'Everything Adds Up': Frugal Habits People Say Make the Biggest Difference

The concept of frugality used to be viewed in a negative light. But nowadays, in a world where every penny counts, practicing frugality is becoming increasingly common. 

From cutting unnecessary expenses to finding creative ways to stretch a dollar, the habits that seem small at first can add up to substantial savings over time. Redditors shared the frugal habits that make the biggest impact and the ones that have contributed the most to their financial well-being. We listed our favorite ideas below.

Anyone who has ever worked outside of their home has fallen victim to the daydreams about the taco truck down the street or the smell of a coworker’s takeout. It’s all a trap. One Redditor said their coworkers spend between $10-$15 a day when ordering out for lunch.

The solution? Pack your lunch and take it with you. When those cravings hit, remind yourself that you already went to the trouble of preparing and bringing food from home. You can even do this when you’re spending the day running errands!

Whether you’re sucked in by a good sale or you’re curious about a new product at the store, don’t buy things like soap or cleaning products if you already have a stock of them at home. Use up all of what you have and then buy new ones; this hack cuts back on unnecessary spending and clutter.

Is anyone else guilty of having a pantry full of ingredients, yet still spending hundreds on groceries while ignoring the food you already have? If we’re being honest, we could probably live off our freezer and pantry supply for quite some time, but we still grab groceries once a week. One Redditor has cracked the code with “clearance months,” sharing, “I love buying in bulk or when something is on clearance. I have the bad habit of forgetting what I own. So I have fixed ‘clearance months’ where I'm only allowed to buy fresh produce from the farmers market. Everything else needs to come from the pantry.” Genius.

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Meal prepping is a great way to make sure you stay on track with portions and eating food at home, eliminating the urge to order out. But sometimes meal prepping everything just isn’t feasible. If you prep nothing else, prep your produce as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store. As one Redditor suggests, “Many years ago I discovered that if I washed and prepped all of my produce right when I got home from [the] grocery shopping and put it away ready to eat that it was a huge help for the rest of the week.” This is also a good way to reduce waste.

Since you’re using the same ingredients and preparation methods, it doesn’t actually take that much more work to double (or even triple) what you’re making for dinner. You can then freeze the rest for future easy-prep meals.

Libraries offer so much more than just books. As one Redditor points out, the library is “free and is one of the last sanctuaries we can go to without an expectation to pay for a service or our time there.”

Can you make a steak better and cheaper at home than what you’d pay at a steakhouse? You bet. But do you have the time, ingredients, and wherewithal to make your favorite Chinese takeout order at home? Maybe not. Follow that train of thought as you decide which things are worth spending money on to order out.

One Redditor has a frugal approach to laundry worth considering: “The difference is not huge, but air drying more of my clothing has been saving me a bit on my electricity bill (electric dryer). It also helps the clothes last longer.” You can save a bit on your electric bill and get more life out of the clothes you buy. Win-win.

“I don’t allow myself to buy anything unless I am willing to let something go,” a Redditor says, “Goes along with my anti-clutter and anti-consumerism.” This is the level of self control we are aiming for.

This tidbit might sound like it’s for the self-employed, but it’s not. The idea of paying yourself first means “transferring a portion of money to savings as soon as the paycheck hits,” according to a frugal Redditor who adds, “It's there if I need it, but I'm not as likely to spend it on a whim if I have to transfer it back to checking first.”

You don’t have to spend a fortune to eat a good meal. There are plenty of meal ideas that use minimal, affordable ingredients that taste great.

The key here is to use an online grocery ordering system that offers free pickup, so you’re not spending money for the actual service. Ordering groceries online is a surefire way to stop yourself from getting stars in your eyes as you walk through physical aisles, throwing a bunch of things you don’t need into your cart.

Paper towels are one of those never-ending expenses, but guess what? They aren’t actually necessary. One Redditor suggests using washcloths in place of paper towels to cut back on money and waste.

Eating vegetarian doesn’t have to be a lifestyle choice, and it doesn’t have to do with not wanting to eat animals. Putting a couple of vegetarian meals into your rotation is a good way to save on groceries since meat can be expensive.

The “add to cart” button can be easy to click when you’re shopping online, but don’t rush to the “buy now” one. Instead, leave things you think you want in your cart for a few days and you might find that the desire to buy dwindles after a while.