has 240,000 miles,” another confessed.
We hope you enjoyed this Reddit picks list of frugal tips to help save you money. Also, check out these six simple steps for creating your budget.
