People Share Frugal Spending Habits That Save More Money Than You'd Expect

Frugal means "sparing or economical with regard to money or food."

In tough economic times, people are always looking for tips and tricks to save money.

Reddit user Automatic_Celery_945 asked:

"What's a frugal habit you have that saves you more money than people would expect?"

Wants vs. Needs

"Making my brain practice asking the question 'Do you really need it or do you just want it?'"

~ LBeifong0614

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Waiting

"Prevent impulse spending by waiting 24-48 hours before wanting to buy something!"

"More times than not, the stuff you thought you wanted to buy just because it is 'on sale,' you actually don't want anymore."

~ millionstories

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Car

"Continuing to drive my 2005 Camry."

"Some of my friends are on their 5th or more car since then and have spent multiple times more on cars than I have."

~ Illustrious_Hotel527

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Lists

"Replacing impulse buying with adding things to lists."

"For me, taking a photo and adding it to the 'maybe ask for a birthday' list, satisfies that same impulse, without the cost."

~ hetsteentje

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Meal Prep

"Always cook larger, freeze leftovers if you know you hate eating the same meal twice."

"Less waste, less driving to a shop, less work, less cleaning."

~ wt_2009

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Cooking

"I have a self-imposed 'ingredients household'. I make my own bread, don’t buy processed or premade foods, buy and cook in bulk whenever I can, and then freeze the leftovers, etc..."

"Saves me a ton of money on groceries, and I love to cook, so it’s a win-win. People don’t realize how expensive it is to not cook."

~ redalmondnails

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Clothes

"Limit myself to shopping for clothing in person. Getting to try everything before you buy means less returns, which means less time wasted shipping them back and also less chance that you'll waste money by forgetting to return something."

"Also, hear me out: limiting your choices, and having the barrier of needing to go to a physical store makes you spend less money overall. I used to spend thousands on clothes every year, chasing Instagram trends that weren't available in my city yet."

"I was always looking for the perfect version of the perfect thing. At the end somehow I still wasn't satisfied with my wardrobe because I had bought everything based off a photograph, without really being able to understand if it was worth it to me or would even suit me and my life."

"There's obviously downsides to having a smaller set of choices, but for me it's made everything easier and cut my spending immensely."

~ YellowVest28

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Freezer

"A chest freezer can easily pay for itself in a year."

"Being able to take advantage of deep sales that happen every 3-4 months and safely store leftovers (like making big sauces, soups or stews) is a game changer."

~ bugabooandtwo

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Laundry

"I only use one or two tablespoons of laundry soap (depending on the size of the load)."

"Lasts me for well over six months.

~ UnicornFarts84

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Errand Planning

"Planning your trips out."

"Rather than taking the car out to one store and back, we plan on hitting multiple locations, even if that means delaying a trip by a day or 2."

~ AntontheDog

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Coupons & Points

"Digital coupons and fuel points."

"Saves literally thousands and I get $1 off basically every gallon of gas I buy. Takes 10 minutes a week tops."

~ UrkelGrueJann

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Abstaining

"Not drinking alcohol regularly."

"I don't order it in establishments that serve it. I don't purchase it at the grocery store or liquor stores."

"I will have a drink if it's offered at a social event. That's really the only time I will have it."

"As a result, I get to drink but on rare occasions and at no financial cost. Both of those conditions make my alcoholic consumption extremely low and carry no financial impact."

~ dbx999

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Water

"A while back, I did a miserable elimination diet that ultimately did not teach me anything about my condition, but I did make one big takeaway: 99% of what I drink is just water now.

"I do have coffee every day, but otherwise, literally just water. Saves money, reduces my sugar intake considerably, and I barely miss sodas and juices."

~ thispersonchris

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Haircare

"Cutting your own hair!"

"Invest in a quality set of hair clippers. I've probably saved thousands over the years."

~ average_rowboat

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Library

"Utilizing the library instead of buying new books I might read only once (or even not finish)."

~ shadowvox

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What ways do you save money?