Today we’re happy to be sharing our top 40 frugal living lifestyle hacks! These simple hacks will not only save you lots of cash, but most of them are healthier for you and for the environment. We hope you’re inspired!
40 Frugal Living Lifestyle Hacks
Food
1. Buy meat in bulk.
Meat can be expensive. Learn the cheaper cuts of meat and how to prepare them. For example, pork butt, a whole chicken, petit sirloin steaks, and ground pork are all relatively inexpensive meat cuts. They are simple to prepare, and most of all- they’re delicious! So stock up!
2. Don’t buy drinks.
Did you know that restaurants and convenience stores make most of their money on drinks? You can save a ton of money by learning to make your own drinks before leaving the house. Some of our favorites to pack for a trip are kombucha, water kefir, cold brewed iced tea, or a homemade coffee in a good ol to-go cup! This one is definitely one our top frugal living lifestyle hacks!
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3. Shop your local Amish stores.
Amish and Mennonite communities often have farm stands, where you can get fruits and veggies at a reduced price by the bushel. They are also great places to source inexpensive raw honey, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup. One of our favorite spots for groceries is a local Mennonite scratch and dent grocery store. You wouldn’t believe the deals on their specialty items!
4. Join a CSA.
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. These programs are run by small farms that typically offer a weekly bushel or half bushel of their veggie and fruit harvest. You pay a flat fee at the start of the season and get a box of goodies every week in return! The rates are usually very reasonable, and the fruits and veggies are typically grown organically.
5. Grow a garden.
Growing your own food is so rewarding, and it will save you a lot on your grocery bill each week during the summer! With a garden you’ll have an abundant supply of all your favorite veggies for a fraction of the cost. Gardening also gives you an opportunity to try canning or root cellar storage to eat all the goodies throughout the winter season.
6. Consider joining a herd share.
Joining a herd share is a great way to invest in your local dairy farm! These small dairies are a wonderful place to buy fresh milk, cheeses, meat, and other dairy products. We love to take our fresh milk and make our own yogurt. When you join a herd share you’re supporting your community and cutting out the big middle man! I like knowing the person who produces my food. If you are from West Central Ohio, check out Fresh Start Farm here.
7. Go to a U-Pick farm.
The sun is brighter, the produce is better, and the produce is cheaper.
8. Get chickens or ducks.
Once you have fresh eggs, eating store bought eggs just can’t compare. They’re delicious, nutritious, and most chickens and ducks give abundantly every single day. Like Joel Salatin says (paraphrase), “Chickens rise with the sun, turn trash into treasure all day long, and go back to bed when the sun goes down!” Interested in getting started raising chickens? Check out Shanna’s full guide to getting started here!
9. Shop at ethnic markets.
Ethnic markets typically have a wonderful variety of fresh herbs, veggies, and spices, along with specialty items like Passion flowers, tropical oils, and teas. Because they move these specialty items quickly with a high turnover rate, the prices are much more reasonable.
10. Check out the reduced section at the grocery.
This is a classic thing our mother did growing up to save money at the grocery. Check out the markdowns and manager specials on things like meat at your local grocery store. Simply take these things home, and place them in the freezer and they are perfectly fine! It’s a great way to stock up for less.
11. Do you know a hunter?
Consider asking your hunter friends if you can pay for a tag to have a deer or wild pig killed for you. Offer to pay for the processing fee and then you’ll have a freezer full of delicious (and healthy) meat for a fraction of the cost!
12. Learn how to ferment veggies.
Fermented veggies from the health food store can be extremely pricey. Alternatively you can learn to make your own gut healthy fermented veggies for a fraction of the cost! For example, you can get a head of cabbage between $1.50 and $3.00. All you need to make your own half gallon of sauerkraut is some good sea salt, a large bowl, a jar, and time. To buy quart of lactose-fermented sauerkraut from the health food store can cost up to $9.00. Making your own sauerkraut (or other fermented veggies) is so much more frugal!
Next Up on Our 40 Frugal Living Lifestyle Hacks…
Home
13. Buy the things that you use most frequently in bulk.
Check out your local Cosco or Sam’s Club for things like toilet paper, tea, coffee, sugar, flour, and healthy snacks. If you use it a lot, it pays to buy it in bulk.
14. Check out Ebay, Craigslist, or FB Marketplace for all the things.
Before making any kind of purchase, check these sites out first. We’re talking anything! Animals, perfume, plants, vehicles, furniture, housewares, building materials! These are great places to check out to get the maximum bang for your buck!
15. Buy used books on these sites.
Used books are just so much more frugal than buying them new. The best prices I’ve seen on used books are on thriftbooks.com. Also check out used books on goodwillbooks.com and the used books section of Amazon.
16. Dry clothes on the clothes line.
Did you know that the clothes dryer pulls the most electricity of any other appliance in your house? It pays to get those clothes and towels out on the clothes line on a sunny day, friends!
17. Buy things out of season, on clearance.
This is a great way to save! For example, buying boots and winter coats at the end of the season can save you 75% off or more. Additionally, buying things like Christmas or Easter decor after the holiday can help save a ton of money for next year’s celebration!
18. Give up paper products where you can.
Paper products are expensive and not so great for the environment. Using real dishes and cloth napkins is a great way to save money and keep more garbage from going to the land fill. The most basic and old fashioned way of recycling!
19. Buy things used.
Thrift stores, second hand shops, and charity organizations are full of great finds at amazing prices. You never know what you’ll find! Take the time to have a look at these local treasures and you’re sure to find something unique to wear or decorate your home with. Wanna know how to find the best stuff while thrifting? Click here!
20. Make your own laundry detergent and cleaning supplies.
Have you seen what a bottle of Tide costs?! Making your own laundry detergent is so much more cost effective! We’ve calculated that we can do a load of laundry for $.02 a load by making our own laundry soap. And, once again, these simple home products are much less harsh on the environment!
21. Invest in a deep freezer.
See numbers 1., 10., and 11. above! You will need some serious freezer space for all your bulk meats, reduced items, and garden harvests! If you’re looking, we highly recommend this deep freezer.
22. Turn off the air conditioning on cool days.
If the weather has cooled off in your area, turn off the A/C, throw open the windows, and get some fresh air flowing through the house! It’ll save you a little on the electric bill and be good for your health as well. If you need a good portable window unit air conditioner for your home, we highly recommend this one!
23. Say yes to free stuff.
This is one of our favorite frugal living lifestyle hacks. If someone is getting rid of things from their home and offering those things to you, say yes. Have a look through the freebies, and pass along what you don’t want or need to other friends or family. The rest can be taken to charity shop. Check out how to get free stuff here.
24. Buy used appliances and have them repaired when needed
Why spend $1500 on a new fridge when you can find a perfectly good used one for $200? Do you have a local appliance repairman? If you have a range or washing machine break down, price having someone come out to simply repair it instead of replacing the whole unit! It may save you lots of money!
More Frugal Living Lifestyle Hacks
Health
25. Learn to treat common ailments with simple, over-the-counter medicines.
Don’t under estimate the power of herbs, essential oils, reflexology and homeopathy to treat the common cold and other common ailments. These medicines are inexpensive, safe, and less harsh on the liver than other drugs and prescription medications. We highly recommend these books. Be sure to check out the herbs in your own back yard here! For more inspiration on a frugal approach to holistic health, click here.
26. Exercise at home.
There are an endless array of online resources that can inspire a great workout at home for free. Check out Youtube for great yoga, weight lifting regimens, tai chi, pilates, and more! Be sure to check out your local Wal-Mart, or even Goodwill and other thrift stores for free weights and other exercise equipment that you can use at home. Even Dollar General carries free weights! For more grace-filled self improvement inspiration, click here!
27. Stop going out to eat.
Remember, restaurants are trying to buy the cheapest and sell the highest to make a decent profit. This often means bad oils and other low quality foods are being served. If you want to be healthy, cook at home! It’s so much better for your health and it will save you so much money!
28. Take walks and enjoy nature.
Get outside to enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of God’s creation. It’s healthy and it’s completely free. How much more frugal can you get than that?
29. Don’t buy bottled water.
Invest in a Burkey or other good water filtration system and stop spending money on bottled water. Simply fill a nice, stainless canteen and you’ll be good to go!
Some of Our Personal Favorite Frugal Living Hacks
Garden
30. Buy plants on clearance, when they’re done blooming.
Towards the end of the season greenhouses will significantly cut prices on things that are looking a little less vibrant and a little more shabby. Just because a plant doesn’t have a bloom, it doesn’t mean that the plant isn’t perfectly healthy. Save money on landscaping plants, veggies, herbs, annuals, perennials, and house plants by purchasing them at marked down prices.
31. Start plants from seed.
A pack of seeds can be as little as $.25. Why not start your own plants from seed? For example, I love to start foxglove from seed. One fox glove (a perennial) can cost $15.00. I can buy a pack of seeds for $1.00 and by the end of the summer have over a hundred plants. See how frugal that is? And starting your own plants is so rewarding!
Finances
32. Keep an envelope of cash for gifts.
Setting aside cash for when extras come up is a great frugal living life hack! Dip in when you need to grab a birthday gift for a friend, or that extra Christmas gift that you forgot about.
33. Consider renting instead of buying a home.
Being a home owner may sound appealing, but remember when things go wrong the financial responsibility to pay for that new roof or hot water heater is all on you. Being a single woman, that just does not appeal to me. Renting can be a great way to save money that you may want to consider.
34. Put your tax return towards paying off debt, or straight into savings.
Do you really need the new TV or treadmill? One of our favorite frugal living lifestyle hacks is to put that money to good use by paying down any pesky debt, or putting it into savings.
35. Save up and pay cash for a car.
Ask Dave Ramsey. Having a car note is the worst thing possible, especially for a brand new car! If you can, pay cash for something reliable (it doesn’t need to be fancy.)
36. Keep your vehicle well maintained.
Take care of your investment by keeping your cars oil changed, etc. It will last a lot longer if you treat it right!
37. Consider bartering where you can.
Bartering and trading is a great way to live frugally! I think this old fashioned concept should become normal again. If you have an over abundance of eggs and your neighbor has too many zucchinis, why not trade? Recently my sister did my hair for me in exchange for some babysitting (which I would have done anyways!) What a deal!
38. Turn off the lights.
If you’re not in the room, turn those lights off, friends! Save some dollars on that electric bill!
39. Try Straight Talk Wireless.
Straight Talk Wireless has such a good deal on cell service! I pay $49 a month for unlimited everything. They simply use the local towers, so the service is perfectly reliable. I’ve never had an issue! You may want to consider switching. And pssst!…..There’s no contract!
40. Borrow what you don’t have.
Another great frugal living lifestyle hack is to borrow what you may not be able to afford right now. For example, we haven’t been able to purchase a nice lawn mower, but our landlords are gracious and generous enough to allow us to use theirs! As long as you treat other’s things with respect, they’re sure to be willing to help you out.
What can you add to our 40 Frugal Living Lifestyle Hacks?
Let us know in the comments below what your favorite frugal living lifestyle hacks are! We’d love to hear your ideas!
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These hacks are so great! I am a hairstylist and one of my clients is a lawyer. My client filed our LLC for us and in return we traded a hog and haircuts for the rest of the year! It was a win win for both of us! Definitely in to the barter and trade!!
Love the idea of bartering services! That is genius! Go girl! <3