This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services I use and love. Thanks for supporting The Little Frugal House!
Want to know the best frugal living tips to save a lot of money? In this post, I’m sharing my favorite ways to save money and live a frugal lifestyle!
There are a lot of ways to save money. Some will work perfectly for you and your situation, and some won’t be such a great fit. This list of frugal living tips will help you find the best ways for you to save money.
Look through this list of money saving tips, and pick just a few to start trying. Don’t try to do them all at once! You can implement more over time.
The Best 38 Frugal Living Tips to Save a Lot of Money
I love to live a frugal lifestyle so we can live simply, save money, and enjoy our life without financial stress.
We have worked hard to become completely debt free, so we can enjoy financial freedom and spend our hard earned money on what we really want.
There are simple things you can implement in your daily life to work towards a more frugal lifestyle. This doesn’t have to be an overnight drastic change. Work towards your goal slowly and with growing momentum, and you will see great progress!
Ready to get organized and pay off your debt?
Get this free printable debt payoff tracker worksheet to keep up with all of your payments, track your progress, and have a one page glimpse at all of your debt payoff information.
38 Frugal Living Tips:
Here are the best tips to manage your money better!
1. Make a simple budget that is easy to stick to.
Use this free simple yearly budget planner.
2. Make goals for each month and recap at the end of the month.
At the end of the month, recap how the month went and look back at your budget. Make new goals for the next month. Aim for progress, not perfection!
3. Stay home more.
Avoid potential impulse purchases by staying home more. Dedicate one day to running errands each week to keep gas costs down, and avoid extra trips to the store.
Related Post: 5 Tips to Avoid Impulse Purchases
4. Shop secondhand as much as you can.
Buy used furniture, cars, clothes, and whatever else you can to save big.
Related Post: 23 Yard Sale Shopping Tips
5. Make money goals with your spouse.
If you are married, talk to your spouse about your big dreams and make some money goals together. It helps so much to be on the same page and work together!
Related Post: Tips for Living With a Spender When You Are a Saver
6. Try shopping at a different grocery store.
I love to shop at Aldi and pick up markdowns at Kroger. Check around you for discount grocery stores and stores that offer markdowns.
Related Post: My 40 Favorite Things to Buy at Aldi
7. Make simple and cheap dinners.
Eating at home can save you so much money! Keep the meals simple with just a few ingredients.
Grab this free list of my favorite quick, easy, and cheap meals!
8. Pick up a side job.
There are so many side jobs you can do to make some extra money. This is what helped us reach our debt free goal much sooner! We have done renovation jobs, sold handmade items at craft fairs, built furniture, fixed cars, and more!
Related Post: 43 Side Hustle Ideas to Make Extra Money
9. Start meal planning.
Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated at all! Start by making a list of your family’s favorite simple meals. Then, look in your freezer, fridge, and pantry to see what meals you can make. Make a simple meal plan for the week, and then make your grocery list.
Grab this free weekly meal planner and laminate it or use a sheet protector and use it over and over.
10. Try freezer cooking.
Making freezer meals is one of my favorite ways to make dinnertime cheaper and easier. You can cook a bunch of meals at once to put in the freezer for later like in my Aldi freezer cooking plan.
Or, you can just make a double batch of dinner every now and then, and freeze one for another meal.
Related Post: 19 Make Ahead Freezer Meals to Save Time and Money
11. Make a grocery list and a grocery budget.
I like to keep a magnetic notepad on the side of my fridge so I can quickly jot down things we need as I think of them.
After you make your meal plan for the week, make your grocery list based on the ingredients needed for those meals and any great sales on items you know you will use.
I find that a weekly grocery budget is easier to stick to than a monthly grocery budget.
12. Cut cable and try a cheaper streaming service.
There are so many different streaming services available. Choose a cheaper option and get rid of cable!
13. Buy meat in bulk for the freezer.
When you see a great sale on meat, buy extra and freeze it.
This past year, we found a local butcher shop that offers bulk sales. We got 150 lbs of meat for about $300 and stocked our freezer for many months. Read more about that great deal here!
14. DIY as much as you can.
If you have a home improvement project or something you want to buy for your home, search and see if you can find a DIY tutorial that will save you money.
We love doing DIY projects and learning new skills!
15. Set up auto transfers to your savings account.
Decide on an amount you would like to save each week. Set up an auto transfer to your savings account in your online banking system to transfer out on pay day.
You won’t have to remember to transfer it, and your savings will grow without you doing anything.
Start with a small amount, and gradually increase it as you can. Something is always better than nothing!
16. Set up multiple bank accounts to organize your money.
This has helped us stick to a budget so much easier! I explain more about multiple bank accounts and the 4 you need to have in this post.
Basically, you want the money set aside for a certain purpose, whether it be bills, savings, sinking fund, etc.
Read about the different bank accounts you should have set up here.
17. Set up your bills on auto pay.
We have a checking out that we only pay bills from. After calculating up all of our bills for the year, we determine an amount we need to put in this account each week.
Then, I have everything draft from that account so I don’t have to think about it. No writing checks, no buying stamps, no late fees. It works so well for us!
18. Always pay extra on loans.
Aim to always pay at least a little extra on loans, so you don’t pay as much interest. If you are able, try to pay double when you can and you will knock out the loan much faster!
Print a free debt payoff tracker here.
19. Shop at Dollar Tree.
There are so many great finds at Dollar Tree. Any time you are looking for gifts, party decor, seasonal items, stocking stuffers, or craft supplies check Dollar Tree.
Here is a list of 37 things you should always buy at Dollar Tree.
20. Pack your lunch everyday.
Get into the habit of packing your lunch every day and you can save a lot of money over time. I like to make lunches while I’m in the kitchen making dinner at night, so I don’t have to worry about it in the morning.
Related Post: 30 Cheap Lunch Ideas
21. Start a garden.
A garden can be a great way to grow your own produce and herbs. Just make sure you will actually eat everything you grow!
22. Only use coupons on things you were already going to buy.
Coupons can be a great way to save money – on things you were already going to buy. Other times, they can make you spend more money.
Try to pair coupons with store sales for the best deals.
23. Try a different brand.
Oftentimes, you can save a lot of money by just switching brands. Is there a cheaper shampoo you can try? How about the store brand instead?
24. Check for coupon codes when shopping online.
I love to use Retailmenot.com to check for coupon codes when I shop online.
25. Use cash back apps.
Cash back apps are a great way to earn cash back when you shop.
Get the free Rakuten app here and get a $10 welcome bonus!
Get the free Ibotta app and get $5 when you upload your first receipt!
Related Post: Are Cash Back Apps Worth It?
26. Don’t waste food.
Only buy food you know you will eat. If you have leftovers, eat them for lunch or freeze them for another meal.
If you have food in your fridge going bad, make sure to use it right away or freeze it.
27. Stay organized.
Being organized can save you a lot of money! Keep up with receipts in case you need to return something.
Keep your kitchen organized so you can easily see what food you have before you buy groceries and not have any food expire.
28. Drink water.
Water is so good for you and so frugal! Try not to buy any other drinks – they are mostly not good for you and are expensive.
29. Eat at home more.
Eating at home and avoiding fast food, take out, and restaurants can save so much money.
Commit to eating at home at least 5 nights a week to save money.
30. Cook from scratch.
I don’t always cook from scratch, but I try to as much as I can to save us money. Convenience foods are much more expensive than plain ingredients.
31. Finds things to do instead of shop.
If you are drawn to go window shopping, browsing, or online shopping, find a new hobby that doesn’t cost money.
Related Post: 67 Free Things to Do on a No Spend Weekend
32. Invite friends over instead of going out.
When you get together with friends, ask them to come over for dinner, game night, or to watch a movie. Or you can go out for a walk, hike, or free museum instead of an expensive outing.
33. Cancel subscriptions.
Look through your monthly subscriptions and see what you aren’t using and can cut to save money. This can free up a lot of money!
34. Ask for practical gifts at holidays.
I love to get practical gifts that I need, like towels, kitchen utensils, sheets, etc.
35. Put any raises or bonuses towards saving.
If you get a raise or bonus at work, but the extra money towards savings or debt. Keep the same budget you had prior to the raise, and save all the extra or put it towards paying off debt early.
Related Post: How to Save Money on a Small Salary
36. Think about large purchases for 48 hours before you purchase.
When you are debating a large purchase, say over $100, think about it for at least 2 days to make sure you really want, need, and can afford the item.
37. Declutter your home and sell what you can.
There may be many items taking up space in your home that could be sold for extra cash!
Check out 77 things to sell to make money here!
38. Read money saving books.
Read books about saving money and getting out of debt to stay motivated and find ideas that work for you. You can also follow money saving accounts on Facebook and Instagram for new ideas and inspiration.
Related Post: 17 Best Money Saving Books
There you have it – 38 frugal living tips to help you save more money and reach your financial goals!
Implementing just one of these tips could create huge opportunities for you.
A few examples of how implementing one frugal living tip could create huge opportunities for you:
- Cut cable, save $1200/year, and take a nice weekend trip to the mountains.
- Make a simple budget that you can actually stick to and finally save for a down payment on a house.
- Pay extra on your mortgage each month and become debt free 5 years sooner.
- Stop throwing food away and you’ll realize you buy way too much food, which leads to a more frugal and environmentally friendly attitude.
- Set up auto transfers to savings and finally build an emergency fund.
- Shop at a different grocery store, save $1500/year, and buy new furniture.
- Dig deep into your budget and realize you can stay home with you kids if you work hard to stay in budget.
There are so many more opportunities and possibilities available when you live a frugal lifestyle. You decide how to spend your money, and you can spend it on what matters most to you.
I hope these frugal living tips and ideas to save money help you find ways to cut your expenses and live a more frugal lifestyle, so you can enjoy financial freedom!
You might also enjoy…
