We arguably live in a throwaway culture in the West: instead of fixing or upscaling things, we tend to buy new products. And many of us spend money on frivolous things, left, right, and center. That new phone that just came out? That cutting-edge fashion statement of a coat? We’ve got to have them. Here and now. However, there is a different way to live.
The r/Frugal subreddit is here to save the day (and your wallet). A community of over 2 million dedicated members, it’s a platform for people to share advice on how to live a frugal lifestyle. And it’s been active ever since 2008. We’ve collected some of their best recent thrifty hacks below.
When you’re done enjoying this list and upvoting all of your favorite pics, make sure to drop by the comment section to share any frugal living tips that you might have, dear Pandas. And if you’re in the mood for some more r/Frugal goodness, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s previous article about the online community right over here.
Bored Panda was interested in learning more about frugal living and how to save money, so we reached out to financial expert Sam Dogen to get his take on things. Sam is the author of ‘Buy This, Not That: How to Spend Your Way to Wealth and Freedom’ and the founder of Financial Samurai. He told us that the number one thing that we should be doing is saving more money. Or, as he calls it, paying ourselves first.
“We need to always pay ourselves first by automatically contributing to our tax-advantaged retirement accounts and setting aside a recommended 20% or more of after-tax earnings to save and invest. The more you can make your savings and investing automatic, the better. People are surprisingly good at living on less,” he said. You’ll find our full interview with Sam below, dear Pandas.
#1 Wanted New Fabric, Wouldn’t Get New Fabric Until I Used My Old Stuff. Wanted A Rug, Didn’t Want To Pay For A Rug. Two Birds, One Stone! Work In Progress. Made From New Batting (Less Than $20) And Scrap Fabric (Some 20+ Years Old). Not The Prettiest Thing I’ve Made, But I Like It
Image source: Rayquellen
#2 Hi-Vis Jackets For Dogs Are Between $40 And $80 Nzd – I Brought A Second Hand Child’s Hi-Vis Jacket For $1 And It Fits Perfectly! Frugal Win!
Image source: f1018
#3 I Refuse To Pay The Silly Prices For A Stuffed Toy, My Son Wanted A Few Characters To Match The (British) Children’s TV Shows. So I Made Them From Felt Instead
Image source: reddit
#4 Rosemary Went Crazy In The Garden – So I’m Using Sprigs To Freshen The Bathroom – The Steam From The Shower Accentuates The Smell Keeping The Bathroom Smelling Fresh
Image source: Scarlettpunk
#5 Crochet Swiffer Mops. Wet Refills Add Up With 2 Dogs. No More! Made 2 For $3/Ea And They Work Way Better Than The Refills
Image source: Lumpriest
#6 I Am Too Cheap To Buy Cuff Links And I Work In A Machine Shop
Image source: pastafaz
#7 I Drive Through A Nice Neighborhood On My Way To The Grocery Store. Found This Dyson Dc40 With A Free Sign With Other Household Items In The Yard. Brought It Home And The Suction Was Horrible. Watched A Single Youtube Video To Remove The Clogs – Needs A Good Clean But It Works Perfectly
Image source: kittyquestion303
#8 Get A Library Card…
Image source: SharkeyShyster
#9 Vet Didn’t Give Us Cones When They Got Neutered/Spayed So We Improvised! (We Made Sure They Could Breath And Eat Just Fine)
Image source: danvantilburg
#10 Don’t Forget About The Abandoned Paint Can Section Of Lowe’s & Home Depot. Scored A Gallon Of This Color For Only $9!! You Can’t Even Get A Sample For That Price. (Sorry, No Before Picture. We Were Too Excited To Wait)
Image source: k8e_E
#11 When Your Bar Soap Gets Wafer Thin, You Can Still Use It Up All The Way Be Pressing It Onto The Next Bar When It’s Sudsy And Let It Dry
Image source: OilPhilter
#12 Since We’re Doing Greenhouses, I Built This At The Beginning Of Lockdown With Reclaimed Pvc, Wood, And Polyethylene Film For Greenhouses. It Held Up To 2′ Of Snow On Top Over Last Winter As Well As A Handful Of Strong Wind Storms. No Plans, Just Boredom!
Image source: philipito
#13 My Fiancé Wanted To Flatten Her Pockets With An Iron But Realized We Didn’t Have One. Showed Her You Can Get By Using A Pot Of Boiling Water And A Spray Bottle. I Guess Growing Up Poor Can Come In Handy
Image source: PsychologicalSink187
#14 Downstairs Mini Fridge Stopped Working. Wife Said To Just Toss It And Get A New One. Watched A Couple Videos On How To Diagnose/Fix Refrigerator Issues. A $9 Replacement Overload Relay Later And It Works Again
Image source: mhoke63
#15 I Run A Small Coffee Cart; Just Discovered You Can Use Old Cartons As Coffee Trays!
Image source: Zuki_LuvaBoi
#16 Garden Cart I Made For My Wife. Nearly All Reused, Upcycled Or Free Materials
Image source: chromebaloney
#17 Finally, A Pinterest Project That Worked Well And For Not Too Much $$
Image source: Beebwife
#18 Instead Of Buying A Home In Toronto We Helped Renovate My 91 Year Old Grandmothers Basement Into A Fully Self Contained 2 Bedroom Apartment. We’re Still In The City But Only Paying $700/ Month. Here’s The Master With Hand Me Down Solid Wood Furniture
Image source: Donaldtrumphentai
#19 My Sister-In-Law’s Christmas Tree
Image source: turquoise404
#20 I Refuse To My Buy My Baby Girl A “Feminine” Blanket When I Have A Perfectly Good One Leftover From My Son
Image source: liz_lemon_lover
#21 Fall Tip – Lots Of People With Apple Trees Don’t Harvest; Never Hurts To Ask!
Image source: Hali_Stallions
#22 Instead Of Buying New Skates I Got These Thrifting For 15$. Soaked Them In The Sink With Gentle Laundry Cleaner And Then Got A Permanent Fabric Marker From An Art Store. I Still Need To Get Laces For It Though
Image source: Raccoon_Bride
#23 I Restored My Own Headlights Today And Am Pretty Proud Of The Result. Saved Over $100 Compared To Taking It To A Shop
Image source: Unused_Book_keeper
#24 This Cardboard Box Is Now His Favourite Spot (Super Old Towel Included)
Image source: c00kiem0nster24
#25 Prepping The Garden For Winter. We Pile Mulched Leaves, Add Mesh Or Whatever So The Leaves Don’t Blow Off. Then Before The Snow Comes, We Cover With A Black Tarp. The Beds Warm Up Faster In The Spring And The Leaves Compost Down To Make Amazing Rich Soil For Planting
Image source: spiraloutkeepgoing42
#26 Obvious But Not Obvious
Image source: FunkyChopstick
#27 Zero Cost Urban Garden Project In Northern Canada. Harvesting Daily And Planting Quick Producing Cold Weather Crops Like Radishes, Spinach, Lettuce And Chard
Image source: spiraloutkeepgoing42
#28 Didn’t Had Bread But Didn’t Want To Run To The Store Only For That (We Know It’s Never Only For Just One Thing). I Had To Use The Oven Anyway, So… Here Is The Best Looking Bread I’ve Made In My Life
Image source: Ok_Operation6104
#29 My Tried-And-True, Almost Foolproof Method For Growing Endless Green Onions
Image source: SunOnTheInside
#30 Made A DIY Cardboard House For My Bunnies. I Had My Eye On A $70 One On Etsy But This Works Just The Same. Besides Bunnies Don’t Care About Aesthetics
Image source: bambibunkins
#31 Repurposing A Damaged Frying Pan, With A Bit Of Paint It’s Now A Cool Decorative Bowl
Image source: c00kiem0nster24
#32 Found $128 Free People Sweater With Dark Stain For $15! I Covered It Up With Dip Dye, New Favorite Sweater!
Image source: decomp_etsy
#33 Built My Own Sidewalk With Glacial Sand Dug Up From The Side Yard And Leftover Base Rocks Used During Home Construction
Image source: jmaugs
#34 I Finally Understand Why People Buy Large Cuts Of Meat When It Goes On Sale. Quit Job For School, Trying To Be More Frugal, And We Got 2 Large Top Roasts For Buy-One-Get-One-Free And Processed It/Cut It Up At Home Ourselves. Now We Have Meals For Days
Image source: firelitdrgn
#35 If You Live In An Apartment Complex Just Check The Dumpster Once In A While. Found A Working V6 Dyson And Just Had To Clear The Roller To Fix. People Throw Away Just About Anything
Image source: alfred_holloway
#36 Someone Left This Fully Functioning 32” Lg TV Out By The Dumpster. Luckily I Snagged It Before The Rain Moved In
Image source: ConfusedByFarts
#37 Does Anyone Else Love Making Frankenstein Meals? Cleaning Out The Fridge And Pantry And Using Up All The Odds And Ends Forces Me To Be Creative And Usually Results In Something Delicious And Unique
Image source: soverylucky
#38 My Favorite Wool Socks Still Had Perfect Tops But Thinned Out On The Bottom, So I Patched Them Up
Image source: toooldtostayuplate
#39 Fix For Broken Lid – Drilled A Hole In A Golf Ball And Screwed It On To My Crock Pot. No Need To Dig Up A New Lid. Golf Ball Cost: $0. Screw & Washer: Found In My Tool Box, So $0. Took Me About 10 Mins. New Pot Lid: $30 Or So, Or Replace Entire Crockpot, So Yay!
Image source: Gufurblebits
#40 Cut My Full-Size Sponge Into 3rds For Doing Dishes
Image source: mafugginAsher
#41 I Reuse Ziploc Bags Because They Are Expensive Af
Image source: sneaky313
#42 Yarn And Push Pins
Image source: Jbeanz28
#43 Decided To Refurbish My Old Headphones Instead Of Upgrading. $8 For A Pair Of Generic Pads And They Feel Like New!
Image source: Zuki_LuvaBoi
#44 If Anyone Lives In Central Indiana, Brownsburg Goodwill Has A Bunch Of New Wedding Dresses For $19. Rumor Is A Wedding Dress Store Closed And Donated Remaining Stock
Image source: Lo452
#45 Boyfriend And I Were Looking To Buy An Elliptical Which Can Be Hundreds To Almost 1,000 Dollars. Decided To Check Craigslist And Found This For Free! Works Great And Saved Us So Much Money
Image source: itsanavocadoooo
#46 Family & Friends Went “Gleaning” At A Local Farm. $40 For A Totally Frugal 3hour Family Outing And All The Food!
Image source: chuckdoesntknow
#47 Sneakers Repaired, Thank You Mom!
Image source: l73vz
#48 Reusing Jars For Individual Cold Brew Teas And Loving It!
Image source: Brusswole_Sprouts
#49 Well… I Had This “Disposable” Pepper Mill For About 14 Years And It Finally Bit The Dust. Just Refilled It Over The Years With Bulk Peppercorns. So Long Friend!
Image source: milky_eyes
#50 I Wonder How Long This Took To Make
Image source: ofeybuns
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