Frugality is no fun, right? People who are frugal never go out with friends, never buy a coffee, never buy anything, it seems. They spend all their time hanging up their clothes to line dry, saving their recycling for repurposing, and washing out plastic baggies. Right?
True, some frugal people do this. But if you’re not naturally frugal and don’t want to be extreme, there are simple things you can do to save money that won’t affect your quality of life. You can live the same lifestyle you’re living now, but you’ll be saving money every day with these four frugal tricks.
1. Use reusable dryer balls.
Rather than buying and using dryer sheets to keep static off your clothes, try reusable wool dryer balls. Throw three of the balls in with your clothes in the dryer, and the static will be minimized. These cost $15 to $20 for 3, and they last a lifetime. You never need to buy dryer balls or dryer sheets again.
2. Buy in bulk.
You may have seen the massive pantries extreme couponers have. You don’t need that to save money, though. Simply buy a few more of your groceries than you need when they go on sale. Say you find pasta that is normally $1.29 a pound on sale for .79 a pound. Just buy several more packages than you need for the month. You’ll be able to eat your pasta at a cheaper price for the next few months. Keep doing this when items go on sale, and you’ll lower the price of your grocery bill.
3. Cut the cable and subscribe to Netflix.
Confession time. My guilty pleasure is watching Teen Mom 2. (Don’t judge me, please.) I thought when I cancelled cable that I wouldn’t be able to watch it anymore, but MTV shows it in full on their website the day after the new episode airs. Many television channels do this on their websites, and for the ones that don’t, you can always subscribe to Netflix. At $7.99 a month for streaming, it’s much cheaper than cable.
4. Do the math.
Often, saving money is as easy as doing a simple computation. Whether you’re buying chips, paper towels, or coffee, compare prices.
My last shopping trip, the kids begged for potato chips. I saw the 8 oz. bag of the brand we like on sale, 2 for $5. I was ready to buy them until I looked above and saw the 15 oz. bag of the same brand priced at the regular price of $4. Yes, the sale price was a $1 more expensive than the regular price.
Stores use this trick all the time, and often price a smaller bag as less expensive per ounce than the larger size bag. Why? Consumers are conditioned to think larger quantities are cheaper per unit. Take the time to compare prices, and you’ll save.
These are just a few frugal tricks that you can begin today that won’t alter your lifestyle, but will save you money.
What is your favorite, easy-to-implement frugal trick?
