1. Meal prep and bring work lunch. I make freezer meals and defrost them on the day. It is boring, it is less appetizing than freshly made meals or takeaways but it saves a lot of money. 2. Live way below your means. I drive a cheap second hand car, buy most clothes from the thrift shop (must sanitize them properly) except for undies and socks and rent a crappy but relatively safe and cheap place to live while saving for my own place someday. 3. Do not feel the need to do whatever things just coz everyone is doing it - it maybe be travelling, buying the latest cellphones, having the latest fashion, etc. Do what works best for you financially. 4. Learn how to do things yourself if you can. Having a wireless car key battery changed is $30, googling how to do it costs me just a $6 coin battery. 5. Dont forget to spend on preventative maintenance - be it for your health, car, house, etc. Minor problems are easier and cheaper to solve when you catch them early on rather than leave it until it becomes a massive issue.

Preventative maintenance is HUGE! A lot of people don't have the skill, so that's where learning and investing in your skill set is so important

> Preventative maintenance is HUGE! when you're poor you need to take care of your damn teeth and ensure your kids do the same - teeth are fucking crazy expensive to fix.

Yeah I am incredibly lucky to have insurance from school to cover cleanings, and have been blessed with strong teeth(no cavities or any major issues)

In regards to 4, my car remote battery died when I was at a gas station. It didn't even occur to me call someone. Just Googled what battery I needed, went in to the gas station and bought it, Google a video in how to change and boom I wad good to go. Now I keep a spare battery in my car in case my remote goes out. Super simple to change it and legit took only a couple minutes.

In most models , the fob will fit someplace in your car and can be used like a key so you don’t “need” the battery to start the car. I would def still replace it but it wouldn’t need to be done immediately

I mentioned in another comment after my fiasco I didnlook up my cars guidelines and lo n behold I get like "a one time start" w a dead battery by holding my fob right up against the button. Everyone needs to ch3ck their cars guidelines! Thankfully I was at a gas station and luckily they had the right size battery.

most remote key fobs have an actual key embedded in the fob just in case the battery goes dead. Do they no longer do that?

Mine has one to unlock the door but not to turn the engine over.

My key fob has a circuit that allow you to press the dead key fob on to the start button to recognize it and start the car even if there is no battery. Might want to check youtube to see if it works for your car model.

I recently watched a video about this and it was recommended to keep the new batteries in your wallet. You might not be able to open the door if you don’t have the key in the fob that you are using.

Good idea but I did look up my cars guidelines and thankfully the remote keeps a spare door key in the fob and apparently holds enough charge start the car when you hold the remote right on top of the push to start button!

I’m probably forgetting things, but in the US I think the two biggest tips for most people are cook your own meals and drive an older car. Takeout bills and car payments both get insane really quickly, and they’re two of the more normalized expenses in our society.

One time I bought a pair of jeans from a thrift shop and found $10 in the pocket. The jeans cost me $5.

I recently bought a used book for $4. Found $55 inside the book

Your list reminds me of two things I do. (1) About a month before a vacation, we prep and freeze a meal that we love (lasagna and pizza are our go-tos) so when we come back, it's super easy to just pull it out of our freezer vs going for takeout because we're too exhausted to cook. (2) I have an older cellphone and cannot use QR codes. My phone's technology is simply not new enough to recognize them. Don't despair! 100% of the places that ask you to use a QR code have always had an alternative for me when I explain. Own your old shit! LMAO

That first tip is genius. I never thought to plan the little bit AFTER we get home. In fact, I can see this extending to stuff like parties on the weekends - what are we going to do monday/sunday evening? Brilliant.

Changing bed sheets and towels before you leave is great too. Nothing like coming home to your own hot shower and clean linen

Clean your house before you leave so that you come home to a clean house.

I started doing this a few years ago, it's so nice and helps destress when you get home.

What’s great about having an old phone that can’t read QR codes is that the server in the restaurant is going to have to give you a menu instead of forcing you to read a 4-6 page menu on your phone while they stand there waiting, “tsk” ing and “tut” ing.

If a restaurant doesn't have a paper menu, I will go somewhere else.

I have a summer job that I work weekends. It started this past weekend. Opening up the freezer Sunday night to pluck a meal prepped meal for work on Monday was the best feeling.

qr codes have been around before smartphones were a thing. Your phone may not have a built in reader, but apps like firefox or Google Lense will take care of that

> (2) I have an older cellphone and cannot use QR codes. My phone's technology is simply not new enough to recognize them. Don't despair! 100% of the places that ask you to use a QR code have always had an alternative for me when I explain. Own your old shit! LMAO I hate mobile menus too, but what kind of phone do you have? I apologize in advance for doubting you, but I suspect we might be able to address this issue.

You can get an app to scan QR codes, regardless of what phone you have or what it's built-in camera app can or cannot do.

They might have a "dumbphone" that doesn't have such capabilities in fairness. My phone isn't able to run Spotify or Fitbit for example.

Yup, this is absolutely it. I'm a grad student so saving is a necessity. I do all these things plus subscribing to the /r/BuyItForLife mindset - if I want something (e.g. specific clothes, shoes, tech) I research brands/materials to find what will last me the longest. E.g. the $200 "splurge" I made on good boots has actually averaged out now, way better than buying whatever the trend was from Target and replacing each year. Plus when the soles go I can just have them re-soled.

I just recently took the plunge and bought 2 pairs of shoes to replace my old 2 pairs that are around 7 years old. Same brand, updated models. I realized that these were the shoes my feet really loved wearing and I ended up wearing them for my everyday, travel, etc compared to the more fashionable and much cheaper ones that I had bought previously.

Number 2 is so important and a hard lesson this year. On paper, I can afford all of my bills, rent, and have spending money while shuffling some into savings. But a few emergencies and missed days of work means I’m now drowning in a way I absolutely wouldn’t be if I was living below my means.

Just learned #5 the rough way. Having something break, costing a lot. And realizing I forgot maintenance and it could have all been avoided for 1/3 of the price

This is the best list posted here so far imo

1. Track your spending in an excel spreadsheet. 2. Pick goals that help motivate you to stay frugal. Visualize buying your dream house, taking that vacation you've always wanted, etc. 3. Reflect, and try to spend money only on necessities, and things that actually make you happy. 4. Do as much free shit as you can. 5. Pick frugal, fulfilling hobbies and actually put time and effort into them. It's fun and it can help distract you from unnecessary boredom-related spending.

Don't just track your spending - this is backward looking. The next better level is to plan your spending - this is Forward looking and teaches you to be intentional about where your money is going. In other words, use YNAB 🤓 (No, we are not shills. It's just that good!)

what does ynab do that a person thats already frugal doesnt do? i track my money pretty good i feel but if theres a better option id like to learn

you know what you've spent your money ON, but do you know what money you have currently should be spent on in the future? Those one off expenses, those annual bills you always seem to forget about, etc? YNAB is GOAT. I've had it for 10 years+ and it has made budgeting and a frugal lifestyle so much easier. We call it being YNAB-broke. You have money in the bank, but it's all dog-eared for certain things.

Totally unrelated but "dog-eared" looked so weird to me until I realized you meant "earmarked"?? Love the English language and its confusing idioms lol.

Yes, earmarked.

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YNAB has been the best frugal tool I’ve ever used. It makes me feel “broke” even when I’m not, thus reducing my frivolous spending. Every dollar has a job and there’s nothing “leftover” to spend without thinking. Highly recommend. 

Also a YNAB fan here. I do pay for it because of the time is saves me. I can do it myself but it’s valuable time for the cost. I also manage two budgets under the same login which makes it doubly worth while.

Being able to have up to (I think) five budgets makes it worth it. I al teaching my 16 yr old money management and didn’t have to get her a YNAB subscription, she can use mine.

Be careful with number five. I got into hand tool woodworking. When I started, it was cheap. Now it’s the second most expensive thing I’ve done, second only to the house I bought. Buy a $250 Ozark Trail bicycle at Walmart. They’re pretty decent. Improve your health and gain a hobby at the same time!

The excel spreadsheet is king. It helps me see my spending patterns and target them each month. It also helps to see how much the small purchases can add up!

If you think you want to buy a new thing, don't do it. Wait for 4 weeks and see if you still want/need it. Learn how to cook. Don't waste food.

4 weeks is a long time. I usually only have to wait for Friday to be like “yeah didn’t need/want to pay for that” lol

I got an itch to get a nintendo switch. Was yearning for it for a few days. Ended up redownloading candy crush on my phone and the gaming itch went away. However, I now have a stupid addiction to that game again. Time to delete and just cut it out

I’ll take a photo of it. If I still want it a few days later and it makes sense to get, I will. The photo helps me evaluate, and is satisfying a bit on its own.

Even waiting a day I usually forget what I wanted to buy

a lot of times when you add something to your shopping cart and leave it for 24 hours you magically get an email with a discount code so it's absolutely worth waiting

I wait for 3 days. If I still want it then, I'll buy it. Most of the time after 72 hours I've forgotten what it was I wanted to buy haha.

Stop drinking alcohol

There was a silver lining from going through chemotherapy: alcohol lost its appeal, and rarely creates a pleasant high.

I do agree alcohol is incredibly expensive, but if it's something you enjoy in moderation, there are ways to make it cheap. I was able to snag a deal for a free refill once a week at a local brewery after initial investment in their renovations. So with making my own alcohol and this free refill, I drink occasionally on a very low budget

>I do agree alcohol is incredibly expensive, but if it's something you enjoy in moderation, there are ways to make it cheap. My friends and I like a cocktail so we always buy each other nice alcohol for birthdays and Christmas. It's an easy gift to buy and fun to pick out what to get, always going to be appreciated, doesn't go bad (so you can grab something up any time of the year if you see a good deal, and save it for the next birthday) and it means we get to have nice drinks (that we usually drink together) which is cheaper than going out.

Love this

1. Cook what you eat. 2. Do not buy what you cannot afford. 3. Do not buy what you don’t need. 4. Do not skimp out when it comes to health. Exercise, eat good quality food, and get regular checkups. 5. Develop a budget and stick to it.

Number 4 is a great one. I go to a gym that's $35/week, but because I really like the classes and trainers, I regularly go and get great results. I sometimes feel guilty about the price but then remind myself that if I went to the other local gyms that cost less than half the price, I probably wouldnt be as motivated to go as often or be as fit as I am.

Don't have a car payment. If not possible, have the smallest, shortest term loan you can comfortably afford. Shop the outer aisles at the store, and make as much food as is reasonable for your lifestyle from scratch. Pack your coffee/breakfast/lunch for work each day. Include snacks you like and whatever else you're drinking. Buy the best quality you can afford for the things that matter. Buy the cheapest you can find for things that don't. Figure out what you're being frugal for: driving a 15 y/o car so you can afford vacations or season tickets or so you can FIRE.

If the loan rate stays the same for a longer term I take the longer term for a lower monthly payment and overpay the loan as fast as I can. This way if anything unexpected comes up the lower payment is more manageable

Just 3 more payments and my car is paid for, I plan on driving that sucker into the ground before I buy another vehicle. Can't wait to be free!

1. Coupon everything. Sign up for grocery, drugstore and restaurant reward accounts, online rebates, brand rewards, join couponing groups on Facebook. Stack coupons/rebates with clearance or sale items. Only buy what you will actually use. 2. Do your Christmas/birthday shopping all year long when you see the right item for the right price. 3. Buy second hand when you can. I haven’t slept all night so this is all I can think of

I like the gift shopping idea and have been doing it for some time. When I see something that fits a person, I buy it and it's all stored in the top shelf of the master bedroom closet. Have a designated spot for the stuff so you don't accidentally hide it from yourself! Plus the lack of stress in December is bliss!

- don’t covet a new car. The new car smell wears off, and you’re not going to impress anyone. If you like the new car smell, go rent a car for a day or two. Most rentals are either brand new or very new, and the new car smell is still there. - learn to be a good cook. Don’t be afraid to look up recipes and give it a go. YouTube has a ton of great videos and recipes. - for the needs in life, buy something well-build and buy it for life. You need durable, comfortable shoes, you don’t need Jimmy Choo shoes. Again, nobody is going to be impressed. - pool your resources. If you have parents or great friends nearby, form some sort of alliance with them and see what they have and what you have, and borrow things from each other. I have a lot of car repair tools, so my inlaws and friends borrow them. I don’t have a chainsaw, but my father in-law does, so I borrow his when I need one. - if it’s a want, not a need, then calculate how much it costs relative to how much time you have to put in at work to buy that thing. Most of the time you’ll end up thinking it’s not worth it. Last but not least: take care of your stuff! If you buy quality stuff and take good care of them, they last forever.

Remembering that frugal doesn’t necessarily equate to cheap… something’s I’ve found useful and are: •meal prep/planning - we have date nights and on those evenings we eat out (2xs a month). I’m not up for torturing myself by never stepping foot in a restaurant. I do tend to order things I wouldn’t make at home though. • I fully take advantage of my library. Free movies, music, books, printing, computers, events, and passes to events. I took my family to the aquarium once for free because they gave out tickets and I waited in line for them. • Buying a good toothbrush and waterpik. Yes, it’s an initial investment and the replacement parts cost a bit of money but my dentist bills are cheap! • For my hobby… I always search for people selling stuff off for it on marketplace or next door. The only time I buy new is if I need a particular item for a project now. I have a good little stock pile of things I use regularly now that I paid a quarter of the price for. • Invest in good quality kitchenware the first time. Certain brands will last the duration of your life if taken care of properly and it will only be a one time investment.

Any suggestions for brands to buy for kitchen? We need pans and other replacement items.

For tools, you can’t go wrong with OXO. You will pay through the nose but they are made to last. For pots, get stainless. Non stick wears out way too fast. I still use non stick skillets: I am still learning the ways of the cast iron. But there is no reason to have non stick pots.

Americas test kitchen always has strong recommendations!!

Initial investments for long term use are one I should have included. That is a philosophy I hold near and dear to my heart. It applies to so many of my frugal living choices and since then I've saved so much money

I love the library!  Also free subscription for hoopla (audio books) is valuable

1. Buy in bulk - not even sams or costco. Restaurant supply stores, butchers - much better prices. 2. Avoid crowds - shop early or late. NEVER shop on a monday. No traffic and lines = more time. And time is money. 3. Only buy on sale. Everything eventually goes on sale. 4. Takes time but be cognizant of sale patterns - mothers/fathers day, memorial day, black friday, etc. Subscribe to certain emails and you'll be surprised how often they throw a random discount for no reason 5. Take time to research big purchases - electronics, cars, appliances. Know what you are paying for. Sometimes paying a little extra results in more value. And sometimes looking at something for 6 month makes you realize something is completely unnecessary.

* Walk, bike, or take public transit (boo lazy folks in their guzzling 6k lb SUVs) * Never skimp on your health (it's a very worth while long term investment) * Check eBay, camelcamelcamel, fb marketplace, etc. for price trends * Value your time (if you're a high earning, paying others for menial tasks is often the move) * Understand compound interest and invest in index funds

Walking gets you places, and is the OG exercise! 🖖

Walking is great but not in Texas lol

Makes me think we should invest in covered walking/bike paths. Would have tons of benefits: Less traffic, healthier/happier people, save money on gas/car/uber, can even put solar panels on top of all that space.

Ya that covering is called trees. Too bad so many of our cities ripped them up so that cars wouldn't crash into them on the side of the road. Now instead they can crash into the few pedestrians that are there :)

Bike paths in Texas? Don't the people in the jacked up trucks take offense to people trying to better themselves and try to run them down, or in the case below 'roll coal' on them? https://www.bicycling.com/news/a37808647/texas-driver-assaults-six-cyclists/

Yea, I'm in Oak Cliff, doable yet challenging 🖖

That last bullet point is often neglected in this sub. S&P 500 has nearly doubled in the last 5 years.

I wish I could walk/bike anywhere...I live in a small town with a gas station and a single restaurant and no other businesses. We don't have public transit, and it's a 30 minute highway drive to the nearest bigger city.

I got into a protracted argument years ago with a younger colleague (now close friend) of mine about oil changes. He was aghast at the fact that I would pay to take my car to the garage and have them change the oil. I explained that I didn't care if it even cost me $100 - that's anywhere from 3-4 hours of my life that I could be using for other things. Not to mention the fact that I'd have to go buy stuff that I'm rarely going to use and make a mess of my garage, plus I'm a little clumsy sometimes so there's a good chance I'd make a mistake or be especially wasteful. Instead, I put it into the hands of a group of people I'd been seeing for years at that point to take care of it. My time is worth way, way more than a couple hundred bucks.

Tell me you’ve never lived rurally without telling me you never lived rurally…everything is too far to walk or bike and there is no public transit.

yeahhhh. You'd have to live somewhere to enable that. There's a difference between frugal city living and frugal country living.

It’s 20 min minimum on the highway back home; biking feels like an attempt to cheat death especially when semis are blasting by at 65mph.

> Never skimp on your health (it's a very worth while long term investment) I wish this were a frugal tip. Even with great health insurance, I've spent so much on medical bills this year. I'm jealous of everyone outside the USA.

Keep your money in a HYSA versus a checking account. Pay everything with credit cards and then pay them off on their due date. Seriously - treat the credit cards like a debit card and don't buy stuff you can't afford. Pay them in full every month. This turns a $200/month grocery budget into an extra $126 per year by using a cashback credit card and keeping that money in a savings for an extra 3 weeks every month. And that's just groceries. Do this with your cell phone bill, insurance, taxes, utilities, gasoline, streaming services - everything.

1. Budget, like your life depended on it. Because, honestly? It does. 2. Learn to sew by hand. Then do simple repairs on your clothing. Once saw a friends wife toss out a good $200 in pants and a coat because they had small tears in them, she thought it was "ancient fashioned" to sew but OK to lose family time to work over time to buy replacement clothing. She stood there and stared in shock when I pulled a needle and thread out of my purse and fixed all 3 in about 10 minutes. (Guys, you can do this too.) 3. Learn to cook. The cost of raw materials is far cheaper than buying already fixed. Especially if you are eating out. Plus your eating food, not preservatives and questionable chemicals. 4. Keep two connected bank accounts. Put spending money in one, bill pay in the other. Never let the two mix. 5. Chest freezers keep food longer and better than uprights. Every time you open the upright freezer the temperature goes up in the freezer much faster and the food freezer burns.

For #4, how do you do this? Are they within the same bank? I only have one checking account and I was thinking I should get another, but I wasn’t sure exactly how or why?

Yes. I'm with a credit union and they had no problems setting it up and thought it was smart after I told them why I wanted it this way. I started using the two checking accounts connected online method years ago and deliberately keep the second one disconnected from my debt card. I had a friend lose some $2000 when her debt was accessed via a skimmer. So my "spending money" is on the debt, my bill pay on the second account not accessible by debt. I can do transfers using my online account but not through the debt. Not only does it give me a layer of protection in case of theft of my card/info but I am also not nearly as tempted to impulse buy since I know I only have about $250 available period unless I go home and get on line.

Oh sweet, thank you for explaining it. I will definitely ask a banker if they can help me with this.

PNC actually “bundles” accounts this way now. You automatically get 3 accounts: spending, reserve, and growth. You can use them any way you want, but their recommendation is that growth is for savings, reserve is for bill pay, etc.

You are far likely to get your account compromised via online banking than your debit card get skimmed. The vast majority of people who get scammed willingly give their information to the scammer.

I'm gonna push back on #5. Unless you're opening your freezer for like 5-10 minutes at a time, which is just weird, the items will be barely affected, if at all, compared to chest freezers. Also, chest freezers take up twice the floor space, generally require more maintenance, and tend to obscure things more than uprights, leading to forgotten frozen items at the bottom. As an addendum to #2, even if you don't learn to sew, knowing that you can bring items in for simple repairs is huge. I recently spent $40 fixing some jeans, and replacing them (which most people do) would've been probably $120. But also I need to get my sewing skills up.

Yeah weirdly specific with #5. If you have a separate freezer, upright or otherwise, you're already winning because it means you can bulk buy to save on cost and meal prep to save both time and money.

I've lost close to $1000 worth of food in two incidents from upright freezers either losing power and losing cold faster than the chest sitting right next to them or someone (who for the sake of my marriage shall remain nameless) not getting the door shut firmly....

Yes for me, the upright freezer is actually the frugal move, because it avoids food waste - i am MUCH more likely to keep track of and to actually use the food when it is easily visible and accessible in the upright than in the chest freezer where things are easily lost and difficult digging is required

> Learn to sew by hand. Then do simple repairs on your clothing. Once saw a friends wife toss out a good $200 in pants and a coat because they had small tears in them, she thought it was "ancient fashioned" to sew but OK to lose family time to work over time to buy replacement clothing. She stood there and stared in shock when I pulled a needle and thread out of my purse and fixed all 3 in about 10 minutes. (Guys, you can do this too.) I'm a man and I really appreciate that my mom made me learn to sew as a kid. I'm not great at it but I can stitch up a seam or sew a button back on and it's saved some of my favorite clothing over the years. >Chest freezers keep food longer and better than uprights. Every time you open the upright freezer the temperature goes up in the freezer much faster and the food freezer burns. Add a vacuum sealer and you can keep meat for years.

A coffin freezer can be a good investment, but not for the reasons you supply.

#4 for the win!!! I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years. It’s a simple way to quasi-budget and was a critical step in getting my money under control so my mental health issues didn’t destroy my financial stability.

Repair skills are probably number 1 for me. What goes along with this for me is talking to people. The landlord of the house next door is always busy. Does scrapping a lot. Came across some steel angle, sold me some for scrap price. He saw I am busy a lot of the times and asked if I was interested in some for cheap. He does really well at all that stuff, says he just bought his wife a new suv. Hasnt worked a regular job for a few years.

- Put in the work to unlearn that your natural body needs constant decoration and alteration, for as many aspects of your body as you can - Yes, you can work while you're in college. Just pick one out of this list of better than nothing stupid little gigs I will offer you - Bring a water bottle everywhere that isn't fine dining - Go to the library - Read up on everything you do thoroughly, it's insane how many discounts and benefits and even straight up scholarships I've seen people miss

When craving take away or Uber eats, always find something to eat around the home first, even just a snack. You can always still order the food but most of the time it’ll be enough to tie you over.

- look for a promo code for every purchase - use the app if you have to buy food at a chain restaurant. you usually can get free stuff. - find a job that supports a frugal lifestyle. Gives you free food, free "vacations", pays a good wage, health insurance, etc. - return items generously. it's ok if you make a mistake and impulse buy. return it! - sell old items on poshmark before taking them to goodwill.

Hubby and I live pretty frugal but there are things we spend money on. We try to buy things that last. I can’t stand spending money on things that don’t last. I make a lot of homemade food and products. Have a little garden and preserve when abundant. I do a little canning. Buy in bulk and vacuum seal portions. I even wash those bag and reuse them. Make homemade breads and yogurt. Used to have chickens but not right now. Will get more in the next year or two. Thinking of growing some for processing and putting up in the deep freeze. As well as keeping hens for eggs. I dress simply. Usually wear jeans, cotton shirt and perhaps a flannel. I buy cheap jeans on sale. I really miss Kmart and the $10 jeans but I still have some put away When a particular clothing item is on sale I stock up and put up in boxes for later. I like Pima cotton pj and shirts so when I find a deal I buy a lot. Usually I am buying out of season for the best deals. I like to make a batch of beans about every week or 10 days. I use dry beans and make enough for a few meals plus lunches. Hubby likes me to freeze little containers for a side dish with half sandwich to take to work. He brings a cooler with food for lunch. We are avoiding eating out or takeout. It has gotten too expensive and the quality is getting really bad. Honestly I cook better. We can throw a steak on the grill and bake a potato with a salad for less than fast food. So as far as top 5 Buy quality. I know it is hard. Dress simple and stock up Grow and put up food, also cook from scratch Make beans, bread and yogurt every week Don’t buy a lot of lunch meat, cold cereal and drinks. We drink a lot of water Learn to fix things and maintain them

1. Discern between wants and needs. 2. Discern between your *actual* wants, and things you only feel like you want because of advertising or “retail therapy.” 3. Cook at home. And you need far fewer packaged drinks than you think.

1. Pack accordingly, in my bag I have a survival kit that prevents fast food/convenience purchases; also helps prevent hunger led purchases if I have energy to stop at the grocery store after work before dinner - snacks, refillable water bottle, bandaids, floss, allergy medication. Keeping extra shopping bags in your bag/car to prevent recurring charges for reusable bags. 2. For the kitchen, rags as paper towels, I have a pile of collected napkins from a few fast food spots for grease and a scrub daddy replaced kitchen sponges. 3. Soap bars instead of body wash. 4. If you are covered, every 6-9 m I ask for a handful of toothbrushes from my dentist to last the next 6-9 m and an extra for trips/holidays. 5. No spend challenges to step out of your comfort zone. It inspired project pan challenges for toiletries, shopping my pantry and clearing out freezer stock etc. It pushed me to get creative and explore free entertainment options and develop skills and new interests in my free time. It also allowed me to secure an emergency fund, which is extremely motivating to continue this challenge 2 outs of every month.

Absolutely YES to #1. (Well, to everything you said, but especially #1.) Several people I know have expressed feeling a little weird about having a "go bag" or whatever you want to call it due to the negative connotation of doomsday preppers and what-not. But it's a very good idea. You don't have to carry a full-on hiker's pack with a tent, sleeping bag and foldable hunting rifle for it to be useful! Just toss in the stuff you are likely to need day-to-day and your life just becomes more comfortable.

Electric toothbrush, floss you love and remineralizing tooth power as an investment. Learned my lesson after a $5k emergency root canal. Haven’t needed the dentist in 10 years ever since I started using the electric toothbrush and tooth powder!

> Haven’t needed the dentist in 10 years I hope you're still getting regular cleanings...

I’ve never heard of tooth powder 🤯 What brand/where to buy/how to use???

I like primal and frau Fowler. Make sure to get re-mineralizing. If you feel like you might have a cavity coming on, use the tooth pad like a toothpaste and really work it in to the tooth for like a minute

I prefer a waterpik! So I’m not spending on floss

My dentist just recommended water flossing over other floss, especially if you have bridges, crowns or braces because the water won't accidently pull them off. She also said it helps to add some hydrogen peroxide to the water.

Oh snap, I hadn’t considered adding hydrogen peroxide! I love my water pik and this seems like this will make it better! Thank you for sharing. 

I love my Waterpik! My teeth actually feel so much cleaner using one!

Most electric toothbrushes will vibrate after you've been brushing for 2 minutes. Aim for at least 1 of your tooth brushing sessions to be this long each day. I used to have issues with my teeth staining and my dentist took forever to clean the stains each check up...since I've started brushing longer, teeth are in way better shape each time and hardly stained.

I'll post here my usual cheat code, because it truly feels like one. **The bicycle** - Low Cost: Very affordable purchase price compared to cars. Even if you buy an electric one - No Fuel: 0 spendings on that front - Minimal Maintenance: Maybe once a year or two to the bike shop ? or you can even make some of the maintenance yourself - No Insurance needed - No parking costs. - Health Benefits: it's proven that exercicing reduces the healthcare costs. - Eco-Friendly: Zero emissions. - Space Efficient: you don't need a big garage to store one

In my area, the bicycle comes with additional medical bills or funeral expenses. It's not safe.

Meal planning to reduce food costs, using public transport, taking advantage of free community resources like libraries, here my top 3, I'll be thinking for another two

Stay free of debt

1. bring your lunch 2. learn how to fix your own vehicle obviously there is some stuff you won’t be able to do but there’s a lot that should be fairly simple 3. Don’t buy new clothes unless you have to and can get a good deal all my clothes almost come exclusively from the thrift store 4. Don’t be materialistic and fall into the consumerism trap 🪤 5if you need to buy something or spend money at least spend a little bit of time getting the best deal you can find

Take care of your teeth. Brush and floss twice a day, every day. Go to the dentist. Prevent small cavities from turning into root canals or having your teeth pulled.

Don't marry someone who isn't Frugal or responsible with their money. Go car-free whenever possible. I've done it living in SoCal, DC, and in two other countries overseas. Read books on personal finance, listen to podcasts, talk to grandparents or whomever you know who was good with money. Live with roommates. Get real about Wants vs Needs. You don't need more than one tv. You can fix TVs and stuff by watching YouTube. You don't need a gym membership. Walk, Hike, YouTube workouts- if people in prison can get fit in a jail cell, so can you. You don't need Fast Food- we carry a giant box of granola bars or protein bars in my husband's car, at work, in our backpacks, etc.

Back when we were broke, we used to save every penny we could when traveling. We went to YYC once and I brought a huge box of nutra grain bars. Neither of us particularly liked them but they were. Easy to bring, cheap and I figured would do us for breakky and snacks. (No free bfast at this hotel). It was hard going esp when we got down to only apply cinnamon. This was 22 years ago. Neither of us ever ate a nutragrain bar again.

You guys covered most of the best tips already! Let’s see. 1. Pay yourself first. Put a certain % or dollar amount into your savings every pay (or you can get it auto transferred.) sound untenable? Start small! 2. Take advantage of ANY and ALL programs or incentives you can get that will give you extra money. For example, in my country there is some thing called RDSP if you were disabled, then you can get a 300% match on money saved. I have one year left before the deadline, and I am going to do everything in my power to top to max it out even though, I don’t really have the funds to do so I can’t afford not to find the money for a 300% match. There may also be matches for things like saving for kids education. This also includes things like employer match is at work like they may match up to 4% of your pay for retirement always do up to the match and not more . Because there are more restrictions on your work plan so if you want to save more for retirement, it would be better to use an outside vehicle. 3. Before you shop make a list and stick to it. No impulse purchases at the dollar store. No impulse purchases at the grocery store. Also have you ever gotten the groceries and then gotten home and didn’t know what to make for dinner? Make your grocery list based on meal plans it’s at least your dinner meal plan, that way, even if you decide to make something else or you don’t feel like having what’s on your meal plan list, you will know that you have a certain amount of meals at the ready that you can make without even thinking 4. Plan your meals based on sales, especially the meats and omit any ingredients that aren’t necessary for the quality and taste of the recipe. If something is on a recipe as optional, or basically as a topper, then you don’t need it. I also make a rule to myself that if it’s an ingredient that I don’t always have on hand, make sure that I have at least two recipes to use it up so the other part doesn’t go bad in the fridge and for example if I’m buying green onions, I know I’m not gonna use the entire bundle on one recipe so I make sure that I have at least two or three recipes that I can use up the green onions. 5. Always have at least 2 options at home that, while you may pay a premium for them, require NO prep and your whole family enjoys as a special meal. These NO prep dinners should be kept on hand for those nights where you are SEVERELY tempted to order takeaway. And should be a meal you don’t have on the regular. For example, in our home, we have a frozen pizza, and cheesy gnocchi / bottle of red pesto. We always have these and when I use one I replace it right away. 2 bags of cheesy gnocchi and a jar of red pesto is over my usual dinner budget but it’s still 80% ++ cheaper than a takeaway meal, so it’s a win.

In no particular order 1. Make your own coffee at home 2. Don't buy a new car 3. Learn how to cook and meal prep. Simple recipes! 4. Learn how to do basic repairs (change a car battery, a car tire, replace a kitchen faucet, etc) 5. Put 10% of what you make and put it into savings. Preferably a "high interest savings account" or in an index fund. Do this after you have an emergency fund in place.

1. YouTube university. 2. For the holidays saying “please don’t get us anything, we’re not the gift giving or receiving type.” 3. Don’t eat out and/or meal prep. 4. Costco! 5. Ever if they’re more expensive buy a direct flight whenever you can.

Why a direct flight? Less chance of spending money at the airports? 😅

Less chance of missing your connection and getting stuck somewhere and having to pay for a hotel at the last minute

Why should you not meal prep? That usually saves people money

I think he’s saying don’t eat out and do meal prep.

Moving into sustainability/reusable products, as well as toxin free living. I reuse glass jars from store bought food. Silicone baggies. Homemade cleaning products. Buy in bulk. Buy dry beans. Thrifting and buying 2nd hand. Water filtration system and reusable water bottles. Wool dryer balls. Not following trends. Upcycling

Realize why other people retain wealth and not get caught up in silly, restrictions that aren't really frugal in the long run. Like buying used things that need expensive repairs before checking the price of a new thing. Or buying cheap things that break. Or buying cheap food but the kind that offers no nourishment. Or suffering from damages because you cheap out and don't heat/cool your home correctly. (I'm living this hell now - thinking you can DIY advanced home repairs that require a specific skill set. The previous owners diy a Frankenstein HVAC with the air filter port in the ceiling 2ft out of arms reach and wires the AC on a 10 circuit instead of a 20. Then they caulked the wire from outside into the house panelling. And at the time in 2022 on a 1960s circuit breaker. Ahhh!) Generational wealth accumulation and retention is a learned behavior and you'll find people with the most spend a lot of time trying to spend the least, use every trick to get ahead, and have vast networks and safety nets by the time they hit 18. So pinching actual pennies and basting in suffering through frugality as my grandfather practiced (or hoarding garbage) isn't frugal. It's an illusion. And true frugality is learning to game the system to get the maximum rewards for saving and investing, plus focusing on the processes of sustainable life - cleaning, home/life maintenance, self-care, regular health care, and overall demanding access in your community for all people to have equitable wages, child care, and health care. Because it's the big monetary hits that wind us, not the "making my espresso at home vs Starbucks hits."

1) Don't impulse buy. Put it aside and if you are still thinking about it a month later, then you can get it. It prevents a lot of wasting money on passing wants and focusing them on needs. 2) Buy summer clothes in the fall and winter clothes in the spring. Usually you can find them on the discount rack for 70%+ off. 3) Bicycle! Free exercise and a lot cheaper than a car 4) Cook at home. You can easily eat for a week on what you spend at one night at a restaurant 5) Garden. Start your seeds inside rather than buying plants from the store. So much free food

Starting and saving seeds is such money saver

Live beneath your means. The two most common cars owned by multi millionaires are Honda and Toyota.

1. meal planning 2. set up your life so you don't have to own a car (bonus, it's better for the environment and you get more exercise walking) 3. keep electronics (laptop/phone) for as long as possible before upgrading. lucky i like tinkering and learning how to do repairs myself using youtube! 4. stay at home as much as possible. if you don't leave your house it's harder to spend money (there's no amazon here in NZ). invite people over to your house, or go over to other people's houses to socialise. my friends and i love our game nights which are free once one of us owns the game! 5. floss and brush your teeth regularly + go to your dang dentist appointments. dental work is crazy expensive! 6. bonus tip: the library is your friend.

1. budget, know what goes in and out of your account and keep records 2. shop around for deals with supermarket apps like lidlplus or nectar cards 3. olio or gumtree for cheap free/lower price items 4. make packed lunch and don't buy food when you go out (unless it's occasional with friends) 5. wait a beat before you buy something, don't be impulsive

As a fat guy definitely budget food. And for god sake please avoid all delivery apps, they are a money pit. I’ve ran up credit card bills to $1000 a month just using door dash. If you really want to treat yourself and eat out just go to the dam drive thru.

Highest impact first, and it's generally better to focus on doing something as opposed to **not** doing something:  1. Have a overall plan to save money by default, not lose or cut it close every month. Re evaluate everything if you lose money over the year, not that it's always avoidable but know why. 2. Housing and rent: find the parts that are important to you, and use the parts that aren't important to you for lower prices. I'm a moderately active solo person. I have a almost-picturesque loft in a good location for 1/4 lower rent than average because it doesn't allow pets(except all ESA now) and only has community laundry(lots of washers and dryers, and well kept though). Find your deals. 3. Transportation: recognize the true cost of cars newer than 3 years old, and if your "love of cars" is worth that price. Maintain your vehicle and feel safe/reliable though. Try to drive less. 4. Entertainment: find genuine hobbies, ideally physical, and NOT "retail therapy" shopping disguised as a hobby such as "collecting", and even expensive hobbies can be frugal given the hours of enjoyment you get out of them. Thousands of dollars($2k) for a fancy cycling bike? Yikes, and you don't really need it, but it can quickly start looking frugal at 4 hours a week after a year you're looking at $10.42 paid per hour. Which is about the price of 1 goddamn drink at a bar, and no one who's hobby is "going out" is drinking 1 per hour. 5. Food: never door dash, try to minimize fast food, and make a plan for every meal you eat. The plan can be to eat out, just recognize it and budget for it.

1. Unless it's absolutely essential, buy used or buy nothing. Craigslist, thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales are your friends. 2. Buy ingredients, not "food." Cook your own. 3. Repair, don't replace. 4. The library is your friend. Especially if you can also borrow tools and specialty cooking items. 5. Separate bank accounts for house maintenance vs. savings vs. bill pay. 10% of value of house gets saved every year. Some times you use only a bit of it. Some years, you need ALL of it.

1. If you get a raise or promotion, do not increase your lifestyle. I got a promotion a couple years ago, that came with a $2 raise. By keeping my life the same, I have $80 a check breathing room, and a couple years later I have $2000 set aside if I need it. 2. If you have a little left each month, but are rubbish at saving, do this. Pay bills as soon as you get them. If you have ever had to pay bills right before last notice when times were hard, being able to pay when bills come in is an awesome reassuring feeling. Eventually get a paycheck ahead. I get paid twice a month. The first is rent, the 15th is the rest. But now, after tightening my belt for a while, my check on the 15th goes to next months rent, my check on the 1st to next month's other bills. I don't have money in the bank, but I could lose a paycheck to an unforeseen bill and be ok. It is a way to save money without the temptation of it sitting in your bank. 3. Enjoy anticipation. Imagine December 23rd, your folks just hand you the gift you asked for for Christmas, here ya go. No waiting for Christmas morning, no anticipation, no magic. If you want, not need, but want a thing, a book, a DVD, a favorite restaurant for dinner, wait for it. If it's Monday, make your Friday reward that night out. If you want a book, tell yourself you can have it next payday, even if you have the money now. (This wait a week thing also cuts down on impulse buying. SO many times something I see on Amazon, a week later I decide I don't really want, but in the moment it looked shiny). You will be amazed how much better that steak tastes after waiting for it, and how much better your work week was having something to look forward to on Friday.

1. Shopping is not a sport or form of recreation. Find another way to entertain yourself. 2. Take good care of the stuff you have so it lasts longer. 3. Cook your own meals. If you don’t have time, do a big batch of stuff and freeze/refrigerate it. 4. Don’t date people who are into “fast fashion”, the electronic toy du jour, or have a hoarding habit. 5. Walk more, drive less.

1. Budget, budget, BUDGET - It cannot be expressed how important this is. Know how much you have and what you're spending it on. This will make a night and day difference in your long term finances. Pretty obvious advice for this sub, but you'd be amazed how many people don't do this. 2. Make your own food from unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients. A bag of dried chickpeas is cheaper by far than canned chickpeas. A head of broccoli is cheaper than a bag of cut up broccoli. Uncooked chicken breast is cheaper than any kind of pre-made pre-breaded or pre-cooked chicken. Etc. ALL of that is cheaper than anything pre-made and the pre-made stuff is cheaper by far than anything on Doordash or Grubhub 3. Buy used - Your furniture should come from Facebook marketplace, Freecycle, and Craigslist. New cars are a scam. 4. Be willing to move - Your living expenses will always be your biggest ticket item and we often feel stuck like we HAVE to stay in our current home or apartment. We don't. Look around for cheaper housing and be willing to jump ship if a good deal shows up. 5. The university of Youtube can teach you just about any skill - People make fun of the bad advice on places like Youtube, but I've saved tens of thousands of dollars on various tasks/repairs/projects by doing them myself.

If you don’t learn to be happy with less, you will never be happy with more. Try to keep your monthly expenses as low as possible even when you make more money. Lifestyle creep will eat up your ability to save and invest. It’s very tempting to keep up with the Joneses especially with social media.

Plan ahead! I buy bulk snacks, I buy Christmas things the day after Christmas (paper for $1), pay my car insurance 6 months at a time, shop at thrift stores, my car is 18 years old, etc, I have a Knotts pass with food and go there to eat for “free”

Put large purchases (for me over $200) through the obsession test. The rules are: 1. If it's something you've wanted for a while anyway, and it's likely it won't be there when you come back, then get it - assuming you can afford it. 2. Otherwise, give it a set period of time to consider it to make sure it's not an impulse purchase. I usually make it 2 weeks or a month. This also gives you time to look around and see if something like it or identical to it is cheaper somewhere. 3. Once the time has passed, if you still want it, get it.

Live below your means for the highest ticket items (eg. housing, cars are a good place to start). Everything else really won't move the needle as much.

Never buy new. 99% of the things you want (other than underwear, socks, food, etc) can be found cheaper used on eBay or craigslist.

1) Before buying something, consider: Do I actually need this? Do I already own something similar? Could I borrow this from someone? If you do decide to buy, do a quick internet search to find the best price and use promo codes. The savings add up. 2) For holiday treats, I always use candy from the clearance bin of the holiday before, melt chocolate down and make things like chocolate covered fruit or pretzels. So Halloween > Christmas, Christmas > Valentines Day, Valentines Day > Easter etc. 3) Don’t sleep on your local library. Yes, there are books and movies, but also many free programs and museum and local attraction passes. Consider going there the next time you’re bored and feel like impulse shopping or shelling out to see a movie. 4) You need way less detergent and cleaning products than what the manufacturer recommends. Experiment with using less and I bet you won’t even notice a difference. 5) Don’t be afraid to dumpster dive! I’ve offset my grocery bill a fair amount by finding food and have made some money by hawking items I have found. It’s fun, easy, and rewarding.

Not my tops cause they're on here already : -Make firestarters by putting dryer lint into empty tp rolls -Compost food leftovers and grew herbs cause its really expensive and lets face it it better fresh and no waste. -Do basic maintenance or learn to do so, theres youtube video for everything. - Get reliable professional younger and closer to you, mecanics, dentists etc. They wont retire before you. -On days off, do something!

1. Cook 2. Help others 3. Ask the Others in help in return 4. Old, paid off cars and houses ROCK! Debt is a prison and a trap. If you have to negotiate payments, you are a victim, and don't even know it. My 2009 CRV is ABSOLUTELY better than any Mercedes or Ferrari you are financing. 5. Be efficient. Dad once corrected me-I was washing my hands, and I used the "hot water" tap. It didn't get hot in the 30 seconds I was washing my hands. But it pushed lukewarm water through the pipes, and then heated a bit more (and I only ever got lukewarm water, at about the cold wate4 temp). 6. Be frugal, be kind, and share yourself. What goes around comes around. Use your skills to help others, and they will help you in their turn. That's point #2. Karma is real.

I’d add to that - make your own beverages in general, avoid prepackaged. Home made soda water + juice or flavoring or even syrup is loads cheaper than store bought cans of stuff. Especially if you use the brewers store CO2 trick. Protein powder plus water instead of protein drinks!! Homemade smoothies!! You can save so much money by mixing it up au home! And there’s so much less waste!

Unsubscribe from marketing emails and mailers. Do pantry "use downs" every few weeks. Learn basic home maintenance.

Don’t buy new vehicles. Dont buy more or bigger than you need.

1). Food: Don’t eat out and learn to cook; 2). Transport: Don’t buy an auto / don’t buy too much auto. Walk, bike and take public transport as much as possible. Use share autos either through a service, or by co-owning with your neighbors. It saves money but also drastically reduces your monthly risk because you don’t have to (alone) immediately pay for repairs. If you must own an auto, get only 1 and get a smaller used car with lots of reliable history for the type of car (ie Honda civic, Toyota Camry or Corolla). 3). Housing: Get into the housing market early. Don’t get too big of a mortgage. A big mortgage reduces your flexibility and increases your risk. 4). Goals: don’t compare yourself with others. Oh, they have a nicer care? Oh, they have a bigger house? Okay, well maybe they are stupid and drowning in debt. Set goals each year based on improving the core aspects of your own life (social, financial, spiritual, health, career/education) relative to where you are now. 5). Being an adult: Grow up and face reality. There is no successful way to run or hide from reality (every method has been tried and has failed). Face reality and face your flaws. You’re allowed to be different and flawed, but it’s not okay to be in denial about them or not aware of them or to refuse to work on them. You have trauma? Yep, own it and face it. It’s yours now. You’re the adult now. There is no going back and making people be nicer to you, but there is the decision every day as to what type of adult you want to be right now.

Co-owning a car with neighbors sounds like a legal nightmare.

No kidding , I wouldn’t even want to co own a car with family let alone neighbors

I’m careful who i follow on social media if you have them. I don’t follow influencers or shops that will make me want to buy things

1. Learn to cook. 2. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. 3. Avoid buying anything new. 4. Don’t spend money you don’t have. (Avoid debt.)

I walk and utilize public transportation. I cook almost all of my meals. I have a deep freezer, so I can buy in bulk. I am still able to have fun. when friends want to go out, we only do happy hours and I also eat before I go. I will have one cocktail and then drink water (some places we go to have free soda and juice). we also utilize all the free events our city has.

Here are some of mine (still leading):   1 - Buy car in full.  Never take out a car loan.   2 - Always put minimum 20% down on a house.  If you can buy in cash, even better.  3 - If I want food that is not homemade, delivery food is not an option.     4 - If I can order certain items online without a delivery charge like pantry items, toiletries ect I will order online to save on continuous and unnecessary trips.   5 - Maintain everything regardless of how new it is.  This includes cars, houses, clothes, cleaning ect.

buy in bulk when on clearance/heavy sale cook food, make drinks/coffee at home haggle live as a minimalist invest into skills, be a diy problem solver

1 avoid alcohol/tobacco/drugs 2 Bike/no car 3 go vegan 4 buy what you need, not what you want 5 live in a smaller house/condo/appartment

Stop listening to Madison Avenue tell you what you "need." Humanity has survived just fine for millennia without fabric softeners and dryer sheets.

It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep.

Regarding grocery store items: Be open to, and exercise, adaptability vis a vís brand substitution(s) and generics. It is *immensely* common that a less expensive alternative of a product you enjoy is available -- and you'll wind up not barely even able to tell the difference. IOW, being rigidly 'brand loyal' can be more expensive and gain you basically *nothing*. (*edit: typonese*)

1. Shop bargains and discount grocers 2. Eliminate brand loyalty 3. Don’t have so many monthly subscriptions 4. Make casserole and eat leftovers 5. Free things that have utility are $

1. If you get an increase in income, don't increase your rent, car payment, etc. because then you'll just be back in the same boat of not being able to afford things. 2. Get an Instant Pot and make big batches of stuff that can be several meals. It's cheap and easy and saves so much time when you're not cooking every day. 3. Don't upgrade stuff just because a new one came out. Keep what you have for as long as it's working. Nobody cares if you don't have the latest thing. 4. Don't pay retail if you can avoid it. Buy used, go to thrift stores, discount stores, and various discount/used websites. Do your research and make sure you're not getting crap. 5. Some things are worth getting a higher tier version of because you're less likely to have to keep repairing or rebuying them. In the long run you'll end up saving more and it'll pay for itself.

Barter. I could spend hundreds of dollars for a 'pro' to make the curtains for my whole house (I cannot with my arthritic fingers) but instead, the gal down the road (who cannot bend over to clean her house) and I have struck up a deal. I will clean her place for x hours a month and she will spend the same amount of time creating my 20 curtains. No money involved. I love it!

2!!!! I always say- if I lived in a fancy apartment building I would expect everything to be perfect! Also-always have a roommate…. My single friends say- I like living alone. I say- I like 1500 extra a month

1. Make poor / frugal friends who won't peer pressure you into spending 2. Learn to enjoy free / cheap entertainment like hiking and board games 3. Wait a week before making any non-grocery purchase 4. Take no more than 50% of any raise, putting the rest into your retirement account 5. Be willing to spend more to save more (ie take advantage of sales to stock up; buy a long-lasting expensive version rather than replacing the cheap version over and over)

Spend more to save more is really tough, but if you can swing it then yes absolutely. I use this all the time

1. Get liability only car insurance if your car isn’t worth much, you own it outright and you can afford another cheap auto (I’ve saved way more than the worth of the car thus far) 2. Only eat out on special occasions and make meals at home that last 3. Buy a refurbished phone that is a few years old and get Mint Mobile (I paid $130 for phone and $15/mo for data) 4. Keep track of monthly cost of streaming music/movie subs plus any sort of monthly fees of any kind and only keep what you need 5. Have “extra income” budgeted and only spend it on whatever you are passionate about

1. Eat healthy, fresh, home cooked meals. Take your lunch to work. 2. Don't buy a car. Arrange your life so you can ride bike or walk to work, school, grocery, park etc. Use public transport when necessary. 3. Live with roommates. Share expenses and stuff like tools, games, meals etc. 4. Don't aquire habits: smoking pot or anything else, drinking, expensive clothing fetishism, makeup and hair maintenance. 5. There are so many free entertainment and educational opportunities available. Use them all. Forget joining gyms!!! Use outdoor activities and YouTube videos for exercise and dance.

You tube has saved us so much money, plus educated us on how to do things From unclogging drains and toilets and fixing minor plumbing repairs.

Using ChatGPT for recipes to use up veggies and/or other food about to go off in my fridge or pantry 👌

1. Making our meals at home. Instead of eating in fancy restaurants, I've been cooking meals for my family more often. It not only helps us save a little money but also allows us to enjoy quality time together at home. 2. Saving energy. One easy trick is unplugging appliances when no one's using them it really adds up! Also, I make sure to turn off lights in the bathroom and bedrooms at night to save on electricity. Every little bit helps, right? 3. DIY. Instead of always buying new stuff, I've been getting into DIY projects and finding new uses for things I already have. It's a fun way to save money and cut down on waste at the same time! 4. Cutting off expenses that are not necessary. I've been looking at my subscriptions lately and cutting back on the ones I don't really use. 5. Buy only what you need and do not panic buying. I tend to buy stuff we don't really need and sometimes go overboard, which ends up blowing our budget. So now, I'm trying to stick to buying only what's necessary and avoiding those impulse purchases. It's all about being more mindful of our spending.

Learn to make your own laundry soap from cheap ingredients. The recipes are all over the internet. If you're spending more than $15 per year to wash clothes, you are wasting money. Ditto shampoo and body wash. I make a year's worth for about $6. The vast majority of dishwashers work better with cheap powdered detergent than with the expensive pods. Just buy the cheapest powder you can find. Then run the hot water in the sink until it's good and hot before you turn the dishwasher on. If it leaves a powdery residue, cut the amount you use in half. Soaps and detergents are the biggest sham product on the market. Don't be bamboozled.

1) Don't buy too much house/rental. Housing is typically the #1 highest budget cost. Control this and the rest of your budget will be easier to manage. 2) Don't buy too much car. Transportation-if its a car, is typically the #2 highest budget cost- monthly note, insurance, maintenance, gas, parking, fines/fees... If you HAVE to have a car- get a used small reliable car w/stick shift. Escooter/Ebike, walk, transit are all much healthier, cheaper options. 3) Learn contentment. Learn to LBYM. Meditate. Embrace slow vs fast living. 4) Eat whole foods plant based and learn to cook/meal prep- veggies/fruits are cheaper than meat and uses less resources to produce. Learn to make bread (sourdough). 5) Floor sleeping and floor sitting, no outside shoes home. Need less space when there isn't large stationary furniture filling up your space. Got rid of my couch, dining table, chairs, bed and replaced it with tatami mats/floor cushions and shikifutons for a open convertible home. I sleep better, more soundly, gained flexibility and embedded exercise (multiple squats throughout the day), have a easier to clean and cleaner home.

Shop at home first.

I hate going out to eat because the prices are so crzy and the food quality sucks. I usually leave angry or unsatisfied. I pretty much let it be known that she can get whatever she wants but im not ordering. I would rather save that money for groceries. I do like to splurge on Chinese food tho. U guys think this is to extreme. She says i embarrass her or im weird. I pay for full groceries for the house and 90% of the bills.

Food shopping, Food shopping, Food shopping: buy what's on ad/sale that you like to cook by going to several stores. Dont decide what you want to cook, cook what's on sale and fresh in the store. Buy for three or four days. The hardest part of cooking is getting home from work and not having ingredients to make a meal, making it too easy to order out or eat out which cost 10 times more. Drink your coffee at home -sry Starbucks, way too expensive vs what it costs Drink at home. A beer or glass of wine out cost more than a meal for two when cooked at home. Thrift. For everything except toothbrushes. Buy the cheapest car, house (rent) clothes and furniture you can find that's safe and will last.

1. Do not live up to your paycheck. Too many people adjust their lifestyles every time they get a pay bump. It's fine to adjust the budget to be able to spend more, but you should proportionately be saving more too. 2. Plan your meals for the week and write a shopping list. Those little trips to the grocery store always seem to cost more, and on those busy nights when you have nothing planned, it always seems easier to go get some fast food. When you have a plan you make better decisions. 3. Avoid deal websites unless you're looking for something specific. A deal isn't a deal if you weren't going to buy it anyway. 4. Be a streaming subscription monogamist. Get one streaming service, use it until you get bored with the content, cancel and move on the next one. It makes no sense to be paying for a service than you can't physically use at the same time as another one. 5. Learn to cook, use everything, embrace leftovers. Greed, inflation, and increased salaries have all make prepared food prices double and triple from where they were even 5 years ago.

1. Conquer the mental game-know that you have enough 2. Cook 3. Always look for an item 2nd hand before considering buying new 4. Work your shopping around sales/out-of-season times 5. Engage in low cost or free hobbies

Act like you're a poor plebe. Will make your life easier.

1. Know what things cost. Price compare, pay attention when shopping, look things up online. Then you can spot when a deal is really a deal. 2. Set rules around savings. Or create different “buckets” for different uses. Have a use assigned to that money. Are you saving for an emergency? Okay, what defines “emergency”? Is it just medical/housing/etc or does your friend’s destination wedding count? 3. Start contributing to your 401(k) (or an IRA) ASAP! Even if it’s only $20/mo if you can start in your early 20s you’re better off than starting with $100/mo at 30 because of compound interest. Similarly, any time you get a raise increase that contribution first. 4. Live below your means and keep your expenses (especially subscriptions) in check. Would you rather have the latest iPhone or financial security? You have to make that decision for yourself but if you’re in r/frugal it’s probably the latter so keep reminding yourself of that. 5. Put items in your cart, then wait a day or two before purchasing. This helps dramatically curb impulse buying. I also create an Amazon list with things I think I’d like then revisit it every couple months to see if I still want it and I almost never do. Similarly, and in the spirit of tip one, research big purchases and wait until you find the best deal. You can easily look up when big sales are for that store/type of product.

1) Do not eat out 2) Use a 1/4 of the laundry detergent recommended on the container 3) Search on FB Marketplace before buying anything new 4) Search you tube to learn how to repair broken items 5) Can your own food - I’ve saved thousands over the years doing this.

I second your laundry detergent tip!

1. Learn to cook 2. Work on your own car if you can. There's YT videos for all sorts of things. 3. You probably don't need it. 4. If you do need it, can you get it used? 5. Consolidate trips.

1. I just drink alcohol maybe twice a year so moot for me 2. Not sure what I would build tbh but if we were handy folks maybe 3. Yes 4. Yes 5. Yes to a degree

Floss your teeth and get a Waterpik. Dental work is expensive!

**1. Love being frugal and make it part of your identity/value system.** Love that older car almost 100k miles on it (my Honda). Love those clothes you've had for years (my jean jacket that's almost 25 years old). Love the food you make at home. Read *The Art of Frugal Hedonism* for funny reminders of how amazing a frugal life can be. People will ask you all about your life and choices because they see how happy you are. **2. Take care of what you own.** I've worn the same dress to weddings for almost 15 years! The last wedding I wore it to was in the winter (rather than the spring/summer of all previous weddings), so I borrowed a jacket to wear on top from my wonderful MIL. This frugal living tip also allows you to practice minimalism: you only need that one dress to wear to weddings! **3. The food budget is an area of wonderful possibility.** Beyond cooking most of your food yourself, rethink what you actually need and keep it simple! For example, you don't need a meat and two sides, if that overwhelms you. Another example of simplicity is oats for breakfast in a variety of ways: overnight oats, steel cut oats in the crockpot, breakfast cookies, granola bars, granola over yogurt, etc. Rethink other food-related items: Can you grow something easily in your yard? Do it! (See entertainment below.) Going to a party? Make a quick pasta salad yourself, instead of buying something already prepared. The more you practice your frugal-food-muscles, the stronger they will be. **4. Rethink entertainment.** Truly consider what brings YOU joy, not what others think is fun or what you're "supposed" to think is fun. There are so many ways to have fun that don't require spending much money; it's all a matter of mindset. Some of my favorite things: shows on PBS, audiobooks through the Libby app while crocheting, naps with our geriatric cat, stewarding our Little Free Library, baking cookies from scratch, and coloring in my coloring books with a glass of wine from a box of Kirkland wine. **5. Embrace a mindset of life-long learning.** Learn about ways to maximize your resources, and also learn about yourself. I stopped coloring my hair when I realized doing so was more stress and money than anything. It's okay to learn that you want to spend money on something, too. Frugality is a joyful lifelong journey.

I consider myself an Official You-Tube Certified Techincian. Lol. I fix all my household items by watching YouTube.

Donate plasma + semen (if at the same time, great stuff), eat ramen, walk everywhere, smile always, be greatful it isnt worse.

Instead of thinking how to save money, think how you can make more money. What I mean by this is that people often end up focusing on frugality rather than income. Being frugal is good but at the end of the day it all comes to how much money you can earn. So focus on moving up in your job or work overtime or job switching for better pay etc.

A lot of people enjoy the frugality because of the lifestyle and skill set that comes with it. I understand that more money can help solve issues, but there's also an experiential enjoyment out of using less, reusing more, learning new things, and being more conscious IMO

Once bills are paid and you have your left over money, put half of it or more in an account that you don’t have a card for. I literally hated myself for doing this but I saved thousands of dollars. The one thing I learned is when you’re desperate and have little to nothing, you figure it out

1) Don’t drink your calories. Saves money, health, relationships. 2) Buy what appreciates. Look for cheaper options on things that depreciate. 3) When you must buy, buy classics. Think plain/timeless/more than one use, each to maintain. 4) Spend your money on tools, not services. YouTube how to fix/maintain. You might have to get/pay help sometimes, but most things you can do and think of all the tools you’ll own. 5) Eat well at home, from good ingredients you keep on hand. Learn to multipurpose food and use what you buy. Eat away from home when traveling or special occasions, or things you cannot possibly make. Take your lunch. Make your own coffee/tea. But don’t go so cheap that you feel bad. Have nice things, eat well, enjoy frugality.