“Teach me how to be frugal!” (in 10 steps)

Sometimes when I meet people and they find out that I blog about saving money, they say something like, “Oh, teach me! What are your best tips?”

I can send them to my site, of course, but it’s not like what I’ve created here is a step-by-step guide to saving money. It’s more like…a place on the internet where you go to slowly absorb frugality. 😉

Soooo, I thought I should maybe provide a Cliff’s Notes type of starter guide that I can send people to. Then they can have a quick summary of my brand of money-saving strategies.

First, a few things that do not mark my frugal strategies:

I’m not here for being miserable

A life of deprivation is not my goal. What is the point of accumulating money if your efforts are making your everyday life full of misery?

If you met me in real life and you hadn’t read my blog, you probably wouldn’t know I live a frugal life, and that’s because my life is, well, pretty nice! 

I have a pleasantly decorated home, I have good clothes, I eat delicious food, I have a reliable car, I go on trips…I just know how to do these things inexpensively. 🙂 

I’m not here for extreme frugality

I could save more money than I do, for sure. But being frugal is not the utmost priority in my life, so I’m not a hard and fast stickler about squeezing every last drop out of every dollar. 

I’m not here for selfishness 

Sometimes frugality crosses the line into miserly selfishness, and that’s not what I want. Part of the reason I save money is so that I have extra to give to others. Generosity and frugality can co-exist. 

If I live simply, I can have more to share with others. 

____________________

Ok! Let’s roll on to what my frugality does look like. 

1. I try to eat at home/bring food from home 95% of the time

Food from the grocery store is almost always the cheapest way to feed yourself, and it’s usually healthier too. 

2. I lean slightly minimalist

I am not hard-core about it, but I keep my possessions somewhat limited.

To state the obvious, if you can be happy owning less, then you will not need to buy a lot of things.

3. When I buy, I buy quality

I avoid fast fashion, cheap jewelry, particle-board furniture, pleather shoes/furniture (they flake and peel and there’s no way to fix that!), cheap cookware, and so on.

I almost always ask myself a variation of, “Could this be an heirloom?”, which basically means: Will this item last?

Sometimes this means I spend more on the front end, but such a choice often ends up being a money-saving choice in the long run. 

My minivan is a case in point: A Toyota Sienna is not the bargain basement option, but I bought mine in 2012 and it has never, ever had a mechanical problem. It has only required maintenance. That’s a crazy money-saver! 

And it’s the same story with my blender, my cookware, and so many other belongings. 

4. I always look for a free/second-hand option

I can often find quality second-hand items for free, or at least for a discount.

I snag free items on my Buy Nothing group or on Facebook Marketplace and I find second-hand items at places like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or thrift stores.

I am finicky about what I will pick up and buy, always looking for a high-quality, long-lasting option. Patience is key here.

5. I fix/maintain/repair whenever I can

For example:

• I mend my clothes and household linens
• I glue shoe soles back on
• I order replacement parts for things (when it makes sense to do so)
• I use a fabric shaver on my clothes
• I separate my laundry by color (no dingy whites for me!)
• I wash my clothes in cold water (helps them last longer)
• I use paint to refresh a million and one things

Tagging onto a previous point: since I try to own high-quality items, they are usually repairable.

For instance, you can fix a shelf on a solid wood piece of furniture; particle board is harder to fix.

You can polish leather shoes; pleather shoes are useless once they peel and flake. 

6. I avoid waste

I work super hard at avoiding food waste (food-waste fighting is what got me into blogging, actually!), and I also avoid most disposable products (toilet paper being a strong exception.)

I use almost no paper towels; instead, I rely on cloth kitchen towels, dishcloths, and t-shirt rags. 

Other examples:

• I use chicken bones to make broth
• I store food almost exclusively in reusable containers
• I stick the last bit of bar soap onto the next bar
• I squeeze the last bit of toothpaste out
• I turn containers upside down to get to the last bits
• I dump salad spinner water into my potted plants

These practices save money (especially the food waste one!), but they’re also good for the earth, and I would likely do them even if a million dollars got dropped in my lap. 

7. I work apps/deals/rewards

If you had to choose something on this list to skip, I’d recommend this one, mainly because it takes some time to get good at this, and the savings are small sometimes.

Practices that fall into this category:

• using cashback shopping portals, such as TopCashback
• using CVS’s monthly Carepass offer
• redeeming birthday rewards
• using specific payment cards to optimize rewards (for example, I have one that gives me 5% on groceries, my Target debit card gives me 5% off, my Royal Farms debit card reduces my gas price, and I have another credit card that is my basic general spending reward card)
• Using Gasbuddy and Upside to save on gas tank fill-ups 

8. I avoid optional repeating expenses

I do pay rent (ha), but by optional, I mean I don’t:

• dye my gray hair*
• get my nails done*
• subscribe to multiple streaming services 
• pay credit card interest (I only use them to buy items I already have the money for)

*Related: my beauty routine (if you could call it that) is very simple, and that cuts down on recurring expenses. I don’t pay for nails, lashes, botox, fillers, facials, and the like. I know these are a priority for some people, but they are not for me, so it’s an easy way to save! 

9. I always think, “Hmm, how could I make this less expensive?”

This is not a specific tactic, but more of a mindset. I approach most things in life with this question, and generally, there is some type of way to get it cheaper! 

For instance, if I want to read a book, I check my library for the title. If my library doesn’t have it, I check for inter-library loan. If that doesn’t work, I hop on eBay and try to find a used copy (and then promptly sell it when I’m done!)

If I want to eat granola (and I do) and I don’t want to pay the ridiculous prices stores charge (for heaven’s sake it is mostly oatmeal), I make it myself.

This granola requires no stirring while baking, and you can throw it together in just a few minutes.

I wanted a gym membership, so I joined the public one run by the city, and I paid the entire year in advance for a discount.

You do kinda need a smartphone in this day and age…so I bought a refurbished one (I like Amazon Warehouse Deals for this), put a good case/screen protector on it (it’s frugal to not break your phone), and I use Mint Mobile for my cell service because it’s crazy cheap! 

10. I do not, not, not buy things I can’t afford

I know sometimes circumstances force people into debt, and I will say, I was close to having $0 to my name by the time my divorce was final.

But aside from extenuating circumstances, I do not choose to buy something I don’t have the money for, and that means I don’t carry debt. 

It’s kind of like how it never even crosses my mind to turn in a school assignment late; that feels impossibly out of the question. And so does buying something I don’t have the money for. 

I recognize that this comes partially from a place of privilege, so please don’t hear me judging you if necessary expenses have sent you into debt. I’m just saying that when it comes to optional things, I’m solidly in favor of saying no until you have the money for them. 

And going back to something I said before: I can usually find a way to get the thing I want for free or cheap, so for me, staying out of debt does not mean living a deprived life. I just have to be creative! 

Bonus item (slightly controversial): I don’t drink alcohol

Alcohol is expensive.

I don’t like the way it tastes.

I don’t like the way it makes me feel.

And I see more and more studies coming out saying it is just not good for our bodies in any amount (the way alcohol affects our brains is particularly scary to me; I would like to do everything I can to save my brain cells as I age!)

I love the way it feels to be sober and in my right mind*. And there are plenty of other good options to drink that are cheaper and healthier. 

*As I tell my children, no one has ever ended up in a compromising situation as a direct result of drinking, say, iced tea.  😉 

If you want to save money and improve your health at the same time, do consider cutting back or eliminating alcohol. Your body and your wallet will both benefit, so it’s a win-win. 🙂

Readers, what would you add to my list?