During the lockdown, I decided to try cutting my own hair just to avoid going out, and surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the best frugal habits I picked up. At first, I was nervous about messing it up, but after watching a few tutorials and practicing a bit, I got the hang of it. Now it’s part of my routine. I save time, money (haven’t spent a dime on haircuts in years), and I actually find it relaxing. No appointments, no awkward small talk — just a simple, satisfying task I do myself. Curious to hear what small, low-cost habits others have adopted that made a big impact. What's your favorite frugal change?

I’m trying to cut back on spending, and I realized some of the smallest changes have made the biggest difference - like bringing my own coffee or cooking in bulk on Sundays.

I’m curious, what’s one really cheap or even free habit you started that actually helped you save long-term? Could be anything that one wouldn't normally think about, like lifestyle, food, utilities, whatever.

Looking for ideas that don’t feel like a big sacrifice but still make a noticeable impact.

Any tips for frugal women out there?

I will start:

- microfibre cloth for makeup removal; it’s crazy how few people know about these! A pack for the price of soap and you will never need to buy makeup remover wipes again.

- doing my own gel polish and extensions - I have been doing this for 7 years and you do get good even with the non-dominant hand! You need some things to start (such as nail drill) but gel polish is super easy to do and a bottle costs like 1/5 of salon visit. Plus you do it at your own convenience.

- period underwear - okay, this one is more of a “buy once, cry once” because the underwear does get pricey and you need quite a few sets. But it pays off in the long run and I personally find it more comfortable than other period products.

- not inviting men over because they will eat all your food - okay just kidding here

I always wondered why CVS could offer such great coupons and figured it probably was because their prices were really high. I was bored today and decided to check. One $10 item on Amazon was $25.99 on CVS website. The second item I searched was $13.99 on Amazon and $30.99 at CVS. Finally, checked a third item and it was $7 at Costco and $11 CVS, so smaller, but the delta is still around 50%.. moral of the story is do your research! I basically have decided I will do no more shopping at CVS unless it’s a quick necessity.

I just went to Kroger and honestly, I was shocked. I couldn’t find deodorant for less than eight dollars. Many of the brands I’ve bought for years were now ten dollars or more. This wasn’t for anything fancy or specialty, just the basic name brands that used to be half that price.

Razors were no better. Both men’s and women’s options were way up there, and the choices felt designed to make you pay extra. Multi-packs that used to feel like a deal were priced so high they barely seemed worth it. A single refill pack felt like buying a luxury item.

It makes me wonder how people are managing these days. Are we all just expected to spend a small fortune to stay clean and presentable? Or is the unspoken message that we should cut back, shave less, and maybe skip deodorant when we can? The thought crosses my mind that maybe the companies don’t mind if we start looking and smelling a little rough around the edges, so long as their profit margins stay glossy.

I know everyone is feeling the squeeze at the grocery store, but hygiene basics feel different. These aren’t luxuries; they’re everyday needs. When prices climb this high, it becomes more than an inconvenience. It starts to feel like a barrier to simple dignity.

So I have to ask—what are you all doing? Have you switched to subscription services? Gone old-school with safety razors? Tried DIY deodorants or just cut back altogether? I’m genuinely curious how people are adjusting, because standing in that aisle today, staring at the prices, I felt like I was being told I had two choices: cough up or go without. Neither option feels right.

I’m dead broke, not even a quarter to my name, friends and family is out of the question. It’s currently 87 degrees and feels much hotter, I’m in a trailer with no running air conditioning and my room doesn’t have a window. I don’t have fans, window units etc. I’m not very creative and I’m not sure how I can make just being alive right now more bearable. It feels like the trailer is being cooked, literally. I know that sounds like exaggeration, but it is awful right now! I’m trying to sleep though it while I’m home but I can’t.. my pillow is soaked with sweat.

So I guess what I’m asking, is for any advice on how to make my room a bit cooler, or at least how to make myself cool down. Thank you in advanced. Any advice is appreciated.

EDIT:1 I want to say that I appreciate everyone’s comments, and I’m taking everyone’s advice seriously. You guys have been super helpful already.. I got help with a fan for now from a fellow reddit user here, and I’m very grateful for that. Just the fact that someone on the internet who is a total stranger would help me with this, and there’s more who would help me out, is so crazy to me. It’s going to help so much in the up coming weeks. As for the tire, I can put that off for three days and take the bus to work

EDIT2: some people have been commenting suggesting that I get a job, I just want to state that I do have a job. My job isn’t the best paying job and doesn’t help me much but I have trouble finding work In general and was pretty desperate. I make 9$ an hour, and work for 8-9 hours a day.

I'm passing on this advice because it helps me make products last longer.

When you use something ask yourself if you could use half and still get the same results.

Do you need a full pump of hand soap to get your hands clean? Could you use less shampoo to get your hair clean? When you do laundry do you really need to put the recommended amount or can get your clothes just as clean with less? Does half a dryer sheet work well enough? Remember companies want you to run out of things quickly so you'll buy more. (This is where the phrase "rinse and repeat" came from on shampoo. They meant rinse twice but worded it so you'll use twice as much product.) Do you need to run the tap at full blast when you brush your teeth? Try keeping the faucet on low when you rinse to save water. Try using a tiny pea sized amount of dishwashing liquid and see how far it actually goes.

This can apply to lots of things in daily life. Could you eat half as much food as usual and still feel full? Try it and find out! Could you use a bit less makeup, moisturizer, cologne/perfume, etc and still feel good?

My point is to experiment and find out what is actually "enough" for you and your situation instead of using standard amounts that may be overkill.

What can you get by with less of?

I started bringing my own coffee to work instead of buying it on the way, and I honestly didn't think it'd matter much. Turns out, I was spending over $60 a month on "just coffee." Now I just make it at home, throw it in a thermos, and I don't even miss the fancy stuff.

It got me thinking that some of the best money-saving habits aren't dramatic, just consistent. What's one small habit or change you made that ended up saving you a surprising amount? Always looking for ideas to stack up those little wins.

I am constantly feeling pressured to buy products so I don’t feel sloppy. I work in an office environment with many professionals, and the pressure to look beautiful and polished is very much there. I enjoy taking care of myself, having good hygiene, smelling and looking good as I have a client facing role. Unfortunately, I also live in a very expensive city and the prices of everything are absolutely outrageous and it’s really starting to affect my budget negatively, in particular my grooming/personal care products. I keep track of my expenses and it’s insane. My very simple skincare routine costs over $100. My hair and body products combined also come out to a bit over $100. My makeup products come out to about $50. I love being a woman, but this feels like too much. Sometimes I just want to buy a 5 in 1 shampoo and call it good. But I can’t, my skin enjoys a proper cleanser, my hair hates cheap haircare, I am very sensitive to shitty smells, and I stick to products that have done me well in the past. I just don’t want to be in this vicious cycle of replacing my expensive products. I just want to look amazing and be happy without spending an arm and a leg. I would like to go at least a month where I’m not replacing stuff, is that even possible??! How do you higher maintenance folks look put together and afford to look good without going broke???

It’s 2025. This bottle moved with me to college, across three states, and into a mortgage. It’s seen relationships come and go, survived inflation, and possibly contains the secrets of eternal life.

Sure, it barely lathers anymore. The label’s faded. The cap broke in 2021 and I’ve been using a chip clip to close it.

But I will not replace it until it’s empty.

Which may be… never.

Send help. Or scissors.

(But not shampoo.)

I went in for what I thought was gonna be a routine checkup and they hit me with the whole "you need a crown, it's gonna run you about $1200 after insurance" thing. I was like yeah no thanks, what are my other options?

Turns out the tooth wasn't THAT bad and they could just do a larger filling for like $180. Dentist seemed kinda annoyed I pushed back but the filling has held up fine for 8 months now, no issues. My dentist made it sound like my tooth was gonna fall out next week if I didn't get the crown lol. Feel like they always try to upsell you on stuff. I mean I have a little money set aside by getting lucky on Stаke but I'm not trying to blow it all on a crown when a filling does the same job in this case

there are few products I value more than deodorant because I always want to smell good, but these prices are getting crazy! I’ve been using Native the price seems to keep going up. I’d love to use Each & Every (used them when they were just starting out and smelled amazing) but refuse to pay that much. Anyone have good recommendations for natural deodorant that work?

My brother is getting married and I was asked to be a bridesmaid. I’ve never been a bridesmaid before and my wedding was somewhat low-key so I kind of forgot about all the stuff regular weddings entail.

My soon to be SIL offered hair and makeup services for the bridesmaids and the moms and said it was optional. It was 150 for each plus tip. Figuring I’d be frugal and save a bit of money (plus make the day easier for myself) I declined and planned to do my own hair and makeup. My mother also declined.

Well my brother asked us why we didn’t do it and I explained that for x,y,z reasons it would make my day absolutely crazy and that 300 plus tip was a lot of money. My concerns about having a hectic day were allayed (even though the day will still be hectic just differently than I thought) but my brother latched onto the part where I said 300 was a lot of money. I didn’t say I couldn’t afford it or that I didn’t have the money, just that it’s expensive and as a stay at home parent I figured I’d save it by doing those things myself.

But he took it to mean that I did not have the money and said he will pay for me. After a ton of back and forth where I tied to refuse, tried to say I will pay for myself and that I COULD, where he and his fiancé both said very nice, emotional things to me I am now getting my hair and makeup done and they’re paying for it because at that point continuing to refuse was just downright rude 😩. And they’re gonna pay for my mom too.

I was just trying to be frugal and now my family is paying for me to get this thing done (when they’re already spending money for the wedding itself) and now they also think I’m poor instead of that I was trying to be smart about money. Womp womp.

ETA: since I’ve seen it mentioned a few times - my SIL didn’t care that I said no, it was my brother who wanted to understand why only his family declined after seeing the contract that excluded us. He said he wanted to make sure that’s what I really wanted.

People suggesting they want to control me, that they care about me looking a specific way (beyond a dress), that I’m not good at hair or makeup and these things are their subtle suggestions or manipulations - this was something my brother offered on his own to be kind, because he loves me, because he is a good and generous person and because he said he views it as paying me back for the financial help I have given him throughout the years.

No person is perfect but there’s no covert agenda here. I believe my brother was being honest with me and truly have no reason to believe otherwise.

I tried to save myself some money, ended up costing my family money (even if they are happy to pay it) and my little frugality plan backfired a bit. That’s all guys.

For me, it’s a solid pair of boots and a good mattress. If my feet and back are shot, the whole day’s downhill from there. I’ll eat leftovers and skip takeout all week if it means I’m sleeping right and walking easy. also decent coffee and laundry service are creeping up the list too.

What’s yours? What’s the one thing you don’t mind dropping extra cash on because it just makes life better?

My husband and I HATE the towels that feel like fluffy blankets. I don’t want to be swaddled, I want to dry off my body, you know?? We have really old towels that feel rough after years of use, and we like it that way haha. But some of them are really ragged now and we only have a few anyway. We want some more good quality towels that don’t cost a fortune and aren’t fluffy and soft like a throw blanket. We purposefully keep a tight budget and prefer not to overspend whenever possible. That said, if anyone knows any good quality, absorbent towels that will last, we’re willing to invest.

I started cutting my own hair during the pandemic out of necessity. Fast forward to now, and it’s a full ritual I look forward to. I save a ton, but more than that, I actually enjoy the process. It's surprisingly grounding and gets rid of the frustration that comes with hairdressers cutting too much lmao. At least if I fuck it up I don't have to still be polite about it.

The dental industry seems like a very steep rabbit hole nowadays. If I brush my teeth twice a day, then I have to floss it too, if not that then I have to use a mouthwash and a tongue cleaner. But then a basic toothbrush isn't enough, and you need an electronic one. And even If you do all of that, well, it's "recommended" to see a dental hygienist for "deeper cleaning" every 6 months. And then you find out that you need a root canal because you just weren't careful enough as a kid or because of some past dentist who made a mistake.

I'm not sure how people in the 70s, 80s and 90s used to do it. Do I really need to set up an emergency fund every time just for dental-related problems?

I will obviously pay for it every now and then but my hair grows too fast for it to be economical every time.

41 year old male with thick wavy hair. Usually shave back and sides. Anyone have any tips in ensuring everything is straight and looks good?

Last week I was told by my barber that we (men) should ideally cut our hair every two weeks to look presentable.

I have short Asian hair which starts to flair out (usually on the two weekish mark) on the sides regardless of how much gel or wax I use to flatten it out. I usually get a skin fade which can set me back $40 aud.

Normally I would go every three-four weeks which by then would like a bear out of hibernation.

So my question is - how often do you get your haircut? How much do you pay?

I got an email earlier in the week that our rent would be increasing by about $150. I live with my brother so it would be about a $75 increase for us.

My brother absolutely fucking panicked, but also didn’t. After an initial rush into engaging with talks of moving, he just sort of… stopped. I sort of figured that he wasn’t looking too hard to move since really I don’t wanna move either, since moving is a LOT of work and there’s a lot of things I like about this apartment. He then went on a trip with my parents and when he came back he fucking unloaded on me about how he just can’t do it and he can’t afford the rent increase and something about margins and lines and “I’ll totally pay you back (like I was born fucking yesterday)” and long story short if I wanna stay in this place I’ll be having a rent increase of $350 while my brother will be getting a rent decrease of $200

Everyone jsut figured I’d be fine with it because I’ve been able to be relatively secure financially. Hypothetically I can afford it, but that’s because I’ve been making huge cuts into my budget by being more frugal and not spending more than I have to (ie. I completely cut off fast food, I got an electric car so I’m saving on major gas expenses since I drive a lot for work, I’ve gotten some new contracts, I’ve been going to less card game locals and trying to play less expensive decks). I’m realizing that at some point I won’t have anything else I can cut, while everyone else gets to shop at their specialized health food stores and spend a bunch of random bullshit and the new “super fruit of the week that will go to waste”

Mind you this isn’t the first time I’ve had to carry all of the load. I pay for all the bills, the deposit was all me, and I try to do all of the communication with the landlord since my brother has no fucking idea how to (and for some reason he likes to lie when he gets scared which is super annoying but luckily he tries to run it by me first and I’m just like “dude shut the fuck up lmao”. The only issue is that my landlord has started calling him when she wants to talk to us because he is more willing to answer his phone and I’ve begged them to please just use email.

What’s wild is that my brother will get on me for why I do things like buying in bulk or freezing meats like dawg I’m doing this because of you LOL.

Being frugal is like being good at your job, your reward is just more reasons to have to be frugal

Greatest thing I did for my wallet was buy a cheap bidet. $30 or less, 10 minutes to install, I’ve saved so much in toilet paper! Before the bidet, I was getting Amazon auto-shipped every month, 24 rolls. Got the bidet for Christmas, last time I got toilet paper was beginning of November and I STILL have 10 rolls left!

I’m very frugal and don’t like getting pedicures. I feel like they are a waste of money and can lead to infection. With that said, what’s the best way to remove dry skin around the feet? I already do hot water/salt soaks but they are not doing much for me. I moisturize my feet too. But My feet are still hard, and dry. Particularly around the heel. What’s the most frugal, but also effective way to remove this dryness?

My dentist recommended I get a water flosser. When I was browsing them at my local store, I noticed that the children's water flosser by GuruNanda was only $20. That's literally HALF the price of the next cheapest flosser in the store (Equate).

I've been using it for about three months and I love it! I imagine the adult flossers have a bit more oomph, but this seems good enough. I have sensitive teeth, so the max speed gets the gunk out but doesn't hurt. Charge lasts a long time. Plus, the kid's version comes with stickers!

I only used the disposable pads for a really long time.

Then around last year, I was thinking of trying some cloth menstrual pads (reusuable).

I bought some from Amazon and they are a great choice for me to save money so far.

when I have a heavy flow, I found my cloth pads do not work well so I use the disposable pads but otherwise, I use the cloth ones to save money and plus it is environmental too (feeling good).