Someone Asks What Is "The Most Frugal Hack You’ve Discovered That Made The Most Difference" And 30 People Deliver

Being environmentally conscious. You’d be surprised with how much overlap there is between frugal and sustainable living. It’s the mindset more than anything else that cuts down my expenses.
I buy second hand. Catch public transport. Gone vegetarian. Bring my own package free snacks. Learned to repair clothes. Compost to feed the garden that feeds me. I use reusable hygiene products (cups and safety razors). I use tea towels instead of paper towels. I use soap bars rather than liquid soaps that come in plastic containers (they last waaay longer). I buy quality clothes/electronics that last longer. I use my library rather than buying physical books. And most importantly, I’ve stopped buying plastic garbage I don’t need.

Put stuff in a virtual cart. Leave it. Mull it over for a few days. The urge usually passes, and that's when I realize it wasn't a real need and something else — boredom, insidious advertising, etc.

We keep two 5L bottles by the shower and fill them up before taking a shower so we aren't wasting the running water while waiting for the water to be hot enough to shower. We then use this water to mop the floor and water plants. It has actually reduced our water bill quite a bit and helps us save water.

Having spares. Took me a long time to get my wife to do this. You have a toothpaste, or a tin of coffee or whatever. The next time it goes on sale, you buy it, even if it's next week. Then once you finish the first and open the second you watch for sales again.

It's not a hack of any sorts, but learning how to cook really well has been my best money saver. I almost never want to go out, because I can generally cook better food at home.

Today's dinner (egg roll in a bowl made with marinaded chicken thighs) came out to less than $2 per portion and was within my veggie-heavy diet.

I am dying my black clothes black, its great. The stuff looks like new, even though i had those short pants for 14 years

This is common sense to me, but I know a lot of people around here who don’t live this way: in the cold months I wear long sleeves/enough long sleeved clothing. I avoid turning the heat on unless I’m actually cold instead of cranking up the heat so I can wear a t-shirt and shorts

Cutting my sponges in half. There’s nothing a whole sponge can do that a half one can’t. It’s easily the most simple frugal thing I’ve done that literally doubled my life of a product.

I can't stress this enough. Porridge for breakfast. It's roughly €0.06 per person if you only added water and salt. With a little milk, fruit, and other toppings it can still be as little as €0.50 per person. Plus oats keep you full for a long time and are amazing for your health.

Here in Ireland a 1.5kg bag of rolled oats is €3. You don't need to spring for expensive brand names. Any rolled oats will do.

Mix 0.5 cups of dry oats with 1.5 cups of any preferred liquid per person. Leave this mixture in a saucepan on medium heat and walk away for 15 to 20 minutes. Go take a shower. Get dressed, etc. Cooking oats slow gives them their creaminess. When you come back, give it a couple of stirs and add more liquid if you like a creamier consistency. Add your desired topping. And that's it. Even plain salted porridge with a little bit of milk can be really delicious and very easy on the stomach. It's actually really great hangover food.

Definitely growing our own veggies and herbs! I dry the herbs and use all winter!

Buy good quality clothes, learned basic sewing and hemming to tailor them and look good. I air dry them and they look good for a long time.
Sometimes there are great sales on jeans that are too long for my size. I learned to sew a French hem to keep the original hem.

I buy all my furniture and clothes (except underwear) in thrift stores.

For our family it was scaling down our food consumption to actual serving sizes and making that amount. I was cooking way too much food and we were all way overeating.

This is more environmental than frugal, but I started using kitchen towels instead of paper towels for most tasks. A roll of paper towels used to last me two weeks. Now I buy a three pack once a year.

Hang drying clothes helps them last longer

Taking care of my body, exercising, going to the dentist proactively to avoid future costs.

Selling my car and using a bicycle instead. Made me richer, fitter, and happier in one fell swoop!

Budgeting with cash envelopes. Having a budget for everything has been the ultimate frugal hack. Do I want to spend my $60 food budget on a takeout dinner or go wild at an outlet store and get two weeks worth of food?

Live in a small place. Buy (or rent) the smallest, cheapest place in the nicest neighborhood you can afford- especially if you have kids. Always drive your used car into the ground. You can get a gabillion repairs for the same amount most people spend on car payments. Understand that eating out comes from the entertainment budget, NOT the food budget.

About 1x a year I go through all of our monthly expenditures and see if I can get a better deal on anything - like cell phones, internet, insurance, etc. Also if there are any monthly memberships of any sort I cancel whatever we don't use regularly. I usually end up saving at least a hundred dollars a month!

Also I joined the local "Buy Nothing" groups on Facebook and I have gotten so much free stuff - for example, my daughter wanted to try piano lessons but I doubted she would stick with it, so I put an ISO for a free keyboard - and someone gave us one! Also I've even received for free small things like painting supplies and an A/C filter. And I've given away a lot of things too.