8 Frugal Tips You Haven’t Thought of Yet That Redditors Swear By
Written by
Jordan Rosenfeld
Edited by
Ashleigh Ray
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If you’ve ever wanted advice or tips on frugal living without having to seek out or pay for an expert, you might find Reddit a great place for collective wisdom.
The r/Frugal channel is full of homespun expertise on how to live a simpler but not less fulfilling life, for less. The channel states, “Frugality is the mental approach we each take when considering our resource allocations. It includes time, money, convenience and many other factors.”
GOBankingRates gathered 8 frugal tips you might not have thought of yet that Redditors swear by.
Fight FOMO…It Adds Up
A sneaky way that people might find themselves spending money they don’t want to is through the “fear of missing out,” also known as FOMO.
Reddit user, MrFleebleWeeble, warned not to fall into the FOMO trap. “There will always be more parties, more events, more chances to go have fun and spend money. So [many] people spend hundreds of $$ per year on concerts, movie tickets and other things that ‘everyone else is doing’ because they see the posts on insta and feel left out.”
Instead, they wrote, save up and budget for fun events intentionally.
Add to Cart But Don’t Checkout
A way to prevent impulse buying, according to user kokoromelody, is to add an item of interest to your cart but don’t checkout right away.
“[C]ome back to it a few days later after you’ve had some time and see if you still want it,” they wrote, adding “Consider if it’s something worth it for you, if you’ll actually use it and get benefit from it, etc.”
They said that 90% of the time that they do this, they realize it was, in fact, an impulse buy, and delete the items from the cart.
Sell Unused Items on Ebay
If you’re sitting on usable items that are just taking up space, you might want to do what redditor macaronsforeveryone recommended, which is to “Sell anything you don’t use on Ebay. Make some extra money and declutter your space.”
They shared about buying a TV that they didn’t end up needing the stand legs for because it mounted to the wall. “Sold the stand legs on Ebay for $30! Also, someone is using it, and it doesn’t have to go into a landfill. Win-win!” they wrote.
Get Online Library Access
Libraries have adapted to the digital age. Redditor Street-Dragonfly-677 urged you to register for your local or state library’s online card for the many digital options available.
“Check out audio and ebooks for free; sure, there might be a waiting list, so choose another one while you wait,” they wrote, saying that doing so has saved them a lot of money.
Make Stock
If you’re someone who cooks a lot, you’ve likely felt the impact of inflation on groceries extra hard. Take it from redditlosttime who recommended that you make stock from your scraps to stretch meals.
“All those bits of vegetables that you peel off of carrots, onions and whatever go into a pot and make stock. Freeze it as you collect it. Same with bones. Whenever you have a ziploc bag full throw it into the slow cooker on low for a day. Boom stock.”
They did warn to wash the vegetables before peeling or trimming, of course.
Become a Maker
Instead of always buying things, do as Reddit user KarateDimension suggested, and learn how to make something.
“It can be anything: woodworking, stained glass, quilting, drawing, etc. Not only will it keep your mind sharp and give you something constructive to do, this is now also your go-to gift. White elephant? Make something. Niece is turning five? Make something. Wedding? Make something.”
They made the case that making things is often both cheaper and better quality than similar things you might buy. Plus, homemade items have more meaning.
Unsubscribe After Discount
Lots of websites will offer you an initial discount for signing up for their mailing list. ProdigalNun holds no loyalty. They wrote, “After you’ve gotten the discount signing up for a shopping website’s mailing list, unsubscribe from the emails.”
Divest From the Disposable
It may seem more convenient to buy the disposable versions of everything, but positiveaffirmation- suggested you go for the reusable version instead.
They wrote, “We do it all: cloth hankies instead of tissues, cloth napkins instead of paper towels, bidet, cloth diapers for the kids, reusable pouches for applesauces, etc. for the kids, soda stream instead of cans, etc.”
Take it from the frugal folks: you can live well on less.
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