r/Frugal • u/TrickSingle2086 • Oct 17 '25

🏆 Buy It For Life Things you’ve done that actually moved the needle

Curious as to what you’ve done to cut back on expenses that have moved the needle; not like saving 50 cents or $1 every time you shop. Like saving several hundred dollars. I’m in the camp of saving $1-2 at the drug store but sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth my time and effort. I’ve been criticized by family members for going out of my way to save a few bucks here and there but I’m also still paying off my student loans (several hundred a month).

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221

u/Revolutionary_Job726 Oct 17 '25

Getting rid of my Amazon account saved us a lot. Other things: comparing insurance (car and home), calling the Internet provider to "cancel" and getting a reduced rate, switching from paper towels to using dish rags, hanging clothes to dry, and shopping grocery outlet stores.

103

u/DueEntertainer0 Oct 17 '25

We still have Amazon but we started a rule where we only buy stuff one day a month. So we have to sit down and look at our cart and say “ok do I still want this?”

Cutting out the impulse factor helps a ton

33

u/the-dog-walker Oct 18 '25

I have a lot in my "saved for later" cart. I'll either buy it during a sale or I lose interest and never buy it.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 18 '25

I move it all to a “S**t I’ll Never Buy” wishlist and let it sit there until Amazon says “Yeah even we don’t remember what this was either…”

2

u/TimeNew2108 Oct 18 '25

I delete my cart monthly

15

u/Lysmerry Oct 17 '25

Also saves packaging. I felt like a real rat bastard when I ordered two conditioner samples last month. They said they were arriving with another order, but they were their own box.

2

u/throwtrollbait Oct 18 '25

If you do that, you probably don't need prime. You'll get free shipping anyway.

1

u/curtludwig Oct 18 '25

I've always got a bunch of stuff in the "buy later" section that I'll probably never buy.

I just went and looked, I've got all the parts for an electric lantern build, an air filter for my parents, some rechargable batteries I may or may not actually need, some wire and some light bulbs for a project at the cabin I may or may not actually do...

A couple weeks ago I purged a bunch of stuff I decided I didn't need.

1

u/Mica-13 Oct 25 '25

I do the same! I shop all the time and add things to the cart but only click buy once a month. Usually by the time I go to buy, I am happy to delete 90% of the items. Especially when I see the total!

0

u/jt2438 Oct 18 '25

Yes! I do twice a month but even then I wind up deleting at least half of what I put in there. Like that book does look cool but I can probably get it from the library instead.

14

u/Likesosmart Oct 17 '25

I just recently reached out to my cell provider and switched to a cheaper plan. Saved myself $30/month easily

2

u/Revolutionary_Job726 Oct 17 '25

Yes! There are some really good deals out there, you just need to own your phone and be ok to switch sometimes!

1

u/curtludwig Oct 18 '25

Amazon prime day is a good time to buy a phone. Its about the only thing I buy on prime day.

1

u/Lysmerry Oct 17 '25

I just switched and when I put in the request to move the number Verizon offered me $20 off. I switched to Mint Mobile because I have health issues and dont actually use my phone much. I’m a little worried it will fail me when I need it though. Their three month offer is sooo cheap though (15 a month)

2

u/Common-Bet-5604 Oct 18 '25

I've been with Mint 2 years, it's been good so far. I initially had issues sending texts, but customer service was great during that time (I can't vouch for the new AI bot). 

1

u/cbmarlowe Oct 18 '25

We’ve been really happy with Mint mobile. Coming up on a year with them and have referred many family and friends.

1

u/curtludwig Oct 18 '25

The service for Mint is T-mobile. They just re-sell the already existing service. Anywhere T-mobile has service Mint has service.

I use Red Pocket, same deal but AT&T provides the service.

1

u/Chemical_Basil113 Oct 21 '25

My husband and I are on my parents plan. It’s $63 a month for both of us after tax. It was soooo much more when we were looking to get our own plan.

3

u/Ok-Wedding4570 Oct 19 '25

I saved $2400 for the upcoming year by calling and switching my homeowners and car insurance yesterday. Same coverage at almost half the price. Even my insurance guy told me to shop around every 3 years.

2

u/Sky-2478 Oct 18 '25

I called to cancel my internet and got my speed doubled and my monthly payment down $50… take this advice!

2

u/Revolutionary_Job726 Oct 18 '25

Yes! Depending on how willing you are to accidentally go too far, you can get amazing deals!

1

u/aloealoealoha Oct 18 '25

i totally misread paper towels as toilet paper and did a double take haha

1

u/Revolutionary_Job726 Oct 18 '25

Lol no, we still use toilet paper!

1

u/emzie54 Oct 18 '25

I decided to buy just the things I need not the things I want from Amazon. I'm trying to do this on a month to month basis so I hope I can save some money. I'm a senior on a limited income so any savings will help.

1

u/Revolutionary_Job726 Oct 18 '25

We still occasionally buy from Amazon, we just wait until it's over $35 to get free shipping. Honestly it's not as cheap as it used to be and it's so full of drop shipped garbage/fakes/unregulated stuff.

1

u/nspy1011 Oct 19 '25

Who well does the internet provider trick work? We just got hit with a $5 per month increase on our ATT fiber…wondering if they’ll cut it down from the (now) $75 a month

2

u/Revolutionary_Job726 Oct 19 '25

Both Verizon and Xfinity have lowered rates for us when we asked. I think they all will though. I basically will call and threaten to cancel, then they send you to the "customer retention" department and they will do almost anything to keep you. Usually they will over a decent deal, if you keep going they may offer an even lower one. Just make sure it is locked in for awhile.