分类： Frugal Living

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

The idea of living on less money obsesses our mind nowadays

I don’t know maybe due to inflation and worrying about future

Or concerned we won’t have enough money to pay for our kids’ colleges

Whatever these concerns are you have 2 options

Either to find a side hustle to pursue to make extra money

Or squeeze your expenses and think about living on less money

I know it may be hard to save money because you don’t know what to cut from your budget

I am here to show you all possible ways to help you live with few money and save more

Why you should live frugally?

You live frugally because you don’t know what will happen tomorrow

There is no contradiction between living frugally and enjoying your life

Once you start practicing living on less money you won’t feel like you are sacrificing

I’ll give an example, on my way to work I order a coffee from Starbucks

This caused a spike in my monthly spending

So I reduced it to twice a week and I did not feel any change in my life routine

You judge yourself and spot anything that causes you to lose money

Then direct this wasted money towards saving and investing for the future

Do you know if you invest $100 monthly with 9% mutual fund which is a reasonable rate, you would collect more than $300,000 after 30 years?

Is it possible to start living on less money?

Yes, it is possible but you have to know how to live frugally?

That’s what I am trying to show you below

Not knowing how to start living on less money is not the issue

Some people read my advices and applied few of them

While others did not even try

Fearing that this will impact their way of living

Anything that will impact your lifestyle can annoy you at first

Later on it becomes your norm and you may add more to your lifestyle

1) Practice the 30 days rule on non essential items

Do you want to buy a big ticket item?

If so, please wait for 30 days

Who knows, sometimes It can happen that you will change your mind

2) Setup a plan for the Tax refund season

Doing your tax during tax season is a good time for a refund

This can happen if you are saving for your retirement as this will lower your income and government will refund you the difference on taxes applied to your full income

I suggest to plan on how to invest that money or put it towards your debt

3) Maximize the transfer to your retirement account

So many companies nowadays contribute to your retirement account

They will match up to a certain percentage the money you put there

It would be great to seize the opportunity and contribute to the maximum of what your company will match

4) Trick yourself that you did not get a bonus

Are you getting a bonus at the end of the year?

Live on less by adjusting your budget as if you are not getting any extra money?

If so, that would be a great opportunity to use your bonus money into investing that money

5) Automate to transfer money to your saving account

Having troubles saving at the end of the money?

Why don’t you ask your bank account to deduct a specific percentage or amount from every paycheck?

By doing that you force yourself to save and create a budget plan from what is left from your paycheck

6) Get rid of your change in Piggy bank

Almost all of us get puzzled of what to do with their spare change

They end up anywhere in your home and they get lost

Try to use a piggy bank and save your change inside

Not only you will save some money but you can find change easily

7) Use apps to transfer your change to an investment account

To start living on less money, you need to invest any cash

There are so many mobile apps that can help you invest money easily

What they do is they round up all transactions you make using your debit or credit cards

Just link your cards to your mobile apps and it will take care of the rest

Apps like Acorns and Stash in US and Wealth Simple in Canada will deduct change from every transaction and invest that money for you

8) Find a buddy to challenge you

If you are not saving for yourself and the future

Perhaps you will save because somebody is challenging you

Find someone who is also living on less money like you

You can take the 52 weeks money saving challenge for yourself or with someone to challenge you

9) Use a cash reward credit card and save its cashback

There are so many cashback cards that give you money back on certain categories

Since you are already paying money for your daily spending then use a credit card that rewards you with cash

I pay an annual fee for a cashback credit card to maximize my cashback percentage

10) Create a budget

To start living on less money, you have to start using a budget? if not, what you are waiting for?

Just collect the last 3 to 6 months of your debit or credit cards spendings

You will be able to come up with realistic budget

And for this reason, I decided to create an undated ultimate budget binder

With current and 2 upcoming years as shown below

11) Analyze your spending

The key to successful budget is to properly analyze your spending

Those who are living on less money investigate how much you spend in each category

I recommend you use my free sheet below on my products page

12) Make extra income by starting a side hustle

You can save which is good but you have a limit

Saving is capped to a certain amount but income has no ceiling

That’s why I recommend to save but also find a side hustle to increase your income

13) Refinance your mortgage or negotiate your rent

Sometimes you can negotiate your mortgage for a better rate

This always happen if you negotiate few months before renewal date

What if you are renting you can convince your landlord not to increase your rent

14) Try the 52 weeks money saving challenge

When it comes to the 52 weeks money saving challenge I realized that it can be used as a challenge game with someone to compete with

It is fun and affordable to any income no matter what

15) Analyze, negotiate and bundle your recurring bills

How many years you have been paying your bills with the same provider

Do you know you can negotiate and lower your bills

I convinced a friend of mine who was paying $140 for cable and internet

He called the company and they lowered his bill to $90

This pissed him off as he was paying this higher amount for 5 years

With AskTrim, BillSmart, BillCutterz, BillFixers and Bill Shark in US and Bill Busters in Canada they will negotiate your bills for you

16) Cut cable subscription

The key to living on less money is cut and replace your cable subscription

There is a service called IPTV where you expect to pay around $30 per year

You get more than 3000 channels streamed online

It can never be better than that

17) Cancel magazine subscriptions

To start living on less money, Go and check if you have a magazine subscription

When was the last time you read this magazine

I bet you pile them and put them in recycle

Save your money which is around $20 and cancel your magazine subscription

18) Replace your home phone with VOIP phone

I don’t think you need home phone if you have cell phone

But due to the fact that VOIP phones are so cheap

You can add a VOIP service or replace your home phone with VOIP

Average cost is $3 a month paid annually

19) Set reminders to pay bills and credit cards

If you don’t want to miss any bills and paying your credit cards balances

Then best way is to setup a specific day each month to pay all your bills

By doing that you will never miss any bill and avoid late fee charges

20) Never finance anything

Sometimes you need to buy big ticket items like TV or Fridge

Here is the trick, so many stores will charge interest for paying installments on one or two years

While there are other stores that offer paying your amount due on 12 or 18 months with no interest

The idea is to look for these offers and buy your big ticket item with no interest

If you want to start living on less money then avoid interest charges at all means

21) Use HSA or FSA

If your company offers you a medical account ask them for the HSA or FSA option

HSA stands for Health Spending Account while FSA stands for Flexible Spending Account

These type of accounts pay for any uncovered portion in your medical bill

For example, you can use your HSA to pay for your remaining 20% of your medical bill

22) Pay mortgage and student loans biweekly or even weekly

Do you know the less interval between your mortgage or student loans payments the less interest you will pay?

That’s true, paying weekly or biweekly you’ll pay less interest than monthly payment

23) Look for no fees bank accounts

Yes you can find offers for no fees bank accounts

It can be with a bank other than yours

But you can take this offer to your bank and see if they can offer you to waive your fees for extended period like a year or so

Most banks will not turn their customers down as they will switch to another banks

24) Write your grocery list

Nothing is better than writing what you need from grocery stores

That’s why grocery list app like AnyList is designed to help you stay focused

You just write what you need for the entire week

What is even better, I tell Alexa to add my item to the shopping list

Same thing you can do with Google home

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

25) Buy the no brand supermarket items

Always the no brand is cheaper than the original item

Grocery stores ask the manufacturer to pack the grocery product under the supermarket name

Few times the no brand is of bad quality

If you want to practice living on less money then get the no brand products

26) Buy grocery items in bulk

Some items don’t expire like rice, spices and salt

You can buy them in bulk when they go on sale

27) Buy essential products from grocery stores

I recommend to always keep track of your essential grocery items like milk and eggs

You don’t want to run out of milk and buy it from gas station with higher price

28) Search for cheap groceries using coupon apps

Few years ago it was really challenging to search all flyers to look for deals or coupons

Nowadays with apps like Flipp or reebee they will do this hard job for you

All you have to do is search for your favorite items and the app will locate the cheapest store near you

29) Get cash back using grocery apps

Many grocery apps like Ibotta, Checkout 51, Receipt Hog and Krazy Coupon Lady reward you for your grocery and shopping trips

Most of them ask to scan and upload your receipts to get cash back

30) Stop buying bottled water

To start living on less money, you need to mimic buying bottled water

Sometimes bottled water is good especially if you are on a trip or on the beach

Other than that I drink from the tap water

I meant live on less money by not buying bottled water as your main source of water

31) Buy from Supermarkets that do price match

Most of the grocery stores do their best to match prices of their competitors

This means you can continue your grocery shopping from your favorite grocery store

But also ask for price match for items you find on sale through apps like Flipp or reebee

32) Bring your own grocery bags

To start living on less money, use your own grocery bags

Nowadays all grocery stores charge money on grocery bags

Buy reusable bags for yourself, keep them in the truck and use them inside grocery stores

33) Plans your meals weekly

I recommend to buy your grocery list to last for one week

Sometimes it can happen that you forget items and you go specially to buy them

With AnyList you can even plan for items required for your weekly meals

This will definitely help you to reduce your grocery trips

34) Buy cheap meat cuts

Not all meat cuts are the same

Some meat cuts like fast fry or stir fry cuts cost more

You can cut meat yourself especially the stir fry

35) Use takeout coupons

Sometimes you need to take your family and go to restaurants

Nothing is wrong about that

But to start living on less money You can use Groupon and Restaurant.com to look for takeout coupons

36) Go for family portions in restaurants

If you are in a restaurant always look for family portions meals

Sometimes you see a menu item where it says add extra piece for $

Ask if by adding an extra piece would turn it to a family plate

You save money especially if you are eating the same plate

For example, chicken plate is $17.99 and family plate is $21.99

37) Cook your food in bulk

You should plan your cooking time smartly

Especially the cooking different meals with common ingredients

For example most cooked vegetables come with beef stew

You can cook a beef stew portion that can be shared between 2-3 meals

38) Use leftover dinner for lunch

Most of us eat dinner at home and lunch at work

To start living with less money, cook dinner with enough portion to pack it for lunch next day

Definitely by doing that you save money buying lunch at work

39) Eat breakfast

Definitely you need morning breakfast for healthy reason

You will not starve on your lunch time so you would eat proper portion

40) Avoid meat and poultry once or twice a week

I’m not sure if this is healthy or not to skip meat and poultry once or twice a week

What I know is definitely you will practice living on less money

41) Buy a large freezer

What do you think I ask you to buy a large freezer while discussing living on less money

I have my reason, sometimes you buy meat and poultry when on sale and stock them in your freezer

Definitely it is really worth it and you are saving money on the short and long run

42) Plan to cook cheap recipes

So many meals contain in their recipes ingredients that are really expensive

Take an example, cooking cashew you can replace cashews with almonds

To start living on less money, be innovative and replace expensive items with cheap ones

43) Cut drive thru coffee and restaurants

I am a coffee addict who used to buy Starbucks coffee on my way to work

This habit had to stop and I reduced it to once or twice at most a week

I blame the technology as I was using Starbucks app to order my coffee and skip the lineup

To start living on less money, buy Starbucks Keurig K-cup at home and reduce my daily Starbucks

44) Upgrade your Costco membership

I saved a lot of money when I decided to try the executive Costco membership

But how? well Costco has 2 types of membership

The gold one where you pay $60 and get no cashback

While the executive you pay $120 and get 2% cashback on all purchases

Bottom line, I get around $85 which reduces my membership fees to $35

This makes it cheaper than the gold membership

45) Buy flowers from Supermarket

Do you know that supermarkets sell flowers cheaper than anywhere else?

Yes if you want to start living on less money then buy flowers from grocery stores

46) Buy some items from Dollar stores

Dollar stores are the cheapest

Especially you can buy so many items for one or two dollars

You can pay $5 or $10 for the same items in other stores

Don’t believe me check for greeting cards, notebooks and Christmas decorations as an example

47) Join loyalty programs

Loyalty programs are free to join and accepted in most stores

For example Air miles are used and collect points for free

You can apply for all loyalty programs and start collecting points right now

48) Buy cookware and skillets from discount stores

Discount stores sell cookware and skillets 50% than other stores

You can build a list of all kitchen utensils and buy them when they are discounted more in discount stores

49) Shop around for the best cell phone plans

If you need a cell phone plan and not in a hurry

During black Friday and Christmas cell phone companies slash prices like crazy

Keep an eye on these 2 events and get a plan locked for 2 years contract

Also you can start living on less money by bundling a plan with your spouse

50) Plan buying your gifts ahead when on Sale

We all have specific set of events like birthdays, thanksgiving and Christmas

I recommend to buy gifts ahead of time if you know what you need to buy

For example, if you see deals on thanksgiving you can buy gifts for Christmas too

51) Buy gifts from your own gift cards

I have never used any of my gift cards for myself

What I do is I buy other gifts with these gift cards

52) Rent your dress

There are many occasions to attend and each needs a new dress

I am not sure if you thought about renting your dresses instead of buying

It is up to you to think about this option

53) Consider buying used items if possible

Buying used items helped me to save lot of money

Especially for electronics and video games

I start by looking into used items under Amazon then eBay

Then I move on checking Facebook Marketplace

54) Check what you can get as free stuff

Do you know you can get so many free stuff online

You can call it samples and they are free

If you are interested then check my post on 100+ websites to get free stuff online

55) Shop from discount stores

Where do you buy your clothes? Do you go to brand stores?

You can consider visiting discount stores like Marshalls

Still you will find some brands and lot of varieties

56) Shop off the season

I started living on less money when I got my kids

They grow so fast and I have to buy winter and summer clothes yearly

I discovered that it would be cheaper to buy multiple sizes if I find good discount

Also I buy the next year at the end of every season

57) Check public libraries before buying books

Let’s agree on something

Do you still need to keep any book after reading it?

I love reading and I discovered that so many books which I bought are in public library

So check first your public library before buying your book

58) Switch to non disposable napkins

Do you have kids?

if so then definitely you use paper towels a lot to clean after them

It would be better to use non disposable napkins that are washable too

59) Stop buying alcohols and cigarettes

Your health is important to you and your family

Cut cigarettes if you have the will and reduce your alcohol consumption

Cutting cigarettes may be hard first but believe that you can do it

60) Buy refurbished laptop and TV

Refurbished doesn’t mean it’s a bad product

It is simply this product was on display

You still get a warranty so nothing to worry about

61) Don’t buy extended warranty

In my opinion it is not worth it especially in electronics

I did not buy extended warranty before but again it is up to you

62) Do Christmas exchange gift and put a limit on Christmas budget

We as families put a lot of burden before Christmas as buying gift is personal

That’s why I liked this idea as I tried it by myself in one of our past Christmas party

Everyone buys a gift for a family in the range of $25 to $35

We write the family name on a sheet of papers and fold them

A child picks a folded paper and the chosen family picks up any wrapped gift

Then this family picks up another folded paper

The new chosen family has the option to take any opened gift from other families or pick up a wrapped gift

If an opened gift was taken then the family who lost the gift can go and open another wrapped gift

This idea turns Christmas exchange gifts into a fun and memorable event

63) Save shipping charges by using Amazon prime

I was hesitant to subscribe to Amazon prime but since COVID-19 it made my life easy

This helped me to save on gas going to the store especially waiting in the lineups

I buy so many things online where I know it is same price or little bit cheaper

64) Use open source software if possible

There are so many software you definitely require for your laptop

If you want to begin living on less money then you have to adapt the open source software

You can download freeware from the internet

I will give you an example

Do you know there is an open source office called OpenOffice?

Also there are many antiviruses that are free to try for one year

65) Do your own garden

You don’t need to hire a gardener if you just cut grass

Just invest in electric or gas lawn mower and do it yourself

Also remove all weeds when they show up

66) Plant your vegetables at home

There are so many vegetables that you can plant in your garden

Like parsley and mint they are easy to grow up and you can use in cooking

67) Plant Perennials

In winter if you have snow, this will kill your plants

That’s why you can plant perennials that survive in all seasons

68) Start to use rechargeable batteries

There are so many things around the house from electronics to toys that take AA or AAA batteries

You can invest in a rechargeable batteries

69) Switch to dry cleaning at home

Dry cleaning is definitely expensive

I found something called Dryel that can dry clean your clothes

70) Make your own gifts

I know this option of making your own gifts is not for everyone

But still you can browse the internet for ideas of many things you can assemble together and present them as gifts like drawing on mugs

71) Mend your own clothes by yourself

I am not lucky as it’s hard for me to find a pant that is 29 long

It can happen to buy a pant for $10 and pay another $10 to shorten it

I discovered you can use cheap portable sewing machine to mend clothes by yourself

So if you want to start living on less money then find ways to do simple things by yourself

72) Do your own renovation

If you are not handy at least you can paint your own house

You would save few thousands hiring a painter to do it for you

73) Make your home pet free if possible

I didn’t want to open this topic

Raising a pet at home costs you a lot of money

You can ask those who own pets how much average they pay per month

74) Sell your used household items on Facebook Marketplace

I used to have so many unused items and didn’t know what to do with

Till I discovered Facebook Marketplace

It helped me to sell so many things where buyers pick things up and pay you cash

75) Rent your basement

If you have a basement with separate entrance you can rent it

Think about it especially if you have a grown up kids and don’t need it

76) Recycle for cash

Do you hear abou Recyclebank?

You can recycle your plastic containers there

For electronics you can use uSell and Gazelle

77) Trade babysitting

Sometimes you need to leave the kids and go somewhere

This requires you to hire a babysitter and pay a lot of money

You can trade babysitting with someone you know and trust

For example, if your friend or family member needs you to babysit their kids

You can do so in return of babysitting your kids when you need so

78) Do your nails at home

You can do your own nails at home, it is so easy

All you need is cotton balls and nail polish remover

79) Try working from home

If you have the ability to work from home then go for that and save money on gas

After COVID-19 so many companies discovered that their employees are capable of working from home

80) Try carpooling

Do you know anyone at your work who lives nearby

If you don’t or embarrassed to ask there are apps which can really help you

These apps search for people that work in a nearby area and are on their way to work

81) Get use of public transits and buy season tickets

If you are living in a big city and you work in downtown then it is better to take public transit

It will cost you a lot to park your car plus you can take subway or train and save time

82) Shop around for better car insurance rate

I know calling insurance company for getting a quote is not an easy thing

You can spend a minimum of an hour per each call

Good news is you can use Google to search for compare car insurances

If you find a really low rate for specific company you can invest some time to call and investigate

83) Buy used cars

I am not into buying new cars as they lose 15% when you take them out of dealership

I always buy trusted used cars where I can negotiate the price

At the same time you have a high chance to negotiate with your insurance company

84) Empty your car trunk

Don’t ever drive your car with loaded trunk especially unused items

It will cost you gas and decrease your car performance

85) Look for cheap gas stations near you

Every gas station set its own price for gas

It can be challenging to find the best gas station with the lowest rate

Not anymore you can download GasBuddy app, it will find the lowest price near you

86) Plan for cheap nights in theaters

Do you know every Tuesday most theaters offer all movies for $2

If you plan to go to theater then Tuesday is your best day

87) Check for students discounts and admission fees

Do you know students are qualified for discounts in many area like entertainment and transportation

This is a good opportunity to save money if you have student in your home

88) Replace GYM membership with community center

If you have a GYM membership and you are using it occasionally

What I can tell you is to check your local community center

Most of them have GYM tools so you can cancel your GYM membership and go there

89) Pack Food for your road trips

If you are driving for a long road trip you can take food with you

Not only you save money but also you save time

90) Buy travel packages before its peak or based on deals

Do you know that travelling on flights on Tuesday is cheaper than days of all week?

Don’t buy your first travel price but look around and use the internet to search for last minute deals

91) Watch free DVD movies from public library

Do you know you can rent DVD movies from your public library for free

Sometimes you can download Hoopla app and watch movies from your home

92) Invite your friends over for snack

I know your friends ask you to meet outside to see each other

This cost you a lot of money as you either go to pubs or restaurants

I recommend to invite your friends at home for snack

93) Lower thermostat to save electricity on your water heater

Most thermostats come with 6 or 7 levels to heat your water

You can lower your thermostat instead of cooling the water manually with your shower

One thing to do is to use low flow showerheads to save on water while showering

Last thing is to turn off your water heater when you are on vacation

94) Use slow cooker or crock pot instead of oven

Have you tried using slow cooker instead of your oven

I know a lot of people who can turn on their slow cooker and go to work by the time they come back food will be ready

95) Turn off unnecessary light off

If you are not staying in a room then turn off the light

I know it takes time to practice the habit of not leaving light on when leaving the room

96) Use LED bulbs

LED bulbs are not expensive anymore just check this 24 Sylvania LED for $23.46

They save you money on your power bill

97) Use major appliances on low peak and weekends only

All appliances that you have control on are better to use on low peak and weekends

You can google when your low peak time starts in your city

98) Use smart plugs for some appliances

Some devices consume something called phantom electricity even when they are turned off

Best solution is to use smart plugs to program it to disconnect during night time

99) Use energy efficient appliances

If you have the option to replace your appliances then buy energy efficient ones

They are equipped to save you on electricity and help you start living on less money

100) Turn off Air conditioner when not home

Turn off your air conditioner when you are not home

If you are worried about the time it will take for your air conditioner to cool up your home then I recommend to install smart thermostat and control it from your phone

101) Save electricity using a ceiling fan

If you experience extended summer in your area then use ceiling fan in days with mild weather

102) Use Windows and doors blinds

Do you know that blinds can reduce the effect of solar heat by 60%?

This can prevent the heat effect in days where weather is reasonable and thus not using your air conditioner

103) Check weather-stripping

Having leak in your windows can cause your heating process to run continuously

Always check for leaks and use weather-stripping as cheap and affordable solution

104) Close doors and floor registers

Hot or cold air moves in every room even washrooms

That’s why if you close registers in rooms you are not using

And close their doors that would have great impact on your heating or cooling process

105) Use smart thermostat

My life has changed after I switched to smart thermostat

You have so many features like bringing your home to your desired temperature sometime before you return back from work

Also you can set your vacations ahead of time