70 Frugal Tips to Save Money On Groceries, Electricity, Banking and More

Frugal Ways to Save Money

Prices are getting higher and paychecks aren't, so most people need to figure out ways to cut expenses. Here are 70 tips to save money without doing without. Some ideas may take a little more work, but the savings can make a difference.

Money Saving Tips

Save Money on the Food Bill

1. Always grate your own cheese rather than buying it grated for you. The only exception to this rule is if the store has the grated on sale cheaper than you can grate it. Sometimes the special price is cheaper than doing it yourself.

2. Make food from scratch. A good portion of the price of packaged goods is for the packaging. On occasion you can buy boxes cheaper than you can make them, if there is a special sale. Good examples are cake mixes. Compare prices.

Baking your own bread cost just pennies compared to store bought and bread makers are now available for almost nothing at garage sales and used stores. They seem to have lost their popularity.

You can even make your own yogurt, salad dressings and more. Just check online for the recipes.

3. Buy produce in season and freeze. Be sure to do this correctly. For some good recipes, check the links at the bottom of this article.

4. Stay away from soft drinks. Drink iced tea instead. Better yet, drink water.

5. Start a vegetable garden and grow everything you can find the space to include. If you don't have a yard to do this, plant in pots. I've grown tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, and carrots this way with success. You can even grow potatoes in this manner. Just be sure that you have large pots.

6. Buy all of the groceries you need at one time. It’s too easy to buy things you really don’t need and the extra trip to the store will cost money for gas and just tempt you.

7. Plan ahead by making menus and bring a list. Check the store ads for specials.

8. Be sure to get rain checks when the store is out of sale items that you use. These will come in handy later.

9. Stock your pantry with extra sale items that you use all of the time. Just don’t overstock and have dates expire.

10. Try Angel Ministries to help out the food budget. Just type it in a search engine. This is basically a food co-op to help people save money on groceries. The food I’ve tried has been high quality and they even include fresh foods. This is available for anyone regardless of income for just like any other co-op. Angel Food likes you to participate, since the more people purchasing can mean lower prices for everyone.

11. If you have an overabundance of vegetables in your garden, first home can or freeze for yourself. Then give the rest to the neighbors. The giving will make you feel good.

12.Try purchasing fresh produce at the Farmer’s Market. Sometimes you can purchase at a much lower price. It’s fresher and you are helping out the local economy.

13. Bring your own bags when grocery shopping. Some stores will give a discount and you are saving all of those plastic bags from being thrown in the landfill.

14.. Buy generic foods when they make sense. Many of these are comparable to name brand foods. I have found a few that aren’t, so just try a can at a time.

15. Save a container in the freezer just for leftovers for soup. Put in all leftover meats and vegetables and at the end of the week have a tasty soup.

16. Make your own baby food. Just use a blender and you’ll get the same texture as the jarred food.

17. Check if there are food auctions in your area. I no longer live near one, but I used to get unreal deals at them. Many of the food services will have these. Look online to check if they are available in your area.

Save on Non-Food Items

1. Think in halves. Just half as much shampoo and conditioner is enough. Beauticians recommend using just a dime size dab. This works with many nonfood items.

2. Buy paper from the print shop. They often have leftovers that they sell for a good price and sometimes give it away free in odd sizes.

3. If you don’t already, shop at the dollar stores. You’ll be surprised at what you can get for just $1.00. Things like coffee filters are especially good buys. I’ve also found closed-out name brand items for just a dollar - shampoos, razors, shaving crème and more.

I’ve found some cleaning supplies are cheaper at Family Dollar than Walmart. Although Family Dollar charges more than a dollar an item.

4. Make your own cleaning products and laundry supplies. Almost everything can be cleaned with just baking soda, vinegar or ammonia.

Save on Other Neccesities

1. Buy used whenever possible. You will be pleasantly surprised at the deals you can get at garage sales.

2. Live with less. It will surprise you how much easier it is to clean the house too.

3. If you are looking for a special book, always check Amazon or Half.com first rather than buying them new. Join some book swaps like Swaptree, Bookmouch and others. You can also trade videos and games on some of these sites.

4. Skip the soda pop when you eat out. This is the big profit item for restaurants and can really add up. Drink water instead. It’s healthier for you.

1. Install a thermostat that you can program. Lower the heat setting when no one will be home and during the hours that everyone will be sleeping.

2. Lower the temperature to 58 degrees if you know that no one will be in the home for at least 5 hours. If the time is less than that, it will cost more money to reheat the house than it is worth.

3. Be sure that furniture and drapes don't block your heating registers.

4. Watch your bills each month. I’ve found services that we were paying for and didn’t order. Especially watch your cell phone bills. We’ve been charged for calls out of the service area, when they weren’t.

5. Be sure that your windows are caulked well. Air from windows are one of the number one expenses on your heat bill.

6. If you have a toaster oven, use that too to keep the house cool.

7. In the summer, cook with your crockpot. It will save on the air conditioning.

8. If installing new windows or anything else that is energy efficient in your home, be sure to check if there is a tax rebate. There was one available for certain energy efficient appliances. Look for the Energy Star sticker. Besides getting the tax rebate, you can save as much as 50% with some of these on your energy cost. At times it saves money to buy new. My HE washer saves 40% of the water. Because I purchased a top loader, it didn't cost anymore than the traditional washer.

9. Unplug your laptop before you go to bed at night. Don't leave it on when it is going to be unused for long periods of time.

10. Don't leave cell phone chargers in the socket when not in use.

1. If two people are working in the family, subtract all of the expenses that the person with the lowest income makes. When my children were small, after I subtracted childcare expenses, gas and car expenses and taxes, I found I was only making a couple of dollars a week. I started staying home with the kids.

2. If you can crochet or knit, think recycled. Plastic bags, old shower curtains etc can be used to make purses, beach bags and more. If you have or find a new item of clothing the yarn can also be recycled.

3. Watch for clothing stores having big clearances. You can often get as much as 75% off at the end of the season. Share the information with friends and they’ll often do the same for you.

4. If you need to eat at a fast food place, be sure to keep their coupons in your wallet where they will be handy. This can make a big difference in the total bill.

5. If you have a Walgreens in your area, watch their sales closely. Most Walgreens will let you use their coupon plus the manufacturers coupon. Many have bragged about paying nothing for some items.

6. Keep all receipts for donated items. If you have enough deductable expenses you may be able to itemize on your taxes and save some money. I was surprised how much they allow for clothing.

7. Always, always, compare items for airlines, rental cars or any other big ticket item. This can all be accomplished online.

8. Don’t buy the extra thick or extra soft toilet papers if you have a septic tank. These will require having it emptied much sooner and are much more likely to cause toilets to clog.

9. If you are currently paying a fee for your checking account, find another bank. This is something offered at many banks.

10. If you are buying a house, many banks will give you a lower rate if you have the payment directly deposited from a checking account at their bank. Ask. We did this and were offered a lower rate and weren't required to pay any closing cost.

11. Shop around when getting a loan. Even ½ of a percent can save a lot of money.

12. Keep your credit crystal clean if possible, even if you have to do without to do it. It will save you thousands over your lifetime with cheaper interest rates.

13. Pay off any loans that you can. Start with the smallest first. If you figure the interest you will be paying if you don’t, you may be shocked.

14. To save on prescription drugs, call around. Walmart offers a $4.00 programs for many drugs. Buy generic drugs when possible.

If you have a very low income and can’t afford the drug, let your doctor know. Some drug companies offer assistance programs and sometimes you can even get them for free.

15. If you can’t afford health care, check if there is a free clinic in your town or county. Doctors volunteer their time and sometimes you also get assistance getting the medications that you need. You will have to provide proof of income and be sure to arrive extra early. Some clinics only take as many patients as they can handle in the allotted time and the rest just go without.

16. Get free or low cost publications that cover many subjects from the government.

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/

17. If you smoke or drink, quit now. Both habits are expensive.

18. Do your own repairs. If you don’t have the knowledge, trade jobs with a friend.

This list is long and I do have more ideas and will share them in another Hub. Use your extra money to pay off bills and loans and put some in your saving account. Even if you have very little left, it will build over time. If you keep at it long enough, you'll be able to cut the charge cards up and throw them away and have a nice savings to help in future hard times.

I said 50 tips, so the information stated below is a freebie for you.

1. Cutting down on your speed will help. Just cutting down from 65 miles an hour to 55 cuts fuel use by 2 miles per gallon according to the Mountain Home Air Force Base. The reason your car consumes more fuel is that at higher speeds the engine in your car will run more revolutions causing it to use more fuel. Higher speeds also cause more wind resistance, so it uses more fuel to drive the same distance.

2. The following idea is obvious, but take the time to think and you may come up with ideas that you hadn't thought of before. If you can share rides with neighbors to get to work or run errands, this will save big dollars. If a bus service is available in your area, use it. Even better walk or ride a bike if you can.

3. Always organize your errands. If necessary, jot down all of the errands you need to run during the week and combine the trips. Let other family members drop off packages at the post office on the way to work if possible or pick up groceries on their way home.

4. The FTC suggests that you remove all items from your trunk that don't need to be there. 100 pounds removed can actually cut gas consumption by 2%.

5. Avoid idling for long periods. If you are waiting for someone else and you know it will be awhile, turn off the car. This includes long waits in fast food lines etc.

6. Avoid last minute braking and quick starts. They waste gas.

7. Use cruise control when appropriate. Driving at a steady speed helps cut down on gas consumption.

8. If it makes sense, purchase a fuel efficient car in place of a gas guzzler. Let the person who puts on the most miles drive the car that gets the best gas mileage. Although they are expensive, buy a hybrid.

9. Get a tune-up for your vehicle when it needs it.

10. There are many sites on the internet that will let you know what gas prices are for your area. If it doesn't require driving out of your way, fill-up at the cheapest.

11. When pumping gas, fill-up the tank. It takes money to drive to the station. Gas may also be used while you are waiting for others to finish.

12. Keep your car tuned up. Change the spark plugs often.

13. Be sure that your tires are at the recommended pressure. Check them every few weeks when the car hasn't been driven very long.

14. Map out your journey ahead of time. Find the shortest route.

15. Brake the car as little as possible. Fast starts and stops use more gas. Slow down when possible ahead of time.

16. Don't use the air conditioner unless you are travelling at a higher speed. The wind resistance of open windows does increase gas use, but a low speeds you should open your air vent or keep the windows open.There isn't as much air resistance at slow speeds. Park in the shade on hot summer days, so your air conditioner won't have to work as much.

With just a few small changes, you can save on fuel consumption.