Tell Me Your Favorite Non-Consumer Hack!
by Katy on July 12, 2025 · 108 comments
Today I turn the tables and ask you, dear readers to share your favorite non-consumer hack. That clever little thing you do to:
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Save money
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Make something last longer
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Repurpose
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Repair
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Help your life run smoothly
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Etc.
Here, I’ll get you started. My favorite nonconsumery thing I do is to live with a less than ideal item until I can source a higher quality replacement for free or almost free. Call them “place holders,” but this mindset has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. Whether it was cheap-o plastic outdoor furniture or a dining room light fixture. I practice the art of patience and end up with solutions that might not have occurred to me had I shelled out the big bucks from the get go.
Now your turn, what non-consumer hacks are you most proud of?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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I DIY my own foaming hand soap. (Regular liquid hand soap + water. You can Google various “recipes” for it.) A friend gave us a 20 oz liquid hand siap she wasn’t taking with her when she moved. That one bottle made enough foaming hand soap to last us almost 1 1/2 years.
I do the exact same thing. I use at least as much water as liquid hand soap (which I buy in large bottles). I also bring home leftover hotel soap bars (if we have used them during our stay) and use them to wash my hands. My hands find bar soap gentler on my skin.
I started to do the same thing recently and I couldn’t believe how long those little soaps last! I used a tiny bar for hand soap in the bathroom and it lasted weeks and weeks!
We bring home all the “trinkets” from hotel and hospital stays (toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, bar soap, plastic bedpans, “puke basins”, no-slip socks, etc.) The socks go to Salvation Army. There is a local charity that deals with medical supplies (crutches, walkers, bedpans, cpap supplies, etc). They take new (like you have excess supplies because the person who used them died) or you have used things you no longer need (walkers, crutches, etc). The organization then gives the items to people who need them and can’t afford them. We give bedpans to them. The other items we use at home.
We too have a local medical supply non-profit that is staffed by volunteers. They have a website where you can ”shop” for a large variety of medical equipment and accessories. Once your cart is complete, you submit and can pick up in person within a day or two usually. I have used them for elderly relative’s needs and for post-surgery items too. It is a wonderful service.
A 4 meal beef chilli made 8 with the addition of a few vegetables from the garden – silverbeet, dried garlic chives, dried capsicum and frozen tomato
I sew. I learned at 13 from my mother (a depression era child who made her own wardrobe). I can sew anything and if I need to, it can be a second income, as it was when I was working at my county library. I didn’t charge a lot, so continued business came in. These days, as a retired person, sewing comforts me, and fills my days, helping me with the burden of my grief, as my only child died at age 32, from cancer. I belong to the local Hospice sewing group, and get out of the house once a month for 4 hours of sewing for Hospice patients.
Trish,
I am sorry for the loss of your child. I am glad that sewing for hospice patients is helpful. Bless you for doing that.
Oh Trish, I’m so sorry for your pain. I can see why sewing is such a comfort for you.
Oh, Trish, I am so sad to hear about your only child.
Hospice is such a great place for people to volunteer. As you are demonstrating, there are needs outside of direct communications with folk who are grieving, and a sewing group would do that – however I can also see that it would be a grand supportive community of like-hearted people, too.
Bless you for doing that sewing!
Memory eternal. ((((hug))))
What a wonderful service you are providing to hospice patients/families. I volunteer at an American Cancer Society Discovery Shop and we have volunteers who do mending so that otherwise worthwhile items can be put out on the floor for sale. Bless you for channeling your grief in a productive manner that benefits others.
Trish,I am so glad you are getting out of the house. Your sewing skills are helping many also receive comfort.I am so sorry for the loss of your child.I almost lost our grown son during Covid,had to be his caregiver, neuro and heart problems, and also his mental health suffered greatly at that time.. for 2 years.He thankfully (mostly) recovered but that feeling will never leave me , of worry and grief. You must have a big heart and I am surrounding you with hugs.
Thank you for sharing your talent to help others and to have comfort from the sewing you do. Peace be with you.
I cannot begin to imagine losing your child. And yet you have found a wonderful way to honor him.
Thank you for being a light in our world.
To turn your grief into service for others…honestly, it made my day to hear about this. So easy to feel like no one is doing anything kind for anyone these days. Thank you.
Well said as always, Lindsey. And, Trish, I add my sympathy and my admiration for your efforts to everyone else’s.
Bless you, Trish. I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost a good friend to cancer several years ago, and another mutual friend sewed her a beautiful lap quilt. She sews these quilts continuously for hospice patients. She is very talented and her gifts have helped to ease a lot of grieving hearts. As I am sure yours do.
Trish,
I am so sorry for the loss of your child. I, too, have only one child, and I think every parent holds a tiny bit of fear in their heart of losing them (single children or one or more of multiple children) too soon.
Thank you for using your sewing skills for the good of others. Hospice was a huge help in my veloved mother-in-law’s final year, so your efforts are especially dear to me. Sending you many warm hugs from across the miles.
*beloved* (sigh)
Trish, I am so saddened to read of your huge loss. You are making a difference to many people with your sewing skills. Such a wonderful skill to have. Sending you peace and comfort. Cathy
Thank you all so much for your kind caring comments. I didn’t expect that. My Amanda was my joy, and the Lord gave me her and the best years of my life. I’m still here, so I’m trying to do my best. When I am not sewing with Hospice, I make American Girl doll clothes and give them away. Someone is always happy to receive them.
I received a nice stainless steel thermal cup as a door prize. I carry it with me and avoid using disposable plastic cups at church and the neighhood center.. I have a small cloth bag I use to carry it.
I make sure to wash it before heading out.
I spend very little time or money on clothes. I accept clothes from others and I wear the same ones for years on end. I wash most clothes in cold water on a delicate cycle and only spin them on low in the dryer long enough to get the major wrinkles out then hang them to dry. I wear clothing items more than one day before washing them, if they are not dirty or smelly. I tend to stay the same size so I mostly replace clothes when something wears out.
We upcycled the individual small ashtrays we inherited from my in-laws as coasters. I wear mismatched socks around the house.
I never put anything with elastic in the dryer, and seldom use it for the rest of my laundry. Heat kills elastic. My bras and underwear last at least 3x as long, and other clothes last longer, too.
I use cloth napkins, nicer to use, less waste. Cloth dish towels. They take seconds to fold, save money and waste.
I make friends with neighbors and we check on each others’ pets, water plants, etc. Community is a nicer way to live.
1. Didn’t buy an $8 million handbag.
2. Not planning to buy Conde Nast.
3. My favorite hobby is reading, and I prefer old books, so mostly free.
4. Fixing things on my own.
5. Being a very good cook whose food can match most restaurants. That said, I feel utterly rotten today so dinner will be either cereal or buttered noodles with parm.
6. Buying things for life.
Rose, I hope you will be feeling better soon. I too eat cereal for dinner quite a bit.
Thank you.
Maybe I will buy Conde Nast, and put myself on the cover of Vogue every month.
Buttered noodles with parm, classic comfort meal for me!! And I eat cereal for dinner a lot when not super hungry for a full hot meal~
Being open-minded is a real benefit. I sold a fairly old looking hose reel box for $20 because it never worked in the space we had it. Once it was gone, I saw a different place where one could go, and very serendipitously, our neighbors put a hose reel box out for free the very day that I sold ours. It was a much nice box and I put it in the newly envisioned spot, and am super happy! $20 in my pocket AND a nicer hose reel box.
At home I keep a bulletin board of community resources that I come across-free lawyers at the library, free paint disposal, etc. It is SO useful when a need comes up for me or a friend.
Kara,
That’s so smart, to keep a bulletin board of free community resources. I’m inspired to do something similar. Thank you!
It’s just my husband and me at home, no pets (so ymmv). We have a small wicker basket-type trash can in the kitchen. I ask on my Buy Nothing group every so often, “Anyone got a pile o’ plastic bags?” I always get dozens of grocery and Target bags. I use those for the trash. We save most small plastic bags (cereal, bread, etc.) and wrap stinky things in them before tossing in the kitchen basket. Because the trash can is small, we take out the trash very often so it never smells…at least inside the house! It takes a good month most of the time for us to accumulate anything like enough trash to bother putting the big black can on the curb.
But I think a much bigger thing for us is, we just don’t shop recreationally. When we do shop, it’s extremely thoughtfully, like purchasing an heirloom quality Amish-made dining table to replace the table we gave to my husband’s daughter when she set up her own home. In the interim, we used a tiny “occasional” table and had fun joking about our “bistro.”
I have a friend that I exchange birthday gifts with. When I flew out to visit her last year, I noticed that stores there do not give out plastic bags to carry purchased items. She made a comment about plastic bags being ‘gold’ in her state since they instituted a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags.
When I sent her birthday gift a couple of months later, I used all the bags we had accumulated (between my visit and her birthday) as packing cushion in the package. She loved the way I recycled them, and now she can recycle them further. 🙂
My Grad School BFF (who lives in a state where plastic bags are still given out) does this when packaging gifts for me. Good for both of you!
We use reusable bags when we go do in-store shopping. But when I do curbside orders, they will only do plastic bags, and too many for my comfort, so I’m glad to have a real plan for recycling in friendly ways.
I use cloth bags for grocery shopping, but my oldest sister, who lives across town from me, does not. She saves all her bags for me. We get together once a month for lunch (at home), and she gives me the bags. They fit my under the kitchen sink can perfectly. I have a back porch, so I keep all my recycling out there, which keeps my trash minimal ( I live alone). I do wish that all plastic bags were banned. Growing up, there was a compost pile, a garbage can for what wouldn’t, and a trash can for the rest.
In the UK, we are charged if we want a store bags (plastic or paper), so we have a stash of reusable bags to take shopping with us.
I always have a small folded up shopping bag in my handbag just in case.
When we were in Florida last month we couldn’t get over how plastic bags being handed out for shopping was normal but they were great for wrapping delicate items in to bring home or to pack the clothes than needed washing when we got back.
I am in permanent sticker shock over the cost of lamps these days. (A hundred bucks? Are you outta your mind?) So all my table lamps and floor lamps are either hand-me-downs from my parents’ estate or secondhand. I trash-picked 2 floor lamps, one from the curb and one from an apartment complex dumpster. Both still worked! The latter lamp didn’t have a harp so I had to find a shade that had a built-in one; I finally had to get it at Targets (admittedly not very frugal, but it made the lamp presentable). I’ve thrifted several lamps and shades, and often mix and match the shades. I also got 2 floor lamps, the kind with 3 lights on them, for $5 each at a thrift store. I’ve been complimented on my lamps/decor; little did my guests know the lamps’ humble origins!
One gooseneck desk light serves a unique purpose. When my microwave went on the fritz, I couldn’t find a secondhand one so I got one 60% off at Target. When I opened it up, I realized why: you can’t see the buttons. But you can if there is a light directly shining on the control panel. So the gooseneck lamp was brought out of retirement and put on the counter next to the microwave. Its light is positioned to shine on the control panel and now we can use the microwave just fine!
Another slick trick I’ve employed is to use what I have in new ways. Remember the days when microwave ovens were ginormous and too heavy to lift? I had an Amana Radar range and a very sturdy microwave oven cart. The latter now serves as a nightstand. I also upcycled a sewing machine cabinet (sans sewing machine) as a bedside table; it’s tall enough to use beside my very tall king-sized bed. (The frame, headboard, footboard and box springs were from Craigslist. Only the mattress was new and I got it cheap from Sears during a holiday weekend mattress sale.)
And another microwave ($20 from a garage sale and used for 6 or 7 years) that died had a large frosted glass turntable. Coupled with a plant stand, the turntable is now half of a patio table.
A couple of years ago, stores such as Pier One and Kirkland sold wall art that was really a bunch of fancy plates put together. I laughed my head off at that one! Bc in various rooms of my various homes, I’ve done this with actual plates that were from Grandma’s house or thrifted. Some are hand-painted with landscape scenes on them. I’ve found plates make dandy wall art for bathrooms, since the steam won’t harm them.
You know those cheap plastic hanging baskets for plants? I make my patio look extra fancy by hooking thrifted rattan or straw baskets onto the basket part. I usually use binder clips from my desk to do this. I try to trail a vine over the clip, so that it appears that I planted the flowers in the basket. (Note: the fancy baskets will eventually wear out, they don’t weather well, only last a year or two, but they’re a garage sale staple and easy to replace.)
I also upcycle clear Xmas tree lights as patio lights on my covered patio. I can get all I want super cheap at Goodwill or at post-Xmas sales.
Prior to it being hauled off, I took bins from my dead refrigerator and am using them as extra storage.
I save 20-ounce soft drink bottles and reuse them for my brown bag lunches. If I want another soft drink, I just pour it from a 2 L bottle. Much cheaper than buying a soda from an overpriced break room machine! My sandwiches are carried in a (thrifted) plastic Wonderbread container, inside a thrifted cloth lunch bag. Other foods are in leftover plastic containers, like they make fun of on that “turning into your parents” insurance commercial.
Old political campaign signs and Vacation Bible School signs can be redone and used as garage sale signs. Or yard signs protesting against the 34x Felon and his MAGAts.
oooo, your ‘cover the plastic planter with a thrifted basket’ idea has me excited. now to ‘thrift’ in my supply of baskets…. or think of other ways to cover the plant pots. HUH, never occurred to me.
That’s an excellent idea but also the horrible white plastic hangers should be replaced with rope or chain or something.
Rose, the hangers I have for my hanging baskets are all wires, so they don’t show very much at all. I have one that is plastic but it is a dark green plastic and it blends in with the background. Grandma used to have hanging baskets that featured white plastic chains, but I haven’t seen those sold anywhere in goodness knows how many years.
I splurged quite a lot on two 1940s lamps for the cottage rental, but to be honest? They have delighted me way more than their cost. Plus they really just make the living room.
like these
https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images3/1/0923/09/1940-channel-marker-buoy-27-lamp-set_1_b36c24111be5e5f01103e808186b159d.jpg
The red one has a red blinky bulb in the fresnel lens and the black one has a green bulb. Plus the bells ring, I just adore them.
For you landlubbers who’ve never seen a channel marker buoy, here’s a real one.
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/red-channel-marker-navigational-buoy-boston-2496604277
Red right return. Green is on the left, red is on the right.
Rose,
I think these lamps are awesome! I love nautical themed decor (meaning, things that look like “the real thing”, or are the real thing. Not plastic junk.)
Yes. All the decorations in both my houses are real and authentic.
And–I found the missing map! The cleaning lady stowed it somewhere. Yay, I like that map. (It’s a coastal navigation chart from the 1920s.)
The cottage yard has a ton of lobster buoys and traps and also real anchors. I try not to overdo it though. And my adorable sailfish weathervane on a stand.
The sad thing about channel marker buoys is that the older ones (like my lamps) have gorgeous copper bells on them with distinctive sounds, especially in Maine and so on. Sigh, of course jerkoffs have been stealing the bells lately. This is why we can’t have nice things.
I’m so glad you found the map, and that it wasn’t tossed!
Now you have me motivated to save yard signs!
I used to collect political yard signs after elections and put targets on them for my son. He loved to shoot them with his air soft gun. We would put them all over the yard. It was a frugal way to make his a course.
Marybeth from NY, in my area many politicians pick up their signs and reuse them for future elections, so be careful where you collect!
They are supposed to be picked up within 24 hours. I have worked on several campaigns. After that they can be tossed. I have had many signs on my lawn over the years.
I use the stakes from political signs as supports in my garden. Fold so you don’t risk injury from any part poking up.
Fru-gal Lisa,
I’ve decided to create a decor wall with plates that “celebrate” places my family and I have visited on vacation. I was gifted two vintage plates from someone in my Buy Nothing group so far (Colorado and Niagara Falls).
Liz B.,
It used to be a real common thing for souvenir shops to sell decorative plates featuring the state, city, resort, etc. and people collected them. I see ’em a lot at thrift stores and estate sales. I also see commemorative plates featuring different churches on them; they usually have a drawing of the church building. Maybe this is an old custom whose time has come again.
Learning to do things is probably my best frugal hack: sew, cook from scratch, clean house efficiently, grow a small veggie garden, do household painting, give simple hair cuts, and groom our long-haired dogs and cat. My husband has basic carpentry skills, can rewire lamps, is an excellent gardener, and loves sharpening tools and the lawn mower blade.
In a nutshell, I suppose that my best non-consumer hack is having a very high threshold for boredom.
I don’t go recreationally shopping for retail goods, either IRL or online. (My idea of a big shopping spree is a hot run on the three weekly discounted tag colors at my Salvation Army superstore!)
I don’t have cable TV, or even a TV, period. (My recent big entertainment upgrade was moving my old iMac from my office to the living room to serve as my new DVD player; yes, the iMac is that old.)
And I don’t subscribe to any streaming services, unless you count PBS Passport. (As I told my JASNA and other Anglophile friends when Netflix announced a new Pride and Prejudice, “I didn’t get Netflix for The Crown; I didn’t get it for the Harry and Meghan tell-all; I didn’t get it for the 2022 Persuasion; and I’m damned well not getting it for this one.”)
A. Marie. I agree! I have not had a tv since 2008!
I’ve never had a TV. Maybe that should be the answer when folks ask how I get so much done.
The daily thing I do that I think adds up over time is the small measuring cup that I use for laundry (1/8th cup works for us). I think if you just eyeball what you think is the right amount, you will use way more.
I’ve been looking for a simple stationary bike for months. I was at my local Goodwill and ran into a thrifty sister. I asked her to keep a lookout for me and we exchanged numbers. Before I even left the store she called and found one on FB Marketplace for $20! So I would say one hack is “putting the word out” as referenced in the Tightwad Gazette.
I have a network of family and friends. We do this all the time. It is wonderful. Going away to college, moving into first apartment of first house, divorce, house fire. People always have stuff they are willing to give away.
I am constantly using paper at work, which is now scrap paper. We have a local printing place that will cut the paper to your specific size for free, so I utilize this for work. Also, if I want to save the paper to be reused again, I will wrap wide clear tape around it so that I don’t have to write this note again (I call it redneck laminating). I have been taking my lunch to work with me since 2010, and now I am making casseroles to cut into squares and take with me. When I want coffee, I drink what is at work and only on M-F, and for the summer, I am bringing in a bucket of ice so that I can have cold coffee and another coworker can have ice for their drink that they bring.
“Redneck laminating” — love that term, Carrie! It’s brilliant! Will certainly use it in my speaking and writing! And, I also use tape to “laminate” paperback book covers and other things.
Well, Fru-gal Lisa, when dealing with a non-profit job, I try to save wherever so that someone doesn’t accuse me of being wasteful. Also, with offending people, I figured that I would just offend myself, and besides, “fat girl laminating” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite right. =)
I put my phone on grayscale. It’s easy and makes my phone look like what it really is. A lifeless brain sucking vortex.
That’s a great idea. Thanks!
I carry cash so I can get a10% discount at a favorite restaurant.
I buy gas at Costco or Sam’s Club and look for them if they are conveniently located when we travel.
I use single ply toilet paper (but also keep the “soft stuff” available for family/guests whose tush’s require it).
I sometimes play the CVS discount/coupon game to my advantage.
I send personal notes vs greeting cards when I can. Sometimes only a certain card will do, but otherwise I just use less expensive stationary that I purchase at thrift stores when I can.
Our church has a variety of free postcards for anyone to take. Various pictures with appropriate scripture references on one side, place for a note and a name/address on the other. Postcardsare free and postage for postcards is less than first class mail.
A couple of things I do are:
* I get two haircuts a year for $8.99 at Great Clips. The time in-between I trim my own bangs. I tried cutting my own hair once. Needless to say, paying $22 a year for my hair being cut by a professional is well worth it!
*I have bought lotion on 75% off sale. I cut the tube in half when the tube is pretty much done. It gives me about 10-14 days’ worth of lotion to still use.
*I use the library for a bunch of things… free yoga class once a week, listening to area artists play music, go to speaker events, borrow music and DVDs, and books. I don’t buy books anymore.
The library is my home away from home.
I have 2.
#1 is I learned to ask or speak up. Does anyone want leftovers? Yes please. I am now know as someone who will always take leftovers and lots of times if its fruit or veggies I will make it into something else (like muffins) and share. After Halloween, I come home to pumpkins on my stoop. Sometimes I get a text, sometimes I have to guess who left them. Hubby finds spotted bananas on his desk at work all the time because his boss’s know I will make banana muffins with them and compost the peels. For my daughter’s bridal shower and wedding I was not shy about asking to borrow things: purse, hair accessories, dress for rehearsal dinner etc. I would do a group text and get sent lots of pictures. I made sure everything was cleaned and returned quickly.
#2. I stopped caring what other people thought. In my 20’s I would have died if I thought someone saw me dumpster diving the college dorms. Now I offer stuff to friends and family,things I won’t use. If I see a garage pile and am driving friend’s. I stop. People ask where I got a shirt? Happy to say the thrift store. Older me doesn’t care what people think. Probably because my circle of family and friends are good people. In my 20’s I wasn’t as smart.
Marybeth, I’m all in on both of yours, especially your #2. As I’ve noted in comments on earlier posts, one of the joys of aging is being able to say or think, “You’ve obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a @#$%.” And, like you, I possess a circle of understanding friends and neighbors. Anyone who does not understand gets a short but memorable lesson in non-consumerism. 😀
Cooking at home, almost all mealls is my boiggest frugal hack.Not super creative, but it IS the hack that saves the msot money!! WShen we DO go out to eat I can’t BELIEVE the cost of a meal, the portions (at least I get enough for 1-2 more meals at home) and the amount of fat, butter or oil in the recipes,even in a nice restaurant.It’s just cheaper and healthier to eat at home!
Another hack is having cooking be a HOBBY- -this comes natural to me, but is worth cultivating. You can have FUN in your kitchen learning how to make maybe 10 different basic, yummy meals, the rotating your meals. Cookbooks formt he library make fun reading! I have file folders full of recipes I have learned and love over the years! I still make a frugal tuna pie with cucumber sauce that was a hit during our student days, 40 years ago!!
Thrift stores: I have found Deseret, the Mormon church store near me, to be waaaay cheaper than Goodwill or Savers so that’s the one I go to.I find NYD jeans, pretty tops, shoes, books that are new that I give as gifts..I got my husband a Book of BEST SHORT STORIES for $1.50. for his birthday. When we wanted a monopoly game to play during covid,I found one for $2.00 at Deseret.
ANOTHER FAVE HACK: MAKE “REGULAR LIFE” SPECIAL.I set a table with nice dishes,cloth napkins, and candles and put on a playlist of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra for our Italian dinner nights (spaghetti,homemade meatballs and a salad.) . Patio night dates include playing music on our outdoor speaker and floating in pool,talking. Play loud MOTOWN MUSIC while cleaning the kitchen and dance a little.Just make life more fun! For free!
Learn to love NATURE: Walk, hike, ride a bike.Good for the spirit, good for date days with your partner, and good for your health which all adds us to FRUGAL!
This one is a bit silly but he doesn’t mind: I do a pedicure at home,soak my feet, clip toenails,put lotion on, then I have MY HUSBAND PAINT MY toes for me.I can’t reach and he does a good job. And we giggle. Hey! Free fun,free pedicure.
Frugal date night: Assign each other to find 2 TED TALKS EACH—before Saturday night then play them all with a glass of Trader Joe wine (get the 6 dollar bottle, the 2 buck chuck is truly undrinkable..) and snacks for a date night in front of TV while you learn something or listen to something cool.ALways a surprise the topics my husband will pick.
Madeline, I love all of yours!!
Madeline,
These are all great ideas! One of my favorite TED Talks is done by Sting. Its a pretty old TED Talk by now, but he talks about a variety of things, including having writers block. He sing Message in a Bottle at the end – just hom and his guitar. So, so good.
*him*, not hom (rolls eyes at self)
Madeline, you make learning fun! And dining, and cleaning and regular life.
BTW, when I taught high school English to at-risk kids, many of them from the ghetto, I found a TED talk that I used to morph our class from poetry to Shakespeare. It also made the Bard more relevant to the kids. It is the Hiphop Shakespeare Co. (yes there really IS such a group!) TED talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSbtkLA3GrY
Now, this was filmed some time ago and some of the rap songs he mentions are either moldy oldies or things popular in London and not in the U.S. But if you play along with his quiz at the first, you might be surprised at how much Shakespeare poetry sounds like rap lyrics.
It’s a fun video and I recommend it as a great way to dispel the myth that Shakespeare is stuffy.
Madeline, I love all of these!
” Make everyday life special” – Love this!
I am still eating on my card table my momma had when I was five years old. I am 65…. lol. I will eventually replace it with a tiny table that is right sized for my tiny kitchen of one. I am also still using my free stove I was given 13 yrs ago by my ex husband. Only one stove eye works but the oven is still ok. So I agree with Katy. I do the good enough until something shows up for free
or cheap.
My favorite “hack” is to buy structurally sound house ($25,000) in good central location for work, but in a rural not popular location, and to buy cheapest Toyota with good gas mileage I can find, which is a Corolla, since I drive a gazillion miles for work in the five counties I sometimes cover.My other fav hack is to pack my lunch for work. I will add the caveat that I live in a food desert and gas is higher here than bigger towns but I have managed to make it work with a Dollar General in town and with supermarket 20 miles away without usually resorting to Walmart which is 20 miles away in other direction. Oh my fav sleeping hack is to get a sleeping bag rated for ten degrees and sleep in it with either a quilt or wool blanket over it. In the summer my favorite hack is a fan with frozen water bottle or ice cubes in front of it, close all the curtains, open windows with screens, and turn off air conditioner. Clothing is optional.
The truth is that the best frugal hack I did was marry a guy who can fix anything, will eat the same leftovers three days in a row, and does not drink or smoke. We are not opposed to drinking, neither one of us likes the flavor enough to spend money buying any.
My personal frugal hacks are cutting husband’s hair and having him cut mine, not caring about fashion (it certainly helps to live in the colder part of Alaska, where fashion comes second to freezing to death), and having cooking skills. I have never cared about having matching anything in the house, so great savings there. I have a large garden where I grow vegetables that are very expensive in the store, such as leeks, herbs and peas. Finally, I let people know I am happy to be given things, and that if I don’t use them I will pass them on to someone who will. This also includes food items, like potluck leftovers.
Lindsey, AMEN on your first paragraph! Such a frugal treasure! <3
I know someone who wrote a book on gardening in Alaska (she lives in Anchorage). Alaskan Gardening Guide by Ann Roberts. You might want to see if your library has it.
Her book featured pictures form my garden. At the time she published the book, she lived in Fairbanks and had some lunches together. We didn’t have a lot in common other than gardening, so after her book came out our acquaintanship never progressed into a real friendship.
Lindsey, the part about not drinking and smoking is an important frugal hack. I once worked (and later carpooled) with an older neighbor lady in my apt. complex. She loved to smoke cigarettes, went outside to the smoking porch even in freezing weather. Smoked at every break. Our jobs didn’t pay much, it was during the recession. She’d bought a used car, a real beater, and was struggling with the payments. It got repossessed right there at work! Turns out she owed maybe $3,000 on the car. She went to the boss asking for a raise, citing this hardship about getting the car repo’d. He asked her how many cigarettes she smoked. How much did she pay per pack? He did some calculations based on that. Right in front of her, in his office. He figured had she not smoked, she would’ve saved $3,500 – $4,000 per year. Enough to pay off the car! So he shot down her claim that she didn’t make enough to afford a car. Boss man said she’d made poor choices, not his fault. Said he’s not responsible for funding her smoking addiction. Turned down her raise. Boy, did I hear all about it when I drove her home! She was furious, but the guy was right.
Probably the most money saving things I have done over the course of my life are cooking and sewing. I learned a lot of the cooking on my own. My mother was an expert seamstress. I never got to her level in spite of her best efforts to teach me all the triçks. I made lots of clothes for my kids when they were small. I hope I never make a garment from scratch again. But I shorten, put in darts, move buttons, replace or add elastic , all to get a better fit from thrifted clothes.
I am considered a pretty good cook and I love to cook for groups. I almost never buy prepared foods or store desserts. I see restaurant meals going higher and higher and I appreciate that I can feed myself with little effort.
When I was about 19-25, I made almost all my own clothes. I loved it. I bought high-fashion Vogue patterns and I had access to an amazing store that sold designer leftover fabrics for very little. I remember I made myself a beautiful light wool catsuit, black, worn with a ruffly beige silk shirt (OK, it was 1989) and a stunning Kenzo tunic with a self belt that was a bear to sew. Also a lovely black coat with off white blanket stitching that I called my Vulcan coat, because it looked like something Sarek wore.
Then my kids were born and needle scratch—
I cook from scratch as much as possible and I try very hard to never throw away food — unless it’s unsafe, but I try to never let it get that way.
I read a LOT and all my reading material comes from the library, little free libraries, and from friends.
I wash my bras by hand; they never go in the washer or dryer. They last a long time.
I buy all my clothing second hand except for underwear, shoes and coats. I would buy the latter two second hand, but rarely find what I need.
I safeguard my health by exercising almost every day, avoiding processed food, and following up with my doctor when I have concerns. A few copays are much better than an ER visit or an operation. And I use every benefit my Medicare Advantage plan offers. Free groceries, OTC drugs, medical supplies? Yes, please!
I’m no seamstress but I know how to mend, and I do it as soon as I notice that something needs a little work.
There’s more, but you get the idea! I’m frugal!
I find I’m doing lots of new to me little things lately. My favorite, learned from the blog, is Fetch. Several years ago I played a lot of tennis. My new hobby is scanning parking lots looking for receipts. I look like a lunatic but it’s strangely fun! Being more mindful of grocery and supply purchases. Almost never buy anything new anymore. Doing all yardwork, except mowing, myself. Not easy, but rewarding and worth it. (although I complain a lot LOL). All my own house
cleaning. Still driving my 14 yr. old Volvo (fingers crossed on that one). I get lots of tips from the blog members, too. Thank you all.
I make foaming soap, too.
I make my own bug off sprays to keep bees & mosquitoes at bay.
Grow a huge garden, can, dehydrate, freeze
I pack snacks & drinks for every time we leave the farm.
Patience for the win. My nephew likes to play tennis, he asked me to keep my peepers open for a decent racket. I called my friend who plays competively and picked up a nice used one.
Cook from scratch, enjoy community free events & casual get togethers.
I’d love your recipe for bug off spray.
Composting – the ultimate hack, turning waste products into fertiliser.
Absolutely. And gardening, canning , dehydrating.
So much inspiration in these comments!! I don’t have much to offer, but here goes:
1 My 94 year old mom still subscribes to the local newspaper, I pick them up from her once a week (read them, which takes only a few minutes), and then pass them on to a person who asked for old newspapers more than a year ago in a local facebook group.
2 I drop off plastic grocery bags at a local thrift store every few weeks. If a certain employee is working, she lets me have an item for free if I find something (usually a children’s book that’s in great condition, which I gift to age appropriate children in my life).
3 We have a large number of empty prescription bottles due to my husband’s poor health (!!do not ignore doctor warnings!!). I’m saving them until I have a very large number then I will mail them to a lady who uses them to make sunglasses.
4 I save gallon plastic jugs for another lady who asked for them on a local facebook group.
5 I gave up drinking pop 10 years ago and drink black coffee (with a splash of HWC) and water. I also gave up eating breakfast a few years ago.
6 I occasionally check out the little free library inside the local habitat for humanity restore and also donate there too. But our local library is my go to for books.
7 We live in the Rocky Mountain region, and the weather doesn’t always cooperate, but I hang out laundry on rope hung in the backyard.
8 And I’m still on the search for Amy Dacyczyn books.
I’d say my biggest frugal tip is to be organized.
1)When we had young kids, I would cook two meals on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, & we’d eat leftovers during the work week. We also kept things like easy Costco style prepped meals on hand in the freezer, and supplement on the other night. It kept us from eating out.
2) I still meal plan, and it makes me feel like we have a plan (thus helping to avoid takeout or eating out) & makes it easier to put a dinner together when the time comes. DH & I also share some of the cooking (he’s a weekend only guy), so we still often double the amount cooked.
3) I keep easy options available at home. This is especially important when you have teens, and they turn up with bonus friends. We always want our home to be a place friends can drop by, but that means being ready for impromptu guests. I sometimes feel like i’m on a cooking show with limited ingredients, and X guests and Y time to prep, but we love it.
4) We travel plan a lot, try to maximize perks & rewards, have credit cards we use for rewards, and pay close attention to the benefits on said cards. If we can’t use the perks, we pass them on to friends or neighbors, so they get used.
5) Planning & organization generally just help us avoid last minute, “oh, crap, I should have bought new tennis shoes for DS18 ahead of the season starting, when I had time to price check & find a great deal. Instead, his first practice is tomorrow, & I have to go to the expensive tennis store & pay full price.” Lots of examples of that, so we just try to plan ahead as much as possible, stay on the look out for our needs & wants, and be organized.
If I have a placeholder item long enough, I get attached to it.
* Save money – before I had a natural knack for saving, I kept a little ledger book in my purse, and I entered every credit card purchase into it, so I could keep a running total of the upcoming bill. This made me think twice before I purchased something! Another hack is that I try to buy used items, when practical.
* Make something last longer – I have certain laundry items that never go in the drier. I’m a master of getting the very last drop of liquid (food or sunscreen) out of a bottle. (I recommend the very tiny spatulas they sell at ulta.) I flaunt items with visible mends.
* Repurpose – I build up some guilt about any item I’m tempted to send to a landfill, and this inspires me to get an extra use out of many things. Why buy Tupperware when old sour cream containers will do? Why buy bags for pet waste when there are so many plastic produce bags in my life? Why throw the stained, holey tshirt in the garbage when it can be used as a cleaning rag?
* Repair – YouTube has some great videos. Also, my $15 estate sale sewing machine comes in handy!
* Help your life run smoothly – Know how to say “no”. For example, I am very picky about Christmastime social engagements, and it makes the season so much nicer! The memories of making cookies at home with the kids are more valuable than dressing up for a boring social event with a bunch of stressed out people, or standing in line at the cutest Christmas market to get a few photo ops of the kids doing Christmassy things. Ugh!
One big money-saving thing that comes to mind at the moment is being open to DIY repair projects. At this very moment my husband is putting the finishing touches on re-installing one of our toilets, and it seemed the wax ring had failed. It meant we didn’t use that toilet all last week until we had time this weekend to tackle the project, but that was manageable with other bathrooms in the house.
In the past month we also reinstalled a door handle that had fallen off my car – one of the few repairs my Toyota has needed in the 8 years I’ve been driving it.
Last week I also rescued an espresso maker from a free pile at the dump (things get set next to the dumpster rather than thrown straight in if there’s some hope for them.) Between an instruction manual I found online and a few youtube videos, I was able to take it apart and clean out various hoses inside to get the water flowing again. It helped that I had spent $0 on it, so I had nothing to lose in trying to fix it. Google tells me this brand and model is currently “on sale” 20% off for $800! I usually drink an $0.18 bag of green tea brewed at home every day, but for $0, I’m curious what this machine can do with some coffee beans.
Finally, we had one big repair that was beyond our DIY skills this past Spring. A drain pipe from our kitchen sink had broken. We discovered it went water was squeezing up between the plank flooring in our basement. We called a company we had worked with before and their estimate was more than $7000 and would be “an all day job.” We called a contractor who had done other work on our house before and asked him to take a look. He texted me about half an hour later, AFTER he had already fixed it. He repaired the damaged basement drywall and pulled up the damaged flooring also, all for $1250. Getting a second opinion there saved us $$$$!
My hack is to focus on being resourceful, organized, minimalist (or just-enoughish) and healthful.
I have an eye for things that can be used for more than their original purpose. Small example: we use a minnow bucket to hold our cleaning supplies. This bucket, from my husband’s grandfather, was just sitting in the garage. Since my husband didn’t want to part with it, I found a use for it and didn’t need to buy anything.
I can’t stand waste of any kind, and friends and family know that I will find a home for anything – household goods, food, scrap metal, you name it. Being a member of a Buy Nothing group has been extra helpful in giving things away as well as finding things we need.
I was born organized so it’s easy for me to have a place for everything and everything in its place. Since it’s easy to see what we have, we don’t buy unnecessary duplicates. My husband doesn’t have the organization gene and grew up in a large chaotic household, so he always appreciates the calm that comes with knowing that something will be where it belongs. Although, inexplicably, he once called me at work to ask where his shoes were. I answered, “Uh… in the shoe center.” We have centers/systems/kits for everything! We also plan ahead to minimize unwanted surprises that could wind up costing us money.
The less we own the easier it is for us to enjoy and store what we love and use. We have lived in numerous homes in our 43 years of married life, so there were extra built-in opportunities to purge belongings along the way. Not that I need an excuse to purge; it’s one of my favorite activities for myself and others.
We also keep our belongings in good order so that we can wear or use them for a long time. For kicks, I just checked our home inventory spreadsheet and we’re still using the wooden bowls I purchased in 1981 for salad and popcorn, and I have on the shorts that I bought in 2006.
Being healthful is also key. For food, I’ll ponder how I can make a meal the healthiest and most frugal with the fewest, best ingredients. Vegetarianism certainly helps with this. For activity, I’ll find additional ways to move – like stretching/exercising/balancing while waiting for a kitchen timer to go off, while waiting for our dog to finish her business, while listening to a Zoom presentation, etc.
In conclusion! (Yikes, I feel like I’m writing a dissertation.) Following the motto “live within our means and within our seams” and questioning most everything makes decisions and actions a whole lot easier.
Aw jeez, am I supposed to have a home inventory spreadsheet?
When we lost our apartment in a tornado in 1984, our insurance agent said something to the effect, “Oh my Lord, an inventory… and pictures! You will have zero problem getting all of your money quickly.” (I had a copy of the inventory and pictures at my workplace.)
And yes, I know I’m abnormal. When I put my affairs in order in my 20s, and asked my dad to witness the cremation society document, he said something like, “You realize this isn’t something someone your age would normally do, right?”
I’m nothing if not prepared.
This. Do you have a blog? Thank you.
Farhana, I don’t have a blog but I’m happy to answer any questions or provide info here.
@Rose, I almost went there, too, LOL. Then I decided to just stop comparing myself to MB in MN (or anyone else, for that matter) and to return to my regular programming of admiration of how very clever and frugal this community of folk are. Go ALL of us, no matter where our superpowers lie.
Although, I must admit, I could never manage to create nor maintain a home inventory. Just not in my wheelhouse in any way, shape, or form.
Ecoteri, exactly! We all have unique superpowers.
I’m doing laundry this morning and forgot to add one of my biggest hacks: any time I see a stray coat hanger in a shopping cart at Walmart, I grab it. Usually the hangers are left behind in a cart out on the parking lot. These are the really flimsy white plastic hangers that no one wants. But I do! I hang tank tops and lightweight T-shirts and blouses on them. This frees up my other coat hangers for heavier stuff. These hangers may eventually crack or break, but I’ll just toss ’em in the recycling bin and carry on. I also love it when I find the kind of free hangers that have clips on them, designed for pants and shorts. Also, I often buy coat hangers at thrift stores. Sometimes the stores will bundle a lot of hangers together for $1. Or sell ’em for 50 cents each. In addition to plastic tubular hangers, I’ve obtained very nice wooden hangers from thrift stores. I think they may come from estates since they are usually quite heavy and appear to be old. (One is even stamped with the name and logo of a big-city hotel that was razed years ago! What a souvenir!)
While we’re on the subject of coat hangers, I belonged to a church that had a large annual rummage sale. One member worked at a job that required him to wear uniforms. He’d pick up his uniforms every week, and they were on sturdy wire hangers — much thicker and heavier than the ones you get from the dry cleaners. He’d turn in his worn uniforms in a laundry bag, and they didn’t want the hangers back. So he and his wife would save all the hangers and bring them to the sale. In a year’s time, they’d have scads of them. We’d string a long clothesline up between two posts and put all the donated clothes on the hangers. Shoppers could more easily go through the clothing to see what they wanted, and we didn’t have to fold and re-fold the clothes like we would if we’d just put them on tables. It really helped our sales, and it kept the hangers from going to the landfill!
a couple of my fav ways to save electricity $:
+ motion-sensor nightlights in hallways, bathrooms, kitchen to keep from ever having to turn on the overhead lights at night when walking through house or doing something quick, like putting a dish in the sink
+ repeat my mantra (to myself) “You can’t get that money back” before turning on a light. For instance, this morn when getting shoes out of the closet, I realized I could open the curtain & let in the morning light instead of turning on the closet light. works for me!
Dmarie, I like your mantra!
Love this topic! My go-to non-consumer hack: batch-cooking meals with pantry staples I already have. Saves cash, time, and waste. Excited to read what others do too.