5 Ways I’m Frugal (and you may be too!)

Frugal Habit #1 – I water things down

Many items can be stretched a little further by adding some water. For instance, I sometimes add water to canned soups that don’t need added water just to give me a little bit more. I then add a bit of white pepper or other spice so it still has flavor.

And you can make many homemade items by just adding water to some other store-bought item too! For instance:

Water + Glycerin = Homemade Moisturizing Spray
Water + Fabric Softener = Homemade Wrinkle Releaser
Water + Liquid Soap = Homemade Foaming Soap

And sometimes if I’m trying to get the last little bit of something out of a bottle to use in a recipe (like a bottle of ketchup), I’ll open it up, put a little water in there, shake it around, and now I’m able to get a bit more of what I needed.

Frugal Habit #3 – I’m willing to use less

This is something I first learned from reading the old Tightwad Gazette books. Just because the manufacturer says to use a certain amount (of dishwasher soap for instance), doesn’t mean you can’t try using a little less. Just keep cutting back a bit until you find how much you really need and are still happy with the results. It’s usually less than what the box says because they want you to use the product liberally so you’ll buy more!

And once you find that perfect amount, find yourself a new little scoop so you won’t be tempted to use the giant scoop they gave you!

Frugal Habit #4 – I save odd scraps

One of my little habits is to save pieces of tinfoil to use later. Sometimes I have a piece of tinfoil over a pan in the oven and when I’m done cooking, it hardly looks used. Why would I just throw that out? That resourceful spirit tells me it’s perfectly fine to use again for something else. I fold it up and put it in the drawer for later.

And those times when an extra pages comes trailing off your computer printer that you weren’t expecting? And it’s got like one or two words on it or something? I save it for later! I keep them in another pile and print on the back side of them when I’m just printing off a recipe or something that only I will ever see – or – I use them to write grocery lists or other random notes.

The key to having this kind of resourcefulness work for you is to keep things organized and give yourself a limit. Because if things aren’t organized and you are overrun with odds and ends, the end result is that you usually can’t find what you’re looking for, or you forget you have it, which then defeats the ability to be resourceful.

Frugal Habit #5 – I make my own!

And of course you knew I had to include this one! If you’ve ever looked around at ingredients you had in the house and then looked for new ways to use them to make what you need, then you probably have a frugal and resourceful spirit. For several years now I’ve been making my own cleaning sprays and sometimes they only cost me a few pennies per batch!

Even simple things like knowing how to mix your own garlic salt, can be a really helpful little trick that let’s you solve a problem with items you may already have on hand. The more you know how to use what you have to make what you need, the more money you can save.

Did you see yourself in some of the behaviors on this list too? I’m guessing if you’re a “Make Your Own” kind of a person, then you probably found yourself nodding your head in familiarity to this way of thinking. It’s just a way of making sure you’re getting the most out of the things you have. 

To cultivate being frugal, ask a few more questions. Do I already have something I can use? Is there a different way to use this item? Do I even really need to be using it at all? Can I stretch this in some way to make it last longer?

Asking questions lets you look at things in new ways and may just give you the fresh perspective you need. And it may even help you think of new ways you can make your own!