25 EXTREME Frugal Living Tips That ACTUALLY Work! | saving money + minimalism

Today I am sharing a list of 25

extreme

frugal

living

tips

that will

actually

work

to save you

money

and I have divided this list into five different sections so that if you want to jump to the different sections, you can do so and we will. Let's jump right into this list of shopping

tips

with tip number one, which is to never be afraid to question your brand loyalty. Many of us find comfort and familiarity that we keep returning to the same brands over and over again, but if you find that a brand didn't meet your expectations or maybe the quality went down or their prices went up too much, you don't need to feel guilty about it.

Say goodbye to that brand and take your business elsewhere, repeat after me. I pledge loyalty to my wallet and the financial independence that comes with a budget under unusable control with

frugal

ity and smart deals for everyone basically I want to encourage you to not let brand loyalty blind you to your choice of looking for better deals and

saving

things. Frugal tip number two is to do your home

work

and one of the best ways to do this is through price comparison, comparison shopping is a powerful way to save

money

because when you put a little more attention and effort into researching products before to buy them, instead of buying the first thing that appears. in your line of sight, not only are you less likely to experience buyer's remorse, but you're also more likely to be able to find great deals or coupons to help you save even more money.

For example, I was looking to buy a new pair. of comfortable flats to replace a pair of seven year old shoes that I had to order because they were completely worn out, so I went searching and found a lot of comfortable flats and looked at things like size and fit and what checked out. Buyers discussed those items and also considered how they would fit with the clothing I already had in my closet and then once I narrowed my options down to the pair of shoes I wanted to purchase, I reviewed that pair of shoes. several websites and discovered that I could get the exact saying pear for almost thirty dollars.

Less on zolando versus Amazon and all it took was a few extra seconds of typing on my laptop so I could save 30 bucks like that and this even works if you're already in the store which brings me to my next point which is using the Price matching to save money. Many stores like Home Depot, Best Buy or Michael's Craft Store and many other stores offer something called price matching, where they try to match or beat competitive prices to maintain their business, so if you can bring brochures or display the product you are looking at in that store on a competitor's website, that price is better.

Many times these stores will try to offer you the same deal or even a number four better deal. Get deals by buying second-hand products. Secondhand shopping is a great way to save money and you can do it in person at places like thrift stores or flea markets, or you can use secondhand shopping apps like Poshmark or Ebay. Thrift shopping has saved me hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over the years and I bought this shirt over five years ago for a dollar at Goodwill and bought this pair of pants that cost a hundred and something. Originally forty dollars for over 75 off at a local flea market, so there are definitely great deals to be found if you know what you're looking for, but what if you didn't have to spend any money at all?

What if there was a way to do it? you can get things completely free, as it turns out there are many ways to shop for free. One of the most popular methods is to join buy-nothing or swap groups in your local area, which are places where people who want to save money or be more sustainable, give away things they no longer want or find things they themselves they need completely free. My favorite way to find groups like this is to do a search for no-buy groups on Facebook, either using your city or zip code, but you could also start your own group, for example, if you know other people who also want to save money or To be more sustainable, you could start a group for, say, homeschooling moms who swap homeschooling equipment back and forth or swap kids' clothes once. are no longer enough among the people in the group and you can also research your local area's rubbish collection days and walk or wander around to see what people leave outside and it's a great way to pick up cool stuff for free, just make sure Check your local laws and regulations and always stay safe when doing this, the trick here is to only bring home the things you really need, otherwise you risk turning your home into a hoarder's paradise, which it definitely is. a trap I have fallen into in the past.

Moving on to beauty tips, tip number six is ​​to learn how to cut hair at home and this is a Frugal Living trick that we have used for many years to save money on our children's haircuts and with a small initial investment of 30 euros. I was able to get the same haircut kit that I also had in the US and that small investment saves us over 600 euros each year on children's haircuts. Warning, although cutting hair at home can be quite complicated, which is why we usually do it. in the bathroom to make it easier to sweep up the decorations later.

Tip number seven is to add eye drops to mascara. Did you know you can extend the life of your mascara by adding a drop or contact solution to your mascara to rehydrate it? This is a Frugal Living hack that I learned from a comment from one of my subscribers here on my YouTube channel and I tried it myself and it totally works. I always love reading about creative ways to save money along the way. this video feel free to send me your best

extreme

tips for frugal

living

in the comments section below so we can all help and inspire each other to explore new and exciting ways to save money.

Tip number eight is to simply add water along with the previous tip. You can also add water to extend the life of your other types of detergents, shampoos or conditioners, like when my body soap is getting very low and starts making that farting noise, that's when I know it's time to add some of water, shake it. up a little bit and then I can get maybe two or three more uses just by adding a little bit of water. Extreme frugal tip number nine is to learn how to DIY at home. Another fun way to save is to learn how to DIY. own beauty products at home and there are so many recipes available for free online that can teach you how to make a luxurious face mask with ingredients like honey yogurt or avocado or make a skin scrub using sugar and olive oil or maybe something So.

Like leftover coffee grounds, tip number 10 is to enter low maintenance mode. Finally, one of the best ways to save money on beauty-related purchases is to simply do less, the higher the maintenance of your skin care routine. of your skin, hair and nails, the more products you are likely to use. To shop as a minimalist, I've gotten rid of over 90 percent of my beauty-related products, including things like curling irons, mousses, and makeup, and I keep my face wash and makeup routine very, very simple and stopped doing anything on the nails. Besides trimming them, another benefit of reducing maintenance from your beauty routine is that you'll save more time and money by switching to Frugal Tips for Your Home.

Tip number 11 is to turn down the heat and air conditioning because the more air conditioning and heat you use, the more energy you will use and the more energy you use, the more you will have to pay for that energy, so in the summer we don't even have air conditioning, what we have is a fan and we have a fan in the front and we also have a fan in the back hallway and that's what we use to keep our house cool in the summer as well as do things like open the doors and windows early in the morning. morning to allow fresh air to come in and then we close the windows and blinds to reduce the sunlight coming in and heating our house as we go through the hottest hours of the day and in the winter what we do is we just put on more layers . of clothes and I have these fabulous fuzzy pants that I used to wear and they have totally saved my life in the winter when I'm freezing my butt off.

I can put on those fuzzy pants and I instantly feel so much warmer and cozy and also We have these little thermostat readers in the front and back of our house so we can make sure it's not too cold or too hot either way, but Basically, the less energy you have to use for heating and air conditioning, the more money you will save over time. Tip number 12 is to air dry your clothes. Hanging your clothes to dry not only helps you save money on electricity, it also extends the life of your clothes because they wear out less and when you line them instead of putting them through a dryer, which means you'll also save money because you won't have to replace your clothes as often since they don't wear out, as Quick tip number 13 is to negotiate all your bills with most companies.

You would rather keep them as a customer rather than lose you to one of your competitors, so by contacting service providers like cable or Internet companies or cell phone service providers and expressing their willingness to switch providers, customers often They can get better rates and discounts. I know this may feel a little uncomfortable, especially if you've never had to negotiate before, but effective negotiation skills can allow you to take control of your finances and keep more money in your pocket if all it takes is to save a couple. Hundreds of dollars a year is enough. Take 15 to 30 minutes out of your day to talk to someone on the phone.

I think most of us would be willing to talk on the phone and shoot and remember that you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take. Don't be afraid to get on the phone with any of your service providers and let them know that you are willing to take your business elsewhere if they don't offer you the 14th best deal. Reusing or recycling reused or recycled items in your home is a great way. and very cost effective to save money and you can be as creative as you want with this, like you can take old used wooden bowls and turn them into a container for coins and keys or you can transform old jelly jars. in storage containers for your kitchen or use old socks to dust your house, so before you go out and buy something new, take a look around your house and ask yourself if there is anything you can reuse or recycle.

Instead of number 15, we are reducing car expenses. According to one study, the average American household spends a total of five thousand one hundred and eleven dollars a month and transportation is the second largest expense after housing, with an average of eight hundred and nineteen dollars a month, which not only includes things like payments of the car, but also things like regular auto insurance maintenance and the ability to put gas in your car, so it makes sense that if you can reduce expenses related to your car, you will also reduce many recurring monthly expenses related to the car. car ownership.

We have done this by getting rid of our car completely because we live in a big city with a great public transportation system and many things we need are within walking distance, so we stopped owning cars a year and a half ago and it saved us a lot of money . since then, but even if you don't live in a place where you can go completely car-free, you can experiment with reducing your car use and doing things like war walking or biking or carpooling with your workers to get to work and another good way to save. Gas money is all about bundling your errands, so what that means is that if you plan your outings strategically and group multiple tasks into one trip, you can reduce the total number of individual round trips, minimizing time of driving, saves more fuel and also reduces the overall costs related to driving, which takes us to the extreme.

Frugal tips to save money on food and number 16 is to create a meal plan. Meal planning has many benefits and most of them will help you save money. Meal plans can help you plan your shopping trips around what's on sale and stay on budget when you go to the grocery store and you'll be more likely to stick to the list and less likely to buy things on a whim because you won't. Know what. what you plan to do that week and meal planning can also help you reduce food waste, which is the next tip on this list, according to one organization, theThe average American family of four wastes about $1,600 a year on produce.

I've only talked about this Frugal Living hack in several of my videos, and one of my favorite ways to reduce food waste is to make soups, wraps, or stir-fries with basically any type of leftover ingredient you can imagine. I know too. Many of you have been asking me for a long time to share my rice pancakes recipe, which is a great way to use up leftover rice and I'm happy to report that I finally have it ready for you and in my food. blog and I hope you'll forgive me but I was only able to take a few quick photos on my phone instead of doing a full photoshoot but I promise they taste even better than they look and I know they are one. one of my kids' lunchtime favorites, so I'll be sure to link that recipe in the description box below for you to check out and I'll also pin it on Pinterest so you can pin it right to your Pinterest board, which It's my personal favorite.

A way to keep track of my recipes because it is very easy and addictive. I know you'll want to keep eating it over and over again. Tip number 18 is to reduce my consumption because plant-based meals tend to be less expensive compared to meat-based dishes, so incorporating meat-free meals into your diet can help you reduce grocery expenses and potentially save a significant amount of money over time. We try to aim for one or two days a week where we don't eat meat during those days and have created this library of meatless recipes that still leave us full and satisfied and help us reduce meat consumption during those days.

Number 19 is knowing which is the cheapest. Food, so there are certain ingredients and pantry staples that tend to be less expensive and if you use them to build the majority of your diet, the more money you'll save over time, so it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with them . what's on sale, what's in season, plus habitually buying things like rice, oatmeal, bananas, dried pasta, and all those other cheap pantry staples. Number 20 is ditch your recipe and bonus points if you double it using veggies instead of meat like I did with these. giant meatballs, so instead of doubling the meat in this recipe, what I did was grind up some carrots, a little broccoli and a lot of parsley in my food processor and then used that as a second component instead of doubling the meat and When you double your recipe, what you are doing is you are also

saving

yourself time because you already have some meals at your disposal that you can prepare quickly and still being able to eat healthy and use the vegetables helps you save even more money, so we were able to enjoy of leftovers over the next few days just with this simple Frugal trick that takes us to the extreme.

Mindset Tips from Frugal Living and tip number 21 is to build a pyramid of priorities, a pyramid of priorities is a lot like a food pyramid and yes Think of a food pyramid: what you have at the bottom is what it's supposed to be most of your diet, which are the foods that are the healthiest and best for you and then at the top are the things that are meant to be eaten in moderation or eliminated completely, so if you follow the exact same To begin with, you can build a pyramid of priorities that will help you decide how to allocate your money to the things that matter most to you, which is really Financial Minimalism 101, which means spending well on the things you enjoy and cutting or eliminating expenses on the things you enjoy. things that don't matter as much to you and many people who think they have money problems

actually

have priority problems, so being able to set your priorities and put your money where your mind is will help you get better at saying no to those things that don't matter to you.

They matter so you can say more yes to the things that do matter. Number 22 is setting goals that I'm big on. Goal setting because it gives us a clear sense of purpose and direction, as well as keeping us motivated to keep moving forward even when things get tough, and knowing what your goals are also helps you keep track of the progress you're making towards those goals. and I firmly believe in the saying that what gets measured gets managed. Number 23 is having a positive attitude. Almost anything that needs to be done in your home can be solved and can save you money if you keep this DIY mentality.

Like I had no idea how to decorate a house when we first moved here and I think I did a good job of putting things together in a way that looked cohesive and I had no idea how to oil a raw wood table but I figured it out. . and I was able to do it with just a little Googling on YouTube, so having a positive attitude can save you all kinds of money on your home, whether it's saving on maintenance fees because you learn to fix things yourself or on assembly fees . because you don't need to pay someone from Ikea to put together your new furniture or to figure out things like how to budget or create a meal plan, there's not much that can't be learned in this world with a little Googling or The 24th search on YouTube is for purging your budget, so this is where I keep the budget in our house, it's right behind my desk, so when we buy things, all the receipts come here, I go through them, I enter them in the budget and then at the end of the month I review and see what's going well, what's not and sometimes just like your house needs regular tidying up to keep it tidy, your budget also needs regular tidying up so you can eliminate expenses that aren't they are going well.

You no longer add much value to your life or you find that you don't enjoy it or whatever the case may be, so I suggest that, whether monthly or seasonally, review your budget and see if there are any expenses that you may want to eliminate from your budget and if it's something like a recurring expense like you don't go to the gym anymore, maybe you can save a hundred dollars each month by eliminating that expense from your budget and those hundred dollars a month that you cut will save you a total of twelve hundred dollars after a full year, so it is worth making these purchases on the regular budget, as I call them, and finally tip number 25 is to freeze spending. a great way to reset your finances or do a financial detox, especially if you are trying to save a lot of money to achieve a certain goal, like for example, when I graduated with my master's degree, I had twenty-five thousand dollars of student loans. debt that I had to pay off, so I immediately froze my spending and was able to save and pay off those student loans very, very quickly because I eliminated almost all of my non-essential expenses even though my family is much more financially stable now than when I graduated and had all those debts.

We still love to do at least one spending freeze every year just to reset our finances and challenge ourselves and teach our kids about money, so I have a video. with lots of great tips on how to freeze expenses, if that sounds like something you're interested in, be sure to check out this video or I'll see you next week until then, take care, bye.