We all know that those who came before us have the best wisdom to share. This list of Frugal Living Tips Your Grandma Used is a prime example. Going back to the basics is a wonderful way to save more money in your budget. Use these tips to create a flex budget for debt or just to meet your needs.
10 Frugal Living Tips Your Grandma Used
There are so many amazing ways to save money in your budget to share. Going back in time to the way our grandparents did things is a must. This list of frugal living tips is designed to help you think more simply about your lifestyle.
New to the savings game? Check out our Extreme Couponing 101 Tips as well as our 52 Week Budget Challenge to get started on your own money saving journey.
1. Grow your own produce
One of the most expensive things in your grocery budget is probably the fresh produce you pick up each week. One of the best ways to save is to grow your own vegetables and fruits. A small vegetable garden can produce a huge harvest of foods you can use not just in the growing season, but also year round. Depending on where you live, you may want to branch out past produce and also include fruit trees, nut trees, or bushes for berries.
Check out my Garden Tour for even more tips on how to grow your own produce at home.
2. Raising chickens for eggs
Backyard chicken coops are a thriving trend lately, for good reason. Raising your own chickens helps you to have fresh eggs on hand, and eventually fresh chicken. The process is relatively simple and can be very cost effective depending on how many you raise and expenses involved with original investment. A fancy coop isn’t needed, and many upcycle projects can help you to build one at little to no cost out of pocket.
3. Hanging laundry to dry
We are very much spoiled to using appliances and electronics for everything around us each day. Instead of running your washer and dryer all the time, set up a laundry line outside or even indoors if you have space. Hanging laundry to dry is a wonderful frugal living tips idea that is common in many places and not just a trick your grandma taught you.
4. Cooking bread from scratch
I love baking homemade bread, and it is one of my favorite frugal living tips. You will find the cost is less as well as the quality is better. This isn’t just about sandwich bread, but also sweet bread and muffins. A box of 12 muffins can be up to $7 out of pocket. Instead, use $1.25 in banana, egg, flour, and sugar to make them at home. They will taste better, have fewer preservatives, and most importantly cost less out of pocket.
5. Making your own beauty products
From lotions and creams to your own body wash and shampoo, a bottle of Dr. Castile soap and some essential oils can help you to create tons of products for a fraction of the price. I love making a few homemade products to help save money, but also because I know what they include so there is less of a chance of allergic reaction.
Bonus: check out our homemade laundry detergent for another way to save!
6. Sew and mend clothing
We get so used to just buying a new item, that the art of mending things has fallen out of mind. In many cases, it isn’t cost effective to sew everything on your own, as the fabric is costly. However, you can save by learning to mend things that have rips or holes. A few patches in something can make it last another year and save you the cost of a new item.
7. Walk to your destinations
Do you ever think about walking to the store? What about walking to your local library, or even walking with your kids to school each morning instead of driving? In this day and age, we just don’t consider walking as a means of transportation when we have a car available. If you live in a suburb, it isn’t as easy to manage. However, if you live in the city, start walking more often to your destinations. It’s great for your health and your budget.
8. Preserve your foods for future use
Canning and freezing food in one of those harvest right freeze dryers is something that has also become more popular in recent years. The art of canning fruit, vegetables, broth, soups, and even meat is something that was commonplace when our grandma was a young woman. This is one of, if not the best, frugal living tips out there. It works when you have a home garden, but also for those seasonal sales at the grocery store. Corn on the cob on sale 5 for $1? Take it home, cut it from the cob and can it to use later. It’s a wonderful way to save money and enjoy a better flavor of fruits and vegetables than mass-produced products.
9. Make eating out a true splurge
Society is so used to things like eating out for lunch every day, or grabbing take out on the way home. Why not make eating out as a family a real splurge or privilege and not just a habit? Eat out only when traveling, for birthdays, or anniversaries. Instead, make elegant meals at home for date nights and splurge on the meals out of the home as special treats and not every day expected events.
10. Live simply
This may sound like it is more difficult than you want. The thing is, to live simply is truly to be appreciative of what you already have. One of the best frugal living tips you will ever hear is to not buy something if it isn’t needed. How often do you upgrade your cellular phone just because the new one is available? What about new boots every season because you want a different style? Do you go to every new movie? Maybe your way of living simply is to cut out those things and to learn to be happier with what you have already.
Best Frugal Living Tips
Yes, we can learn a lot from past generations and how they focused their time and money on a simple life. Learn to slow down and you will see your money staying in your bank for longer.
