Beyond not doing...anything (ie, restaurants, vacations, new clothes, fun, enjoyment etc... I started doing three big things that have drastically reduced my outflow of cash....

1.) Actually buying year-long memberships to things I use (ie, Duolingo, web hosting etc)... yeah the initial hit is more, but, in the long run my week-to-week cash spending is down overall like, 30-40% for those things, it's wild.

2.) Back to the 'black' market for my cannabis. I'm Canadian, so totally legal, and a pretty big part of my recreation. Our legal market is pricey as hell, so using a discreet and high-tech online dispensary I'm saving literally 75% off the legal market cost. HUGE savings. Better quality. Everyone wins!

3.) Piracy. I pirate like, everything, except Spotify. Is it morally wrong? Maybe? Is it a huge savings over paying for like, 5-7 streaming services, 3-4 software services and 2-3 streaming services? Absolutely. I use Spotify and Plex. That's pretty much it for 99% of my media consumption. Not only do I save on fees but on bandwidth too. Listening local baby!

Live music is a non-negotiable expense for me, but I've stopped drinking alcohol at concerts and it's insane how much money you can save.

Usually I just drink water, which is always great, but sometimes if the venue has THC seltzer I'll spend $10 on that and it's all I want for the night. I usually have parties at my house after concerts too, so if I really feel like drinking, it's plenty fun to have a few cheap drinks at home afterwards, and the amount that I drink is much more reasonable than if I had started at the show.

In general, drinking less alcohol (or none at all,) is a fantastic frugal behavior that rewards you in many ways. You save on the cost of expensive drinks at bars, the cost of booze at home, the cost of undeniable health impacts. Not to mention the intangible benefits gained from better brain functioning, mental health, and physical fitness throughout all the facets of your life.

Re: TV and movies, anybody who has a Plex server will surely extol the virtues of it. TLDR it's a program that organizes and grabs metadata etc for all your video files into shows, movies etc. It has a ton of features and it's a dream. I didn't really need the paid subscription but I paid for the lifetime pass anyway because I love it so much and used the free version for years.

Plex is fantastic and lets you not only stream to all to your devices but allows you to enable remote sharing as well -- which means you can stream from your home server anywhere + let friends use it, or use theirs!

You can also put audio on there though I don't find it is terribly convenient to use for that. I have some audiobooks on there but that's about it.

I don't have a car. Biggest waste of money imaginable. It's just mind boggling if you think about it. You're sitting in that machine made of iron, leaving rubber bits everywhee and burning fossil fuels turning it into movement at an effectivity rate lower than 20%. For what, the freedom to die earlier?

With the price for buying it and repairs and the gas, you're paying a ridiculous amount each kilometre just to be twice as fast as a bike in cities, but most of the time you're not even faster at all.

And you don't move yourself at all, having to go to pay for a gym membership to sit on a bike burning calories without moving. So the time you won by going by car is wasted on burning calories for even more money.

I like these tips. Potlucks in particular are a great way to synchronize your goals: save money while having a nice social time with your friends. It's not just about "making sacrifices"! I also love your advice to mend instead of buy, and to redecorate by moving things instead of buying new.

Housing and transportation are almost always going to be people's greatest expenses. To me, frugality means taking a look at the "big items" first and worrying about couponing second. In my opinion, a mindset that encourages you to acquire and retain material possessions encourages you to live an expensive lifestyle. You need a larger house to store all that stuff, which costs a lot of money and also tends to encourage a desire to justify the purchase via external validation (which snowballs into wanting more expensive accoutrements). A larger house at a particular price point usually means one farther from population centers, which means higher vehicle/transportation costs. All of this amounts to mortgage and auto loans far higher than what is properly necessary to live a fulfilling life.

So, personally, what has helped me the most on my journey toward financial independence has been recognizing that I don't need to live a consumerist lifestyle and I don't need to take on unnecessary debt. If I can cut my fixed costs in half by living more lightweight than the average person, then I don't need to spend as much brainpower going to six grocery stores a week or debating which razors to buy. In addition to saving me a lot of money, I find that it makes my life simpler and easier to manage.

This may not be for everyone, but if you don’t mind getting dirty and are interested in cars: do basic car maintenance yourself. Replacing air filters is a great easy start. Same for windshield wipers. Both require very few tools, if any, and can save quite a bit of money. Remember that those filters are usually less than $20 each, while a shop will happily charge you $50 on top of that for the install.
If you get more comfortable, replace fluids yourself. Replacing brake pads and rotors can save you hundreds if not more. Same for spark plugs, they are stupid cheap. Those can be stupid easy to replace also, but can also be quite a pain in the ass. Find the shop manuals and read, or find the YouTube videos and watch.

A more general way of saving money with cars is to keep you tires properly inflated. You’ll safe on gas and tires, and you’ll be much saver. Another way of saving big money on cars is to keep on top of maintenance. Doing oil changes religiously on the schedule may cost you $40-80 a year, but will likely save you from replacing the engine a couple years down the road. A well maintained car will last much longer and will hold its resale value much better. It will also be less likely to leave you stranded on the side of the road, which could also cost quite a bit.

For me the most useful (and easy to stick with) cash-saver so far was to start doing no-buys (month, year..) for hobby items. Trying to stick with "shop your own inventory".

If you've got the discipline to use them properly, utilize credit cards with cash rewards. By carefully selecting two or three cards you can start receiving a minimum of 2% cash back on every purchase you make. The specifics here assume you're located in the U.S. but could apply elsewhere.

I currently use:

• Citi Doublecash: 2% unlimited cash back on any purchase. This is my default payment method for everything unless superseded by one of my other cards with a better percentage. I use this for everything from lunch to car insurance. This card used to have another killer feature called Price Rewind - any purchase you made with the card could be reduced simply by using a website to note where you saw the item for less. Paid $45 for shoes, then found them for $35 elsewhere? Screenshot and submit, $10 refund. It took some time to process, but it was amazing. I am so sad that it's gone, and am always looking for it elsewhere.

• Amazon Visa: 5% cash back as a Prime Member, or 3% without Prime. There are a ton of other rewards with this card, but the cash back is the important one if you, like me, use Amazon more than you probably should. Do not confuse with the Amazon Store Card, which is just a debit card.

• Any card with a minimum 5% cash back reward in a category. Groceries and gas are big ones. Do some research and find a card that maximizes the reward for the spending you do the most. If you travel a lot, there are plenty of good deals to be had.

The catch is, of course, that you absolutely never, ever, carry a balance. You use these cards in place of cash and you pay them off immediately, every month, without fail. I rarely ever carry cash with me, and I pay off my card balances weekly as a habit. For my personal spending, I usually end up with a couple hundred extra dollars every quarter from my various cards. If you're spending for an entire family I imagine you could rack up quite a bit.

Edit: I should note that, whatever cards you look into, avoid any with annual fees.

I feel like it's disingenuous to consider pirating as a method of frugality. Stealing isn't part of frugality. It's disappointing to see it mentioned so many times in this thread.

I agree entirely with the double edged safety razor. It is less expensive and a much more enjoyable shave. You have one blade doing the cutting at a time, but it is actually SHARP. The cartridges are more expensive, have 3-5 blades, and all of the blades are dull out of the box. It cuts much more cleanly. I spent about $60 to get into it, and now spend $20-30 on blades per year.

As for menstrual products, my wife hated the cup. I guess it’s a personal preference thing though. However, reusable pads are a thing. She has a bunch of them. She rinses them out after use, throws them through the wash, and it’s all good. They are more absorbent than regular pads and tampons, no leaks, and are made from organic cotton, an absorbing material core, and a waterproof backing. She swears by them, and hasn’t bought a box of pads in years.

She gets them from here: https://islasewingco.ca/

Some of my subscription services have been replaced with voyages to the high seas, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Whenever possible, buying things from charity shops rather than new. It makes a world of difference, since you're able to get high quality items for the price of a new, disposable piece of clothing or equipment. I've been able to buy porcelain plant pots for 50p, and I got new jumpers from some expensive brands for 1/2 the cost of a new jumper from the cheapest brand there is.

Learning how to repair items is also great, since buying used is no longer as "tricky". If I were to buy a stereo set, I would buy one used, for 1/10th of the price of a new one, keeping in mind I might need to replace belts, capacitors or power supplies. It is a great opportunity to learn new things and get a perfectly working item for much cheaper.

Also, generic brands. Smaller generic brands sometimes have the same ingredients as big brands, so it's worth keeping an eye on whether or not a specific brand is really worth double as much as the supermarket one. Hell, some supermarkets (like Lidl in the UK) have great bakery sections that have massive discounts after 19:00, so you're able to get tons of pastries and bread for cheap!

And finally, supermarkets often have huge discounts on products near their use by dates. More often than not, these dates are very conservative (based on "optimal" abstract taste characteristics, rather than actual predicted spoilage), and the food item itself might be good even a week or two after that date! Same goes for any products you might have at home; as long as it passes the "see, smell, taste" test, you should be good to go! However, do be wary of mould, as even a small patch means the whole product might be compromised.

Pay $15/month for mobile phone using Mint (hope it lasts)
Use library for movies, games, and books
Find free community activities to do with the kids.
1 streaming service at a time (paramount and AppleTV I've been getting free for like a year though w/ coupons/trials)

Shop at Aldi
Camp at state park

Shop around at more than one grocery store. The ‘name brand’ grocery stores (Harris Teeter, Lowe’s, Whole Foods, etc) are absurdly over priced. Walmart, Lidl, and other stores have way cheaper food that’s often the same brands.

The last so far was cancelling my spotify account and downloading my playlists as mp3 using spotdl.

1. I pirate everything I can. Movies, TV Shows, Music, Books, Audiobooks, Software, Games etc..
2. I sold my Car and take public transportation. Saves me several hundred dollars in gas, car payment, parking, and insurance.
3. I maximized my company's approved work expenses. They pay for my phone, and internet bills along with all of my news subscriptions. ~$290/month.
4. I buy coffee, guilt-free. This costs me about $200/month, but it lets me have a splurge expense. Otherwise, I will be splurging on other things. Buying coffee also gets me out of my house, and around others so I can work more effectively.
5. I set a budget and follow it. Otherwise, there is no point in saving pennies/dollars here or there if I don't know where my money is going. Following a budget lets me save 27% of my income towards retirement.

Churning credit cards. You need a decent credit score to start, but there are lots of opportunities out there to save money with reward points/cash back offers.

Usernm caliper put down a biggie, which is learning to do minor car repairs.
I've started checking online videos how to do slightly more involved repairs.
Currently hoping I can avoid a big bill to get my ac going. I'm in the deep humid south and no AC is just not going to be ok.

The only thing I can add that I didn't see is: use an old cleaning spray bottle for washing dishes if you are doing them by hand. I saw the new fangled spray dish soap bottles and thought "this can't be rocket science" and ,indeed, it's not .
I have a tiny tiny kitchen sink and so don't want to splash water around a lot as it will rot the counter. I barely use water and spray the dishes.

As far as growing your own veggies, I didn't know for a long time that if I bought non modified veggies, I can actually start a plant from the parts we don't eat.
A neighbour taught me this.
Lettuce, cucumber, ginger, bell peppers etc. Since I'm a renter, I grow out of pots.

Beans and rice are so damn versatile it's hard to get sick of them. Nutrition value is good as well.

Buy spices at your local Indian grocery or Mexican grocery. Sometimes these are at flea markets if not a store. Much less expensive and in bulk.

That's all I can think right now. Tons of great ideas here!

Came back to add for future readers, my ac ended up costing a whole 39.00 and giving me a deep sense of satisfaction and independence. Cheers

If you don't have one, get a thermos. I save a decent amount by taking coffee with me. Taking kids to the park - thermos! Going out for a walk - thermos! Fishing? Thermos!

Althought I usually have water with me too so I carry a lot of liquid weight around when I'm out and about.

I got a fully remote job. Besides the higher pay there's other benefits:

• No commute.
• Flexible schedule allows me to pick up the kids from school instead of sending them to after care.
• I don't need to prep lunch in advance or eat out. I can toss something together or reheat leftovers while I'm in a meeting.

I'm probably saving at least $30-50 every day.

I didn't see this listed here, so I want to throw out one thing that made a big difference for my family: meal planning. We waste so much less food now, which means I'm not paying for groceries that end up in the garbage. Once per week, we make a menu for all of our meals and create a corresponding grocery list. I'll also check prices against the weekly ads to make sure we're shopping the best deals and will sometimes change items on the meal plan to take advantage of those deals. We only buy what we need, which means less waste and less snacking. Also, I don't have to think about what to make for dinner, which means we don't make last minute plans to eat out simply because we don't know what to have for dinner that night.

Thanks for mentioning FlashFood - I’d heard of Too Good To Go, but it isn’t available in my area. However, FlashFood is (and I hadn’t heard of it before).

I’ll add a suggestion of checking out your local library for events and things to do - in addition to having free books and dvds, mine hosts free events and offers discounted or free tickets/passes to local attractions such as museums and parks.

.1 - Buy necessary long shelf-life items in bulk whenever they’re on a big sale. Never buy these things at full price. If you use a dishwasher, buy several years of detergent when you find a good deal. Same for TP, trash bags, toothpaste, etc.

This assumes you have a low chance of moving in upcoming years and that you have room to store everything.

.2 - Take your health and preventative medicine seriously. A little extra attention to eating right and exercising is far less costly than preventable illnesses and health conditions.

We make our own yogurt and bread. We frequently make large batches of soup or chili based on dried beans or split peas or lentils. We have a freezer and buy meat in bulk from local farmers. (You get all the cuts at one price per pound, and yes it is cheaper for us than even ground beef).

We run appliances when energy is cheaper. I have a paid off car that I will drive until it dies.

One thing I'd like to mention with gardening that I think leads a lot of people down a not-very-frugal path:

If you have access to soil, you don't needs containers or raised beds. You can just put plants directly in the ground. That is how plants evolved to grow, and it's how the vast majority of agriculture still happens to this day, from small subsistence farms to major commercial farms with massive R&D departments.

Unless there is a very good reason you need a container (for example, you only have access to a balcony) or a raised bed (for example, you live in an HOA that requires it), I would recommend starting off by growing in the ground. It costs less and, in most cases, is more beginner-friendly (water, temperature, and nutrients are more stable in soil and most plants benefit from having unconstrained root systems). Then see where you stand in a few years; by that point, you will have a better idea what's working for you and what isn't it, and whether containers or raised beds will help.

I've been living like a grad student for more than a decade (making very little, but having free time for learning and outdoor activities). One of my main food things is to save all my vegetable trimmings (and good but slightly past prime vegetables) in gallon Ziploc bags in my freezer, as well as all the bones from any chickens or other meat I buy (even if a recipe calls for boneless/skinless, I buy bone-in and cut the bones out myself). Once I have enough, usually every 3-6 months or so, I use a big 21-quart stock pot to make about 15 quarts of a flavorful stock, which I can then use in soups, rice dishes, and more.

My stock tips: Roast the bones at 425 in a sheet pan for an hour or so (you can do from frozen); in the meantime get the water simmering. Add the bones from the oven pan, dipping it into the hot water to deglaze. Simmer just the bones for several hours, getting all the collagen rendered, then add the vegetable trimmings in the last hour (I usually simmer 30 minutes or so, then kill the heat, letting the veggies steep). This keeps the volatile flavor compounds in the aromatics from boiling off and results in a flavorful stock. Also, I never salt my stock; I add salt when using it to taste; this way I can reduce it if need be. After it cools a bit, I put the stock into quart freezer containers and freeze for later use. The cycle continues.

Along with pirating/librarying everything and getting cheap takeout only every 1-2 weeks, I've been cutting my own hair for years now. Initial cost was only ~$40 for the buzzer (maybe more with inflation) and an hour or so on Youtube watching some guides.

Here in Canada, a Wendy's junior hamburger deluxe (no cheese) is $1.79.

You can ask for extra veggies (lettuce, tomato, pickle, onions) and they don't charge extra.

The burger is a decent size and with double all the fixins it's still less than a toonie. Best deal out there I think. You can get four of these and it's still less than one burger at most other fast food restaurants I think.

I don't know ow frugal it might be but when clothes, toiletries, or around-the-house-stuff shopping I tend to start at places like TJ Maxx, Ross, Bealls, Burlington, or Big Lots. Needed to grab some new polo shirts for work, hit those stores and ended up with 4 for under $50 including name brands like Izod and Nautica. Even tend to check their toiletries because sometimes they'll have good prices if you're not a beholden to certain brands.

Beyond that, I keep an eye on sales at places like Target, Publix, etc. Even if I'm not necessarily running low on certain products if the sale is good I might grab some and stash them for when I do need them instead of when I do run out and have to pay full price. And for many items, I'm not a brand whore and am perfectly OK buying store brand.

I used to be a cartridge shaver, then I got my DE razor a while ago. And holy shit, the difference in just shave quality is staggering, let alone the cost difference between the two. Yes the buy in is a bit on the more expensive side, but that cost is recouped via how low cost the actual razors are, like 100 blades for less than 10 US dollars. And that is for what is considered a good brand. Vs. around 35 US dollars for 4 razors for my cartridge handle. We are literally talking about pennies to actual dollars per razor. Although if you do any thing more than your face with it, like your head, it takes more time. Another plus is that you are producing less waste with a DE razor than with a either a cartridge or a disposable razor.

I think someone on this post did talk about the skill curve, yes there is a difference for shaving with a DE razor. You might look like you survived getting your face carved up by the joker. Take your time with it. And if you need to reapply your soap, then do so it will help.

Edit: it was OP to another post that they talk about the skill curve with it.

We sell our outgrown kids stuff to other families, usually via our local Google Groups. Outgrown clothing, toys and books that they are no longer interested in., all get sold and the money we make goes back into buying the next size up/new games, books, etc. We've also bought a lot of kid stuff second hand.

We live in NYC, which surprisingly has a ton of free events and activities, and free or pay what you wish/discounted cultural institutions. I subscribe to every newsletter and IG account i can to find free or cheap things to do. My family visits a lot of the City parks for hiking and nature walks - we just got back from a hour long hike at Forest Park in Queens this morning. The NYC Parks Dept is especially great for free activities.

Switched to a double edged safety razor

with a bit of practice, they are just as easy to use as a cartridge razor. The best part is after the initial cost they are CHEAP and you aren’t throwing away plastic cartridges anymore.

The initial cost doesn’t have to be that high, you can get a starter kit for ~$40 from Maggard Razors which include the razor, some blades, soap, and a brush.

Now, don’t get sucked into it as a hobby or it’ll eliminate the frugality of it all (thank’s for dying, reddit), but yeah, blades are super cheap. The unfortunate part is that they pretty much have to be purchased online. Most stores don’t carry them, and if they do, they’ll carry one option and it’s probably crap.

Adding this as I’ve had it so long I’d forgotten how essential it is for me: KOHO as my bank in Canada.

No fees, great cash back, rewards…all that. Just using it to pay my rent gets me $40 on cash back every time. I sound like a total shill-not here but I’ve tried 3/5 of the Canadian banks and KOHO kills em all.

I've found myself buying gift cards more often. It sounds weird, but you can regularly catch them on various deals. For example, a few days ago, I bought $200 of Door Dash gift cards for $160. That was purchased on a credit card that gives 2% cash back, and it was from Costco, so I also get 2% from that. All-in, it was $153.60.

This only works if you have enough disposable income and if you have the restraint to not spend more because of the gift cards. Works well for my family though.