Frugal living in 2024 presents challenges due to rising costs, but with these 59 easy frugal living tips, you can save thousands this year. Explore strategies for frugal living at home, managing food expenses, shopping smartly at the supermarket, enjoying frugal holidays, and embracing a thrifty lifestyle.
Frugal Living At Home
Implementing frugal living at home is easier than you think. Simple swaps in your daily routine can cut costs and save money. Here are top frugal living tips for your home:
1. Cold Showers
If you swap your hot showers for cold, you won’t shower for as long and you wont use electricity heating up the water. Save money on water and power, plus benefit your cells into the bargain! Win, win, win!
2. DIY cleaning products.
It’s easier than you think to make your own cleaning products. There’s no need for essential oils – you can use simple, inexpensive ingredients, straight from the supermarket. Baking soda and Vinegar will become your best friend!
3. Haircare Efficiency
Wash your hair less frequently and consider cutting your own hair to save on salon expenses. I have been cutting my own hair for years now, and it cuts down on hundreds every year. You could save even more by opting not to dye it.
4. Energy-Saving Laundry
Save the laundry for when you’ve got a full load, to minimise laundering costs. Hang your washing on the line or on clothing racks, rather than using the dryer to save a ton of utility costs.
5. Clean your own house.
You can save so much money by pulling up your socks and doing it yourself. Here’s how I keep my house clean with minimal effort.
6. Do your own gardening.
Not only will you save moola on gardening fees, you will get sunshine into your bones and fresh air into your lungs.
7. Conscious Living
Stay local to avoid unnecessary expenses and teach children the value of contentment. You can still have lots of fun at home, and go for walks or to the local playground, plus you are teaching your kids to be content. If they need to be “wowed” every day, that will just exhaust your energy and your wallet.
Frugal Food Habits
Managing food expenses is crucial for frugal living. Explore these tips to stretch your grocery budget without compromising on nutrition.
8. Soups and stews.
Increase meal volume by making soups and stews, stretching your ingredients for more meals. Liquifying food increases the volume, making those proteins and veges go much further.
9. Cook From Scratch
Save money and improve health by preparing meals from scratch, avoiding expensive pre-packaged items. Pre-packaged sauces and meals are full of sugar, preservatives, dyes and flavours that are not good for your body. Buying unprocessed ingredients is a double win for both your health and your pocket.
10. Enjoy a plain, simple diet.
Stick to a plain, simple diet to avoid unnecessary expenses associated with special dietary foods. As soon as you start adding exotic or special dietary food, your grocery bill will skyrocket. Our diet is simple: Oats for breakfast, toast for lunch, and rice or homemade pasta for dinner. There will be a few vegetables thrown in there, but that’s it. I have found that it is almost impossible to stick to a $100 grocery budget and be properly nourished if I am trying to adhere to a special diet.
11. Economical Protein Choices
Protein is such a health buzz word at the moment. We are being brainwashed to believe that to be healthy is to have adequate protein. The thing is, to have the recommended amount of 25g of protein for every meal is pretty impossible if you are trying to stick to a budget.
I cannot afford to have meat for every meal, nor can I afford special protein powder (unless it’s for a birthday present). I do try to have some form of protein for every meal, but I do not stress out about the quantity. My go-to (cheap) protein sources are lentils, beans, bread (yes, bread contains protein!) and oats. We do buy meat occasionally, but it is not a staple.
12. Avoid Diet Subscriptions
Programs like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Noom, etc, suck you into a world of branded products, opt-ins, and high-cost foods. When you set for yourself a strict grocery budget, you are buying less food, so you will lose weight in a more sustainable way. These diet programs can be avoided by clever frugal living swaps.
13. If you have a sweet tooth, make cheap desserts
If you have a sweet tooth, you can save money by making your own healthy desserts. Buying things like ice cream or frozen desserts can add at least $10 to your grocery bill, but these are full of unrefined sugars.
If you make healthy desserts from ingredients you already have, then you are making better use of your grocery budget. Here are a few of my favourite healthy desserts that are inexpensive to make:
14. Flesh meals out with cheap carbohydrates.
Rice, pasta, lentils, oats, and bread are staples in our pantry and help us to stick to a $100/week grocery budget.
15. Make your own bread.
Let’s be honest, bread is a staple in most family households. We have “Our Daily Bread” invariably, and this will probably be the case for as long as we have children under our roof. It’s filling, nourishing, and everyone loves it.
I love that since the pandemic, homemade bread has had a resurgence. The internet has blown up with so many yummy recipes to try.
We save so much money by making it ourselves, and haven’t bought bread since early 2020. I’m sure we are much healthier for it, too! Store-bought bread is highly processed, whereas homemade sourdough is the best form of bread you can get…it’s a no-brainer!
16. Make your own snack foods.
My No Bake Cookies and Oat Bliss Balls are nut and sugar free recipes. These are healthy snacks that children love. If we were to buy the equivalent at the supermarket, we would be adding $10-$15 to our grocery bill each week.
17. Limit your meat meals.
We do not buy meat every week. No, we are not vegan or vegetarian, we are just budget-conscious. For the most part we have lentils and chickpeas on rice or homemade tortillas for dinner. These meals are delicious and only use a handful of cheap ingredients.
18. Flesh meat out with carbs and vegetables.
When we do eat meat, we will make it into a sauce with lots of mushrooms and onions and even lentils or chickpeas. We will never have meat on it’s own, but we will serve it on a 1:3 ratio with rice, tortillas or pasta. This way, we can stretch it into multiple dinners. I can usually make a portion of meat (500g) last four dinners for the four of us.
19. Make meals in bulk.
Large dishes of lasagna or stew that can last a few nights are more cost-effective than a unique meal every night. It’s tricky and more expensive to buy lots of ingredients for lots of different meals. Making one massive batch meal saves you time and money.
20. Limit Dairy
Cheese, milk, cream and butter can really eat up that grocery budget! We do buy milk every week to make yoghurt, but rarely buy cheese or cream or butter.
When we do get these things, we use them sparingly. I do not make a bechamel sauce for lasagna, but instead grate a thin layer of cheese on top (we don’t miss it). Also, you do not need much cheese at all atop a delicious pizza, just a few tablespoons. Stretched out this way, we can enjoy that lovely cheese savoury flavour, but the cheese lasts way longer!
21. Limit Eggs
In 2023, there is a severe egg shortage, in New Zealand and across the world. At the moment, you will be lucky to get an egg for under $1 (NZD). If you are lucky enough to have the land to keep chickens, then I am so jealous! We have not been able to buy eggs for weeks now, so when we do have them, you can bet we are cradling those golden treasures like new-born babies! You can go check out my article on egg substitutes for recipe inspiration.
Frugal Living At the Supermarket
Navigate the supermarket strategically to maximize savings on groceries. Follow these frugal living tips:
22. Order online.
It’s way easier to be pernickety about your budget in the comfort of your own home. No being self conscious about that calculator or surreptitiously putting things back. You also avoid the tempting end-of-aisle displays. Save yourself from yourself and order online!
23. Only buy items on special.
If that sweetener or cheese or other “luxury” item is full price, skip it this week. Wait for it to come on special before you spend your precious grocery budget on it. You can adapt your meal plan accordingly. It is easier to do this if you shop online and you can see all the prices on your screen (rather than having to duck and dodge between different aisles at the store).
24. Buy frozen or tinned.
These food items last longer and are usually cheaper than their fresh counterparts.
25. Buy stock powder instead of liquid stock.
It lasts longer and goes further.
26. Set yourself a strict budget and stick to it.
We have a $100 grocery budget limit. It was hard to begin with, but eventually it becomes second nature and you get used to simpler, plainer fare.
27. Take a calculator so you can keep track of spending.
That is, if you are going into the supermarket. If you order online, then you can keep track of dollars spent, and remove items need be.
28. Steer clear of the fizzy drink, confectionery and snacks aisles.
This aisle is full of over-priced, empty calories that won’t do your body nor your wallet any favours. Just don’t even go down that aisle. Don’t do it to yourself.
29. Avoid coffee sachets and hot chocolate powder.
Talking to myself here! I have a massive weakness for sugary hot drinks, but I know that sachets and powders are just as bad as that confectionery/junk food aisle.
30. Stock up on rice, beans, lentils and flour.
Really cheap to buy, plus they last a long time and you are guaranteed a meal with these ingredients alone. Everything else is just for flavour.
31. Steer clear of packaged “lunchbox” snacks
I’m talking about made-for-the-lunchbox, multi-pack items such as muesli bars, cheese-and-crackers, and those dinky little chippie packets.
When we were growing up, our school lunchboxes were simple: Bread roll, an apple and a couple of homemade cookies or slice. All these individually wrapped items may look cute and convenient, but they are absolutely over-priced!
32. Only shop once per week.
Stick to this rigidly. A lot of money can be wasted in those “emergency” dashes to the shop, and you’ll end up coming out with 15 things you didn’t plan for.
33. Meal plan.
This helps you to map out your food so that you know you have enough meals to last you till the next shop.
34. Buy in bulk.
For example, a 3 litre bottle of milk is cheaper per litre than one litre or 2 litres. 5kgs of flour is cheaper per 100g than 1.5kg packages.
35. Always pay attention to the price per unit
when comparing products. An item may be cheaper in price, but you might not get be getting as much for it.
36. If you’re feeling like chicken, buy a whole chicken.
You can get so many different meals out of a whole chicken. Roast it, then shred the leftover meat for curries or fajitas. You can boil up the bones and make a nutrient-dense stock for soup or risotto. You’re really missing out if you just buy the breasts! Make sure it’s on special, though!
37. For your sweetener, go for Dates or Truvia.
These are inexpensive options for going sugar free.
Dates are one of the cheapest unrefined sweeteners you can get. Cheaper than honey, but just as sweet, you can use them in baking or as a healthy snack. Not only do they provide sweetness, they also add fibre and other healthy minerals.
Truvia is my other favourite sweetener. It is three times the sweetness of normal sweetener, so a little goes a long way. I use it for baking, and only have to buy it once a fortnight or every three weeks. At $9, this isn’t bad if it means I can skip the white sugar.
38. Check out your local discount store
Yes, the stuff at discount grocery stores are usually a bit old or past their best-before date. But, for non perishable items such as tinned beans, tomatoes, stocks and grains, this is completely fine. I love checking out our local discount store (like, REALLY love it) every once in a white to see what bargains I can get.
Sometimes I can score frozen meat, frozen veges or even frozen berries at an absolute steal. I come away feeling like I’ve beaten the system. We eat really well after my trips to the discount store, for a fraction of the price!
Frugal Living On Holiday
Let’s face it, even those who are passionate about frugal living still love to have a good holiday. Holidays give us something to look forward to, and that anticipation helps us to work harder during the year. I have a fully detailed article on how to enjoy your holiday on a low budget here, but here are a few quick frugal living tips for how to enjoy your holiday on a budget.
39. Stick to free activities such as walking or swimming.
A walk in a beautiful setting or a day at the beach can be just as good for the soul as a guided tour or adventure activity. I actually prefer free activities, as the paid “touristy” options are usually SUPER expensive, only last for about an hour, and are pretty underwhelming! You can really unwind when you don’t have the pressure to be somewhere for a certain time, or try and find a park.
40. Avoid eating out, instead buy ingredients to make yourself.
Buying café food is a super inefficient way to spend your money. For half the price of your café meal, you can buy yummy ingredients from the supermarket and make super delicious food (plus have more of it).
41. Try Camping.
If you have the gear or even a roomy car, camping is a really cost-effective accommodation choice for your holiday. Usually, camping spots are in prime scenic settings, and renting a scrap of earth to set up camp is really cheap.
42. Try Housesitting.
If you don’t have the gear for camping, why not try housesitting? Normally there will be a pet to feed or a garden to water, but that’s a small, tiny inconvenience for free accommodation! Send feelers out to friends and family and try your luck. There are also housesitting sites you can sign up for to advertise your services. We have friends that housesit full time, and save SO much money!
43. Avoid the pitfall of a rental car.
If this means road-tripping, then so be it! For our summer holiday, we chose to drive to our destination rather than fly. In doing so, we avoided spending thousands of dollars on flights, rental cars and car seats. All we had to pay for was petrol and a ferry fee (which was cheaper than the cost of air tickets!). It was so nice to drive our own car – we were far more relaxed than if we had to drive a pristine rental car.
44. Set yourself a daily spending budget, and stick to it.
This genius frugal living tip is about making your mind conscious of your spending habits.
On our summer holiday, we set ourselves a very realistic budget of $100/day to spend on petrol, food and activities. We saved up for this. It was definitely easy to stick to, since we did all the above things. Having young children, you cannot actually participate as a family in the high cost adventure activities, so that wasn’t even a temptation.
Setting yourself a daily budget on holiday like this helps you to reign in your spending. It’s so easy to fritter your money when you are in holiday mode, so having a cap makes you a bit more conscious of money.
45. Steer clear of souvenir shops.
All you’ll find are over-priced trinkets! Make memories by having fun with the people you’re with and taking photos. Chances are, you will appreciate that photograph a lot more than tacky souvenirs that will fall down the slit in your car seat or add an annoying jangle to your keys.
46. Have 2 large meals every day.
On holiday you can wake up late and move more slowly. Having a large, late breakfast is very doable, not to mention enjoyable. It fills you up for the day, and you’re not often hungry until 5pm, which is dinnertime.
By eating in this lazy way, you save money by not having to buy food for a third meal, plus you eat less over all. Who doesn’t want to come back from holiday thinner? I thought so.
Frugal Lifestyle
Embrace a frugal lifestyle for contentment and health. In a lot of ways, enjoying a frugal lifestyle is about being content with simplicity and peace. Being frugal also goes hand in hand with health, because frugality cannot afford expensive habits. Follow these tips for a thrifty 2024 lifestyle:
47. Simple Pleasures.
Ditch the expensive hobbies and embrace the simple pleasures for a fulfilling and economical lifestyle. Surfing, Rock Climbing, Golfing, Fitness events. All of these hobbies require expensive equipment, entry tickets, subscriptions, or memberships. Instead, take up walking, or running, or cold water plunging. A good walk or run, listening to a self-improving podcast will improve your mind, body and soul in ways that these expensive hobbies could not.
48. Home Workouts.
There really is no need to spend $20/week on a gym membership when you can access a wide range of quality workout videos and plans online. Save time, money and energy by working out in the comfort of your own home.
49. Cancel Subscriptions.
Spotify, Netflix, magazines. Heck, even that charity. These little monthly costs add up, and chances are you do not make full use of the money spent. Cut unnecessary subscriptions to save money and simplify your life.
50. Thrift Store Shopping
Explore thrift stores for affordable and stylish clothing options.
Often you can find really nice designer clothes at a fraction of the price! My favourite thrift store find of all time is a Chanel jumper that cost only $10! You can dress so stylishly if you have an eye for good-quality clothes.
51. Clothing Rotation
Rotate your seasonal clothes to feel like you have new outfits regularly, extending their lifespan. This is a genius frugal living tip that I started implementing about 2 years ago. What you do is, store your winter clothes away during the summer months and vice versa during the winter months. Every season, it’ll feel like you are getting “new” clothes. They’ll take longer to wear out so you won’t need to buy clothes as often.
52. No New Clothes Challenge
Challenge yourself not to purchase any new clothes, promoting mindful consumption.
Do you have clothes in your closet that you never ever wear? I did, until I set myself this goal at the beginning of 2023. It’s so easy to get bored of your own clothes, but setting boundaries for yourself helps you to save money and appreciate what you’ve got.
53. Cut the Bad Habits.
It’s easier said than done, I know! But money spent on cigarettes, vaping, gambling or lottery tickets, is throwing it away and destroying your health into the bargain. This is a seriously important frugal living tip.
54. Limit Alcohol Intake.
I know, having a glass at the end of a long day, or week, is such a lovely ritual. However, Alcoholic beverages are pretty pricey, even for just one bottle. When the enjoyment is only for one night, that’s an inefficient way to allocate your dollars.
55. Whole Food Nutrition:
Rely on whole foods for nutrition, avoiding expensive supplements. Supplements are so expensive! If you have a plain diet that is free from preservatives, thickeners, emulsifiers, and sugars, there is little need to supplement.
The food we eat can either make us or break us, so if you eat a health-promoting diet, then supplements are unnecessary. Conversely, if you are eating a terrible diet, supplementing is not going to save you. You are what you eat. Keeping healthy also reduces the risk of health costs later on in life, too.
56. Live Debt – Free
Aim to live as debt-free as possible, making mindful financial decisions. This could look like buying your car with cash rather than credit, and avoiding hire-purchase furniture. Otherwise, you will be throwing money at interest and debt collection costs. What a waste!
Bonus Frugal Living Tips:
57. Upcycle and Repurpose for Distinctive Decor
To infuse character into your living space without spending a ton of money, seek out second-hand treasures that can be upcycled or repurposed. Turn an old wooden door into a rustic coffee table or transform vintage suitcases into unique storage solutions. Embracing creativity while decorating not only adds charm but also ensures that your home reflects your personality without breaking the bank.
58: Become a Home Handyman (or Handywoman)
Empower yourself with DIY skills for home repairs and maintenance tasks. From patching up small holes in the wall to fixing that creaky floorboard, online tutorials and local workshops can help you master basic repair techniques. Not only does this approach save money on professional services, but it also fosters a sense of accomplishment and self-reliance.
59: Swap and Share within your Community
Create a culture of sharing and swapping within your community. Organize swap events where neighbors exchange items like clothing, books, or household goods. Additionally, consider collaborative initiatives such as community tool sharing, where everyone can access tools without individually owning them. By fostering a sense of communal sharing, you not only save money but also build stronger connections with those around you.
Conclusion
Frugal living is about discipline. Develop the patience to save, embrace simplicity, and persevere in your frugal journey. Master the art of waiting, planning, and executing for a fulfilling and financially sound lifestyle. Discover the satisfaction of contentment with the plain and simple things in life. Are you up for the challenge? Start your journey to a frugal lifestyle today.
