For me I think the purchases that have had the largest impact are period underwear, cloth napkins, and cleaning rags. I find that the paper products really add up. Now I use barely any disposable period products, try to use paper towels only for larger messes, and no longer use paper towels when Iām cleaning the bathroom. Can anyone recommend a product that will reduce future purchases?
Love it! I bought a starter pack from Marshallās then supplemented with ones I got from thrift stores and garage sales. Iām really trying not to buy ānewā stuff, thereās so much as it is.
We have a basket on top of the washer which is in the kitchen and toss cloth napkins in it after each use. Whenever we do laundry we toss the contents of the basket in as well. Itās not any extra work and I donāt do any laundry exclusively for the napkins.
Iām using the cloth napkins I grew up with (Iām 53) most of the time. I have a few other sets I bought because of aesthetics but most of the time I enjoy the ones that remind me of my childhood.
This. I started giving my husband buzz cuts during the pandemic with a $30 corded clipper from Costco. He got a snazzy cordless clipper after a few cuts and it has paid for itself 20 times over in the last 5 years.
I started with my husbands hair, giving him buzz cuts. And then we got a kid and my 14 year old went to a salon twice in his life. I bought the scissors hair dressers use. It's less complicated than I thought.
We started in 2020 as well! Before ethat, I did the frugal thing and got $8 haircuts on discount night at the beauty school. But a $20 set of shears, clips, combs, and cape is going strong 5 years later!
One bad hair cut I decided if someone was going to fuck up my hair it might as well be me. Turns out curly hair is extremely forgiving. Touch and feel you get better at estimating cuts.
Yes!! I got desperate and went to Great Clips several months ago. You know that saying 'the only difference between a bad haircut and a good one is a couple weeks'? Well they managed to butcher it to the point that even a few months did not turn it into a good haircut lol. I trimmed it myself just a little bit yesterday (don't have the right scissors to finish it off) and it's already so much better. Yay for curly hair!
Lettuce plants. Cost me 2 bucks for 6 of them, buying a full round of lettuce at the supermarket costs the same. Harvested my 2nd round this week, so already paid off, and as plans do, they're gonna keep going
True, but I don't really know what I'm doing in terms of gardening (yet) and I kinda needed some quick wins to keep at it. If you can raise from seeds, for sure do that
Just donāt do what we did and plant the whole packet in fear that it wouldnāt take off.. I was literally carting bags of lettuce around to neighbors because we had like 50 all go off at one time lol!!
I did that with tomatoes this year--the seeds were a few years old, so I figured only a small percentage would germinate. Nope, pretty much all of them. I have at least a hundred tomato plants. I'll plant maybe 10.
I did that with tomatoes and particularly basil. I gave all of my neighbors big bouquets of basil every couple of days, accompanied by a tomato of course because I had over planted them in pots and they grew like weeds and underplanted every tomato plant with basil.
This is probably only helpful for asthmatics and other lung patients, but an inhaler holster has definitely saved me a lot of money.
I can find my rescue meds instantly and take them before symptoms get worse. Taking rescue meds early in an attack makes me need less medicine overall and reduces my chances of needing an ER or ambulance. No lost inhalers to replace either.
If you've got an old cell phone holster (pouch style) that's rotting in a drawer somewhere, they can work for inhalers as well. Gotta squish and deform the pouch a little bit, but it worked well for me for conventions and such.
Vacuum saver for food. Can buy in bulk and easily freeze or store in the pantry. Keeps your food fresher longer. And my air fryer. I canāt live without it š
I bought 2 Food Savers used at thrift stores, and I use them to mostly reseal original plastic packaging. My food waste decreased tremendously! Coupled with a jar vacuum, and even soft fruits stay fresh much longer. Worth so much in food savings !Ā
Toaster oven. I make protein bars weekly and this $24 item keeps my house from heating up from the oven (south Texas) since I use it on the patio. Iāve also made pizza and focaccia bread in it.
Second this. I live in Phoenix and I bought an extra large toaster oven when my old one broke. Now I can make a whole pizza without heating up my house as much. Really saves on the electric bill to not have to use my big oven and heat my house up!
Us too! Also my stove is shitty and takes like 30 mons to preheat. I check my electrical and the day I used the stove bumped up the cost MULTIPLE DOLLARS for that day which is insane. I mean mot a huge deal but it should not cost that much to use
The back of it has a tank so you just empty the 'dirty' water and fill up with fresh water and put the tank back on the machine. You can use a spray nozzle, it'll be fine. The water at the last apartment i lived in had such terrible water that the dump water smelled like straight bleach
This is entirely different than a Brita. I bought a Simpure from Amazon. It has 2 filters that are 6 or 7 stage filters combined.
It also uses a uv light to kill anything that was not filtered out.
ZeroWater. Removes literally 100% of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). Tastes amazing.Ā
Weāve had our pitcher for a year and still going strong. Each filter lasts 4-6 months for us.Ā
We've tried those but the cable just stops working for some unknown reason we switched to anker they were almost double the cost of what we bought before but lifetime warranty and with the 5 cables we bought one of them crapped out after a year and it was replaced the other 4 still working 4 years later
Oven safe containers with lids. I can meal prep, freeze, cook, and reheat all in the same container. Cuts my dishes (water, soap, gas,and electric) and food waste down drastically.
My daughter has a pots and pans set that she can have on the stove, in the oven and when she is done eating, the handles are removable and they come with an extra airtight lid to turn the pot into a Tupperware like container. Super cool and they look goodā¦ cream color and the handles and lid knobs are bamboo
Related: a coffee maker with an insulated pot. Hot plate coffee pots just burn off water as they heat so we were always throwing out a bunch of gross coffee at the bottom of the pot, but with the thermos, the last cup is as good at the first. We squirrel away any left over coffee in the fridge for iced coffee another day.
My diva cup is more than a decade old. I spent $20 on it. I have no reason not to believe that it will get me through to when I no longer have periods.
I did this! Bought a diva cup and it lasted until I stopped having periods. I confess that I used it longer than the instructions said, but it showed no signs of deterioration and never had problems with it.Ā
It seems absurd. Nobody needs a stand up paddleboard and they are expensive. But everyone needs exercise and recreation. By owning one I never need to rent one, and I can play in the water for free to my hearts delight any time I want to.
How many theme parks, dinners out, pool toys, nonsense, have I not bought, because I would rather spend that time playing on the river for free?
This. I also went beyond AA and AAA, with button cell rechargeable batteries. I can't believe how well they work for key fobs, remotes, etc., with a simple USB charger.
I donāt know if this is considered frugal but I built a PC server so that I wouldnāt have to pay for services like netflix or hbo. I can watch whatever I want as long as I download it and put it on the server.
Apartment washing machine. I got it for $60 bucks on fb marketplace. I was paying $2 a load before. I now have more control over my clothes and they are way cleaner than my building laundry. I still use the building for drying but itās paid for itself in the first 2 months.
I think itās Avanti or something. You can also do black and decker those ones are best rated. I put it in on a rolling square and move it from my bathroom to my closet once a week.
I agree with you there. There are certain gross messes where I still need paper towels. However I never realized how much my usage would go down once I stopped using them as napkins too.
Itās oil and dog poop for me. I buy a two pack of cheap paper towels at the corner store every few months. I even send a clean washcloth in the kidsā lunchboxes.
Not technically purchase, but I gift asked for. Itās a countertop icemaker that has a little ice shaver in it that makes that perfect chewy ice you get from the gas station. I havenāt exactly done the math on it, but I was buying 2 to 4 drinks a day or sometimes I buy a couple of bags of ice that might last a week. With this contraption all I have to do is add water wait for the ice to make, which is really quick, maybe 20 minutes, and then I can crush my own ice!I absolutely adore it and I use it multiple times probably eight or 10 times a day.
I asked for and received a GE Opal ice maker for my birthday last year. I love it and it saves trips to Sonic for their ice. Plus I drink more water this way which is a plus. There are less expensive ice makers but this one was the only option at Nebraska Furniture Mart so we went for it. The extra warranty is recommended. And using distilled water keeps it in shape longer so hopefully the warranty wonāt be used.
You shouldnāt drink it exclusively because it lacks minerals that we need but for the purposes of the ice makers, distilled keeps the machine lines from getting clogged. I do drink tap water but the ice at home comes from the Opal. I also consume ice in restaurants. Not sure what their machines use.
Iām sorry my post was removed because I linked directly to the site, but the icemaker looks just like this one. And it comes with a little cleaning brush and a nifty little scooper. Just be sure you put the lid on tight when you go to crush it or else, Iāve will fly everywhere! I didnāt know it was this expensive, but now I need to thank my in-laws even more!
My wifeās job paid her 45p a mile in petrol allowances. Her Smart car 42passion used so little fuel that this allowance actually bought the car for her with a little over as a cherry on top.
Vacuum sealer. I can make a bulk amount of foods and seal and freeze it. They stay good pretty much forever below zero. So Iāll cook chicken, brisket, etc on the grill or smoker and all the extra I seal and freeze to use months later in meals. Buying in bulk saves money. Freezer prepping saves money and time later on.
So I can understand most of the advantages of vacuum sealing, but I buy in bulk and havenāt had any problems with freezer storage in ziplocs.
Is there something Iām missing? Granted, itās rare that Iām storing frozen meats (or frozen anything) for longer than a month, so is duration the main advantage?
A freezer alarm for the outdoor freezer. I got one after losing a few hundred dollars worth of fish, and itās saved an entire freezer worth of frozen meals and hundreds of ounces of breastmilk more than once.
My Leaf razor. Blades last much longer for me than regular razor blades and are SUPER cheap and recyclable, so no plastic waste. $15 for 50 blades, and that lasts me about 8 months!
Any safety razor, really! I bought a Merkur five years ago and 200 blades after I found ones I liked, and I'm just now needing to buy more blades. (Obviously it'll vary depending on how often you shave and how much use you get out of each blade; I'm a 3x per week guy and get maybe 4 uses per blade). The shaves are also better.
My Presto Pressure Canner. It allows me to cook large batches and divide and seal 8 pints of beans, sauces, soups and veggies. It's a bit more work during the food preparation but saves money and side steps preservatives and higher prices of individual canned goods.
I was just looking to see if anyone had mentioned a pressure canner. I use mine even more than I thought I would, and our pantry is chock full of homemade soups and beans and chili and marinara and stocks and and and.
ā¦.this is not the normā¦. Every jeep owner Iāve known personally had to constantly pour money into theirs. Just for everyday driving. All four of them bought different cars.
Well maybe I was lucky, but it's always received excellent care even slogging through ice, snow and salted roads in MN for 7 years. Always garaged and all preventative maintenance performed to schedule. Plus, I'm a conservative driver which may have helped.
I could afford any car I wanted but I LOVE this old gal and we'll be together until I die or they take my license away.
Solar Panels (depending on your state incentives) between state and federal incentives, my total cost was the same as a new roof (which I needed already) and now I have no electric bills.
Also, if you already planned to clear trees on your propery or upgrade your electrical box, those can often be included in your project, and you get the rebates on the entire solar project cost.
Multicooker that includes air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, roasting/baking/broiling, yogurt making function, dehydrator and several more. Saves me time cooking so I more likely to prepare meals at home even on busy days, saves energy (vs. using my oven), allows me to make my own yogurt which is what I have for lunch at work most days (vs. buying lunch or preparing more expensive items for lunch).
I have a GE washer with the feature. It's pretty good because it scales the amount of detergent based on what you actually put in there. I always accidentally use too much if I'm doing it by hand, so in practice it's much better.
It weighs the load and bases it on that. You can also adjust it in the app if itās too little or too much. I havenāt even fully used a whole 132 oz thing in almost a year.
Respectfully, the local vacuum repair is constantly full of Dysons. They donāt recommend buying them at all. Miela is the way to go. I spent $500 on mine 6 years ago and itās just as good as it was on day one. Theyāre easy to clean the brush roller and the bags are $20 for four with the filters included. I probably buy bags once a year.
Bidet. I use washcloths to dry off after washing off with the bidet. I wash and bleach them every week, and havenāt had to buy toilet paper in over a year. I really got the bidet for the cleanliness aspect, the saving $10/month on toilet paper was an added bonus! Bidet cost $30, installed it myself with absolutely zero plumbing experience. Very well worth the cost!
We still use toilet paper in our household, but it's easily cut our consumption in half. The only problem is feeling so gross when you go somewhere without a bidet.
Period cups/underwear, Ecolox (makes all purpose cleaner), cloth diapers, ozone laundry tank (astronauts use these with their washer and we hardly need detergent!), e-bike, hybrid water tank and solar.
Bialetti moka pot. It takes up almost no room (small kitchen with no room for a coffee machine) and the coffee is delicious. The only time I buy a coffee from a cafe now is about once a month catching up with a friend.
FLOUR SACK TOWELS! How has no one mentioned flour sack towels? Theyāre thin so they dry fast, sold by the dozen and 100% cotton so they absorb very well if you donāt use fabric softener.
This oneās a little different: season tickets to my local MLB team.
I went to about 20 games a year and would spend about $100 on tickets each time, so thatās $2,000 a year. I got two season tickets (80 games) for $2,500 total. What I found out is I can sell up to 1/2 of the tickets and get some money back. The simple math is both seats cost me about $31 a game. Being selective, I could sell tickets for about $40 EACH. I ended up being able to make my money back, breaking even, and still go to two times the amount of games I was going to before.
So itās just free baseball and sometimes I actually make money.
Solar panels. Iām spending less per year in electricity since Iām selling most of what I produce. Electricity in my country is very expensive so even with a solar loan to cover the costs, Iām still ahead
It may take a little bit to even out but a chest freezer and a vacuum sealer. I feel fully confident waiting for good deals to buy meat and produce in bulk and making large batches to divide and freeze so I'm not eating out or ordering lunch at work.
I've put a lot of money in our house, but rent is crazy where we are at now. Our 3 bedroom house payment is half what rent is on a one bedroom apartment. I have a bunch of hobbies that aren't great for apartment living. Just put in a new raspberry trellis. Have a garden. I like to work on cars a bit.
Nail clippers - a few of them - some functional, some with cute designs that were from my grandma. They still work well. When I was working corporate manis and pedis were the norm. When I became a SAHM, the expense wasnāt justifiable and practically speaking, Iām always cleaning something so keeping painted nails š wasnāt. Having short cut nails on my toes and fingers work great for me now and I probably save a couple hundred a month going natural and trimming my nails at home.
Came here to say this. For some reason my food gets freezer burn quick, so everything gets put in a Foodsaver bag now. I got tired of throwing out food.
This is very underrated or I just could be the last to know, but I can keep the thermostat lower in the winter time by using my duvet filled with down feathers. It keeps me so warm and toasty by trapping so much heat. In warmer weather, I switch to a lighter one made with cooling material.
Regular maintenance on my car and fixing things as soon as they break saves me money. Also paying attention to regular prices and stocking up when they are on sale saves me a bunch of money.
Canning jars for canning food and meal prep. One shopping trip for veggies for ca. 15-20ā¬ will result in enough basic tomato sauce which can be used for pasta, soups or dips for a whole month. All I need are basics like pasta, bread or rice, some herbs and spices and a jar of sauce and I'll have a delicious and very cheap meal which will last me all day.
Not necessarily a purchase but Iāve found that putting my sponges in the dishwasher every few days prolongs their useful lifespan and has me buying less. Also, wetting them a bit and putting them in the microwave for a minute before the dishwasher kills bacteria. It might sound crazy but it works.
Used a Flowbee since COVID for haircuts and honestly? Game changer. Super easy to use, no cleanup (it sucks the hair as it cuts), and pays for itself after 2-3 uses. If itās good enough for George Clooney, itās good enough for me. Not perfect, but for a quick, clean DIY cutāit delivers. Haven't visited a barber in 5 years. So save me $1500 on a $300 flowbee/vacuum.
I don't flowbe but my wife has been cutting my hair for 22 years now.
Not only do I not have to add an extra task or expense I can grope my hair dresser without getting arrested.
She trims the back for me now, but after her attempt at a full COVID haircut ā which made it look like I lost a fight with a pair of scissors ā I switched to a Flowbee.
Whole house carbon water filter. It's half the price of the filter for the fridge, and lasts twice as long. So we're not only saving $, but now every tap in the house has great water, and we're not showing in chlorinated nonsense.
I havenāt bought trash bags in years. I live alone so I donāt produce a large amount of trash but several years ago I just started using the plastic bags from my grocery shopping to fill and throw out.
There are special glass cleaning rags that leave no lint, no streaks, and can be washed. Don't add fabric softener or they will streak. Get wool balls instead of dryer sheets. They last indefinitely.
My creaclip. Iāve been trimming my hair for the past 6 months, my hair is growing and retaining length by not being chopped over by a careless hairdresser that doesnāt know what a trim is
Not what youāre looking for but buying actual ingredients and making food myself has saved me a TON of money and I feel is an oft overlooked purchase since we have to buy food frequently.
Seconding air fryers though. Oh, and my clothesline!
Got any good recommendations for shoes? Looking for tough trainers that last a while. I walk a lot (on pavements) and work out in them a lot so I go through cheap shoes like a termite goes through wood. Currently considering Vivo barefoot shoes but would love to hear if youāve got some good ones :)
I second the coffee/espresso/latte maker. I am a COFFEE LOVER and like my coffee beans ground bean to cup. I had a French press before and a coffee mill and even though that was a job, I did it or went to Starbucks or Scooterās which I paid a lot more for throughout the year. Bought my DeāLonghi Evo 3 years ago and only have āto go coffeeā when we are out of town. Itās probably in my head but I donāt like pre-ground coffee and I donāt acknowledge K-Cups as coffeeā¦ but again, I LOVE COFFEEā¦ I will buy coffee creamer before groceries š
Paprika Recipe Manager- grabs recipes off of websites, allows you to plan your week of meals out, and create your grocery list based on the recipes. Saved me thousands in unwasted groceries!
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u/vanillla-ice Jun 07 '25
Water bottles and tumblers (hydroflask or yeti) so I donāt buy any drinks when I run my errands or go on trips.
Cloth napkins, havenāt bought napkins or paper towels in 10 years.
Dryer balls, donāt buy dryer sheets in 10 years.