Frugal living is often seen in a negative context. It suggests that you must give up things to reach your goals, but that isn’t necessarily true.
When you are frugal in the right ways, you can eliminate clutter and unwanted things while adding more value to your daily routines.
A frugal lifestyle means that you’re purposeful with your spending behaviors. This act allows you to prioritize what matters the most. That’s why it can mean different things to each person.
This list of 36 frugal living tips can help you find ways to tighten your budget or be inspired to take other actions that make sense for you and your family.
36 Frugal Living Tips to Save a Ton of Money
Frugality shouldn’t be conflated with terms like “inexpensive” or “cheap.” People look for value when embracing this lifestyle approach. It requires individuals to assess their desires and choose to spend less on things that don’t matter.
Are you tired of letting money control your decisions? If so, frugal living could be the answer you need to reclaim your life.
Although frugal living can feel like you’re making sacrifices, many positives come from this decision. You’re creating a foundation where the things you prioritize become more important.
Numerous benefits are possible with frugal living, ranging from more financial freedom to pursuing a hobby you love.
Best Tips for Saving Money with a Frugal Lifestyle
A frugal lifestyle doesn’t magically appear. It requires dedication and purposeful choices to remain part of your daily routine.
If you’re looking for ways to save money with a frugal lifestyle, these proven options can help you save for a rainy day.
1. Stop Eating at Restaurants
It costs about $25 per person to eat at a dine-in restaurant in the United States. If you have a family of six, you’re spending over $100 for the experience.
You can buy a day’s worth of groceries that cover three square meals for 25% of the cost of a dine-in restaurant. You’ll even spend 50% less going to the grocery store than visiting a fast-food place.
2. Use Coupons Strategically
Groceries can get expensive, even if you avoid restaurants. Try buying items in bulk first to keep your per-unit prices as low as possible.
Once you’ve taken that step, use coupons to your advantage. They’re out there, both digital and print, to help save some cash. You don’t need to go to the extreme to save a few dollars each time you head to the store.
3. Use Your Freezer and Pantry
Each February, many families stop going to the grocery store to use the food items they have at home. You likely have a month’s worth of food stored in your freezer, pantry, and cabinets. Most people focus on convenience over creativity when cooking at home.
Instead of confining this behavior to one month each year, try skipping one trip to the grocery store each month. Finish the leftovers, use what’s in the back of the pantry, and let your creativity flow.
4. Prep Meals Ahead of Time
There will be days when you don’t feel like cooking. Instead of eating heavily processed foods, throw something into the oven you made a few days before.
Base your recipes on what goes on sale that week. Cook during the afternoon, freeze several portions, and you’ll have more options when you feel tired.
5. Buy Used Items
Instead of buying new things, look for deals on used items. You can save a lot by shopping at thrift stores, trading with neighbors, and scouring online marketplaces.
6. Repurpose When You Can
Most people have a closet full of stuff that they rarely wear. Instead of buying more shoes, try to repurpose something you already have. It helps to get organized before starting, so clean out those spaces that have been ignored.
7. Avoid the Car
If you don’t need a car, purchasing one doesn’t make sense. You can get around town on a bike, public transportation, or a pair of comfortable walking shoes.
Although it takes more time to get to where you want to be, you can save a lot on fuel and maintenance costs by skipping vehicle ownership.
When life requires that you drive, buy a certified used car instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on something new.
8. Return Things
Are there things that you recently purchased that you don’t really need? Instead of writing off the experience as a monetary loss, grab that receipt and return everything. You can even return groceries if they haven’t spoiled or are non-perishable goods.
You can also raise some funds by selling what you don’t need. Host a yard sale, put out the items that are collecting dust, and stash that cash in your savings account.
Clutter can find some money on sites like Poshmark and eBay.
9. Visit the Library
Instead of buying books and movies, try investing the time to get a library card. Your local facility has hundreds of titles to enjoy. Most have magazines, newspapers, and other information resources to use.
Some libraries let you sign up online and offer digital products you can access. This option is a fantastic way to listen to audiobooks or try an author that piques your curiosity.
10. Trim Your Subscriptions
Cord-cutting used to be a way to save money, especially when looking at cable and satellite television prices. Today, the average household has at least two paid subscriptions, costing $20 to $40 per month for access.
Take some time to review your TV, digital, and software subscriptions. How much are you paying monthly for things you might not be using?
Most people find they have more time to enjoy the subscriptions they love when they cut out the ones that don’t get used often.
11. Dates at Home
The typical date night in the United States involves going to a restaurant and seeing a movie at the theater. You’ll spend about $150 to do that.
You can purchase two steaks and rent a movie at the local Redbox for under $50. If you get dinner on sale, it might be less than $20 – splurge on your favorite beverage?
You can play board games, take a walk around your neighborhood, or try a new hobby together.
12. Plan for Impulse Purchases
Candy bars and sodas are at the front of grocery stores because they know you’re tired and thirsty after getting what you need. Those items are meant to tempt you.
Try taking some water and a snack with you to the store. Although some don’t allow food or drink, most of them will. Your budget and waistline will thank you when you can get into this habit.
13. Invest in Gym Equipment
The average gym membership in the United States is $700 per year. You can pay half that cost to stock equipment at home. Numerous bodyweight exercise programs are available for free on YouTube, allowing you to stay fit without spending as much cash.
If you struggle to get into the habit of working out, try using commercial breaks during your TV shows or videos to fill in that time. When you make it a priority, you’ll have more success come your way with it.
14. Make Coffee at Home
The average person under the age of 45 spends over $2,000 per year on coffee. Even if you limit yourself to one $5 drink each weekday, you’re spending more than $1,000.
You can buy different coffees and creamers to use at home for a fraction of the cost. Invest in a drip coffeemaker, get an espresso maker for under $50, and you’ll get that morning boost whenever you want it.
15. Look for Free Fun
Frugal living looks for ways to have fun without spending money. Try to visit museums when they have a free entry day. If you love watching sports, see when the local youth soccer or football club has its next home game.
You can take the kids to the park to play at the playground. Most beaches are free, so you can spend the day swimming, sunbathing, or reading. Why not have a sandcastle competition?
16. Become Energy Conscious
Most families can save $5 to $10 per month by remembering to shut off lights whenever they leave a room. Another option is to run a fan instead of an air conditioner.
Use cold water for your laundry, then hang your clothes out to dry in the sun instead of using a dryer.
In the winter, every one degree you turn down the thermostat equates to 1% utility savings. How much would your bill be if you dropped the indoor temperature from 75 to 65?
17. Make Gifts
It’s not a copout to make gifts instead of buying them for birthdays or the holiday season. Use your talents and skills to create something that people will love.
If you’re a painter, consider offering a one-of-a-kind piece. Photographers could take portraits or provide digital products to share on social media.
You could even make candles by purchasing cheap China teacups at a thrift store and pouring wax into them.
Numerous gift-making ideas are available on YouTube, Pinterest, and other websites to consider.
18. Build a Garden
You don’t need a lot of space to have a garden today. You can even grow many vegetables inside with only a few resources.
If you want to embrace frugal living with this tip, consider investing in a hydroponics setup. Plants grown this way require significantly less water and energy while growing faster.
You can also try planting vegetables in containers that stay on patios, porches, and decks. Don’t forget about herbs!
Homeowners can take this concept a step further by planting fruit trees. Canning apples, peaches, and others can give you year-round benefits.
19. Cut Your Own Hair
Pampering and beauty treatments can deliver plenty of physical and emotional benefits, but they aren’t always light on your checkbook. If you learn to care for yourself, cut your hair, and do your nails, you can save hundreds of dollars each year.
If you can’t take this investment out of your lifestyle, try reducing how often you make appointments. Cutting your time here by half can save up to 50%.
20. Travel During the Off-Season
Save your vacation time to visit the locations you love when everyone else is at work or school. That means you’ll take trips in October and November or February and March.
Although the weather might not be cooperative, hotels and restaurants will have discounted pricing. It’s usually cheaper to fly or drive during these times, which means you can see all the sites without spending as much as those who visit during the busy season.
21. Watch Broadcast TV
If you have cable TV, you’re spending $1,200 per year in unnecessary ways. The primary benefit of this investment is to watch live sports, but you can do the same thing by bundling Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus for $13.99 monthly.
Broadcast TV is available in HD, and you can still watch local sports with an appropriate antenna in most locations.
MLB and other leagues offer a free streaming game of the day, allowing you to stay in touch with your favorite teams.
22. Buy Products in Bulk
Everyone has frequently used items that they need almost every time they head to the store. This list includes soap, paper towels, toilet paper, and milk.
Perishables can be bought in bulk, cooked, and frozen to preserve their value.
Try to visit grocery stores early in the morning or late at night, buy the items that are about to spoil, and freeze them. This approach saves up to 70% on your food needs.
23. Make Money with an App
Dozens of money-making apps are available today for you to earn some cash with a side hustle. You can sell stock photography, invest in micro stocks, or even try your hand at cryptocurrency trades.
Some of the best apps to help you live a frugal lifestyle include Ibotta, Rakuten, and Swagbucks.
24. Downsize
A larger home has perks, but that extra space adds up quickly. Does everyone need their own bedroom, or would it be possible to share? Can you reduce your living spaces to focus on individual areas?
Your living expenses typically decline by 1% for every 15 square feet that you downsize.
25. Cut Up the Credit Cards
Credit cards should be an emergency-only asset. If you can’t afford to buy something with your income today, then save until you can reach that point.
The interest on a credit card gets expensive quickly. If you can’t pay off the balance each month, you’re overspending.
It might be necessary to cut up the cards to avoid using them for purchases.
26. Eliminate the Debt
Make it a priority to clear your debts for good because they are a drain on your resources. Once you eliminate this obligation from your life, you’ll never want to go back!
Finding frugal ways to live within your means allows you to break free from this financial burden. The only exception might be a mortgage since real estate accumulates in value significantly as time passes.
27. Share a Beverage
If you decide to splurge on a takeout meal, try purchasing one beverage cup instead of one for everybody. When the business offers free refills, you can keep going back to get what everyone needs.
Don’t forget to let everyone have their own straw to prevent swapping germs. If someone is sick, this option won’t work.
28. Eat a Good Breakfast
People tend to hit snacking urges around 10 AM and 2 PM each day. This happens because they haven’t given themselves enough calories to get through the day.
Instead of skipping breakfast to save money, load up on healthy carbs and proteins. When you combine this habit with a good night’s sleep, you’ll have more willpower to avoid snacking urges that can add up to a lot of cash getting spent.
29. Ditch the Data
If you only need a phone to stay in contact with others, it doesn’t need a data plan. You can save significantly by transitioning to a talk-and-text lifestyle.
Some people need mobile devices with data for their employment. Look for an unlimited plan that lets you accomplish your goals to keep costs down.
You don’t need luxury brands to accomplish your goals. Instead of flexing through consumerism, get the bare necessities and put the rest into your IRA or 401(k).
30. Avoid the Dishwasher
Dishwashers are convenient appliances, but they can suck up a lot of energy and use more water than you expect. The heat setting might make cleaning easier, but it’s also more expensive.
Try using a little dish soap and a rack that lets your dishes dry. If you turn off the water between rinses, you’ll have an affordable way to sanitize.
31. Ask for Discounts
The average store provides a 10% discount if you ask for something. Most people check out and avoid the social interaction with the cashier, which can add up to a lot.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate the prices, even if you shop in person. Even if you don’t save a lot, a little is still better than nothing.
32. Request the Leftovers
Grocery stores, bakeries, and other food producers put together shipments to food banks of their leftovers. It’s a donation that helps with taxes while providing a necessary resource to the community.
You can ask if the shipment is still there at the store. If it is, offer to buy the items you need from it. This option isn’t always possible, but it can save a ton of cash when it is.
33. Shop the Bottom Shelf
Stores stock the most expensive items at eye level. If you look up, you’ll see mid-range brands and overstock items.
Try looking closer to the floor instead. The products stocked on the bottom shelf tend to be the cheapest or offered at closeout prices.
Ignore the sales tags. Calculate the per-unit price to see if you’re getting a good deal.
34. Switch to Generic
Generic brands are often made in the same factory as the name-brand items that people enjoy. You can save 15% or more with this frugal living tip, and you won’t even experience taste or quality differences.
35. Join a Grower’s Co-op
Local farms sell co-op shares for vegetables, beef, pork, and other food essentials. You’ll pay a flat rate at the beginning of the season, and then receive a percentage share of the harvest based on what you invested.
This option helps you support local businesses, receive high-quality food, and spend less on your groceries.
36. Eliminate Disposables
Disposable products, such as plates and silverware, can eat into your budget quickly. Premade meals come in these containers, adding to the trash you generate daily.
Use flatware, plates, and glasses whenever possible. If you don’t have any, take a trip to your local Goodwill or thrift store to see what is available.
How to Start Living a Frugal Lifestyle
Start living a frugal lifestyle by implementing small changes to see how they feel. As comfort grows, try other tips that can help to save money. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy that works for everyone, so experiment with things that seem like they’d be successful.
I found that it was harder to give up eating out than I had anticipated. It was also a lot easier to give up some of my TV subscriptions than I expected.
After discovering that about myself, I’ve turned to a place of compromise. Instead of a complete restaurant meal, I order an appetizer and look for a new show or movie to watch when there is some downtime to enjoy.
I know some people have found a lot of frugal success by switching to generic brands, while others decide to shop at cheaper grocery stores. There is a solution out there for everyone, but it is up to you to find it.
These 36 frugal living tips can serve as an inspiration for you to take that first step.
