16 Thrifty Living Tips For The Newly Frugal
Are you looking to add a few new thrifty living tips to your newly frugal lifestyle? Here are 16 thrifty living tips for the newly frugal that will help you save more money every month.
We just love thrifty living tips! They are an easy way to save some money every month. The thrifty living tips found below are helpful for anyone looking to scale back, save money and focus on consuming less.
Hooray for easy thrifty living tips that help save money am I right?
We’re a frugal family. Actually, both my husband and I come from extremely frugal families so thrifty living tips are not all that unusual to us. We were both born into immigrant families who came to Canada sometime in the late 1950’s and started a life here with absolutely nothing so thrifty living tips were a normal part of the discussion growing up. We were raised around people who worked hard, wasted little and saved every penny to build a better life in a new country.
These thrifty living tips have been ingrained in us. We’re used to growing our own food, canning and preserving it and always looking for ways to use thrifty living tips to save our money for larger life goals.
Our families were frugal by necessity and because of their frugality and the thrifty living tips they taught us, we’re fortunate to be frugal by choice. For us, that means that we use frugality to try to cut costs wherever we can and save money in creative ways by applying thrifty living tips to our lifestyle.
We choose to live this way so that we can save our money and spend it on things that are important to us. We saw our parents and grandparents do it and we know that this lifestyle works because they handed down these thrifty living tips. Our financial goals include remaining debt free, paying off our mortgage early and saving a sizable nest egg both for our retirement and for our daughters future.
To achieve these goals we choose to live a frugal lifestyle and apply thrifty living tips anywhere we can . This means that we don’t often spend on extras and that our spending from month to month involves basic necessities with very few extras. We do splurge on things that our important to us but in general we keep our spending as low and consistent as possible from one month to the other.
If you are newly frugal and looking for a few thrifty living tips to get you started on the right foot, you’ve come to the right place.
Here are 16 thrifty living tips that we regularly use to maintain our frugal lifestyle.
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16 Thrifty Living Tips For The Newly Frugal
#1 Pick Up A Side Hustle
Taking on a side hustle is one of the best thrifty living tips because it helps you bring in extra money each month. Earning extra money increases your cash flow and can help you get to your financial goals quicker. Whether your goals are to save aggressively, pay back debt or end the cycle of living paycheck-to-paycheck a side hustle is a great idea to consider taking on.
Our main side hustle is our blog. This Tiny Blue House was created in 2017 and has grown into a 6-figure business in that time. Our blog has now gone from a side hustle to a full-time job and we could not be happier. This Tiny Blue House generates thousands of dollars every month for our family which is incredible.
My husband quit his job and we now work on the blog full-time from home together. Starting a blog is the best decision I ever made. It allows us to make far more money than any traditional 9-5 would and it gives us the flexibility to spend more time doing the things we enjoy most in life.
If you’re interested in exploring a couple of side hustle opportunities you should check out these posts:
- Start and make money with a blog. I grew my blog into a 6-figure business in just over 2 years. Now, I work from home and make thousands every month. Here is a blog tutorial that will walk you through the process if you are interested in starting a blog of your own. You’ll also find a free 5-day email course that walks you through the technical aspect of starting a blog once you get there.
- Teach English Online. There are a bunch of really great and reputable online teaching companies that pay up to 22$ per hour. If this is something that interests you please head over to VIPKid or QKids to get more information about their job requirements and start the sign up process.
- Legitimate ways to make money online. Here are 35 other side hustle options that you might consider.
#2 Buy Used Whenever Possible
This the game changer of thrifty living tips!
You can save loads of money by buying used. Not only is it great for the environment but it’s a wonderful way to save money every month. So, next time you need to buy something head to your local goodwill or thrift shop to see if you can find something suitable.
Great things to consider buying on the second hand market include toys, clothing and household decor items.
#3 Cook More
This is another of our favorite thrifty living tips.
Cooking more and eating out less is one of the main ways to scale back and save a ton of money every month. There are so many reasons why people opt to eat out including convenience and a dislike for cooking. But, eating out costs money and if you notice that you’re spending a lot of money restaurant food then it’s probably a good idea to start cooking more.
Cooking at home doesn’t have to be complicated. There are easy and delicious meals that come together in no time at all that can make getting food on the table for you and your family a breeze.
If you’re interested in some of our favorite recipes and products related to cooking more at home have a look at these:
- Here are 11 budget friendly lazy weeknight meals that are perfect for busy families and are favorites in our house.
- We love our Instant Pot Duo. We use it nearly every day and it makes getting dinner on the table a breeze. It’s great for family’s that need to get dinner on the table quick and want a more hands off cooking experience. We love ours and I recommend an Instant Pot to anyone who is looking for an easy way to feed their family.
- If you’ve already got an Instant Pot here are over 100 delicious and easy meals you can make with it!
- And, if the idea of meal planning and creating a grocery list overwhelm you, then check out $5 Dollar Meal Plans. For only $5 per month you get a meal plan with a grocery list emailed to you every week which makes cooking more at home really easy and convenient. The small $5 dollar investment will save you loads of money over the long-term.
#4 Use Every Last Drop
When it comes to household products like cleaners, laundry detergent and soaps always make sure you use every last drop.
One of our favorite thrifty living tips is diluting our cleaning products to stretch them as far as they can go. A few drops of water in a nearly empty bottle of dish soap or shampoo can go a long way.
#5 Wait For Sales
If you’re in the market to buy something be patient and wait for it to go on sale. Most purchases can wait and keeping an eye on local circulars and consumer websites can give you the opportunity to save big bucks when you catch an item on sale.
Our favorite way to take advantage of sales is to stockpile home-goods. Stockpiling necessities when they are sale is one of those thrifty living tips that can save you thousands in the long run.
We drink a ton of coffee, use a ton of toilet paper and go through canned goods like crazy. So, when we catch any of these items on sale we stock up to make sure we don’t have to pay full price if we run out.
#6 Always Pack A Lunch
Packing a lunch every day can save you a heap of money. I wrote a post 2 years ago about the cost of eating out for lunch and was astounded to discover that on average a person who buys a lunch every day can anticipate spending roughly $2500 on lunches per year.
Eating out less is one of those must try thrifty living tips that’ll help you start saving money immediately.
#7 Turn Down The Heat
If you live in a cold climate like we do you know that heating costs can get extremely expensive. Installing programmable thermostats like the Honeywell Programmable 7 day thermostat can help you cut down on your heating costs.
Dropping the temperature in every room by even 1 degree can lead to substantial savings over the long term. We also only heat rooms that we use and frequently drop the temperature when we’re going to bed to reduce our overall consumption.
#8 Ditch The Gym
Gym memberships can get expensive. So, looking to cheaper or free alternatives is a great way to save some cash.
We’re currently loving Aaptiv. It’s an audio fitness app with over 2500+ workouts for beginners to fitness buffs. What’s great about Aaptiv is that it involves trainer-led, music driven workouts in 22 fitness categories including running, strength, cycling, HIIT training, boxing, yoga, meditation and more.
Memberships start at under $9 per month and include unlimited access to all workouts by their expert trainers. Click here to sign up for a free 30 day trial with Aaptiv to see how amazing it is for yourself. It’s a great app that allows you to get in a quality workout whenever you want.
#9 Price Match Whenever Possible
Price matching is an awesome way to save money. I often bring circulars with me from competing retailers to get the same deal at my local grocer or drug stores. Many grocery chains and drug stores have a price match guarantee that they will honor when they are presented with proof that an item is on sale for cheaper elsewhere!
Also, always ask about price drop guarantees and make sure to follow up on them. A friend was recently reimbursed over $600 when a mattress she bought 2 months prior dropped in price. A quick trip to the merchant resulted in a $600 savings for her. The caveat with price drop guarantees is that you need to do your homework. Keep and eye on the product you purchased and when you see it drop in price head over to the merchant to be reimbursed!
#10 Air Dry Your Clothes
Air drying your clothes is another great way to save some money on your electric bill. In the summer months we regularly hang our clothes to dry outdoors. In the winter you can easily use a clothes drying rack or a retractable indoor clotheslines. Both of these options can significantly reduce the frequency of using your dryer and by consequence save you money.
#11 Call Your Service Providers And Ask For A Better Deal
It’s always a good idea to call you service providers and ask for a better deal. Most service providers want to keep their customers happy and offer great promotions on a rotating basis. So, it’s not a bad idea to take a couple of minutes to be in touch with your internet, cell phone and insurance providers to see if they’ve got a great offer for you.
#12 Add Meatless Meals To Your Meal Plan
Eating meat at every meal can get expensive. So, to cut costs you can add a meatless meal or two to your weekly meal plan.
If you’re looking for some meatless meal inspiration check out these delicious meatless meals that even a carnivore will love.
#13 Eat All Your Leftovers
Avoid pitching your leftovers in the trash to save a couple of extra bucks. Leftovers are an easy and cost efficient way to brown bag lunches and have food ready and waiting for you when you can’t get around to cooking.
If you know you wont get around to eating up your leftovers, pop them in the freezer to consume later.
#14 Stop Using Paper Towels
Paper towels cost a fortune. We haven’t completely given up on using paper products because they are necessary from time to time. But, we avoid using them as much as possible. Instead we use washable and reusable clothes to dry dishes and clean up spills. We love this washable and reusable unpaper towel kitchen roll because they are super absorbent, easy to wash and are zero waste.
#15 Get Cashback When Shopping Online
If you do some shopping online then you should explore ways to get cash backs on your purchases. There are so many opportunities to earn some cash back as you shop and stretch your dollar further.
Here are our favorite online cash back programs:
- Swagbucks: Earn points for your online shopping, video watching and searching the web. Then, redeem those points for gift cards that you can use at major retailers.
- My Points: Earn points for shopping at your favorite online stores and redeem them for Amazon and Paypal gift certificates.
- Dollar Dig: Offers cash back reward on offer 3,000 stores, plus coupons and deals!
- Ebates: Ebates allows you to shop at your very favorite stores and earn a cash back for every purchase you make.The best part? Once you’ve accumulated your cash backs they send you a check in the mail.
#16 Download Free E-Books
I love to read. But, reading can get expensive when you calculate the cost of buying books. If you own a smartphone, kindle or tablet you can save loads of money by downloading free e-books. Here is a collection of over 50+ completely FREE e-books you can download today.
Looking For Even More Thrifty Living Tips?
- Make blogging an ultimate money making side hustle. I grew my blog into a 6-figure business in just over 2 years. Now, I work from home and make thousands every month. Here is a blog tutorial that will walk you through the process if you are interested in starting a blog of your own.
- If you’re looking for clever work from home jobs have a look at these 5 easy ways to supplement your income from home. These are all legitimate work from home opportunities that can earn you up to 22$ per hour.
- Download and Read Free Ebooks! Here is a list of 50+ Free Kindle E-Books to get you started.
- If you’re looking to scale back and trim your monthly spending here are 100 ways to save every month. We use most of these ourselves and save hundreds of dollars every year.
- Earn up to $22 per hour by teaching English online with VIPKid. VIPKid is the #1 platform for online English teaching and they are looking to hire people with a bachelors degree and experience with kids who are looking to work flexible hours from home.
- Get rewarded for your online activities with Swagbucks. Earn points for your online shopping, video watching and searching the web. Then, redeem those points for gift cards that you can use at major retailers.
- Save loads of money when you travel by using Booking Buddy. Use Booking Buddy to find and book cheap flights, hotels, vacations, cruises and car rentals.
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Great tips! I’m working on ! Haha – I know that my cart usually has more in it if I shop before I actually eat!