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According to Merriam-Webster, a habit is an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary.
It is also described as a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition. So basically, you can develop frugal habits that just become automatic!
You will do them without any effort or pain. And the benefits on your financial health can be huge!
Living a frugal lifestyle means you can save money for bigger, better goals. Maybe instead of wasting money on lattes, you want to go on a vacation.
Or maybe you want to save enough money to start your own small business (and make more money!)
Adopting frugal habits now now can go a long way to making fun more possible in your future.
If you learn how to be thrifty, it can help you save enough money to invest, and well, make more money!
But if you are spending everything you have each month, you will never get ahead.
So try starting these to adopt these frugal living tips into your everyday life!
10 Frugal Living Tips that Work
These are simple frugal habits anyone can adopt to help change their money situation.
1. Clip Coupons
Yes this may make you feel like your Grandma but one of easy frugal living tip you can start is using coupons. Paying full price for anything means you are throwing money away.
Plus, these days you don’t actually have to get the scissors out and clip coupons! You can download them digitally.
Sign up for whatever loyalty program your grocery store provides. Places like Kroger will let you load digital coupons to your card.
They also offer weekly specials and savings. Don’t miss these opportunities to save money.
Before you buy anything online, search for coupons first! Here are some great couponing sites:
Find out if you can use a coupon on the day it expires here.
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2. Do It Yourself
DIY has become a trend in categories like home decor. Frugal people don’t buy things, they make things.
If you can do something yourself instead of hiring an expensive professional, the savings can be extreme.
Or maybe you have a friend or neighbor with special skills that can do it for you in exchange for whatever services you might be good at.
You can even make your own DIY cleaning supplies to save money!
Approach everything in your life with the thrifty, I can do it myself attitude. Not only will you save a lot of money, you might pick up some new creative skills.
Related reading:
3. stop eating out
Eating out is a huge waste of money. And, it can frequently add to your waistline!
Eating lunch out will likely cost you $12-15. By contrast, making a meal at home to take to work may be $2-3.
Multiply that savings by day and you are looking at about $3,500 in savings a year! That could buy you a new car, or an amazing vacation.
You should also take a look at your pantry! You may have tons of unused food you can make use of to prevent spending.
Living like other frugal people means looking at all the areas of your life where you can save, and food is definitely a daily expense that can be reduced.
Find ways to save money on food. Use coupons, take advantage of offers from your grocery store and buy food items like beans and pasta that are cheap.
You can also get cash back on your shopping trips by using an app like iBotta. You can save a lot of money each month on your food budget with these tips.
Don’t forget to start budgeting if you want to change your finances! Start keeping track of your income and expenses each month in a budget.
Track every penny you spend. Sticking to your budgeted expenses each month will help you be frugal.
4. Automate your savings
Saving money is extremely important! You need an emergency fund should anything unexpected happen.
But you can also use savings for fun things like a vacation. Or maybe you can save enough to invest and make more money.
But, if saving money is hard for you, then you can just automate it! This is one of those frugal habits you can absolutely adopt since your bank account or app will do it for you.
Don’t give yourself a choice on saving money, make it automatic. Follow these tips on how much you should save each month.
You can set up a portion of your paycheck each month to direct deposit into a savings account.
Or use a savings app like Acorns. What I like about the Acorns app is not only does it round up your change on purchases into savings, it actually invests that money for you.
So while you are saving more money, you are also getting the opportunity to make more!
You can also try one these savings challenges:
- 365 Day Nickel Savings Challenge
- How to Save $5,000 in 6 Months
- How to save $3,000 in 3 Months
- 100 Envelope Challenge
- No Spend Challenge
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5. Get Free Stuff
Becoming a frugal person means paying for as little as humanly possible. The ultimate way to save money is to not spend it!
And, it is possible. There is actually a lot of free stuff up for grabs out there. Frugal habits like getting things for free instead of paying for them are very powerful.
Next Door is a website and app for neighborhoods. People will post items for free that they want to get rid of. You can also find things for free on Facebook.
You can get clothes, old tvs and more. And, for an added bonus see if you can resell these items on sites like eBay and turn a quick buck!
Here’s a list of sites where you can get free stuff!
6. Use Cash Instead of Credit
Probably the number one frugal habit you need to adopt is not not use credit at all. Pay for everything with cash.
You should pay cash only for everything you buy.
But, if you do have debt, pay it down! Interest rates will kill your financial health and are a huge waste of money
Pay off as much extra as you can each month.
However, if you have cash back credit cards you can use these “like” cash by paying them off in full right away so interest doesn’t accrue.
Living the frugal life means living within your means and not buying anything on credit!
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7. Buy Used Items
Everyone knows the tip about not buying new cars. That the second you drive it off the lot the value drips tremendously and it is just a big way to waste money.
But the same thinking can be applied to anything you purchase. You don’t have to buy everything new.
You can be even more frugal by buying things used. If you need a new computer, you can save hundreds by buying one off Facebook Marketplace or Ebay. It works just the same as a new one!
From clothing and shoes to ski supplies, or large ticket items like cars- buying used instead of new is an ideal way to change your spending habits.
8. Cut the Cable
Wherever you can, cut out additional expenses from your budget. Cable and dish tv can cost as much as $200 a month. Cut that out of your life to save money.
You can opt for one streaming service like Netflix and spend $15 a month instead. There are so many money-saving options out there now when it comes to television.
Plus, you can rotate in and out of streaming and enjoy them all. Pay for Netflix one month, and Hulu the next! This way you won’t miss anyting.
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9. Just Say No
Probably one of the hardest but most essential parts of the thrifty and frugal life. You have to learn to say no as a frugal person. Just don’t spend money.
A lot of times there are psychological reasons you overspend, figure out yours to help yourself stop spending.
Before you purchase anything, make sure it is a need and not just a want. It is ok to buy for yourself sometimes of course, but try to say no more often than not.
You can be frugal by just saying no to going out or buying clothes you don’t need.
Try to avoid temptation to make it easier on yourself. Don’t drive by your favorite boutique or go to the mall!
10. sell unused items
Increasing your income is always a great way to save more money.
Take a look at your closet and your garage. You may have hundreds of dollars in there in items you can sell!
If you have clothes you haven’t worn in aeons, sell them on a site like Poshmark or eBay. You can sell old tools, ski equipment and even small appliances.
The point is, turn your items into cold hard cash.
Frugal Living Tips From The Great Depression
Nobody knows how to be thrifty better than the people who went through The Great Depression.
If you want to practice extreme frugality, try these frugal living tips from the past.
Here are some extreme frugal living tips from The Great Depression:
Grow Your own food
The Great Depression era frugal people foraged for food. They literally went out to look for fruit and nuts they could eat.
While this may not be a practical option in this day and age, you can start a vegetable garden to grow your own food and start saving money on grocery store bills.
Maybe growing your own food is an unusual frugal living tip, but it will also improve your health!
Barter for Things Instead of Paying for Them
Frugal people don’t pay for things. Find ways to trade for what you need rather than spend money.
If you are a good photographer, use your skills as money and barter with people in exchange for other services or goods.
You might be able to get your car fixed for free or who knows what else!
Wear Layers
Extreme frugal living means dropping your heat and just wearing lots of layers. Another of our money saving tips is to be aggressive with your HVAC and your utilities.
Recycle and Reuse
And I don’t mean recycle in the usual sense. In the depression times, people would make clothing out of flour sacks if they had to. They made toys from wood scraps.
They used ever thing they had to get what they needed if that makes sense! While you may not need be the cheap person that wears a potato sack as a cocktail dress, you can still adopt this attitude in your thriftiness.
Substitute expensive items
Back then there was no budget for meat. So people just didn’t eat that! They chose the cheapest food items possible, like beans, pasta and potatoes to live off of.
Find alternate Transportation
Yes, this is an unusual frugal living tip, but if you really want to be aggressive you have to get a little crazy in your thrifty living choices.
During extreme times like the depression, people did not drive. They couldn’t afford cars or gas.
We all know the pain right now of filling up the car with gas. Choosing to bus or bike to work might save you hundreds each month.
Plus, you could consider selling your car and investing the money instead. So that it makes you more money!
What are the Benefits of Adopting Frugal Habits?
Being frugal brings many advantages to your life. Believe it or not, becoming a thrifty person can help you get to a point where you don’t have to be as frugal.
As you improve your finances, you can get more breathing room.
You can save money in order to invest, or start a business and actually make more money.
Living paycheck to paycheck is not fun, and adopting a frugal lifestyle can help you avoid that.
Here are a few other benefits of living frugally:
Less stress
According to the APA, stress over money is a biggie in the lives of Americans. And we are all in survival mode right now! Especially with inflation on the rise.
Living a thrifty lifestyle and being a frugal person can help you reduce financial stress in your life.
Better sleep
Stress causes poor sleep. So if you can reduce stress by being frugal and thrifty, it stands to reason your sleep will improve.
Get out of debt
Did you know about 80% of Americans are in debt? But debt destroys your present and your financial future. And, if you are in debt you certainly can’t save money.
Adopting tips like the ones below on how to be a frugal person can help you get out of debt.
Improve your relationships
The number one reason couples fight and even divorce is money. So take that relationship stressor off the table by adopting a thrifty lifestyle.
Meet Your Money Goals
What is your financial goal? To save money? To make more money? To start your own business?
Figure out where you want to be, write it down and adopt these tips on how to be thrifty to help yourself get there.
More reading: What is the 30/30/30/10 Budgeting Rule?
Final THoughts on Frugal Living
All of the frugal living tips above should help you to become a (smart) cheap person. A living cheap person with a big savings account!
It is actually possible to adopt frugal habits and not be miserable! You just have to start and be serious about it.