Nowadays everybody is looking for the cheapest way to live frugally
Some people don’t know how as they don’t have a clue
While many others know many tips to live frugally
But don’t have the will to stick to them
Well I am here to explore all the frugal tips to raise your awareness
And for those who cannot live cheap living, ask yourself why?
In my post below, It is packed with many ways to live cheap life
Try at least one or two and when you get used to them they become your norm

Cheapest way to live
Cheapest way to live in the following places
Imagine if you skip your mortgage or rent from your paycheck
How much money you would save?
I bet you a lot, if I am not mistaken easily from 25% up to 45%
Since it is a dream to skip paying your mortgage or rent, you can try the following
Live in an RV
A friend of mine spent three days in an RV with his family
He reported that it was very pleasant experience
But can you live for long time in an RV?
Definitely it is one of the cheapest way to live during your accommodation
So instead of renting an RV for vacation you buy it and live in it
The average cost of RV compared to buying a home is incomparable
Plus you don’t even need a car as you can drive your RV instead
Live in a truck
Next to living in an RV comes the idea of living in a truck
Although any truck has less space compared to RV
But with few money it is feasible to turn your truck into a home
Living in a bus
Another cheapest way to live frugally is to stay in a bus
Recently I have seen in a TV show like HGTV many people converting their buses to small living areas
Live in a storage container
Similar to living in a bus you can live in a storage container
Keep in mind here that container is wider but shorter than a bus
At the same time, definitely you would need to buy a car for transportation
Living in a mobile home
Living in mobile home is one of the cheapest way to live and save money
The price of any mobile home is a fraction of what you pay in regular home
Live in a duplex
Duplex is another way of buying affordable house
You just have to be careful as you can lose money if you buy the wrong mobile home
You buy a house that is split into two units known as duplex
Definitely duplex is lower in mortgage or rent
Live in a home and rent basement and few rooms
You can also live in your home and rent your basement
Or if you have 2 storeys you can rent a storey to reduce your monthly mortgage
I know renting your basement is practical as you will have more privacy
Living with a roommate
Sharing your place with a roommate is one way to reduce your rent by 50%
I know not everyone like to do it but it is one of the cheapest way to live with someone
But definitely it is healthy to live with someone even if you don’t talk much
Living with your parents
If you’re single and want to save money nothing is wrong to live with your parent
You can tell your parents that you plan to contribute with money
Tell your parents to accept that as it will help you to manage your commitment

Tips to live frugally on your own or with your family
I covered above all possible ways to live in different places and save money
Now it is time to cover cheapest methods to live frugally
1) Practice the 30 days rule on non essential items
30 days rule simply is a practice of refraining yourself buying any big items for almost a month
For example, buying a new Apple watch if you wait for 30 days perhaps you would change your mind as you already have a regular watch
2) Setup a plan for the Tax refund season
If you are an employee most probably you may get a tax refund
Question is, do you have a plan on where to use that money?
I suggest to put this extra money into your retirement account
You plan for future, also get an extra tax refund next year as you lower your income
3) Maximize the transfer to your retirement account
Another way to live cheaply is to check if your company offers a contribution to your retirement account up to a certain percentage
I beg you to seize this opportunity and match the maximum contribution your company will match
You can never imagine how much you will make in 5 or 10 years
4) Trick yourself that you did not get a bonus
One of the cheapest way to liMost companies offer bonuses at end of the year
Cheapest way to live is to assume you don’t get any bonus and use the money into an investment account
Perhaps you can invest the bonus money in your retirement account

5) Automate to transfer money to your saving account
Do you want to save money but get tight on your monthly budget?
Sometimes you miss the chance to save for the current month
Why don’t you ask your bank to cut a specific percentage or amount to auto transfer money from every paycheck to your saving or retirement account
6) Get rid of your change in Piggy bank
Do you have change in your pocket not sure what to do with?
You can live cheaply and use a piggy bank
Make it a habit to drop any change there

7) Use apps to transfer your change to an investment account
Nowadays with many mobile apps you can invest easily
What you can do is to round up any payments you make with your credit card or debit
Then you move this rounded up amount to an investment account
You can do that using Acorns and Stash in US and Wealth Simple in Canada
8) Find a buddy to challenge you
Some people find the best way to save is to turn saving into a challenge
Find a buddy who likes to challenge you and go for a saving challenge together
It would be fun and you can start with 52 weeks money saving challenge
9) Use a cash reward credit card and save its cashback
One of the cheapest way to live frugally is to use credit cards to pay for expenditure
That’s why I decided to use a cashback credit card that gives me money back on renewal date
I maximized my cashback by paying an annual fee to get more cashback
10) Create a budget
I will repeat it over and over
If you don’t have budget it is time to start a new budget
Just see all your expenses during the last 3 months on your debit and credit cards
Come up with realistic budget and keep tracking of your spendings
That’s why I came up with undated ultimate budget binder plus current and 2 upcoming years as shown below
11) Analyze your spending
One of the cheapest way to live is by knowing how much you spend in each category is the key to successful budget
I found you have to keep track of your expenses on a daily and weekly basis
You can use the below sheet for free on my products page

12) Make extra income by starting a side hustle
You can optimize your budget to a certain limit
But your income is always the same and you have a limit to decrease your expenses
What would be best is to find a way to work on a side hustle to add more income
13) Refinance your mortgage or negotiate your rent
Sometimes before your mortgage term ends you can negotiate for a better rate
You can live cheaply by negotiating your price before renewal date
If you are renting you can negotiate with your landlord at least not to get an increase
14) Try the 52 weeks money saving challenge
I knew recently about the 52 weeks money saving challenge
It is an exciting challenge and cheapest way to live by use this money at year end towards your emergency fund
15) Analyze, negotiate and bundle your recurring bills
I have a friend of mine who was paying around $140 for a cable and internet
That’s way too much, I told him to call their billing and inform them that you are shopping around
To my wonder, his bill was slashed to $90
That’s why I encourage everyone to negotiate his bill as cheapest way to live frugally
Good news is that you can use AskTrim, BillSmart, BillCutterz, BillFixers and Bill Shark in US
And if you are in Canada, you can use Bill Busters
16) Cut cable subscription
I know there are so many household who are not aware of IPTV
IPTV is simply subscribing to TV channels over the internet
You can expect to pay around $30 to $50 a year
If you compare it with what you pay monthly on your cable – there is no comparison
17) Cancel magazine subscriptions
You may be paying $20 a month for specific magazine you really love
But the question is, do you really free time to read it?
I bet you that you keep it for some time then you trash it
Think about it and if that’s the case try to get rid of it
18) Replace your home phone with VOIP phone
I believe having cell phone is enough for anybody to reach you
But because VOIP phone is cheap nowadays around $3 a month
I use a VOIP phone at home
Bottom line to live cheaply with home phone I urge everybody to use VOIP
19) Set reminders to pay bills and credit cards
I found the best way to organize your bills payments and never miss one is to set up a day every month to pay your credit cards and utilities
You don’t want to pay late fees for missing any bill
20) Never finance anything
There are some stores who offer to pay for 18 or 24 months with no interest
If that is the case you can buy your big ticket item when you get this offer
Otherwise one of the cheapest way to live is by not pay interest for buying big ticket item like TV or Fridge
You can have a specific saving account that you start saving any amount into it and to use it for buying any appliances that get broke at home
21) Use HSA or FSA
HSA stands for Health Spending Account while FSA stands for Flexible Spending Account
These accounts can pay for any unpaid portion on your health account
For example, you can use HSA to pay for the remaining 20% dental bill not covered by insurance
I think this is one of the cheapest way to live without medical bills
22) Pay mortgage and student loans biweekly or even weekly
Do you know if you set your mortgage or student loan payment to a shorter period you will pay less interest?
Yes paying your mortgage weekly or biweekly will cost you less interest than monthly
23) Look for no fees bank accounts
I know it is a lot of hassle to switch from one bank to another
Take an offer from one bank and tell your bank about it
If this offer really exists your bank will do their best to match it
Anyway one of these offers is to look for no fee checking account
24) Write your grocery list
One of the best thing I discovered is grocery list app called AnyList
It integrates with Google home and Alexa
When I run out of grocery item, I call Alexa and ask her to add this item to my grocery list
If Alexa confirms that my item was added, then I use the app in my grocery store
You can show and hide your crossed item by using the eye view icon
You can add multiple items one time
Also there is a meal planning feature
I found a cheap way to live frugally when I discovered AnyList
25) Buy the no brand supermarket items
Without any doubt one of the cheapest way to live frugally by buying no brand always cheaper
To be fair there are so many no brand items that you can buy and save money on grocery
26) Buy grocery items in bulk
Some grocery items will never expire like flour, rice, sugar, salt and all spices
One of the cheapest way to live frugally is by always stock big quantities when you find them on sale
27) Buy essential products from grocery stores
Milk and eggs are essential especially if you have children
I go for my grocery shopping once a week
So I always keep track of milk and eggs to make sure I have enough for the week
If you want to live cheaply then never buy these items from convenience stores or gas stations
28) Search for cheap groceries using coupon apps
I know it is hard and challenging to search all flyers to find deals and coupons
Not anymore with apps like Flipp or reebee as these apps do the heavy work for you
You can search any item and it will find the cheapest price across all grocery stores
29) Get cash back using grocery apps
Yes you can collect money when using these apps like Ibotta, Checkout 51, Receipt Hog and Krazy Coupon Lady
They all work similarly where you scan your receipts and get cash back
30) Stop buying bottled water
I don’t see anything wrong drinking water tap
Yes I have to admit that I buy bottled water from time to time
But only when I am going camping or on the beach
31) Buy from Supermarkets that do price match
Sometimes you can find a deal in one grocery store
But you don’t buy groceries there
I found one of the cheapest way to live frugally is to grab this offer and show it to your grocery store
Most supermarket will do a price match to grant you the same deal
32) Bring your own grocery bags
I will speak about myself of keeping reusable grocery bags in my trunk
This saves me from buying grocery bags in all supermarkets I visit
33) Plans your meals weekly
Do your best to fit your grocery shopping for the week in one visit weekly
At the beginning it is going to be hard as you will discover that you forgot few things
But by using AnyList it should be easy to organize your thoughts and focus on what you really need to buy
34) Buy cheap meat cuts
I think you already know there are cheap meat cuts
So best cheapest way to live frugally is to buy the cheap meat cuts the more you save
I am not asking to stop buying top sirloin steak but to reduce buying it
35) Use takeout coupons
I know from time to time you would go with your family to restaurants
You have to know all coupons that will save you money
I use Groupon and Restaurant.com to get coupons for your restaurants
36) Go for family portions in restaurants
If you are in restaurants always look for plates that are good for 2 persons
Some items on the menu can be modified to be enough for more than one person
For example, chicken tenders for $17.99 and it has a note below it that says
Add $5 to double the portion
37) Cook your food in bulk
You are saving your effort cooking multiple times
If you are cooking in weekend you can cook multiple meals together
For example, if you are cooking beef stew for different types of meals
You can cook big portions and use them with 2 or 3 meals together
38) Use leftover dinner for lunch
You know it can never happen to finish all your cooked dinner
I found cheapest way to live frugally is by using your leftover dinner to eat it at lunch
You would save money buying lunch at work
39) Eat breakfast
Your body needs to get food on time
If you skip eating breakfast most probably you will starve at lunch time
Not only this is not healthy but you may buy extra food because you are hungry
40) Avoid meat and poultry once or twice a week
You can save a good money if you decide to skip meat and poultry twice a week
Actually skipping meat once or twice will not harm your body
41) Buy a large freezer
Although I am asking you to buy a large freezer and spend money on that
But I aim to save you money in the long run
Sometimes meats and poultries go on sale and you need to buy and stock
I found that having a large freezer in my home helped me to save money by buying cheap grocery items and freeze them
42) Plan to cook cheap recipes
For those who work full time they won’t have time for cooking
That’s why it is convenient to look for easy recipe
Sometimes you can replace some nutritional items in some recipes with cheap ones
For example, replacing cashews in salad recipes with almonds
43) Cut drive thru coffee and restaurants
I know there is a morning coffee habit for lot of people
This habit costs lot of money monthly
I have to admit I used to buy my morning coffee using a mobile app
Because technology made it easy to skip lineups and the wait time
Till I discovered that I am paying a lot each month
I cut it and I buy coffee occasionally
Sometimes I use Starbucks Keurig K-cup at home
44) Upgrade your Costco membership
Believe it or not upgrading Costco membership will save you money by end of year
But how? Costco membership comes with 2 types
Gold where you pay $60 and executive for $120
If you get the executive membership you get 2% on all annual purchases while gold you don’t get any cashback
I remember when I upgraded my executive membership I got $80 as cash back
This means that my next membership costs less than gold one
45) Buy flowers from Supermarket
If you have an occasion where you need to buy flowers
One of the cheapest way to live frugally is by getting your flowers from supermarket it is way cheaper than floral stores
46) Buy some items from Dollar stores
There are so many items you can buy from dollar stores and really save money
As you know all items are around one or two dollars
Go to any dollar store and take a note of the following items
Greeting cards, party supplies, notebooks, gift boxes and wrapping papers, storage containers and Christmas decorations
These items above are way expensive in other stores and this is not the end of the list
47) Join loyalty programs
This is something you can keep it on your list of savings as a habit
Loyalty programs will save you on the long run
But since you lose nothing to use loyalty programs like Air miles
And many stores are using these loyalty programs so use them if you can
48) Buy cookware and skillets from discount stores
There are discount stores selling cookware and skillets for 50% discounted prices than any other stores
I recommend to write a list of all missing kitchen utensils and appliances
Whenever you find them cheap at discount stores get them for that low prices
49) Shop around for the best cell phone plans
During the year there are specific occasions like black Friday and Christmas
Where you can check cell phone plans with all phone providers
You can get a plan locked down for 2 years with a contract
Sometimes you can get a bundle plan for you and your spouse
Keep an eye on these occasions as you will save money buying long term plans
50) Plan buying your gifts ahead when on Sale
Everyone of us has specific set of events like birthdays, thanksgiving day and Christmas where you know you will buy gifts
You can buy gifts ahead of time if you find deals on specific occasion
For example, you can buy Christmas gifts on black Friday
51) Buy gifts from your own gift cards
I always keep gift cards which I receive so I can give it back on other events I attend
Sometimes you can use the gift cards to buy gifts with gift receipts
52) Rent your dress
I know it is hard for women to buy so many dresses for different events
That’s why you can consider renting your dress
Especially if buying a dress to attend a one time specific event and that’s it
You know you won’t use it anymore in the near future
53) Consider buying used items if possible
I discovered there are so many used items you can buy instead of buying them as brand new
I will give you an example, I always look for Amazon used items
Especially in electronics or books
Also I check eBay and Facebook Marketplace
54) Check what you can get as free stuff
Yes, there are free stuff you can get online as a sample
You can check my post about 100+ websites to get free stuff online
55) Shop from discount stores
There are so many discount stores like TJMaxx you can find deals there
These stores get clothes from different brands
You just have to keep looking as there are so many varieties there
56) Shop off the season
I want you to keep it as a habit especially if you have kids
At the end of the season you can buy winter jackets with bigger sizes for the next year
Same thing for summer season to buy next year summer clothes
This is one of the cheapest way to live frugally by buying off season
57) Check public libraries before buying books
I made this mistake where I bought few books and it happened that I found them in public libraries
So before you buy any book check your local public library and you can rent it for 2 weeks and it is renewable for up to 6 weeks
58) Switch to non disposable napkins
This would be easy to understand for those who have kids
You need to use paper towels a lot to clean messes around the house
That’s why I found I can use non disposable napkins that you can wash many times
59) Stop buying alcohols and cigarettes
Stop smoking to keep yourself healthy
I don’t have to tell you how smoking is dangerous for your lungs
But when it comes to alcohols use your best judgement and consume alcohol wisely
I know there are so many people that cannot live without consuming alcohol daily
Don’t be that person who goes out after 9 pm looking for liquor stores to buy alcohol
60) Buy refurbished laptop and TV
Cheapest way to live frugally by buying refurbished laptop and TV
To understand what is refurbished electronic it is simply an electronic item that went out of box for display purpose
Nothing to worry about as buying refurbished item will come with warranty too
61) Don’t buy extended warranty
I believe it is not worth it to buy extended warranty
At least I don’t buy extended warranty when buying electronics
62) Do Christmas exchange gift and put a limit on Christmas budget
I will suggest this idea and it is up to you to apply it on Christmas time
Instead of buying a gift for everyone you can buy a gift for the family
You can agree on the range let’s say between $25 and $35 and then wrap it
Then you can write all names on small sheet of papers and fold them
The game starts with a child picking up a name and that person picks up any gift
You can have the same person who picks up the gift to choose another folded paper
Now the fun begins as the new selected person has the choice to take the gift from anyone before or pick a new gift
If this person takes the gift from someone then the latter can go and take an existing gift or pick up another wrapped gift
The game is fun, it turns the Christmas exchange gifts into fun and memorable event
63) Save shipping charges by using Amazon prime
I was not a big fan of buying things online but to live cheaply I had to change my mind
After COVID-19 it turned out to be profitable for me to buy some items online
Actually I save gas and time due to lineups at stores
I have so many lists I buy using Amazon prime like Shampoos and hygiene products
64) Use open source software if possible
Nowadays every laptop needs a bunch of software you have to buy
I found there are so many open source software you can use instead of buying licensed ones
For example, you can use open source office called OpenOffice
Also you can use many free one year trial antivirus
65) Do your own garden
I am OK to cut the grass on a weekly basis
If you hire a gardener they will do the same task
Actually any gardener sprays your grass to kill the weed
You can be careful to pick up weeds before it is too late
66) Plant your vegetables at home
You can plant so many things that you use occasionally
For example, planting mint and parsley in your garden will save you money and you can use them in cooking
67) Plant Perennials
In Canada, winter kills most of the plants
You can plant perennials bushes that can survive in all seasons
68) Start to use rechargeable batteries
There are so many things around the house that use a lot of AA or AAA batteries
Especially kids’ toys and some electronics that’s why you can use a rechargeable batteries
69) Switch to dry cleaning at home
I rarely use dry cleaning because it is expensive
But you can use something like Dryel for dry cleaning your clothes
70) Make your own gifts
I know not everybody can make their own gifts but it is one of the cheapest way to live frugally
Making your own gifts can be useful especially if you can draw
You can draw on mugs or you can do canvas and put it inside frames
71) Mend your own clothes by yourself
Every time when I buy a new pant I know I have to shorten it
It is very hard to find a pant 29 long
Now with the use of something like cheap portable sewing machine you can shorten your pants by yourself
72) Do your own renovation
I know most of us are not handy to fix things around the house
But at least you can paint your home by seeing many YouTube videos
It is an easy process that would save you lot of money if you hire a painter
73) Make your home pet free if possible
This is a sensitive topic I didn’t want to open it
And I am not telling you that the right thing is not to own a pet
But be aware that any pet requires a lot of things like medical insurance, grooming and food
Make up your mind and ask those who already own pets about the average cost per month they pay for their pets
74) Sell your used household items on Facebook Marketplace
I have positive feedback experience about selling my unused items on Facebook Marketplace
First it is very good as you sell things for cash
Usually buyers pick things up from your home
75) Rent your basement
If you have grown up kids and you don’t need your basement
That’s good, you can think about renting your basement
I know some families make a separate entrances to their own basements to make renting their basements convenient for tenants
76) Recycle for cash
You can recycle your plastic containers by using Recyclebank
Also for electronics you can recycle your them using uSell and Gazelle
77) Trade babysitting
One of the cool thing to live cheaply is to save on babysitting if required
I know it is very expensive to hire a baby sitter if you are attending an event with your spouse
What you can do is you can exchange baby sitting with a friend or family
Meaning you can baby sit their kids once and in return they can baby sit your kids on another day
78) Do your nails at home
It is totally not expensive at all if you do your nails at home
All you need is cotton balls and nail polish remover
79) Try working from home
There are many companies that offer working from home even before COVID-19
Yes I know it may be boring to work from home
But it would save you money on gas and food
80) Try carpooling
Actually there are so many Android and iPhone apps that let you search for nearby people that work at nearby places
Also you can check at your work if you know someone who lives nearby
81) Get use of public transits and buy season tickets
Sometimes if you are working in downtown especially in big cities
It would be convenient to take public transportation and save parking fees and gas
I was hesitant to use public transit
But actually I tried the Go Train and found it to be convenient and relaxing
82) Shop around for better car insurance rate
I know it is a daunting task to switch your car insurance
But trust me I live cheaply and shop around as it is worth the effort if you grab a deal
What I can tell you is go to Google and search for compare car insurances
Start by asking your prospect company if they bundle car and home together
Also if they have an app to monitor your driving habits and compensate you on high scores
And make sure to check for any car insurance before you commit buying it
83) Buy used cars
I am a big fan of buying a certified used cars
All cars lose around 15% of its price once you drive it out of the dealership
That’s why when you buy any used car you can negotiate the price
At the same time, you can lower your insurance premium since it is a used car
84) Empty your car trunk
Did you know that driving any car with a loaded trunk consumes more gas?
That’s why you have to empty the trunk of unused items
85) Look for cheap gas stations near you
Every gas station sets its own price
That’s why it is better to fill up from a cheap gas stations
But how would you know that?
It is not practical to drive around nearby gas stations to check the prices
With an app like GasBuddy you can get the list of all nearby gas prices
86) Plan for cheap nights in theaters
You may know most theaters offer on Tuesday all movies for $2
Cheapest way to live frugally by planning to go on that day if it is possible
87) Check for students discounts and admission fees
Do you have a student?
If so, look for all their available discounts in entertainment and transportation
88) Replace GYM membership with community center
Do you have GYM membership? If so, what are you using it for?
Perhaps you are using some GYM tools you can already find in community center
89) Pack Food for your road trips
If you are planning for a long drive vacation inside the country then expect to stop multiple times to buy food
You can save money and pack your food for the road trips
90) Buy travel packages before its peak or based on deals
Actually there are some travel tricks you can use to save money and live cheaply
For example, we all know buying your flight tickets on Tuesday is cheaper than any other day
What I want everybody to do is to check travel websites and look for last minute deals
91) Watch free DVD movies from public library
There are free DVD movies you can rent for free in your public library
Most of the movies you don’t have to go there but you can watch it on Hoopla
92) Invite your friends over for snack
What happens usually is you hang out with your friends at pubs or restaurants
This means you pay lot of money to hang out
You can invite your friends at home for snack and they can do the same
93) Lower thermostat to save electricity on your water heater
There are so many ways to save with your thermostat especially your water heater
For example, you can practice taking short shower
Also you can install low flow showerheads
Try using cold water to clean your clothes in your washing machine
And you can turn off your water heater when you are on vacation
94) Use slow cooker or crock pot instead of oven
With no doubt using slow cooker will save you money instead of using oven
What you need to know is to find recipes that use slow cooker
95) Turn off unnecessary light off
It sounds simple but I know so many people leave lights on
Sometimes they come back home and find lights on in some rooms
96) Use LED bulbs
If your excuse of not using LED bulbs because they are pricey
Not anymore, LED bulbs are now affordable
One of the cheapest way to live frugally is by buying LED bulbs
Don’t believe me, check this 24 Sylvania LED for $23.46
97) Use major appliances on low peak and weekends only
Some appliances you have full control on
Like when to turn them on and off like dishwasher, washing machine and dryer
So I found the best way to live cheaply by using these appliances on low peak periods with the lowest electricity rate
98) Use smart plugs for some appliances
Some devices should be unplugged when they are not in use or they will consume power
That’s why you can use smart plugs to save you money on phantom electricity
99) Use energy efficient appliances
If you get a chance to replace your appliances then go for energy efficient appliances
It will pay it off on your electricity
100) Turn off Air conditioner when not home
I see so many people keep their air conditioner when they are not home
They believe it will take lot of time to cool the house
This is not an excuse because you can control your smart thermostat with your phone and turn your air conditioner on remotely
101) Save electricity using a ceiling fan
If you are living in a place where you experience extended summer
You can install ceiling fan as sometimes it can cool your air in mild weather
102) Use Windows and doors blinds
Do you know that blinds can reduce the effect of solar heat by 60%?
That’s why if it is not too hot by using blinds you can stop the air conditioner
103) Check weather-stripping
Sometimes if you have leak you can lose money by running your heating continuously
But if you use weather-stripping as cheap and effective solution to save on heating
104) Close doors and floor registers
Hot or cold air moves throughout your home to every floor registers
This is not theoretical, I tested it myself
Switch off all floor registers in basement washroom and closet
Also close washroom rooms to avoid air from moving into unused space
This is one of the cheapest way to live frugally by reducing amount of heat going to rooms you are not in
105) Use smart thermostat
I never imagined how my life was going before using smart thermostat
You have so many features that really allows me to live cheaply
One of the cheapest way to live frugally is by highly recommending everyone to replace their thermostat with smart one