Many of you know that my natural living journey began a few years ago when we decided to get out of debt. That decision required us to be much more intentional about everything we did. It also helped that we had a big goal driving us – I wanted desperately to be a stay-at-home mom, but couldn’t until we did some serious work on our budget.
Soon after that life-changing decision, I found some excellent resources that helped me as I began slashing our budget. The number one resource was The Complete Tightwad Gazette, a book full of practical (and radical) tips for saving money. Read it. It’s awesome.
It was a glorious day when I knew that I didn’t have to go back to work again and that I could spend the entire day snuggling with my kids. Or rather, cleaning, but that’s a different story.
Today I want to share with you 60 ideas for saving money in your home. Some are pretty easy to implement. Others may sound crazy (it’s ok, I’m used to it). But I’ve tried all of them at least once in an effort to reduce our expenses.
Enjoy!
60 money saving tips for the frugal family
Food
1. Follow the Pantry Principle.
I have a simple list with everything we eat on it. And I only shop to restock those items. Here’s the list if you want to see it.
2. Cook from scratch.
Prepackaged “healthy” foods usually cost WAY more than it would to just buy the ingredients and make it yourself.
3. Menu plan before you shop.
Once a month or once a week, this way you’ll know how much you have to buy. It’ll save you from buying 5 pounds of cheese if you know you’ll only need 2. (I can’t fathom having to buy less than 10 pounds of cheese each month. :)) Here’s a great menu planning resource.
4. Don’t grocery shop unless you have 10 items on your list.
Frequent trips to the store usually equate to more money spent.
5. Grow lots of your own food.
Unless you have a black thumb like me. Then I suggest practicing on one or two plants before you go all out.
6. Keep it really, really simple.
See my list. And read this post. We don’t eat a huge variety of foods, but we eat well and get lots of veggies in our diet. And nothing comes out of a box.
7. Buy in bulk.
SO much stuff can be purchased in bulk, whether it’s at Costco or the bulk bins at other stores. (Use extra fabric to make a bunch of cloth bags or buy these so you don’t have to use plastic all the time at the bulk bins.)
8. Reuse bags.
At most stores you get $.05 off per reusable bag. Not much, but it’s a nice bonus for avoiding the plastic bags of doom.
9. Share.
Split bulk purchases with other families. Give some of your garden abundance. Build your community.
Utilities
10. Turn your water heater off after you’ve used it in the morning.
After any showers, of course.
11. Strive for zero waste.
Use reusable bags and containers when you shop. Take reusable food storage boxes on those rare occasions you eat out. Stop junk mail from coming in. Get more inspiration from Bea.
12. Compost whatever is left.
Save food scraps and tear up bits of paper for a simple compost pile.
13. Lower/raise your thermostat.
This was really helpful in our old house. The low was at 65 and the high at 80. It made a big difference.
14. Dress in layers.
When it’s cold, bundle up and use blankets. That’s what sweaters and socks are for.
15. Take cool off showers.
In the summer, dress in light, flowy clothing and take short cool-off showers throughout the day. Apply peppermint essential oil to your chest and the back of your neck. Turns out you can survive without an air conditioner.
Gifts
16. Give a family gift to charity.
Forego gifts to extended family and make a donation to a charity instead in their names.
17. Service projects.
Give the gift of your time and expertise. Especially if it’s baking or you love cleaning other peoples’ houses. 😉
18. Handmade goodness.
Now that you’ve found the time to be a crafty mama, make cool presents for your loved ones.
19. Give the gift of pre-owned stuff.
Ian has learned to do this and has gotten me some pretty cool stuff (that I needed, of course) at a really good price. My favorites were The Complete Tightwad Gazette bought used on Amazon and a cast iron Dutch oven he found at a yard sale.
20.Set a $5 limit.
Like this.
21. Only “buy” for one person at Christmas.
And set a $5 limit or buy used or make something really cool.
Home Education
22. Online public school.
We’ve used online schools, like Connections Academy, as a compromise (I wanted unschooling and Ian wanted the structured curriculum of a public school). I loved the free resources – books, materials, teacher but it wasn’t the best fit for us. It might be for you, though.
23. Free curriculum.
Now, we use a mix of different things, including ideas from this free Charlotte Mason curriculum. Update: we just started using Easy Peasy Homeschool, a free, Christian, online curriculum. I LOVE it and my kids do, too!
24. Take advantage of free classics.
Almost every book that was needed for the free curriculum is available free on Kindle because they’re old enough to be in the public domain. You don’t even need a Kindle to use them – you can download their free reading app and read on your computer, phone, etc. Here’s the link to the free classics.
25. Use the library.
It’s free. And awesome.
26. Use free websites like PBS Kids.
My oldest LOVES the Wild Kratts games and videos. I love that he can tell me so much stuff I didn’t know about animals.
27. Do preschool online for way less with ABC Mouse.
We used this with Isaac and now the girls and Isaiah are using it and loving it. Try it free for 30 days.
28. Kindle FreeTime
We use Kindle Fire tablets for school and my favorite feature is an app called Kindle FreeTime. My kids love that they can access tons of apps and videos, most of which are educational (I love that I can set time limits or block things). But my favorite part is the huge digital library that’s available. So. Many. Books.
Home Education for you
29. Read blogs on whatever topics inspire you.
There’s a plethora of amazing, free information out there.
30. Watch TED talks.
31. Listen to great podcasts.
Leave awesome comments for the creator.
32. Jump on free webinars and teleseminars.
33. Start an education fund and use it to attend a conference every year.
Entertainment
34. Enjoy the outdoors.
Hike, walk, swim, play together. Outside.
35. Family game night.
Swap games with other families every month if you get tired of what you’ve got.
36. Amazon Prime
Our computer is our TV so we stream movies with Amazon Prime. (Try it free for 30 days.) When we have time to watch movies. Or I use the free code I get once a month to get a movie at Redbox. Just remember to take it back on time so it stays free…
37. Dinner and a movie…at the same time.
We have a McMenamins nearby that offers this awesome luxury. Dinner is pretty inexpensive, movie admittance is $3 and they have our favorite beer. Win-win-win.
38. Ask a student or friend to make you an awesome dinner using ingredients you have on hand.
When my brother was in culinary school, we asked him to do this for our anniversary. Holy yum. We had a great time watching him prepare our meal (mahi mahi with mango salsa, seared scallops, honey tuilles with coconut milk ice cream) and chatted while he cleaned up.
39. Swap babysitting.
We swap child care (even overnight!) with our awesome friends a few times a month so we can go on kid-free dates.
40. Go festing.
As in festivals with free admission and music. Take your own food.
41. Enjoy free days.
Museums and zoos often have free admission days (here’s a great post on getting into museums for free). If you can handle the crowds, pack a picnic lunch and hit them up. Or consider saving up for a yearly membership. We found that it was cheaper to buy a membership to our favorite museum than to pay full admission more than once.
Clothing
42. Buy simple, high-quality pieces that can be mixed and matched.
This requires a little planning, but when you do, you can make several cute outfits.
43. Thred Up.
After the thrift store, this is my go-to source to find high quality, used pieces at great prices. Get 40% off here.
44. Naked Lady Party.
Tell your girlfriends to go through their closets and take out what they don’t want. Throw a part with some appetizers and wine and throw everything in a pile. You get to get rid of stuff you don’t need/can’t fit anymore and you can replace it for free. A Naked Baby Party would work, too, with kids’ clothing.
45. Project 333.
Choose 33 items of clothing to wear for 3 months. This includes accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.
46. Buy gently used.
And if you can, get a quality brand that will last.
47. Wash (and dry) gently.
Read the washing instructions … and follow them. That lint you pull out of the dryer – it’s pieces of your clothing. Use a clothesline if you can.
Cleaning
48. Use a clothesline.
This is especially nice in the heat of summer when running the dryer will only add to the misery. They dry super fast.
49. DIY cleaning products.
My friends Matt and Betsy have a site with a lot of recipes for making your own cleaners.
50. LESS stuff.
You knew there would be a plug for minimalism, didn’t you? All I’m going to say is, the less stuff you own, the less you have to clean.
51. Hand wash dishes.
Yes, I’ve noticed a difference in our bill. No, I don’t just let the water run while I rinse. Yes, it’s a great time to get some quality thinking done. Yes, Ian does it, too.
52. Ditch disposables.
Diapers, napkins, paper towels, throw away containers, paper plates, anything disposable should go. Even toilet paper if you’re brave. 😉 Reusable stuff works great, lasts a looooong time and can eventually be reused for something else when it’s past its prime for its original purpose.
Transportation
53. Carpool.
Ride with a friend to work. Or see if you and a friend can swap turns taking kids to soccer.
54. Use your feet.
55. Public transit.
If it’s available.
56. One car.
If you can do this, you’ll save money on gas, maintenance and insurance.
57. Compare insurance.
Speaking of, make sure you’re getting a good deal by quickly comparing prices with other companies. If your car isn’t worth much, is more than ten years old and paid for, consider going down to the minimum coverage your state will allow.
58. Group trips together.
Try not to drive anywhere for just one thing. Run multiple errands on the same trip if you can.
59. Stay home more often.
This is a simple one that I’ll admit is hard for me.
60. Enlist your friends.
Before you go out and about, check with a friend or two to see if they need anything. Ask if they’ll do the same for you.
Action step
My challenge to you is to choose 5 items and begin implementing them now. Then let me know how they worked for you.
These are some great ideas that I plan on implementing. My spouse and I have recently quit our jobs to pursue our own business. We are seriously adjusting our spending to get us as far as we can on what we currently have. Your tips are extremely useful to us. Thank you!
This is a great list! I was surprised to find that we have done quite a few of these ideas already! Go us!
I especially like having the know-how to make my own cleaners and laundry soap. Thanks for the laundry soap recipe…I definitely like the powder better than the liquid version I tried before.
What an awesome round up of ideas! Thanks, Nina!
I am totally on board, BUT, keeping the toilet paper, lol
lol! We kept it too, Tina.
Thank you so much!
These are great ideas. I felt better knowing I’m already doing many of them. However, the TP has to stay and I will say after 2 months living in the country without a car that the one car thing is not an option for long either. If we lived in town it might be different. Thanks for all the new ideas!
TP is already gone! I’m going to do project 33.
During the winter, recycle Christmas cards into cards for next year…you can hand deliver them. Make gifts for next year. Your art lessons can be used to make gifts, too. You can make wreaths, rugs, vests,cushions, jewelry, cards for all occasions, trail mix, hot choc mix, etc. I live on about two thou per month, tithing, car payments, doctor bills and all….
Nice Tip! http://smartwife.blogspot.com/2014/05/Ebates-Review.html also has a great post on how to save money on purchases made online
Hi Nina, fantastic list- particularly find myself that taking cool showers, switching off heating after showers and lowering thermostat temperatures makes a great difference to heating bills particularly as it is regularly cold here in the UK! Caroline
Awesome tips. One of the things that really helped us was ditching cable and going with Netflix ( which has every show that I love). Saved us almost $200 a month. Also we use a wood stove in winter and that can make the house as warm as 80° on a cold night, and I open all my doors and windows in summer for a good cross breeze, we only use the hvac if we absolutely have to. Saved us a ton of money on our electric bills
Thanks for such a compete list! All the links are wonderful, as well. We do most of this already, but I still haven’t made my own laundry detergent yet. Thanks for the reminder that I need to do that.
I’m curious. What does one use as a substitute for (ahem!) toilet paper?
Some more tips I’ve found –
1. Pay off college loan debt (if you have it) with automatic monthly payments.
2. Live small. Buy the smallest, cheapest home you can live with and pay if off before retirement. Do not count on your home’s appreciation value for retirement funds. A paid off home is a cheap place to live during retirement.
3. If you want to buy a car, get a reliable beater. Get insurance for $25/month from Insurance Panda. Forget about buying a house until your debts are paid off.
4. Only one credit card per family. Keep it in a lock box for emergency use only. If you can’t buy with cash, you can’t afford it.
5. Be careful as you develop your retirement portfolio. The Bush years taught us not to trust the stock market and banks. Gold, cash, rare stones, high end collectables, rental properties, cottage industry cash and at-work saving accounts with a big employer contribution will keep the money in your pocket. Roth IRA’s are also a good way to save without excessive taxes. Avoid annuities, and accounts that make more money for the bank than for the clients.
6. Assume that everyone wants a piece of your retirement portfolio. Beware of con artists-they come in all forms. If it seems to good to be true-it is.
7. If possible, use public transportation and cut back on car ownership. You will save a bundle.
8. Plant a vegetable garden. Learn to can and freeze food.
9. Do not buy long term health care insurance. The rates are too high to keep the policy going as you retire. It’s a sucker play for young adult money.
10. Eat out once a week. Make a shopping list and learn to cook. It’s healthy and you’ll save a lot of money.
11. Cut off cable TV and watch shows online. You’ll save over $100.00 per month.
12. Create your own power (sun, wind, whatever cuts the price of heating, electric and gas.)
13. Co-op services. Barter when you can for goods and services.
14. Work at home several days a week. You’ll save on gas and meals.
15. Shop the educational market for a cheaper graduate education.
16. Live in a neighborhood with good public schools so you can skip the cost of private ones
17. Constantly look for ways to save and cut the budget.
SO many great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Great tips – spoonacular is another great meal planning resource, it’s free and has nutritional info 🙂 https://spoonacular.com/weekly-meal-planner
Hallo, you are sent straight from heaven! I separated with my abusive husband and now i have to make do with very little income. I have been searching for ways to make do since i dont have space to grow my own food. Thanks for all the information you share. May God bless you. I hope to meet you in heaven if i make it 🙂 . Thanks for sharing
Excellent advice! Food is where I spend most of my money (a worthwhile investment) but avoiding unnecessary spending helps a lot. I’m also big into meal planning; I use spoonacular because it’s free (and saving every little bit counts). In case anyone is looking for a free option: https://spoonacular.com/
Thanks for the helpful post! I would gladly apply some of them especially now we’re very serious with our savings and investment. We share our story here: http://www.iwaydiaries.com/our-savings-and-stocks-investment-story/
I loved your tip of not going to the grocery store without having 10 items on your list. That would really help stop those quick ‘run in’ trips that turn into remembering 10 things you don’t really need.
One thing I do to save money, is I have my family buy us one gift instead of giving my daughters and I separate gifts, they all pitch in together and buy us a zoo pass every year. It saves us a ton of money and it’s something that everyone knows we use and love all year long. I highly recommend doing something like this if other people want to give gifts.
Great list! Wish the no ac would work in Florida, but each time you stepped out of the tub you’d be covered in sweat sgain… honestly, in August, getting from house to car- sweat layer
How awesome to see another Tightwad Gazetter! I raised my children, now 27,25 and 18 on a lot of those principles since I was a stay at home Mom for 11 years. I checked that book out from the library several times, since I was too frugal to by it then. Now is a different story. I should still see if I can get it in print. Thanks for bringing back such found memories!
Great tips. I am not really a frugal person but I already do so many of these without thinking. I handwash dishes, I use clothesline to dry clothes, I make coffee at home rather than buying outside. I always cook from scratch! No cable tv (ever). I love reading and we don’t have a public library so I use free Ebooks from a community on facebook who upload/share their personal books and bestsellers. One of the most recent things I have started is I have cut down all salon expenses as well, doing all self grooming as well as sometimes even colouring and highlighting my hair at home. I like to live good but without splurging too much.
Great help! You can stay up to date with the latest grocery ads at http://www.promogrocery.com
One of the other things I have found that I didn’t see anyone mention here is to UNPLUG EVERYTHING when its not in use….a pain to get in the habit of but the first time you see the difference in your electric bill it makes it all the easier to remember to unplug….PHANTOM POWER IS REAL!! The first time I tried this it was a somewhat half hearted attempt but when I got my first electric bill after doing this for a month it had cut my bill by just over $75….needless to say I was hooked!
Avoid purchasing the grocery item for per day basis. Try to make a list for the whole month and purchase grocery for the whole month. This also helps by making use of discount coupon codes. There are numerous sites nowaday where you can make an order for bulk grocery all at a time and you will be eligible for bulk discount. Isn’t it a good way for shopping as well as saving money on the needful things.
great resource! If you are wanting to save money on Amazon, use these tools to track and find the best deals https://www.ninjadeals.io/7-best-tools-track-amazon-deals/
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These are brilliant ideas! Thanks for sharing so many. For those who pay off their student loan debt, consolidating can be a lifesaver for an otherwise expensive monthly bill. If anyone is interested in a lower payment, Docupop is happy to help!
surely its a Great list! Wish the no ac would work in Florida, but each time you stepped out of the tub you’d be covered in sweat sgain… honestly, in August, getting from house to car- sweat layer
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There are some really great tips here! I highly recommend this new Facebook group for sharing new, money-saving ideas too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/358427532185382
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