Are These 6 Extreme Ways of Saving Money Worth It? Rachel Cruze Weighs In
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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For some of us, particularly those of us who qualify as middle class or anywhere below it, frugality isn’t really a choice. If we want to stay out of credit card debt and have our essential needs met, we have to be committed to saving money. But are we taking it too far? Sometimes and in some cases, we just might be.
In a recent post on her YouTube channel, financial expert Rachel Cruze reviewed the drastic ways people are trying to save money in 2025, and provided her thoughts on the extreme methods. Let’s look at six extreme frugal practices some people swear by.
Renting a Storage Cube To Use as an Office
- Cruze’s take: “Not terrible”
Working remote and don’t have the space at home to set up an office? Some people are getting very crafty and renting storage cubes to be used as offices. Cruze pointed out that these can be as low as $75, and they’re climate-controlled, so you’re guaranteed a pleasant temperature.
Certainly this is a lot cheaper than an office space, which Cruze said starts at $1,500 a month. Cruze seemed a bit taken aback by this frugal method, but concluded that it’s a clever idea even if “a little lonely, a little sad.”
Along with that, you will want to look into the legality of it before doing so.
Living On a Cruise Ship
- Cruze’s take: “I mean, sure, right?”
Ahoy! If you don’t get seasick, are retired and don’t have a lot of belongings, why not go full nomad and live on a cruise ship? Cruze said she’s hearing about more and more people doing this. Her first reaction? Laughter with hues of disbelief.
This frugal practice is certainly unusual but it could make sense if you have a very carefully thought out plan and don’t make this your forever solution to housing. “Long-term, I think finding a place and buying, eventually, is the smartest way,” Cruze said.
Living In a Tiny House Powered By Solar Panels
- Cruze’s take: “For a season of life, why not?”
Over the past few decades, solar panels have gained a ton of traction. And, more recently, tiny houses. Both can save you money, so why not combine them? Cruze referenced a comment she found on Buzzfeed by someone who lives off the grid, in a tiny house, and has no electricity bill thanks to 100% solar panel power. Though Cruze seemed shocked, she didn’t disapprove — at least not if you do it only for “a season of life.”
Using Communal Electricity
- Cruze’s take: “It’s creative.”
Electricity bills can be dreadfully high — and they’re predicted to get even more expensive as demand soars. Cruze has heard of people dodging electricity expenses by using communal electricity. An example from Cruze: blowdrying your hair in the hallway of your apartment complex. Cruze didn’t have much of a reaction beyond a bemused chuckle with this one.
Living In a Van
- Cruze’s take: “Not my thing.”
Right off the bat, Cruze said she “does not get” this one: living in a van to save money. “The van life has really taken off on social media,” she said. “Some people love it.”
Living On a Sailboat
- Cruze’s take: “Long term, financially, maybe not the best.”
One clear takeaway here is that people are very willing to not live or work in the places designed for home or work. Cruise ships, vans, storage cubes … and, finally, sailboats. Cruze noted that there are movies and TV shows where characters happily live on the water, and evidently, some people are making this a reality by calling sailboats home. Cruze gets why you’d do this, but suggests that it’s probably not a good idea long term. You should buy a home instead if you want an asset that will appreciate.
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