43 Frugal Living Tips To Cut Costs Without Feeling Deprived

Frugal living doesn’t mean cutting out all the fun. It means getting smart with your money so you can enjoy more of what matters.

These frugal living tips are perfect, whether you’re saving for a big goal or just tired of feeling stretched too thin. They’ll help you spend less, stress less, and start building the life you actually want.

Challenge Your Perspective

First, sometimes “frugal” has a stigma. But frugal isn’t cheap. It’s not about being deprived or making choices that hurt you in the long run.

It’s about simple living. You don’t need a lot of stuff to be happy. Deep relationships, good health, and financial stability cover the basics. Luckily, those don’t require fancy things.

My favorite thing to do is walk on a nearby trail surrounded by trees. It’s good for my mind and body. And it’s free. Frugality can align beautifully with a deeply soulful life.

General Frugal Living Tips

Ready to cut some unneccesary spending? Use these frugal living tips to save tons more without sacrificing joy.

1. Automate Your Savings

As humans, we are loss averse. Once we have the money, it’s hard to let it go. But if you treat your savings like a bill, you’ll get used to living without it.

So, set it and forget it with automatic transfers.

2. Sell What You Don’t Use

The average size of the American home has nearly tripled over the past 50 years. And yet 1 out of 10 Americans rents a storage unit. 25% of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park their cars in them and another 32% only have room for one vehice (source). Clearly, as a society, we have a problem with accumulating stuff.

Declutter your home and pad your savings account by selling it.

3. Create Budget-Friendly Gifting Traditions

Part of the reason we’re drowning in stuff is because gift giving gets out of control.

For birthdays and Christmas:

• make gifts
• set spending limits
• draw names
• do experience-based presents
• Don’t forget that kids really love receiving money too. It gives them freedom to get what they want, often choosing one larger items instead of 10 that will be forgotten in a day.

4. Embrace “No-Spend” Days

Choose 1–2 days where you commit to spending nothing. It adds up fast! You can do this occasionally or every week.

Or consider not spending on one luxury item. Try a 30 day no spend from alcohol or extra sweets. It can be eye opening to see how much you were spending before.

5. Try a Capsule Wardrobe

Fewer clothes = less stress, less laundry, and less shopping.

What a win! Start a capsule wardrobe and see what you think.

6. Batch Errands to Save

Group errands together to cut down on unnecessary driving and fuel costs. This will save you loads of time too!

7. Create a Budget & Track It

What gets measured gets managed. So, track your spending regularly. Start with the simple 50-30-20 budget, or check out all the free budget trackers.

8. Use a Cash System

Studies show that when you use cash (instead of a card), you spend less.

This method is great for visual learners or those prone to overspending. At the beginning of the week or month, take out your budget money in cash. Once it’s gone, it’s gone!

9. See The Good

Set a limit for how much time you spend on social media (a HUGE source of feeling like you lack), and instead focus on the good around you. Contentment helps curb the urge to constantly upgrade or buy more.

10. Share Childcare or Carpool Duties

Team up with trusted friends or neighbors to save time and money.

Frugal Living Tips For Food

11. Meal Plan Every Week

Avoid takeout and food waste by planning simple meals with what you already have.

Pro Tip: Make time for a weekly meal planning ritual (Sunday mornings work great)!

12. Use a Grocery List

Always shop with a list to stick to your budget. I also like to take advantage of free pick up at stores. When I do this, I have far fewer impulse buys that make it to my home. (Which is usually better for my health too!)

13. Cook at Home More Often

Restaurant meals cost significantly more than home-cooked versions. They’re heavier too. This adds up to thousands of dollars and stubborn extra pounds every year.

Learning to cook well is a gift you give yourself for years to come.

14. Grow a Garden or Herbs

Even a few pots on a windowsill can save on produce. Plus, don’t you think home-grown tomatoes are SO MUCH BETTER?!

15. Make Your Own Seasoning Mixes

Premade blends are expensive and filled with ingredients you can’t pronounce. Make DIY taco, ranch, and Italian seasoning for pennies. Use your own herbs (#14) and you’ll have quite the flavor explosion.

16. Try Generic Brands

At least 80% of the time, store brands taste the same as the name brand version. And yet you can save 20-30% by switching.

17. Shop At the Right Stores

Unless I’m only shopping for certain items (on sale), I know that I’m going to pay a premium for going to my local grocery store instead of a discount grocer (like Aldi). Sometimes, this is worth it. But often, you can save hundreds on your grocery bill by simply choosing to change where you shop.

18. Freeze Leftover Coffee in Ice Cubes

Perfect for iced coffee, protein shakes, or chocolate recipes. Fancy AND fun!

Frugal Living Tips For Entertainment

19. Get Creative With Subscriptions

Streaming services, apps, and memberships sneakily drain your budget. Here are a few great ways to save:

• Take turns with your streaming services—Netflix this month, Hulu the next. This way, you can catch all the best shows without paying for everything at once.
• Cut the subscription for a few months. See if you miss it! My family cancels Netflix over the summer as a nudge to get outside more.
• Make an “Unsubscribe Sunday” Routine. Take 15 minutes each week to unsubscribe from tempting apps, marketing emails, and memberships.

20. Rotate Toys to Keep Them Exciting

A British study found that the average 10-year-old owns 238 toys but plays with just 12 daily (The Telegraph).

First, you might want to declutter a bit. But after, why not stash half away, then swap them out. Kids feel like they’re new again.

21. Use the Library For more Than Books

Books, audiobooks, movies, and even classes and museum passes are often free. Make a bi-weekly appointment to check out what they have for entertainment.

22. Choose Free or Low-Cost Fun

Fun doesn’t need to be fancy. Try things like hiking, picnics, library events, and DIY movie nights. Anything that gets your family out into fresh air is going to be a win too.

Check out:

• Fabulous Cheap Things to Do With Friends
• Free Things to Do With Kids
• Affordable Fun Things To Do For Your Birthday

23. Cut Cable

Switch to a cheaper streaming option or share accounts with family.

24. Try DIY Spa Nights

Foot soaks, masks, and polish at home = less spending, more relaxation.

Frugal Living Hacks for Shopping

25. Shop Secondhand First

Thrift stores, FB Marketplace, and consignment shops are goldmines. (Especially if you have kids, they grow out of things fast!) Garage sales also offer unbeatable deals – you just have to make sure you’re sticking with things you need.

26. Use Cash-Back & Rebate Apps

Apps like Rakuten or Ibotta pay you back for purchases you already make. And as long as you can pay off your credit card each month, choose a cashback credit card.

27. Set a 24-Hour Rule for Purchases

Wait a day before buying to avoid impulse spending. And if it’s a bigger item that isn’t urgent, give it a full 30 days. If you still want it later, then buy it—guilt-free.

Related: 5 Ways to Have More Mindful Spending

28. Utilize Sinking Funds Instead of Handing Over Money

Skip extended warranties! But set aside $5–10/month into a sinking fund for appliance repairs, etc. It’s FAR cheaper to fund something yourself if it breaks.

29. Reuse Gift Packaging

Throwing away a bag, box, or tissue paper (in good condition) that can be used for another gift is wasteful. So save them! You’ll avoid the cost, plus be helping the Earth.

Related: How to Stop Buying So Much Stuff

30. Delay Expensive Hair Trips

Grow out your hair and stretch time between visits. Or YouTube and a $10 pair of scissors can work too, especially if all you need is a trim.

31. Join “Buy Nothing” Groups

Score free toys, clothes, household items, and even furniture locally.

32. Ask for a Discount—Even on Small Purchases

Especially at local shops or when buying multiple items (yes, really). Often, all you have to do is ask for it.

33. Host Clothing Swaps with Friends

This is a fun, zero-cost way to refresh your wardrobe or get kids’ clothes.

34. Split Bulk Items with a Friend

Can’t finish 10 lbs of rice? Split it—and the cost—with someone else. This is also a great way to buy teacher gifts, thank you gifts, or coworker gifts for cheap!

35. Set Search Alerts on Facebook Marketplace

Let deals come to you instead of scrolling endlessly or buying new.

Tips for Living Frugally At Home

36. DIY Your Cleaning Supplies

Simple ingredients like vinegar and baking soda clean effectively for pennies. They’re better for you too. Check out recipes here.

37. Make Simple Home Swaps

Cut utility bills over time with simple swaps in your home. Power strips, weather proofing, and energy efficient bulbs are one time changes that benefit you for years.

38. Use Washable Cloths Instead of Paper Towels

Switch to microfiber cloths for cleaning—less waste and money.

39. Use Your Oven’s Residual Heat

Turn the oven off 5–10 minutes early and let your food finish cooking. And if it’s winter, open the oven when you’re done to let the residual heat into your kitchen.

40. Use the Same Water Twice

Water houseplants with leftover water bottles, water you used with cooking, or anything else you’ll just dump down the drain.

41. Skip the Dryer Sheets

Confession: I haven’t used a dryer sheet in decades. I never understood what they were for. So I skipped. My family’s clothes haven’t fallen apart and no one has publicly shamed me for this, so I think it’s ok.

You can also substitute wool dryer balls with a drop of essential oil—they’re reusable and chemical-free.

42. Call Companies and Ask for Promo Rates

You can often lower your internet, phone, or insurance bill just by asking.

43. Make a Home Inventory Before Shopping

Know what you actually have so you don’t buy doubles—especially in your pantry or junk drawer.

For food, doing a pantry challenge or a freezer challenge can help with this too.

What’s Next?

What are your favorite frugal living tips? Share in the comments so we can all learn.

Also remember, there are two sides of the wealth coin. One is to save more. But once you get to a certain level of frugality, the better option becomes increasing your income. It can be a far better use of your time to focus on creative ways to bring more money into the budget.

Don’t forget to save these frugal living tips to Pinterest for later!