12 Things That Make You Think You’re Frugal, but Are Actually Making You Broke

When you decide to go the frugal way, you will come across all sorts of advice from all kinds of people. Not every tip works for everyone. What may seem frugal to you may not be frugal to another person. Some people may go to extreme levels of being frugal and still live comfortably, while others indulge occasionally and still consider themselves to be frugal.

On that note, have you ever bought something that seemed frugal during purchase but turned out to be not frugal in the long run? My research on this topic across different social media platforms bore some interesting insights into things people bought that seemed frugal but were not. Here are examples.

Vegetable Garden

Portrait of smiling, pretty, caucasian, female chef carrying fresh picked vegetables walking towards camera on a farm for farm to table at sunrise sunset.
Image Credit: Chiarascura/Shutterstock.

Many homesteaders insist that having a backyard vegetable garden is a frugal move. And it is. But before you do this, consider the costs involved initially. You need to buy several tools and perhaps seek the expertise of a gardener to get started. You will also be incurring costs related to maintenance of the garden (such as herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers), and for what? A few parsley leaves and vegetables that aren’t worth the time and money spent? Vegetable gardening is fulfilling as a hobby but not as a venture.

DIY Home Improvement

Repairman with tools
Image Credit: pressmaster via DepositPhotos.com.

Home improvements can be expensive depending on your taste and preferences. This is one of the reasons why most people go the DIY way. If you are lucky and a little skilled in this, you could save substantially doing DIY at home. However, if you do not know what you are doing, you may end up spending more by paying experts to undo damages you make in your house while trying DIY. And not to mention that you still need tools to do a good job. And these tools can be quite expensive.

3D Printing

Man doubting
Image Credit: AsierRomeroCarballo via DepositPhotos.com.

It feels amazing making cool stuff with your DIY machine, and initially, you may feel that you are saving money. And then it dawns on you that you spent a fortune to purchase the machine, and you spend more in buying accessories. If the machine breaks down, you call an expert who charges you an arm and leg to fix it.

Cheap Pet Food

Beautiful young woman kissing and hugging shiba inu dog at street.
Image Credit: Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock.

You may think you have landed a bargain when you buy cheap pet food, but you may have to pay back much more in vet bills later.

Knitting

Portrait of senior woman sitting outdoor and knitting red scarf.
Image Credit: Halfpoint/Shutterstock.

Unless you are doing this craft as a hobby, there is an enthusiast who swears that you can never knit a scarf cheaper than you can buy, even if the yarn is on clearance.

DIY Ice Cream

Cute funny adorable girl with dirty nose eating licking ice cream. Kid looking at food with crossed eyes.
Image Credit: Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock.

 

When you make ice cream at home, you get denser ice cream with quality products. However, you will spend much more to make ice cream at home than you would have if you bought from a stand.

Fast Food

Excited hungry pretty girl eats fast food, cheap burger, holds a cheeseburger and soda, open mouth.
Image Credit: Georgi Fadejev/Shutterstock.

Such foods are easy to find, but they can be detrimental to your health in the long run, and you may end up spending much more in the future.

Fast Fashion

woman with finger over lips in closet with clothes.
Image Credit: Tinatin/Shutterstock.

You may look good and trendy and feel good because you spent little money to buy such, but most of these clothes wear out fast, and you will end up spending more through buying frequently in the long run.

Cheap Off-brand Items

man wearing red tshirt looking upset
Image Credit: vova130555@gmail.com via DepositPhotos.com.

Many people go for off-brand items when purchasing things like electronics because they believe the renowned brands are expensive. It seems like a frugal purchase initially, but these cheap off-brand items are usually of very poor quality and break down often. You will end up buying more frequently.

Raising Chicken for Eggs

Chickens.
Image Credit: PhotoSongserm/Shutterstock.

Raising chicken for eggs seems like a pretty simple and straightforward venture. You get to eat delicious eggs whenever you want. Do you factor in that you have to feed the chickens, provide a coop, offer medication, provide safety, and cater to their every need before they can lay these eggs? The cost of raising chicken may be higher than the cost of buying eggs.

Making Own Coffee

An Illustrative editorial of Wacaco Minipresso machine in which you can make expresso coffee on the go.
Image Credit: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.

Coffee is expensive, and making it at home can certainly save some money. However, if you are a coffee enthusiast who buys espresso machines, you may not see much savings in such a venture for a long time. Some coffee machines are extremely expensive.

Buying In Bulk

man buying products in bulk
Image Credit: photography33 via DepositPhotos.com.

If you are not going to consume whatever you buy in bulk before they expire, you will have wasted your money. Do not buy things in bulk just because they are cheap.

People Who Grew Up Poor Share The 20 Ultimate “Poor” People Hacks

homeless woman.
Image Credit: kuzmaphoto/Shutterstock.

Life’s thrown us a curveball, and our bank accounts might be staging a rebellion, but fear not! We’ve got something up our sleeves- a treasure trove of tips and tricks that will have you grinning ear to ear as you outsmart the very concept of scarcity. Being broke? It’s not a limitation; it’s a canvas for creativity!

People Who Grew up Poor Share the 20 Ultimate “Poor” People Hacks

20 Of The Worst Mistakes You Can Make In Your Life

Computer stress, night office or man with crypto finance crisis, bitcoin stock market crash or NFT investment mistake..
Image Credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock.

Life is like a roller coaster- it’s filled with exhilarating highs, nerve-wracking lows, and unexpected twists that can leave us hanging upside down. We all make mistakes along the way, right? Because at the end of the day, we are only human!

20 Of The Worst Mistakes You Can Make in Your Life 

15 Tips For Frugal Living On A Tight Budget

Man in a hat as a cowboy.
Image Credit: Thomas Mucha/Shutterstock.

If you are looking for tips for frugal living on a tight budget, this post is for you. 

Being on a tight budget means looking for even the slightest opportunity to save money. It could be saving to clear your loans, for a bigger purchase, or even for early retirement. 

15 Tips for Frugal Living on a Tight Budget 

12 Frugal Hacks That Make All The Difference

Portrait Of A Mature Woman Smiling.
Image Credit: Nadino/Shutterstock.

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

14 Frugal Living Tips To Learn From Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is interviewed after the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting held at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb. on Saturday, May 2, 2015.
Image Credit: Kent Sievers/Shutterstock.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett is one of the wealthiest people in the world and, for a time, was the wealthiest. It might surprise you, then, to learn that Buffett is a proponent and practitioner of frugal living and always has been.

14 Frugal Living Tips To Learn From Warren Buffett 
 

This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.