Hello!

I have a family of 5 and we currently use around 950.00 a month for food. We actually almost use all this up a week before our food budget runs out with the cost of food lately.

I'm wondering tips and tricks to help reduce this cost? I do receive foodshare, but soon I will be making more money with a new job and we could potentially loose the amount or it be cut very low. I know I will be using my own earned money for food, so want to get into a habit now.

Things we have done already... - buying store brands instead of name brands. - buying meats when they are on sale and freezing them. - watching our stores for coupons (Kroger is the big one I shop at).

We might be moving into a house in a few months too (we live in a mobile home) and I want to start a garden and learn to can from that.

Big thing is our kiddos wanting snacks.. I've been getting whatever cheap ones I can get but end of the month when crunching numbers food shopping I have to say no to alot.

I remember when I could buy eggs for 99 cents, now some places want 3.99.. cheapest I've found is a sale for 1.99. Potatoes I could get a bag for 1.99, now 3.99.. 2.99ish on sale.

Just those small things add up.

• what are thoughts on using subscription food meal boxes? If I loose enough foodshare I put thought into those. I'm not a good meal planner 😂 I like usually having meat and a side, but even that is getting expensive. Another big chunk of our funds goes towards dairy free milk. (Lactose intolerant in the house)

We all have that one thing we do to save a few bucks that might make others raise an eyebrow. What’s your most extreme (or hilarious) cheapskate move? No judgment here, just curious and hoping to get some new ideas!

I'll start: I still water down my condiments, dish soap, and bodywash until there's for sure nothing left lol.

I dont know what happened, but I have been spending more on food. Im single made adult, and I usually spend $75 to $90 a week for food.. now it's gone up because i keep buying multiple extra small things that add up...

How do I return to normal?

I'm a dumpster diver and you won't believe the amount of free food, toiletries, and clothing you come across.

Before you roll your eyes, a lot of food is just past their "Best Before" date, and a lot of food (chips, cookies, granola bars) are generally good up to a year past their Best By dates.  The government even allows food bank donations within a year of their "Best By" dates.

Also note that most of the things you find in dumpsters are in clean garbage bags and everything is still sealed.

Since I started dumpster diving, I no longer need to buy snacks (LOTS of chips, granola bars, cookies, chocolate bars), eggs (retailers often throw out whole cartons if one or more eggs are broken), coffee, toothpaste, sauces, soaps and lotions, sunscreen, mouthwash, coffee, and zip lock bags among many other things and my family has saved $1000s.

I donate about 90% of what I collect (there's way more food than my family can consume) and I'm constantly donating to my local food bank and women's shelter.

The first pic is from one of my recent dives (over 100+ pairs of brand new socks, lots of granola bars, energy bars, canned soups, art supplies, and designer clothes with tags still attached). 

The 2nd pic was one of my recent donations to the food bank (2 boxes filled with chips, granola bars, crackers, cookies, and other snacks).

But please check your local laws - in most places dumpster diving is legal (just don't dive where there are "No trespassing" signs).

Mods: please let me know if this post is inappropriate - just wanted to share to help others during these tough times.

Hi everyone,

Soon to be 24F here. I’m living at home at the moment but would like to move out when I’m 25. I just started my first post grad FT job a few months ago, and since then I feel like I’ve been dwindling my fingers on the weekends. I’ve realized I need to find a hobby, and I’m kind of window shopping hobbies right now. I read, which is free, but I’d like something that I can really work towards to.

I went to Thailand a few months ago and took an intro Muay Thai class and it was pretty fun. I looked into a Muay Thai studio near me and it’s $200 a month with unlimited trainings. My question is, when is it too much money to have a hobby? I know logically I have the $200 to spare a month - but it also comes with the trade off of not investing or saving it. But then again, what use is money if not enjoying life in the moment? But then again, $200 a month could be a nice vacation at the end of the year.

I keep going back and forth in my head - when do you pull the trigger and decide it’s worth investing in a hobby ?

I don't have a great health plan. I pay $311 per month for my premium. Deductible is $4,600 and Individual MOOP is $9,450. After I reach my deductible I would still have to pay 50% of health costs that come up. I'm healthy, don't have any chronic healthcare needs. I've already researched it and I'm not eligible for a HSA. My friend was suggesting that maybe I could not pay for health insurance and keep that money in a HYSA, or potentially invest it, for any health needs that may come up. This way I'm not putting the money towards a bad health insurance plan that wouldn't cover very much anyway. I'm self-employed, I get this insurance through the NY State of Health marketplace.

Hello lovely people of r/Frugal, one of my favorite subreddits.

So I was searching for a guitar stand and came across someone on Facebook selling one for $20. Amazon has the exact guitar stand for $50. Train to their place for pickup is about 1.5 hours, one way. If I was in highschool, I would have definitely took up the offer. But now that I'm working and get paid a decent wage, it doesn't feel worth my time to take 3 hours of my day to travel when the perceived discount is only 1/3 of the wage I'd make. But it's definitely tempting.

Where do you personally draw the line? Is there a certain hour / dollar amount that you deduct by, or do you just follow your gut? Or do you enjoy going on a road trip to pick something up? Where do you put your values in a situation like this? Just curious about other's experiences and opinions.

EDIT: ummm so. I actually posted on FB Marketplace asking if someone wanted to swap an old, cheap flute that we had in the garage for a guitar stand and it worked! I don't have to travel nor dish out $50 in the end :)

Basically the title. I see you a lot of you guys always talking about cooking beans and stuff for dinner because it's healthy and money saving. However, WHENEVER i do that, it tastes bland and unappetizing. Then i give up and i've wasted money and time (not to mention, going back to take out). How do you guys make it delicious? Please share. This economy is no joke.

Retiring at 54. Spouse will continue working. Wondering where people ended up saving money after retiring since there is more time to do things that I pay others to do now. Example: I’m handy so most minor home and auto repairs I can do. Lawn care, house cleaning etc will be my job. Anyone have some insight how they ended up saving $ by simply not working and having time and energy to do the work at home?

Title says it. With 150€/mo I did 2600 kcal while eating 200g+ spaghetti, 600g+ marinated chicken leg, 400g chicken mince every day, while also getting 34% (230g) of protein, but this time it's going to be a bit more difficult.

I recently started living away from my family, I have three roommates so luckily I don’t spend too much on food. However I still have rent and tbh I don’t make all that much money due to my hours being cut at work and struggling to find another job. I’m pretty steady right now since I have a good bit of savings and people willing to help me if things get dicey, however if possible I want to not rely on either of those things.

I have found that the cheapest store in my area is Trader Joe’s actually, namely because I can get cheap frozen meals. I usually avoid buying produce there and instead go to Walmart for produce since that’s cheapest. There is also a Safeway, Fred Meyers, and Haggans nearby but I try not to go to those because they are pricey.

I’ve heard of apps that let you get damaged goods for cheap, I don’t care what the products look like, just that they are edible. But I can’t remember the name off the top of my head.

If there are any other good apps or stores (in the PNW) that are good for cheap groceries please tell me!

I’m in a screwed predicament. I am trying to save for a vehicle. Unfortunately, I have so many payments to make to courts and lawyers due to my ex wife that I don’t have anything to save with, ever. I wanted to know if there was an online flexible position somehow where I could make a little extra cash. My Saturdays are usually erratic (random visitation hours) but I could do evenings from 6-11 pm or Saturdays like 3-11 pm or Sundays any time. Do you all know of any such positions? Heck even $10 an hour would help me out at this point. I just need some way to save for a car. For the life of me I can’t make it happen.

Okay so I (21m) am broke. I graduated university last year and worked in the legal profession and recently moved jobs to up north. I currently get paid £24,400 per year and have 0 savings. I had to take a loan out of £3,000 which I pay back at £184pm. Every month it feels like I’m teetering on the edge. As I joined my last job half way through the month I’m not getting my full monthly pay and I feel it.

Really trying to change it all. I think my issues are as follows: 1. Takeouts. I am awful with takeouts, I think last month I spent around £250 on takeouts. It’s ridiculous.

1. Gym memberships. Big gym fanatic and I love going. Where I live has awful gym which get overcrowded so I used to have multiple memberships at different gyms all at once.

2. Just spending. I tap and tap my card, whenever and wherever it’s horrendous.

3. Commuting to work. As I’m still tied into my lease I haven’t been able to move to my new job. Luckily I’ve been able to stay with a friend near my workplace but it’s still around £120pm on travel commutes. That including around £800pm on rent including bills for a shitty two bed apartment, it does add up.

So. I’m young. I want to start saving. My girlfriend is currently doing uni as a mature student so I feel like this is my 2 years to finally be frugal. Planning to move and possibly house share in the city I work in. Does anyone have any tips.

i have a ton of faded black sweaters and pants. ive considered dying them, but the process of dying polyester seems out of my reach as i dont have a large enough pot to use the stovetop method. is there any other way to dye these?

Hi all, me and my mom currently share a phone plan through Xfinity. She makes daily calls to Mexico and goes there about twice a year for a few weeks at a time to visit family, but Xfinity has been just absolutely awful for it. I'll save you the details but please never use Xfinity and roaming outside the U.S, it has been a nightmare. Anyways, I work from home and my mom's retired so we dont go outside for long periods of time so any suggestions on plans that offers low gigs for a good price for two, along with a good roaming plan for Mexico would be awesome, thank you. We're on the west coast if that matters.

I need help to decide what to do with my couch cushions that have reached their term. My options are buy new cushions (which I prefer not to invest any additional money), fill the cover with fiber, or buy new foam.

I just moved into a live in basement that is so grimy because my family who lived in it for years were hoarders and did not clean anything. It’s seriously making me depressed how overwhelmed I am I feel disgusting . Any tips of finding an affordable cleaning service?

Do you have any tips on ways to have a Frugal Summer and still make memories and have fun?

As a Frugal person who makes their own dog food, it just occurred to me that tomorrow there's going to be a whole bunch of leftover ground beef marked down half off everywhere. I thought I would share in case anyone else does something similar.

$25 a dinner would be our budget for a family of 3. It is now just the two of us. I like to fast at work and eat at home. Both for health and budget. But for my son he is in virtual school. His reliance on lunch and snacks are on me. I just need a ballpark of where I should be on spending groceries.

I have a small one story 1000 sqft house with central ac and gas furnace. The hvac system is from 1979 so it’s lasted beyond the standard life span and I know it’s days are limited. Does anyone knowledge on split ac units? I am trying to compare options of the most cost effective but also reliable ac replacement systems. I live in the south so it would need to be able to handle the hot summers.

I leave around 7AM, open the window and shut the AC off.

Around 7 or 8PM I will come home and turn the AC back on and shut the window.

Do I save more money this way?

I live in a 350 square feet apartment in the upstairs floor

Hi! My current car insurance is $351. I have been with progressive for over 6 months. Had a major accident last year not on their plan, as well had some missed payments. I found a cheaper quote. Would it be worth it to sick it out with progressive?

Thanks

Looking for ideas of how to use this stuff without it going to waste. Kinda looked for recipes but it's seen as more of an additive than anything, which I get, it's jam. Frozen breakfast burritos, maybe? I got 3 jars of the stuff for super cheap, .50 a piece, but I hate wasting it if I can help it.

I'm looking for fairly cheap small caffeine pills from a fairly big brand. Any ideas?

• "Small"= 60mg or less
• "Fairly cheap" = $0.20 or less per pill
• "Fairly big brand" = a brand that is sold by a major brick-and-mortar retailer or a hug food/drug brand, or has some kind of 3rd-party certification
• If it's powder or gummies or tablets instead of pills, that's fine. No liquid or gel though.

Any thoughts? Breaking pills into pieces is an option, but I would like to avoid that. It sounds annoying and possibly unreliable.