75 NEW Frugal Living Tips to Save Even More Money

Your wallet is being hit left and right with more expensive prices, higher fees, and new hidden costs. Now, more than ever, it’s time to learn a few new tricks to save money!

I’ve been living frugally for years, but I only recently realized that many of these tips are new and fresh to most people. So, because I want everyone to save more money on EVERYTHING, from groceries to baby gear, I decided to share what I know to give you a head start on your financial goals.

How to Save Money Around the House

1. Use slightly less dish or laundry detergent than the manufacturer recommends. They often “recommend” way more than necessary.
2. Have one cup that is your cup and refill it throughout the day before washing your one cup at night. It cuts back both on plastic bottles and the amount of dishes you need to wash.
3. Use a spatula for getting all the last bits out of jars and containers, so you’re not throwing away anything. This includes everything from jam to hand cream.
4. Consider using reusable products over disposable. I’m talking plates, napkins, razors, even menstrual products. 
5. When you open a new bottle of shampoo or soap, write the date on the bottom. Then, you’ll know how long it took you to use up the container. Aaaand you won’t be as tempted to keep buying new containers when you see how long it really takes you.  
6. Speaking of shampoo, you know how it says “lather, rinse, repeat” on the bottle? You don’t need to do the repeat part. Your hair will be fine.
7. Try a no-spend month (or other type of savings challenge) to make saving money into a fun game!
8. If you live near a college, the end of the spring semester is the time to go dumpster diving. Many college students do not yet know the value of a dollar and will just throw away perfectly good furniture, coffee makers, even tech! This is especially true of long-distance or international students who don’t want to trek everything back to their home country for the summer. 
9. Reuse your towel for a couple of uses instead of throwing it straight into the hamper every time. This both saves on laundry and reduces the number of towels you need to own. 
10. If you have a laundry load without a ton of stains, you can use a cheaper, but still effective laundry detergent. I recently testeds 14 brands to find the best! (You can read my article on the cheapest, most effective laundry detergent here.)

Frugal Energy Tips

11. Keep the thermostat a little colder (in the winter) or a little warmer (in the summer) to save on energy costs.
12. Use LED light bulbs. 
13. And gosh darn it, turn the lights off when you’re not using them!
14. Got a hot water heater? They sometimes come pre-set to 140, but make sure you keep it at 120, cuz that’s all you need to kill off the bad bacteria. US Dept of Energy says running it higher could be costing you an extra $461/year, so go check. 
15. Check what discounts, freebies, tax credits, or rebates your state offers in its energy efficiency program. Just google “[Your state] + energy efficiency.” Everyone can qualify for some, but some income levels qualify for more. Like, a family of my size in my state gets a ton of resources if they make less than $70k/year. Which is a lot of families, so go check.  
16. Turn off and/or unplug appliances when you’re not using them. 
17. When it’s time to replace old appliances, try to find newer, energy efficient ones.
18. Get on the email lists of all the available energy providers in your area if you have multiple competing for customers because sometimes I’ve seen companies offering discounts in the hopes that you’ll switch to them. 
19. Use more small appliances that use less energy, like toasters and crockpots, to heat and cook your food instead of turning on the stove or oven when possible. 
20. If you’re going to leave the house for a while, like a whole weekend or vacation, turn your heat way down (not low enough that the pipes will freeze and explode though)

Save More Money on Food

21. Buy meat in bulk when it’s on sale, divide it up into single-meal portions (I usually go with 1lb,) and freeze the extra portions you can’t use this week.
22. And if you don’t have enough room in your freezer, seriously look into getting a chest freezer. I see them all the time on Facebook marketplace. And even if you need to spend $50, it pays for itself if you buy 10 pounds of meat that’s $5/lb off. (If you really can’t find a used one, this is the one we have from Amazon and it’s the perfect size for our family of 5.)
23. Bake snacks & desserts instead of buying them. You know they taste SO much better that way, too!
24. If you’re going to eat fast food, sign up for rewards programs at stores and other retailers you frequent, like Dunkin’s, McDonalds, etc. But THEN, hide the app icon on your phone so you don’t see it constantly and are MORE tempted to spend. 
25. Store the ends and peels of veggies like onions, carrots, and celery in your freezer and then boil them up for veggie broth when you have enough. 
26. Bake your own bread. 
27. Eat less meat. 
28. Eat your leftovers.
29. Especially if you’re going to add a ton of cream and sugar or flavors anyway, go ahead and reuse your coffee grounds to make your second cup of the day. Maybe adding one extra scoop of fresh grounds to stretch it. 
30. Compare food prices at different stores with a price book to know which stores in your area have the best deals. (I’ve got a full, free guide & downloadable price book template if you want to know more.)

Frugal Living Tips to Save Money on Bills

31. Call your internet provider and threaten to leave for a competitor in town (or if there’s no competitor say you’ll be just using the wifi data from your phone) to see if they’ll give you a “promotional discount” or even “financial hardship discount” to save on your bill. 
32. See if your car insurance offers a “safe driver” discount for installing a dashboard cam or using a safe driver app. 
33. With some car insurance companies, you can earn a discount if you have a certain career because you’re thought to be less of a risk taker (and therefore a more responsible driver). Teachers, accountants, nurses, and librarians all fall in this category. But you have to ask for the discount.
34. You also might get discounts if you explain to your insurance if your driving habits change. Like if you get a work from home job or become a stay at home parent and don’t have a long commute anymore. Less risk to them means more money in your pocket.  
35. Recycle and compost your waste, if possible, to save on trash costs. 
36. Because companies like Mint Mobile and Cricket are getting a lot of hype, the traditional cell phone companies like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon offer a TON of freebies if you continue to use them. We get and use free streaming services, free gift cards to Dunkin’s, free photo prints, and more with T-Mobile. Check and see what your service comes with! 
37. If you live in a place that offers “time of use” discounts for electricity, compare those prices to your current rates. If you opt into those programs, you can run your washing machine, dryer, dish washer, alll those big energy sucking appliances at night.
38. When it comes to things like insurance, you often can prepay for a few months in advance and get a discount that way. (Ours gave us a $85 discount for paying twice a year as opposed to every month!)
39. Set your bills to autopay if you, like me, tend to lose bills and might forget to pay them otherwise, and then get dinged with late fees. You can also set a “payment limit” on some accounts so the business or service provider can’t just randomly try charging you $1,200 when it should be a $120 bill.
40. If medical bills are killing you, start by asking for an itemized bill from the hospital or provider and see if insurance will cover more when it’s all broken down like that. After that, try calling the financial assistance office and see how they can help you.

Tips to Save Money With Kids

41. Did you know Pizza Hut will give your kid free food if they read books? They do!
42. Make toys from stuff you’d otherwise throw away. Old oatmeal containers, tissue boxes, and toilet paper tubes can all entertain a toddler for far longer than you’d expect. Here’s a bunch of DIY toy ideas to get you started.
43. Get secondhand kids clothes. They grow so darn fast.
44. To get secondhand clothes, make friends with a family who has children of the same gender but just slightly older than yours. 
45. As a former teacher, I can tell you the best teacher gift any parent could have given me was a note telling me how appreciated I was and any good things they remembered me doing for their kid. Bonus points if you send a copy to my principal. And you can give that for free. I also have a post here about for other inexpensive teacher gifts that teachers REALLY want.
46. Use reusable food pouches instead of buying expensive Go-gurts or applesauce pouches. (We’ve been using these pouches from Amazon for four years and LOVE them.)
47. If you’ve got school-aged kids without access to a microwave during the day, you can heat up things like chicken nuggets in the morning and stuff them in a thermos to keep warm til lunch. 
48. Use muffin cup liners in the cupholders of carseats because those get nasty and can be hard to clean otherwise. 
49. Cut your kid’s hair at home
50. For entertainment, read to your kids. Picture books, chapter books, Guinness book of world records, whatever.

Frugal Shopping Hacks

51. Understand the yearly clearance sale cycles. Winter coats will usually go on super clearance sale in April. Halloween candy is on sale in November. Window Air conditioners and bathing suits go on clearance in September. Etc. Being aware of your needs a little in advance of when they become emergencies and buying ahead of you can.
52. Before shopping for new clothes, shop your own closet (or the bags in the basement) to see if you actually have something you can repurpose or reuse first.
53. If you’re doing research before buying something new, Don’t use “Top Ten Best Whatever” articles online to do “research”. Most of these sites just grabbed 10 items from Amazon to claim are the best, but they’ve never even seen any of the products before. They just want to make money through their affiliate links.
54. Do your online shopping in incognito browsers or privacy browsers like DuckDuckGo so you’re not being tracked and won’t be tempted by scarily accurate ads next week.
55. Check your receipts or watch the screen at the checkout for any ringing up errors. If you notice one, stores will either give you the correct price, or may even give you the item for free. 
56. Sometimes, when I’m searching Facebook marketplace for a big-ticket item I really want or need, I’ll start by looking at the oldest listings first. If those items are still available, the sellers are usually more willing to bargain. 
57. Unsubscribe from retailer newsletters and email lists so you’re not getting tempting emails all the time. 
58. If you, like me, are an adult of smaller stature, you can often shop kid’s size clothing. I bought kid’s size LLBean boots that cost less than half of the grown up sizes, and they’ve lasted for 10 years strong. (And if you’re embarrassed to shop in the kids section, remember no one knows if you bought online!)
59. Whenever you have a known, big expense coming up, try “putting the word out” first. Tell all your local friends & family what you’re looking for, and see if you get any bites. You might be surprised by what people have kicking around that they didn’t have the energy to sell until they knew you were looking. 
60. Hold onto gift bags and gently used tissue paper. 

Frugal Fun!

61. Find ways to have fun that don’t involve spending money. If your only modes of living are “having fun (and spending)” and “having no fun,” guess which mode of living you’ll pick more often?
62. Learn a new skill! Writing poetry, cooking, small engine repair, whatever. Youtube, after all, is free. 
63. Use your library! Pretty much every library will have books, DVDs, and free Wi-Fi to use while you’re there.
64. Some also have board games, puzzles, video games, and other kinds of non-book entertainment to borrow. 
65. Some have a “library of things” like mine does. I can try our fancy spices, use giant jenga, borrow a sled, you name it. 
66. Many local museums and parks have free days or hours, or offer free tickets through your, I’ll say it again, local library. You just gotta ask. 
67. You can grab an identification guide to learn the plants and animals in your area.
68. Volunteer!
69. Find a pen pal.
70. Snuggle something adorable. Maybe it’s a pet, a baby, or a really soft blanket, whatever. Who doesn’t like snuggling?

Easy Ways to Make Money

71. Class action lawsuits. I recently filed to get cash back for being a Facebook user, having bought pork at the grocery store in the last fifteen years, and having done even on google search.  
72. Check if your work or health insurance offers freebies or discounts for certain healthy behaviors. We’ve received $500 in gift cards,  and received a free breast pump as just a few health insurance perks. 
73. Search your name on your state’s “unclaimed property” lists. And see if anyone owes you money. Here’s the federal government’s unclaimed property link to get you started. Just navigate to your state (or any state you’ve previously lived in) to search your name (or any other name you’ve legally had).
74. Sell items you no longer need online. Try Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, Poshmark, Craigslist, eBay, and more!
75. And finally, learn to budget your money. Like… on paper. Most people when they realize where all their money goes feel like the just got a raise. I know we did. 

Phew! I hope you’ve learned at least fifteen new tricks to save money. If you’d like to know the next time I post money-saving articles here on Homegrown Hillary, you can subscribe to my email newsletter below. You can also follow along with Homegrown Hillary on YouTube to watch frugal experiments, tips, and more!