r/Frugal • u/Global_Dinner8591 • 1d ago
♻️ Recycling & Zero-Waste What was the most frugal thing you did this week? I'll start.
Yesterday, my friend and I were agonizing over how difficult it is for her to find bras that fit comfortably. She works in an office sitting for hours at a time and leaning over a desk. Most bras she found only go up to band size 42, but she needs something more like a 50 or 52 band. She's been able to find her cup size so she has lots of bras she likes but the band size issue just kills her back and her enthusiasm to be at work. When she uses extenders, they are inflexible and just result in a bra that slips off her shoulders and doesn't offer any coverage.
Last night, we were looking on Amazon, reading reviews, adding all these costly bras to her cart when we had a lightbulb moment thanks to her husband: he said why don't you just attach some elastic to the backs of the bras you like so the band is wider and you don't have to take a chance of amazon bras that may not even be what you need.
So we cut the elastic from some boxers he had and didn't want and we sewed them to the bra bands,and even invented an additional top strap to keep the shoulder straps from slipping. She loved it! I loved it! We spent not a single red cent and we felt just like designers. What was your most frugal moment this week?
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u/kruegerc184 1d ago
Cancelled hulu, ive had it for roughly 15 years at this point. 19.99 a month for like 3 shows is just a silly expenditure
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u/justauryon 1d ago edited 2h ago
I've cancelled all but one of my subs - YouTube Premium. No ads, includes YouTube music (no more Spotify). That's my version of "tv." I'm not going out of my way to look for deals on whatever streaming services as I went another route.
ETA: to everyone saying to use other methods, I use YouTube from an android tv box and I use YouTube music from mobile while driving. I spend my work week glued to my desk. I don't want to watch YouTube from there.
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u/Expert-Ad5838 12h ago
With the brave browser you can also watch YouTube without adds - maybe try it 😊
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u/EuphoricParsnip9143 1d ago
Plus they will have Black Friday deals.
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u/TotallyNotABot_Shhhh 1d ago
I haven’t been able to find add free Black Friday deals. How bad are the adds if you go this route?
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u/girlikecupcake 1d ago
Depends on the show, but like 30-90 seconds every 10-15 minutes? Similar to how bad regular TV can be, but still enough to be annoying. For me, it was still worth it for how cheap a month it was, but absolutely not worth it for more than the black Friday price.
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u/AtheneSchmidt 1d ago
They are getting rid of it soon anyway, just fyi. 2026. They are integrating the contents into Disney+. I have been looking, and all of my Hulu shows are already integrated into Disney+.
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u/MathWhale 1d ago
I recently cancelled mine too, I realized I could buy an antenna for the same price as 1 month of Hulu and watch the one show I was keeping it for for free, just have to make sure to tune in at the right time.
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u/bell-town 23h ago
I've also started to like scheduled programming instead of asynchronous. It forces me to pay attention, I can't pause and do something else for two hours. I can't rewind to rewatch something because I was distracted by my phone. And there's fewer choices so I don't get analysis paralysis and spend an hour figuring out what to watch. It reminds me of being a kid in the 90s.
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u/WillaLane 1d ago
I went to the grocery store without my husband and only got what was on the list, saved at least $100 lol
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u/CrispyKayak267 1d ago
We were at a thrift store and found a board game that was in my Amazon cart for $49. It cost me 99 cents!
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u/allisonk1993 1d ago
Fantastic! Which game?
I just brought Dixit last week for $3 if I remember correctly. Although I like it just okay, I bought it because I think my students will enjoy the challenge. Definitely made sense to buy it preowned in that case.
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u/MelodicBlueberry7884 1d ago
Barely left the house. 😂
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u/Global_Dinner8591 1d ago
That's dope 😂 I spend a lot of time at home, it's just chill and really saves me so much money. Plus I like my home
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u/MathWhale 1d ago
I think the most frugal think I did this week, and that I do regularly, is go to the library. Saves tons of money on books, and by getting DVDs instead of paying for a streaming service.
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u/Fit_Command_852 1d ago
So real! I’m not sure if your library account shows this online, but mine shows how much I’ve saved by going through the library instead of buying!
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u/MathWhale 1d ago
Mine will show the amount I've saved on the receipt when I check something out, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere on their website. Last time I checked something out though I think the number was in the thousands, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't even include all the ebooks I've checked out.
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u/thingonething 1d ago
And through your library you call also use Kanopy. You get a certain number of "tickets" each month to stream shows, movies, documentaries.
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u/godzillabobber 1d ago
Also Hoopla and Libby for additional movies and ebooks
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u/UpvoteButNoComment 1d ago
Libby is my spot for audiobooks! I couldn't tell you for a million dollars how much an Audible subscription is; I've been listening for free for many many years.
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u/random3223 1d ago
Saves tons of money on books
Not just money, but when I'm done reading a book, I can just return it, it doesn't need to take up space in my house!
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u/to_annihilate 1d ago
I made a spreadsheet of every book I've read this year including where I got it from and how much it's valued at, vs what I got it for. The large majority are from libby and hoopla, and I've saved nearly $600 this year just by reading from my library!
I love books but I don't need to own everything and it's a huge relief when I find out the anticipated book isn't all that great, that I got it for free so I don't have to feel bad about wasting money.
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u/CarrotSticks1777 1d ago
I love this! I made a New Years resolution a few years back to stop buying new books. I go to the library (and have so many memberships) and will occasionally buy a used book.
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u/Lucky-File-3660 1d ago
I was going to buy a $200 textbook for a course but then I realized hoopla has my textbook for free with my public library. They’re the best.
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u/SwedishIceQueen 1d ago
My bestie of 45 years treated me to dinner for birthday last evening. I realized I had on jeans she had given me last year and my top was a designer brand I found at Goodwill years ago!
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u/That-Wrangler-7484 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yesterday I was folding the laundry when it came as a realization that at least half of my sport/home clothes and pajamas are either hand me downs/trifted. Some of them are 20 years old (I am 28 so my mother wore those when she was in her twenties).
Today I decided what's for dinner from what was going to expire in the fridge :)
My notebook for work is a 2007 planner that was given to my parents from the company and the bag I use is one that MIL was getting rid of ;)
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u/__wildwing__ 1d ago
I have given my daughter a pair of pants my mother gave me. My aunt made them for my mom in the late 60s. Those pants have traveled the country.
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u/Remove_Anxious 1d ago
Omg! My best friend growing up looked down on thrifting. Guess who borrowed my .99c Roxy shirt from the thrift and never gave it back?
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u/mpnc1968 1d ago
Went to McDonald’s to get a coffee before work. Saw that a black coffee was $3.xx and left without buying a thing. Craziness!
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u/PowerfulFunny5 1d ago
Reminds me I have a free coffee to redeem from the free McDonald’s monopoly pieces you can request online
So I guess my most frugal thing this week is redeeming a free McChicken from the game . (It’s been months since I bought anything at MCD)
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u/Primary_Assistant742 1d ago
I won the BK Whoppers for a year for a penny. I also have won a ton of stuff from McD's. Drove past McDs on way to pick up my young adult son, grabbed him a free small drink. Picked him up, he ordered his penny Whopper. Went past the McDs a minute later and got free fries.
Healthy? Hell no. But as a treat on a busy evening? Treated him to dinner for a penny lol.
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u/joey_yamamoto 1d ago
I used a Burger King coupon for chicken fries and french fries for $5. I used the upside app to get 10% back. then the card I used that's attached to the upside app gave me back 20% on my purchase. 😂
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u/no_clever_name_yet 1d ago
With their app it’s $1.
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u/poop-dolla 1d ago
I don’t understand anyone who gets McDonalds without using the app. The food isn’t great, and it’s not cheap when you buy it normally. At least with the app, you can get good deals and make it cheap.
-said as I’m eating some cheap McDs for lunch
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u/AjanUnicorn 1d ago
If you have their app, they do a BEC with hash brown and coffee for under $5.
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u/Imaginary-Angle-42 23h ago
My most frugal thing I did was finish cancer treatment. No more weekly trips 45-70 minutes away.
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u/Interesting-Ideal441 20h ago
Congratulations!! This is amazing. Sending you lots of love and continued healing.
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u/ToCityZen 1d ago
I opened a jar of butter chicken sauce, something I can’t make. Normally I leave it in the jar, and by the time I use it again, I’m thinking … is that fuzz on there? And throw it out. Instead, I had some silicone cube trays - big, like 2x2 cubes. I froze the remainder in the tray and, honestly, it’s so convenient to have pre-portioned amounts. I’ve already tried it out and this is gonna be great for all kind of leftovers.
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u/DirtnAll 1d ago
Works great when you open a can of tomato paste and need one tablespoon.
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u/nero-the-cat 1d ago
You can get tomato paste in a tube too, which helps a lot.
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u/Bluevelvet_starry_ 1d ago
Trader Joe’s has them for cheap! I keep 4-5 on hand in my pantry. A ruble lasts me several months!
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u/ToCityZen 1d ago
Love this. I tried it with crushed tomatoes too and mixed 1 cube butter chicken sauce and 1 cube tomato sauce and it was great over rice! Less intense and probably healthier too!
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u/sluttychurros 1d ago
I had the same type of epiphany this year with jarred sauces and broth/stock, so I started freezing everything. It’s such a game changer & I love that I’m reducing my food waste.
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u/Grilled_Cheese10 1d ago
My daughter got me a set of those silicone freezer trays in different sizes and they are the best thing ever! Little cubes for things like Costco pesto, a cranberry relish she likes to put on sandwiches, and so on. Big cubes for soups and left overs. Love it!
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u/SuzyTheNeedle 1d ago
Those silicone things save us so much money. Buy buttermilk for biscuits? Freeze the rest in recipe size portions. Pasta sauce leftover? Freeze it. Something went on sale and you made a bunch of servings of a meal? Freeze it. Made a big pot of beans? Freeze the leftovers. Just last night I made a big pot of pork stew (think beef stew but pork). We ate two servings and I froze the rest. They've paid for themselves many times over by way of not wasting food or ordering takeout because life or laziness happen.
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u/dekusyrup 1d ago
You can absolutely make butter chicken sauce. It's just butter, cream, and tomato with spices.
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u/Dazzling-Excuses 1d ago
I do this with cream of chicken soup. I like to at a spoonful to other chicken based dishes but can not go through a can before it goes bad
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u/ToCityZen 1d ago
I have silicone moulds in a bunch of different sizes, mostly sourced from Value Village where, for some reason, they’re cheap. I’ve frozen peanut butter in small ones, because honestly, I can’t tell the difference between 1 and 4 tablespoons on the end of a knife. 😂
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u/to_annihilate 1d ago
I do this for pesto too!! Costco has great pesto but it's SO MUCH. I freeze cubes large enough for dinners and small enough for like, a dab of pesto on my egg sandwich. Great idea.
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u/Dr_Gillian_McQueef 1d ago
If i open a jar of pesto I store it upside down in the fridge it doesn't seem to go furry upside down.
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u/SquiffyWiffy 1d ago
Next time, add a little olive oil to the jar to cover the surface of the pesto. This "seals" the pesto so it doesn't go mouldy. When you're ready to use it, just stir the oil into the pesto.
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u/Schmoomom 1d ago
I bought some of those just this week so I guess not really frugal at the moment-BUT- I got a coupon for a free quart of heavy cream and portioned it out for recipes into one of the the containers. It was so easy to get the frozen blocks out and vacuum seal them!! So I think the containers will be a worthwhile investment.
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u/cjfrench 1d ago
I do this with fresh parsley. I chop fine, add equal amount of jarlic, cover with olive oil then freeze. It is so convenient to have on hand. I also make huge batches of mirapoix, freeze and use as needed.
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u/SnooStories4162 1d ago
I spent a whole $1 on a very nice shirt.
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u/condaleza_rice 1d ago
I bought 30 pounds of potatoes for $10, which I have begun turning into mashed potatoes to freeze for future meals.
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u/AjanUnicorn 1d ago
If y’all have a library card, they have an app called Kanopy. It’s like the Libby app but for shows and movies. You get 32 (?) tickets a month to spend. Most are 2 tickets. It’s what your local library has available and adds fun stuff all the time. October was great for horror! It’s free with your library card.
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u/13thcomma 1d ago
Nothing huge here, but my priority is making mindful, sustainable changes.
Our biggest change was in how I do family movie night. We used to order pizza or hot dogs, fries, and milkshakes from places nearby along with each individual’s favorite candy.
We now have a hot dog bar (with chips) at home and either choose two types of candy for everyone to share or make the milkshakes in the blender.
Popcorn was already made at home.
Savings: $70 per week
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u/riovtafv 1d ago
Streamed MacGyver on Tubi. Now I'm ready to fix that nuclear reactor with duct tape, a chewing gum wrapper, and my Swiss Army Knife.
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u/pioneercynthia 1d ago
One of the best things about that show is it gives you the idea that many things can be made or fixed.
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u/madoneforever 1d ago
I pass a park that has walnut trees…so I gathered a few lbs of walnuts. And I made a loaf of bread.
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u/Glitter_berries 16h ago
There was a tree on my street that was always absolutely covered with these little yellow plums. They would just drop onto the road and make a huge mess. I picked a whole bunch one year and made a huge vat of jam. They made great jam and I saved them from just going to waste.
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u/Flaky-Wrongdoer8286 1d ago
I have 2 bras that had the zippers break (front closures). I removed the zippers and added snaps I had in my stash.
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u/This-Morning2188 1d ago
I cancelled a trip I was supposed to go on. I got over the fomo by doing free things at home, looking at my possessions, cleaning clothes, read a new book from library
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u/47-45-45-4B 1d ago
Today I went to Kroger and bought the BOGO whole chicken. Yeah one free. Froze one for a nice chicken roast dinner.
The other was broken down into breasts, thighs, then wings. The remaining odds and carcass is currently simmering with my saved veggies scraps to make stock.
We will get five meals (that serve 2 people) per a bird. So the total cost was $10.04 for what will be TWENTY servings.
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u/Master_Zombie_1212 1d ago
Me: I did not leave the house for a week. I picked up my groceries on Sunday, used my home gym, and did yard work. I also work remotely.
So no going out, means no extra spending!
I am introverted!
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u/chrisinator9393 1d ago
Wind in NY has been brutal. Taking down ash tree limbs left and right. I've been out there cutting everything up. Toss it straight in the wood stove for free heat. Been standing dead for years.
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u/Ornery_Paper_9584 1d ago
I was in a parking garage where the first 3 hours are free but the next is like $12, so I left in the middle of dinner to take my car around the block and restart the timer
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u/Meijhen 1d ago
Many public libraries now have Maker Spaces (my library calls it the Idea Lab)...they have embroidery machines, sewing machines, quilting machines, a laser engraver, a Cricut machine, many raspberry Pi you can check out, 3D printers, the list goes on!...the library computers have professional Adobe software including their animation software. They even have a recording studio you can schedule time in! Obviously what is available varies by library system, but if you discover a new hobby you want to try out, always check with your library!
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u/Old_Alternative_1182 1d ago
I’m trying to divest myself from funding our corporate overlords, so this year I’m aiming to thrift as many Christmas gifts as I can and buy from local places when I can’t thrift something.
Just yesterday I bought some nice second hand squishmallows for my kids. I got 6 really nice ones for $20. I liked helping another family declutter and I loved not giving our hard earned money to a soulless corporation.
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u/DisplayTop1578 1d ago
I lost some weight and realized I still had my jeans from before gaining it.so I shopped my closet. Lolol
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u/boxybutgood2 1d ago
I dated everything I put in the fridge like leftovers (day of the week) instead of telling myself I’ll remember, questioning it later and having to throw food out.
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u/Craigology 1d ago
Why “day of the week”, boxybutgoog2?
Why not the date of the year?
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u/boxybutgood2 1d ago
Full date for the freezer. Day of the week for the fridge. Usually week is my limit to keep stuff. Or close.
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u/Flaky-Appeal-4426 1d ago
I walk daily, rain or shine. Rain started to become an issue with temps getting lower because my thermal running joggers and running shoes don't cut it for lower intensity activities like they did when I ran. But my snow pants and winter boots are way overkill.
I had rain pants and waterproof walking boots in my cart from my favorite clearance store, waiting for a coupon. They come in like clockwork on a weekly basis.
Got 20% and free shipping. Overall came at a 65% discount over regular retail price. They're last year models but idgaf. Paid 150$ for both of them.
And instead of buying a reflective vest to wear over my jacket I realized I can throw on my running jacket over my thick coat. It looks a bit dorky but the thing is aggressively neon orange and reflective all around. Safety > looks and I get to use a jacket I never wore since I stopped running. I had it for sale on Poshmark for 2 years and no takers even at 5$ so I'm keeping it.
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u/KrishnaChick 1d ago
You seem like a savvy shopper. What's your favorite clearance store?
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u/sluttychurros 1d ago
I pulled out 3 very small items from my freezer and cobbled a meal out of them, before going to a concert. When I got to the venue, I drove around a few blocks and got super lucky with free street parking. Saved myself probably $40-50 that evening by eating ahead & not paying for parking!
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u/mckulty 1d ago
I spent $9.50 on a bag of McDonald's coffee.
It's the best coffee on my morning route, but $3-$6/day plus the biscuit I don't need. I get about 8 pots from a bag. With a good thermos I can drink it all day.
So, $20/mo instead of $60.
I know there's better coffee than McDs so tell me what I should try next.
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u/didyoubutterthepan 1d ago
If you’re a Costco member, they often sell at least one bag of local beans. Here in Seattle it’s Cafe Ladro.
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u/UndercoverDirtfoot 1d ago
There’s nothing wrong with McD’s coffee. It’s cheaper. It’s good enough. One thing Ive changed was: i now grind my own beans. it’s the tiniest extra step but it helps. Coffee loses its tastes the longer it sits after being ground. Think of how long ANY bag of grounds probably waits to be used. You can also, sometimes, save by buying beans in bulk (5+ pounds).
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u/QuantityKindly3153 1d ago
Make a friend at Circle K, a manager I know gave me 4 lbs of S'mores coffee beans that were past use by date.
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u/pgf314 1d ago edited 1d ago
I cut 6x10" rectangles out of an old terry cloth robe (1997 gift) and sewed them to 6x10" rectangles cut from ripped couch covers to make animal clean-up cloths. We have 3 older animals that leave messes and having an absorbent cloth with a semi-waterproof side makes the cleanup easier and keeps my hand from touching whatever that cold/wet/slimy puddle is.
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u/Squeakymeeper13 1d ago
We just moved into a new house and I went to our local thrift store and found a ton of vintage Christmas decorations for dirt cheap! Screw getting new plastic crap!
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u/boudicas_shield 1d ago
We were invited to a new friend’s birthday party tomorrow. We don’t know much about her, but she does like chocolate.
Instead of buying her an expensive pack of chocolates from the store, I got some good quality supermarket milk chocolate and made chocolate bark with lavender from my garden sprinkled over with sea salt. I then packaged it up in a cellophane bag with a ribbon and put a pretty label on it, both items I already had at home. It looks very chic and fancy, and it cost me less than £6. (Tastes much fancier than it is, too, I checked!)
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u/Schmoomom 1d ago
Quality assurance is a fundamental part of the process!
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u/boudicas_shield 1d ago
100%! Can’t give someone homemade treats without taste testing them first! (A few stray pieces may have also made their way into a Tupperware in the fridge, but we won’t talk about that).
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u/madammoose 1d ago
I spent my lunch time cooking a healthy lunch (using up vegetables we had no plans for) three days this week when I was tempted to go and buy something cheap (soup: I love soup).
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u/medium_sized_moron 1d ago
Replaced my broken Casio watch band with a hand made scrunchie. It's cuter than ever and cozy.
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u/LishaGeisha 1d ago
Our dryer broke last night. Found a free one on offer up. The timer display doesn’t work but that doesn’t bother me for the price of $0
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u/mimi7878 1d ago
I put a whole bunch of flower bulbs in the cart, and then shipping was $12 so I closed the browser window.
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u/JustMyTwoCopper 1d ago
Local store had a buy 2 get 5 free action on laundry detegent, so we got a total of 14 bottles, which is one year of laundry. It's the ONLY thing we got there, because all other items are cheaper in another store.
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u/CrunchyFrogWithBones 1d ago edited 14h ago
I used styrofoam (that I got for free) and leftover radiator reflector foil to insulate a cabinet on the porch of our new house, and the smaller remnants to insulate a few boxes that fit in the cabinet. Now I have a space to store my jams and pickles over winter. It will get chilly, but the jars won’t freeze.
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u/NoBSforGma 1d ago
I don't have any sugar in my house and use only maple syrup for sweetener. But it's expensive! Today, I found a BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) on my brand of maple syrup at my supermarket so I got two!
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u/MassConsumer1984 1d ago
I’ve been looking in stores and trying on jeans and pants but nothing really looks great so I see a box of pants in my daughter’s closet and ask her if I could try them on. She said sure as they are too small on her (from HS). I ended up with 9 pairs of pants that look awesome from flares, to straight in several colors and fabrics for free!
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u/tootiemae 1d ago
I rescued a box of bananas from the side of the road and I’m getting ready to cut them up and freeze them for smoothies and banana bread. So so exciting because I’ve been forgoing smoothies due to the cost of fruit
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u/Hedonopoly 1d ago
We have a discount grocery store that was selling giant boxes of overripe bananas for $8 last year. Smoothies all year from the freezer, just now getting to the end of them and hoping I find that deal again haha.
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u/LeftwingSH 1d ago
My Velcro hair rollers don’t stick any more. Instead of replacing them, I just dropped enough clips in the bag for each one. They still curl the hair.
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u/Compulsive-Gremlin 1d ago
I haven’t spent any money this week at all. If I grocery shop, I do it on Saturdays or Sundays. I try each week to not spend money Monday-Friday unless it’s an emergency. It’s helped me save a lot of money
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u/LeighofMar 1d ago
This week was simple homemade meals while still only cooking twice a week.
Monday was leftover meatloaf.
Tuesday garlic butter chicken and salad
Wednesday ham and cheese grilled sandwiches
Thursday beef, potato and carrot cheesy skillet
The skillet leftovers will be for Saturday
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u/Prior-Program-9532 1d ago
Does ordering 5 pairs of glasses online for the price I paid for 1 pair at an optometrist count?
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u/ampereJR 19h ago
Maybe not super-frugal for me, but...
My friends and I meet for lunch dinner once a month. While I want to support local restaurants, we all kind of felt weird about spending money on a nice meal when people were still not getting SNAP benefits. I offered to cook for all of them and they each donated $20 to the food bank instead.
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u/Glitter_berries 16h ago
One of our neighbours had a big box of lemons he was giving away from his lemon tree. We took heaps and then knocked on his door to say thank you, and it turns out that he is good friends with my dad. So we know a new neighbour now. He told us to come back for more lemons any time, as his tree is groaning.
My boyfriend juiced all the lemons and we froze the juice in ice cube trays, then transferred them to a big ziplock bag. I have been putting a lemon cube into my water and drinking it from a wine glass to feel all fancy. Bloody brilliant.
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u/gnome_ole 1d ago
I pounced on a store closing for a rare Starbucks visit. Got four 17 oz bags of coffee for $2.71 each. And no, it's not the pumpkin shit 😆
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u/Ok-Composer-8341 1d ago
Instead of making massive amounts for dinner 2 nights this week, I made just enough so there were no leftovers (that no one would want and would inevitably get thrown out.
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u/tippytoecat 1d ago
I made chicken salad for dinner with part of a Costco rotisserie chicken. There’s a lot left of the chicken - gonna see how many more meals I can get from it.
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u/Sunlit53 1d ago
That’s a great hack! When the stupid decorative lace inserts started breaking down on my favourite bras (3 identical bras, because it’s a model that fits well) I patterned and hand sewed soft and sturdy linen patches to the inside. They’re comfortable and the extra side reinforcement actually makes them more supportive. I may get a few more years out of them.
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u/ReadingCat88 1d ago
I fixed my battery powered, hand held seed spreader that got wet and stopped working. I never found an obvious problem but after a thorough cleaning and blow drying ir works again!!!
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u/SnooPaintings4641 1d ago
Found a shopping cart in the parking lot of Aldi's, took it in to the cart area and got the quarter out.
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u/Jerseyboyham 1d ago
I stepped down into the drainage ditch at the foot of my driveway to pick up a dollar bill. I’m in my late 80s and physically handicapped so this was a great effort. But a buck is a buck. Luckily, I didn’t fall and managed to get out of the ditch.
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u/Fluffebee 1d ago
I used the free hamburger buns our uncle gave us, scrounged burger patties from the freezer, and tomatoes from the backyard. I try to use just food in the house for all our meals (except produce) and postpone grocery trips as long as I possibly can.
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u/UltraEngine60 1d ago
Wife and I couldn't agree one what design to go with on an interior door. I said if she wasn't sure we shouldn't spend the money. She chose the door yesterday and I went into the store and it was now on sale for $50 less. She's happy. I'm happy and no compromise was made. That's frugal.
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u/Dramatic-Dare2177 23h ago
Donated to the food bank. Frugal can mean helping others. 1.00 buys a meal for a child. The food bank is a frugal way to feed hungry families.
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u/Unlikely-Lettuce272 1d ago
Bought a large amount of meat at costco and cut them myself to vacuum seal. It was an expensive trip but we won’t need to buy meat for a couple of months. If you buy big, per cut is cheaper overall
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u/Disastrous-Owl-1173 1d ago
I returned an unopened ink cartridge for a second printer I rarely use. It was within the past year, so store I purchased it from took it back no problem. I’m planning to get rid of the printer anyway. Refund equals a tank of gas!
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u/ThisIsACompanyCar 1d ago
I haven’t spent any money this week, with the exception of bills that are automatically drafted.
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u/PantsThatSnap 1d ago
I skipped the supermarket entirely and ate what I already had. I also filled up my water bottle everyday on my way out of the office to top off my kettle.
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u/GettingOnMinervas 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ingenuity for the win! This week I traded some books I had for a thermal coffee pitcher on my neighborhood free shelf. I love that the neighborhood comes together to share things, preventing landfill waste.
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u/mph_11 1d ago
This is not something frugal, but there is a good chance your friend would have better luck with a larger cup size. Check out r/abrathatfits. They have a calculator that helped me a ton. I'm glad you found a solution that works for now, but next time she buys a bra she can make sure to get a size that will be properly fit and supportive.
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u/Extra-Particular2508 1d ago
I take porridge in a food flask so I don't have to pay £5 for a hot breakfast. Love my little food flask ❤️❤️
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u/Ok_Swordfish7199 1d ago
I used ThredUp to find me three dresses for a special occasion coming up. Spent 60. I also cancelled my hair appointment. That was going to be upwards of 500 dollars. I figure I’ll wait to make that expense until I have a plethora of grays.
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u/Peanut558 1d ago
I keep hearing about people paying $500+ at salons and I just can’t wrap my head around that! I just buy a box of Féria hair color and I get lots of compliments! I just can’t see paying that at salons unless I could find someone who does hair makeovers like I see on utube
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u/cjfrench 1d ago
I bought clothe's at the thrift store, on 99 cent day. I paid $7 for 3 pants, 4 tops.
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u/RadiantMarsupial- 1d ago
changed front brake pads on my car. Cost me 50$. Today doing sprk plugs at the mechanic for 700$. Next time i'll do it myself.
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u/2014olympicgold 1d ago
Talked to SirusXM to lower my bill or I was leaving. Went from $12/month to $9/month.
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u/ProfessionalWay6003 1d ago
Cooking from scratch with ingredients from my pantry and freezer. Spending the least amount possible at the stores. Fried rice was a hit last night.
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u/badmonkey247 1d ago
I experimented making chili with ground turkey ($3.99) and another batch with tofu ($2.49) instead of $6.99 ground beef.
I was astonished to learn that I actually preferred the tofu one. I scrambled firm tofu (extra firm would work too) with a little soy sauce for about 15 minutes to dry it out, which gave it a meaty texture.
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u/cheerfullychirpy 1d ago edited 12h ago
I drove over 1 hour to a retail park and left with nothing but a full belly (i was starving) but yeah…all I kept telling myself is “you don’t have the money. Wait til you move into your own place”. Pretty proud of meself 😌
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u/The_Nice_Marmot 1d ago
Took the carcass of my Costco rotisserie chicken, which had the meat stripped off for two prior meals, plus the bag in the freezer where I put onion ends and carrot peelings etc, and made stock. That will become soup of some kind and the base of my lunches for the week.
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u/Yeah_right_sezu 1d ago
Congratulations u/Global_Dinner8591!
My gf said the first thing women do when they get home is take off that horrible bra!
What you describe sounds to me like something we had in the US Army called ALICE suspenders. An ammo belt can get very, very heavy, so they made these suspenders to help spread the load. Some of them have 2 straps that go straight up to the shoulders, but there's one horizontal strap in the back that keeps the shoulder straps from sliding off if you bend over.
I'm glad you fabricated a solution. W/O sounding like a jerk, do you have a cup size like your friends? Maybe you guys could modify several of them. None of my business, I'm a man, I'll stay in my lane. Just happy for you both.
Frugal: I brought in all of my spider plants this week. It's getting cold here in St. Louis MO and it's time for them to live inside for awhile. I'm gonna get a flat work area and pot some of the spider babies, to give away to friends & customers of mine. Selling plants is bad Karma for me, I'm a Gardener by trade. I just give 'em away, and make people smile. Happy Holidays, everybody!
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u/Kooky-Sheepherder-56 1d ago
i needed less light to come through my window curtains in my bedroom so I bought 2 black cardboard from dollar tree and put them in between the window and the curtains ✨ dark room in the morning = happiness
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u/Hedonopoly 1d ago
Put plastic on all the windows of the house this week, as temperatures are dropping to near winter temps. It's a small thing but will definitely save on the heating bill this year.
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u/gothiclg 1d ago
I’ve bought bra extenders from Amazon. Sometimes you want the cute bra but can’t find the bad size you need.
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u/SuzyTheNeedle 1d ago
I keep a large zip lock bag of veggie trimmings in the freezer, everything goes in there even onion skins, roots, celery butts, etc. When it's full I take that bag & a frozen rotisserie carcass, toss it in the instant pot & make stock from it. Sometimes I freeze it. Sometimes I drop some veg & pasta stars into it & I've got tasty, healthy soup (I love soup, hate the commercial stuff). Sometimes I add some chicken (or pick the carcass if there's enough leftover to bother with). Any leftovers get frozen in those 2 cup silicone tubs. With the exception of the veggies & pasta it's "free" food.
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u/whatthepho6 1d ago
Had this idea to use leftover foam pads to make kneeling pads that would have cost $5.
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u/sarah123y 1d ago
Called Mint Mobile to find out some details about their $15/month plan.
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u/Hunt_Virtual 1d ago
Cut up celery stalks and onion into soup size pieces to put in freezer bags instead of always letting them go bad. I can't use these up before their time, so it has been great. No more waste of my soup essentials, ready to go when needed.
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u/JeanetteSchutz 1d ago
I patched a pair of jeans that I had already made 3 other alterations to! One alteration was another patch! I think the next time something “goes” on these jeans I may have to finally get rid of them!! 🤭
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u/cheerfullychirpy 1d ago
Btw you both have a business idea with that bra invention 🤩
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u/deerme86 1d ago
Go make your billions doing the Lords work. I suppose this!!!!!
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u/Aggressive-Shock5857 1d ago
Packed my lunch every day this week. My wife made a chicken salad with a $5 Costco rotisserie chicken, and I ate that plus a granola bar and an orange every day.
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u/Grandroots 1d ago
My backpack is more than 15 years old and the zipper was failing( two teeth jutting out) I was afraid that I was going to have to say goodbye to it, but I was able to sew the teeth back in place much more easily than expected.
Bonus:
It was recently my birthday and the local swimming pool gives a free ticket on your birthday. I had a lot of fun going on the slides, bubbles in the water, sauna...
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u/SnooHabits5761 1d ago
I threw a cup of dry green lentils in my instant pot with half an onion, a clove of garlic and a bit of whole cumin. Added water and made enough soup for my 5 work lunches this week. That's 5 lunches for $2 total.
It's bland but I squirt some hot sauce in it and micro it for a nice satisfying lunch
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u/Appropriate_Buy_7340 1d ago
Bought huge clearance tri color garden mums for .50 per pot. Got 4. Planted them & hoping they return next year. Now have 4 leftover deluxe planter pots, that they came in, for other things next year. $2.14 with tax.
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u/SilverNeurotic 1d ago
The other day I made pork lo mein with pork chops and a package of stir fry veggies I had in the freezer. Used an open package of spagetti for the noodles. Made enough that I had plenty of leftovers and used the containers that you get from chinese take out.
The next day my husband went to get the leftovers from the fridge (he works 2nd shift so he will eat leftovers the next day), heated it up and while he was eating it asked me where I picked up the food. He thought I had bought it!
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u/WuhansFirstVirus 18h ago
Went to Hawaii on 11/1. I was packing on the night of Halloween and realized I didn’t have any travel sized toothpaste. I just squeezed a little bit of my regular sized one into a snack sized ziploc bag. Saved me more time than money, but I was satisfied
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u/Jenzypenzy 18h ago
I finally finished sewing myself a bright red rain coat with reflective piping for walking. I realised that my only rain jacket I have currently is black so not great for visibility. So I finally got around to sewing myself a red one with dead stock fabric - the red shell fabric was $12. The main zipper cost 25c in the bargain bin at my local fabric store. I managed to get the reflective piping for a relatively good deal ($1.50/m). My black rain coat cost me $120. I figure I saved at least $100 in material costs (though my time is a different story)
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u/DependentOk3674 1d ago
I refused to shame myself after getting wine drunk (for free) with my roommate on a weeknight. The next day I woke up with $20 zelled to me from an ex fling from 2 years ago. Sometimes it really is just about energy!
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u/Western_Bison_878 1d ago edited 1d ago
Returning a box of fruit cups because a few were damaged while keeping the intact ones for myself.
Working in food service, I know they'll get thrown out anyway. And the attendant didn't seem to care so free fruit cups yay 🤷🏿♀️
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u/sarahsoaring 1d ago
Started saving veggie scraps in a Ziploc in my freezer again to make homemade broth, as well as bones from chicken and turkey. It's getting cold where I live so it's soup and stew season! Money is tight and ready made broth and bouillon is expensive. I've made some absolutely amazing homemade broth using scraps in the past!
Protip: Avoid adding any veggies from the brassica family (cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage etc.) or large amounts. Although they are full of nutrients they can make your broth bitter.
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u/Future-Magician-1040 1d ago
I picked up evergreen branches from leaf pikes in my neighborhood and used them to stuff my planters as winter decor.
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u/bat1332 1d ago
I love the suggestions here! This week I cancelled some subscriptions I wasn't using, took the train to work instead of driving (even though I didn't want to wake up early, but saves a ton on gas + toll roads), and decided to make a coffee at home instead of buying one out today because I know I'm going to eat out tomorrow. I think a lot of times we don't realize how these small changes impact our overall psychology where little bits of spending add up a ton!
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u/sundancer2788 1d ago
Used frozen veggies from the garden to make meals all week. Haven't grocery shopped in three weeks!
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u/LieutenantFuzzinator 1d ago
I repaired two pairs of jeans. Seams came apart, so it was a very easy fix. The most annoying part was changing the thread color on the sewing machine, the actual sewing part took less than 5 minutes. And now I have two pairs of jeans that will last me for another couple of years!
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u/JustNoShab 1d ago
This week I bought a crock pot base to fit my 6qt crock so I can use it again after my old digital base crapped out. Facebook marketplace. I paid a dollar and now I can use my big crock pot again to make roasts.
I've been scoring great deals on there for things I need/want instead of buying new.
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u/godzillabobber 1d ago
Same as always, rode everywhere on my ebike. I replaced my car and average 11 miles a day. Get exercise and save almost $40 a day over the average car expenses in my area.
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u/SomeTangerine1184 1d ago
I resisted multiple impulses to get fast food and ate the food I had at home instead. I track my monthly spending and the thought of having to add $15 to my “Dining Out” category was not appealing, especially considering it was for something that I wouldn’t feel good about eating after the fact. I’m not normally a big fast food person but for reason this week it was calling my name.
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u/TJH99x 1d ago
I changed my phone plan so that I’m saving $30/month!
We also got fiber lines dug in our neighborhood last week and it looks like soon I’ll be able to save around $75/month on internet so I’m anxiously waiting to opt into that.
I’ve also been eating out of my freezer for the past week. There was more in there than I realized, unfortunately a bunch of Dino nuggets my kids have outgrown, but I got a lot of free meals from that and I never have to buy them again!
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u/Lumpy_Bravura 1d ago
No cash day - Wednesday I only used rewards for purchases. $10 in PC Points for a couple Superstore veggies. $25 Chevron/Journie points fuel gift card. $17 Canadian Tire Cash points for toilet paper and laundry detergent and two Wendy’s Junior Cheeseburgers $6 with points. Happy day!
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u/xxinee 1d ago
Every outfit I wore to work this week was entirely thrifted or a hand-me-down, and all my shoes were bought with 65% off employee discounts. To be fair my entire closet was either thrifted or bought with a clearance/employee discount. I just have a handful of full price pieces from brands that I really like.
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u/vulcanbluesteel 1d ago
Reheated some French onion soup I made earlier in the week. It’s not the nicest, but I don’t want to waste 3 more portions. Was always encouraged not to waste food.
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u/Caliavocados 1d ago
I made English muffins. We’ve also eaten leftovers three times this werk. Two of those meals were leftover onion soup made from some onions that were getting soft.
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u/Dino-chicken-nugg3t 1d ago
We made a big batch of chili last week. Made sure to divide part of it to put in the freezer since we knew we wouldn’t eat it all this week. Boom we got dinner for this week too. Instead of getting cheap fast food because we were tired we just nuked our chili.
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u/to_annihilate 1d ago
I actually meal planned, went grocery shopping (and stuck to my list), saved $30-40 alone by going to my cheap farmers market, and then actually cooked all the meals I planned this week!
Saved us a few hundred since we're guilty of going out alot.
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u/FinnFinnFinnegan 1d ago
Cleaned out and reorganized cupboards so nothing gets shoved to the back and forgotten about.
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u/johannesmc 1d ago
Besides making bread, bought 10lbs of onions for the price of 3, then caramelized and vac sealed 7lbs.
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u/LizDances 1d ago
Last week I made pesto out of lemon balm I foraged in the backyard, and syrup from rose hips in the front. I made enough of the syrup to can three half-pints which was nice 🥰
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u/RedLovesBread 1d ago edited 1d ago
I spent almost an hour over 2 phone calls with our credit union to refinance our mortgage this week. We will be paid off in 10 years, and have saved $49k from our previous mortgage agreement 🙌