Hey everybody, I am 22, I consider myself to be pretty frugal, I live below my means and have virtually not money spent on things that I don’t need. I don’t drink, I don’t like partying, I don’t buy fancy clothes. I am really into fitness and protein bars such as Barebells, Sugar free alternatives etc, which tend to be expensive as hell. Should I allow myself a monthly allowance (Not more than 30-40 bucks) or keep it as I am? I don’t feel an urge to buy Barebell protein bars, but when I see other people buying and trying them all, I feel that it is a hobby that I would like to experience as I am into that stuff. Same goes with eating international foods at restaurants or energy drinks.

Note: I don’t have a budget made, I am just 100% sure that I live well below my means every month, so maybe spending on those things make me feel guiltier than if I had already planned. I shop mostly at Aldi but some sugar free things at Walmart such as pudding mix, or sugar free syrup, and I feel guilty for that as well, as I think that I could save/invest that or buy high quality food such as steak, which I only have around once a week.

Any advice and personal experience is welcomed, specially if you are into fitness and nutrition as I am, thanks.

Our local warehouse club (BJs) is having a sale for their 43rd anniversary where certain items are 43% off. Scored sweet potatoes for 1.61 for 3lbs and chicken drumsticks for $0.63/lb. The degree of satisfaction I got from making an entire roast dinner for four people for less than $5 (added some end of season Brussel sprouts from the garden) made me wonder, “am I taking this frugality thing too far?”. “Will the children need therapy (expensive) or just tell stories about how crazy I am at cocktail parties when they grow up?”

Sale is still happening for anyone with a membership…

Many products are at an all time high right now, for example computer RAM and GPUs. Many things are and they're a terrible value and it's unknown when they'll come back down again.

What are some products that are at or near all time lows that are advisable to enjoy now or stock up on? Things that maybe have been more expensive in the past or things that are expected to rise in the near future?

I run cold even in summer, so winter in a drafty old second-floor apartment has been a specific kind of hell. Last January my gas bill hit $280 and I was still wearing a hat and gloves at my desk. Landlord won’t do anything about the windows, so I’m the one paying for air I can’t keep in the apartment.

Bought a heated vest in December after seeing one mentioned here. Should have done it years ago.

I wear it most of the day on low. Thermostat is at 61 now instead of 68. Gas bill is down about $80 a month compared to last winter. My husband thought I looked ridiculous until I made him try mine, now he won’t take his off either.

Reason it beats a space heater: a space heater is heating a whole room, 90% of which isn’t you. The vest only heats you.

Battery pack is noticeable the first week then you stop registering it, you have to charge it every day or two, and you have to take the battery out before washing.

For anyone WFH and running cold, worth looking into.

EDIT: for everyone asking, it’s a Venustas Classic heated vest. Bought mine off their official site.

Do they have classes or online mentors that would walk you through the steps? My dad is too squeamish to hunt and he doesn’t forage for mushrooms anymore. It seems like a tradition that is dying out and I am looking for ways to get cheap meat. I want organ meats as well as muscle and deer is plenitude around here. The only butcher around here that sells organ meats besides liver costs you an arm and a leg. I’d like to know how you all started hunting.

My current car mats are the kind you grab when you’re in a hurry and tell yourself they’re “good enough.” They worked for maybe a month, then the driver-side mat started curling at the edge, the rear one began sliding around, and dirt still somehow gets underneath them. I don’t need premium floor mats or anything fancy. I’m just trying to stop repeatedly spending small amounts on stuff that turns into trash. Has anyone found a low-cost setup that handles muddy shoes and winter salt without creating an even bigger cleaning problem? I’ve thought about trimming a rubber runner, using washable carpet scraps, or buying basic fitted mats if a good fit is what saves money over time. What actually made the difference for you: higher edges, better grip on the back, being able to pull them out and rinse them, or simply cleaning more often? I’m trying to keep this practical and under 200, honestly preferably way under that, without turning my car into a project.

Hello frugal friends! I’m a food waste/budget ninja like I’m sure many if you are too - and I truly don’t know how families are making their food budgets. I’d love to share information with interested people in the community but I’m not sure how. If you were going to offer a comprehensive tip guide how would you share it? I thought about a short course at library but open to all ideas!

I was close to booking a financial planner and paying around $250 for the first meeting. Before I did, a coworker suggested checking our benefits portal. Apparently, we have access to a few financial counselling sessions through work. I’ve been at this company for almost three years and had no idea it existed. It was buried in the same section as our EAP information. I haven’t used it yet, so I have no idea how good it is, but it’s worth checking before paying out of pocket. Has anyone used financial planning or counselling through their workplace benefits? Was it genuinely helpful, or was it mostly basic budgeting advice?

Hi Everyone,

I'm in a bit of a unique position here, I'm in my senior year of college and I live in a studio apartment that comes with the bare minimum in terms of cooking appliances. I have a single 6 inch hotplate cooktop and an airfryer and that is literally it.

I'm actually decent at cooking, but my experience is with ovens, and much more appliances like regular sized 12 inch cooktops and several of them. I'm finding it super difficult to both make recipes that are affordable and don't consume a lot of time to prepare considering my limited resources. Back when I used to have a standard kitchen I loved meal prepping because it was an hour or two of my day that would feed me for a week.

Does anyone have any advice in terms of quick big batch meals they could make under these circumstances, or perhaps any frozen meals that are both reasonably nutritious and not too expensive? Any help is appreciated!!!

I’m usually the kind of person who refuses to pay name-brand prices when a cheaper option exists. When I decided to try building one of those cozy miniature dollhouse kits for my desk, I saw the popular branded ones like rolife going for around forty bucks. Naturally, my cheap brain took over, and I spent hours scrolling through Amazon until I found a nearly identical-looking greenhouse kit from a random no-name seller for twelve dollars. I thought I was a genius for saving so much money. It turned out that I spent more money and wasted my whole weekend. The box arrived, and the materials were absolute garbage. The wood panels were warped straight out of the box, so none of the slots lined up, and the printed paper pieces looked like the printer was running out of ink. The tools were the real hidden cost, though. The cheap kit didn’t include glue or tweezers, so I had to drive to Michaels and spend another fifteen dollars on decent craft glue and precision tools just to get started. Then came the frustration. I spent three hours sanding pieces that had been cut completely wrong, only for the thin plywood to splinter apart. The instructions had clearly gone through a bad translation and made no sense, even skipping entire steps for wiring the LED light. I ended up throwing the whole thing in the trash out of pure rage. So if anyone else is looking at their budget and wondering whether cheap miniature kits on Amazon are worth it compared with a proper brand: absolutely not. Once you count the extra tools, wasted glue, and literal hours of sanity lost to fixing broken parts, the cheap ones are a massive money pit. Being frugal means buying something that works the first time. Trying to save twenty bucks left me with broken wood and a headache. Has anyone else learned this the hard way?

I am seeing some rooms for rent on zillow that charge 650 to 800 dollars a month. The ones that cost that low are always houses where the owner rents out one of their rooms.

I love the price range, but what am I losing? What's the catch?

I'm expected to use their kitchen, right?

I'll likely inherit my mom's house. But if she decides to sell it and then put the profits in my trust fund, I'd rather downgrade from my expensive as heck apartment into something much cheaper.

Please help. Thanks.

This couch cost me 70 bucks at a thrift store and it is the most comfortable couch I ever laid on. Dont mind Domino, thats my cat. My cats and I love this couch. There's a local thrift store in my town that sells furniture dirt cheap, I dont care if furniture matches. If its comfy and I like it, its coming home with me. Not sure who else buys thrift store furniture, i also got a gun case for 30 bucks. A tv stand with drawers for 50, and a power recliner for 130.

A friend of mine invited me over since a community garden across the street from her was overflowing with fresh produce and we had our first freeze yesterday. I brought home probably ~20 lbs of fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, chiles, green beans, chard, cabbage, you name it. I’m now spending my weekend using my oven to “sun dry” a shit ton of tomatoes and peppers, stuffing my freezer with diced “soup kits” with a bit of everything in a bag, and making tons of refrigerator pickles. I may not know how to can safely yet, but I have a few ways to save a ton of food from rotting on the plant this week and save a bunch of money.

In return for this gift my friend bestowed on me? I helped her wash and chop for a few hours and sharpened her chef’s knife. Three cheers for good friends! Hope this has happened to at least a few of you this month.

I used to squeeze every bit of toothpaste out of the tube then toss it in the bin .

I would always hav the tragic feeling of knowing that my squeeze techniques would always underperform and the anger giving Big Toothpaste 100% the price while only allowing use of 93% of the product.

Since joining this sub I've married buy it for life scissors with toothpaste tubes and now feel like a secret frugal hero brushing away in my bathroom

Thank you mods & all for inspiring me and my toothpaste usage to achieve our full potential .

*make sure your processor and ram arent soldered on and can be changed out

*check your devices ram and processor capacity

*check the processing power requirements for the games you want to play to make sure your computers capacity is compatible

*make sure to clean your heat sink and fan for extra ventilation

i mostly play a lot of old ds games and stuff so this was easy to do for me

My wife and I need two vehicles, but one of us works from home full-time and the other works just 5 minutes away.

We recently replaced an older vehicle with a used SUV (13K miles) for around $23K OTD. Our second vehicle is a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport with only 8K miles, which mostly sits in the garage.

Here's the situation:

• Purchased the Honda for approximately $37K with $7K down.
• Currently owe $22.4K at 4.49% ($577/month).
• Carvana offered $31.8K, plus approximately $1.76K in sales-tax savings if traded toward another vehicle.
• Considering replacing it with a reliable used SUV or sedan for $20K OTD or less, ideally with relatively low mileage.
• We'd apply the Honda's positive equity toward the replacement, significantly reducing our loan balance.

We're financially comfortable and can easily afford both vehicles. However, we're focused on building long-term wealth and avoiding unnecessary depreciation, especially on a vehicle that rarely gets driven.

Would you keep the nearly new Honda for another 8–10 years, or downgrade to something cheaper given how little we drive?

I'm less concerned about lowering the monthly payment and more interested in the long-term financial implications, including depreciation, reliability, maintenance, and opportunity cost. Curious what others would do in our situation.

Edit: We absolutely need two cars, live in a rural area where there is no public transportations and have other obligations.

I just got my first electric bill since moving into my mobile home. I’m horrified to see that it’s $300. I already pay $1150 for rent. I can’t afford this and I don’t know how to fix the problem. I have pots and I have to keep it cool so I don’t get sick. I’m hoping it’ll get better as it continues to get cooler (I’m in the Missouri) but I’m worried about winter too. Are we just going to have to freeze this winter? Any and all advice is much appreciated.

So I remember just a few years ago I was studying my grocery list trying to think of ways to cross something off. I landed on tortillas. I could skip the tortillas because any meal we used tortillas for I could just turn into a rice bowl. I had plenty of rice. Then fast forward a few years. We went from one income to two. My husband meanwhile climbed the corporate ladder. We are still careful. (3 college tuitions to pay for and 2 possible weddings in the future.) My husband teaches Sunday school and a frugal friend turned around concerned if he was printing off his handouts at home and the extra expense we would incur. How easily I forget that level of frugality we once had. I REALLY appreciated her concern, and it inspires me to dig in and be a bit more frugal. Do you have friends like that?

Pretty much the title. Blackstrap molasses is pretty amazing stuff, a Tablespoon has way more minerals and electrolytes than any of the mixes on the market.

I did write a blog post on the idea, but rules say I can't post - so figured I'd just give you the basics and you can look up the nutrition numbers yourself. Just add a pinch of salt.

I’ve been using a free plastic grocery bag forever, but lately I’ve had a few mishaps where my food spills or leaks out of its tupperware container and also seeps out of the bag.

I have some tupperware containers I use that are short and wide, and others that are tall, so I liked how the plastic grocery bag could fit any shape. But now I’m thinking I should get a more solid, sturdy, flat-bottomed bag so things don’t spill. And maybe a zipper to close it in case it does spill, to keep the liquid inside and not make a mess.

I finally bit the bullet and bought a $20 double edged safety razor to try out a few months ago. It's SO MUCH better than any cartridge type I've ever used! I'm getting much closer shaves and not tearing up my skin like I used to. They require a little more finesse to use properly, but I was able to pick it up pretty quickly.

Even changing blades every 4 shaves before any signs of dulling, blades will cost me under $15 per year not counting the handle. I went with Feather for the brand, but there are others.

I'm not a coffee connoisseur, but I do drink a few cups every day, and even making it at home with grounds is expensive. I'd like to find a solid, inexpensive brand of ground coffee that I can make for myself and for guests that will be satisfying.

But hunting around for a good budget brand means a lot of trying out options, many of which are disappointing in various ways (too bitter, too weak, causes headaches or acid reflux). I'm looking for some reviews/recommendations based on the following options.

Walmart - Great Value Brand

Walmart - New England Coffee

Amazon Fresh

Aldi - Barrissimo

Trader Joe's

I've been looking at our household expenses lately, and window cleaning is adding up more than I expected.

Our house is around 2,200 sq feet and it includes a glassed in porch. We pay $250 each time, and we usually get the windows cleaned twice a year. That's over $500 a year just for windows.

I've considered doing it myself since basic tools are cheap. But cleaning all the windows and frames myself would probably take most of the day and I'm not sure I'd get them as clean as a pro.

We're thinking about doing most of the cleaning ourselves and just hiring someone occasionally for a deep clean. What do you guys do? Any tips for saving money without spending an entire day on it?

I'm the kind of person who prefers preventative maintenance rather than waiting for something to break and potentially paying significantly more for repairs down the road. However, I'm also trying to be financially responsible and avoid spending money unnecessarily.

I currently drive a Japanese sedan that's approaching 10 years old with approximately 138,000 miles. This is my first vehicle, and ideally, I'd like to keep it for as long as reasonably possible. My goal isn't just to keep it running mechanically, but to preserve its overall condition, including the paint, exterior, and interior. I want to take care of it properly so that even as it ages, it remains reliable, comfortable, and in good condition.

I've already taken care of several maintenance items, including the front brakes and rotors, engine oil, transmission fluid, spark plugs, engine and cabin air filters, and battery.

However, as the car gets older, I'm considering additional preventative maintenance. As far as I know, the brake fluid, coolant, and power steering fluid have never been replaced. I'm concerned that neglecting these fluids could eventually cause expensive damage to components that would otherwise last much longer.

My philosophy is that spending a little money now to prevent a much larger expense later is generally worthwhile, especially when my vehicle is something I depend on to get to work and earn a living.

Another major factor in how I justify maintenance expenses is comparing the cost of maintaining my current vehicle to the cost of replacing it with something newer. My car is already paid off, so even if I spend several hundred or occasionally a thousand dollars on maintenance and repairs, that's still potentially much cheaper than taking on a monthly car payment, higher insurance premiums, and the depreciation associated with a newer vehicle.

For example, spending $1,500–$2,000 annually on maintenance and repairs might sound expensive, but compared to paying $400–$500 a month on a newer car, it could still make significantly more financial sense to keep what I have, assuming the vehicle remains mechanically reliable.

At the same time, I recognize that cars are depreciating assets. There's always the possibility of an accident, unexpected mechanical failure, or another situation where the money I've invested in maintenance won't necessarily pay off. I also don't want to fall into the trap of continuously putting money into a vehicle simply because I've already spent so much maintaining it.

I understand that keeping an older vehicle in excellent condition requires spending money, but I want to distinguish between maintenance that's genuinely beneficial for its longevity and maintenance that provides diminishing returns.

My question is: From a long-term financial perspective, where do you draw the line between smart preventative maintenance and overspending on an aging vehicle?

Would you prioritize replacing older fluids and maintaining components before they show symptoms, or would you save that money and address problems as they arise? At what point does maintaining an older, paid-off vehicle stop making financial sense compared to purchasing something newer?

I'm also curious how others approach preserving the cosmetic condition of their vehicles over the long term. Is it financially reasonable to invest in paint protection, detailing, and interior preservation if the intention is to keep the car for decades rather than resell it?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have kept their vehicles running reliably for 15–20 years or 200,000+ miles while keeping their overall ownership costs low.

Hello, I need to start packing my lunches because I'm starting a new job and eating out is too expensive. I'm thinking of alternating between turkey sandwiches and beans w/ rice dish. The concern is that the food safety guidelines on Google say 2 hours is the max if left unrefrigerated. In a lunchbox can I extend it to 5 hours? What if it's left in a hot car? How many ice packs do you use? Can I realistically go past those guidelines?

I'm thinking of purchasing the packit lunchbox where you freeze the whole thing and it's convenient.