r/Frugal

For us it is dips - hummus, toum/garlic dip, guacamole, refried beans etc. Wildly cheap to make and not difficult, crazy mark up in the shops.

Would love to know what yours is?

And if it’s the first, what do you spend more on?

My cheap meal is 4 chicken thighs in the crock pot on low for 4-5 hours. Place seared chicken in crock pot sprinkle with paprika, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Put two tablespoons of butter on top add 2 ounces of water. This is so cheap. You can make enchiladas with it, throw it on a bed of rice, shred chicken and add mayo and mustard and make chicken sandwiches with pickles.

We all know fruit and veggies are one of the more expensive parts of grocery shopping, and to have them go bad before you eat them feels like money down the drain.

Maybe this is common sense, but I've been prepping up my fruit and veggies right when I get them and it helps me cut down on food waste.

For example: de-stem your grapes and put them in a bowl in the fridge. Take the tops off all the strawberries right when you buy them. Slice the zucchini and toss them with that olive oil/ salt/ pepper you were planning on cooking them with.

Obviously this doesn't work for some types of veggies, especially root veggies, that will keep longer if they're not prepped. It will perhaps take a little time off the freshness of the products, but for me, personally, having fruits and veggies already prepped and ready to go makes me eat more fresh things.

I don’t know if I’m allowed to post this here so please remove if not.

Lidl have an offer on today only for £5 off a £30 shop with the lidl plus app. If anyone’s interested you have to type in Final5 in the “Redeem code” box and it’ll send you your voucher through.

I just got told about it and went and used it towards a carpet cleaner 😂

Edit: sorry they don’t close at 4pm today I thought it was Sunday today because I usually work Saturdays lol.

I've made bolognese ziti pasta in my instant pot for cheap and love it way more than the version from a fancy Italian restaurant! I thought the expensive restaurant version would be much better...but it's not!

My wife was spending about $3 a DAY on Nespresso pods. I was in Starbucks twice a week drinking plain coffee for $3 a cup. We bought a $1200 Jura superautomatic, and now we make coffee from good fresh beans for under 20 cents a cup/espresso shot. Machine pays for itself in a bit over a year. We could grind beans ourselves and make equally good coffee and espresso with a $300 machine, but it's a lot of work/time. With the Jura you put beans in a hopper a couple times a week, fill a water tank every few days, and when you want a coffee or espresso, u just press a button.

An entire uncut top sirloin from Costco is around $60 and yields about 15 steaks, ground beef, stirfry/taco meat.

Around $8 for a quality whole chicken which you can use it’s carcass to make your own stock for soups.

A vacuum sealer is about $60

You’re throwing money away by buying butchered meat.

We’ve been trying to save money on AC so we’ve been keeping it 3 degrees warmer during the day as we have a tough time sleeping in the warmth, but don’t mind spending our day in it.

However as I’m listening to the AC go on and off I got to thinking am I really saving anything? Sure the AC is off for 30 minutes while the temperature rises 3 degrees but then come nighttime I just crank it back down so it’s working just as hard to get back down to that temperature.

Is there a point in doing that or should I just keep it consistent all day?

I don't eat much, and I'm worried it will go bad after about a week once I remove it from its packaging. In the past I've fought like a pound of cheddar, only for it to go bad within a week or two of me opening it.

I bought it cause it was super super cheap and couldn't pass on the deal, normally I only buy what I can eat quickly.

We cool our 900 sf home with a 10k btu window A/C in the living room and a 5k btu in the bedroom. We keep the kitchen and spare room closed off. I found a free 7k btu unit that will adequately cool the living room (small area) but it is an older unit. Will the energy savings be worth it to switch to the 7k unit?

I use my parents membership and I use the app so I can also get things delivered (they have plus). It says 'your new digital membership card is here activate card' I keep hitting skip. It says I can only skip one more time. So like am I unable to use the app anymore when that day comes ?
I live day by day and have kids I can't afford the membership or I would, I use the app to get in the store and I use the barcode on it to get scanned. I have screenshotted it

I have some kids between the ages of 3 and 11 coming to visit this summer and I don't have kids so no toys or kid stuff handy. I'd like to pick up some inexpensive things that they could use/do as a fun surprise. Ideally on the deck or in the yard since the adults will likely be grilling and chilling. Please recommend things!

It's been asked about eating out..

Burger King app has free hamburgers on Friday with a $1 purchase. Added cheese and a value fry for a total of $1.77 in case someone is looking for a cheap meal today!

Currently using Wallet. Thinking of trying Rocket money. Open to other suggestions. TIA.

We tried doing store brands for diapers and formula, tried to get clothes from consignment sales, and going to community center and library for activities. Now sending them to school district pre-k for daycare.

I'm using a trimmer with a #4 clipper guard on the sides and a #6 on the top.

In the Coshocton area, also close to Roscoe Village, West Lafayette Ohio, and an hour away from Zanesville.

Cheap being $20 or less.

I want to do some things during the Summer.

I do have a library card that I use. I have free streaming services to watch shows and movies on. I have some board games, coloring books, word searches. But wanted to do other things not just in the house.

According to article, I live in the 14th most expensive state (western PA) for utilities (heating and electricity only) averaging $669 a month. We avarage more like $200/month and have central air in a 1400 sq ft house? The lowest, New Mexico is $376.

Are people really paying that much with modest square footage like me?

Here's what I pay. If people want to share what they pay, I'd love to see.

$70 month on gas (budget)

$120 month electricity a lot in July and August and $65ish the rest of the year. (Just got solar so this will lower)

$40 internet (comcast--mediocre speeds)

$69 phones for both me and wife (xfinity--verizon towers).

Imo, Getting ANY fixed cost down is huge for the frugal lifestyle.

I live in a 600 sq ft studio. I use a dehumidifier set at comfort so 40-55 and my AC is set to 73-75. I’ll be gone for the weekend leaving Saturday morning and back Sunday night. Should I leave them at their settings, turn them off or turn them higher? I’m in Baltimore. If I leave them on, what duration out of town is a good length to turn them off or higher?

The temperature difference in our home is huge, more than 10 degrees most of the summer (and winter), but we only have two floors, the main level and a basement. If we run the ac so that the main level is comfortable (76 degrees), then the basement is freezing. We have to wrap up in several blankets to spend time downstairs. We can't move all of our working spaces downstairs, so what are some ideas for moving the air more efficiently? I hate that we are spending so much money cooling the main level, when all the cold is sitting there untapped.

I've always liked the idea of repairing my own stuff and dealing with any issues around the house on my own so that's what I always try to do. I'm slowly building up a toolbox to help me deal with everything and now I'm looking for a drill. I've read a lot about all the brands/models etc, ryobi was mentioned a lot as a cheap option for home use so that's what I've decided to go with. Spent a while thinking if I should pull the trigger on this but so far I've somehow managed without it, on the other hand it is a useful tool and I wanted to start learning woodworking.

Sorry for the long post and broken english. Please share your experiences and thoughts on the matter.

EDIT: I'm living in Poland so Walmart or other exclusive tools are not really a option

In my middle teens, while on my journey to become a monk (Buddhist order) we learned a number of skills to live simply. One of the traditions I embraced early on took a little effort to begin with. Over the decades, well worth the effort.

Since most monks live on donations, funds spent are wisely spent. When I send a thank-you, birthday, holiday, anniversary (or similar cyclical event) card, I send a card - with no note, signature. Just the card. Inside the card is a letter wishing them whatever the event is along with the reason why their card has no note or signature. (The note is the effort I speak of above.)

The reason shared in the note? They may re-use that card as they wish. In fact, if they wish to use that same card to thank me one day, wish me happy birthday (whatever the purpose of the card) - I'll enjoy a hearty smile when I see the same card I sent - sent to me.

Card needs a fresh envelope - of which - card stores generally have all sorts of excess envelopes tucked away. One clerk gave me a such a big box of them, I doubt I'll ever need to buy an envelope - ever.

Over the years, when folks engage that tradition, I have amassed a lovely box of cards to choose from - at no additional cost.

Given the cost of a greeting card these days - I savor this tradition even more.

Been doing physiotherapy at the gym lately. Been getting protein drinks after workouts. I'm not trying to get buff, it just means I don't struggle as long when graduating to higher weights. I used to do lifting pre-COVID so maybe I'll start getting more serious about it again, but for now I'm just using it as a weapon against lower back pain.

I get the protein drinks but the powder is more than my monthly fitness budget.

But. I have the money. Protein powder plus shaker will save me money in the long run. I have extra money in my medical budget so I can move money from my medical budget and not feel guilty because this is technically a health expense. Being cheap costs more money than being frugal so I need to stop being cheap.

But also, when I spend money outside of what I've allocated sometimes it starts a slippery slope where I then buy more stuff outside of my budget and when that happens it can take a few months to get it back under control so I'm a bit nervous about doing it.

It takes an embarrassing amount of time to stop being a fucking idiot about it.

I finally stop being a fucking idiot and go get the protein powder.

It's 20% off.

Sweet.