We don’t live out of a van. We don’t (usually) dumpster dive. We (very) occasionally pay full price for things. We buy disposable toilet paper (yes, there are very green people who use cloth, in case you didn’t know).
That is why my husband scoffed at my blog’s original tagline: “Extreme Frugal Living to Match Extreme Student Debt.”
There’s no doubt that six figures of student debt is extreme. The question is whether our frugal living qualifies as “extreme.”
My husband grew up in a very, very frugal family. Originally it was out of necessity, but frugal ways became very ingrained habits. From his perspective, much of what we are doing to save money is just “normal” not extreme.
From the feedback I’ve received from friends and family (my side) regarding our lifestyle, I would say that on the frugality scale, we would rank closer to the extreme side in many areas.
Here are a few examples of the norm around here:
- My husband and kids bring back their fold top sandwich bags which we reuse several times before throwing away.
- We wash out ziploc-style quart and gallon bags.
- We use cloth diapers (and got them free or cheap).
- We have never paid for cable.
- We’ve actually never owned a TV.
- We went to a sit-down restaurant once in the past year (with a gift card from a client).
- We have been to 2 movies in a theater in our 8 years of marriage (one was free).
- We have never had a car payment.
- My husband has never paid for a haircut.
- I’ve paid to have my hair cut maybe 6 times in my life.
- We have dumb phones on the same $10/month plan we’ve had since 2005. UPDATE: Now we have smartphones but still at $10/month!
- In 8 years of marriage, we’ve never gone to Disney or any other amusement park.
- We save money on road trips by bringing our own snacks and sandwich-makings in the car.
- We live in my in-laws’ unfinished basement.
What do YOU think?
- Is this just your average level of frugality or is this extreme?
- What is the most frugal thing you have ever done?
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Jill Udey says
January 6, 2014 at 12:28 pmI love this! If I may ask, what phone plan are you on? We do not have smart phones and don’t intend too and would love to get an even cheaper monthly rate!
Stephanie says
January 6, 2014 at 7:53 pmHi Jill! We are on an old AT&T family plan under my parents. Originally the phones were for my sisters, but when they got married they got plans with their husband. My husband and I scooped them up (even 8 years ago when we got married, $10/phone was unbeatable) and we pay my dad $20 a month.
party nicholson says
January 7, 2016 at 8:54 pmStephanie, I read some of your post. Seems like you might be a bit of a freeloader. Who couldn’t be frugal, if they didn’t pay rent or run off of someone’s phone plans. Do you also eat their food and use all their utilities, electric, gas, water, and sewer services. I’m not trying to be mean, but not everyone have generous in laws.
Stephanie says
January 9, 2016 at 1:16 pmHi there. I can see how with the limited info from this post, it would look like we are freeloading off my in-laws. Our living in their basement was their idea and they turned down our offer to pay them rent (they want us to be able to pay off our debt as fast as possible). In fact, they see it more as “paying it forward” as they will definitely need more help around the property as they get older and none of their other kids live close.
Not paying rent definitely frees up money, but having “extra” money doesn’t ensure that someone will be frugal or use that money wisely. We work really hard to keep our other expenses down in order to maximize our debt repayment each month. For example, we keep our grocery budget for our family of 6 under $300 most months (we buy all of our own food, have a separate kitchen, etc) and spend very little on clothing, entertainment, eating out, etc.
Everyone’s situation is different, so I hesitate to paint a picture of what I would classify as freeloading. I think only the people in the situation can be the ones to say what is freeloading and what isn’t. I assure you that my in-laws do not see us as freeloaders (and of course I don’t either), but you are welcome to think so if you like. It won’t even offend me.
It’s true that not everyone has generous in-laws. It’s also true that not everyone is willing to spend only $300 to feed a family of six. We can’t compare our journeys. You might be interested in this post that explains a little more.
Rachel B says
January 13, 2016 at 4:09 pmI fail to see how combining a phone plan with a family member and paying the cost of the extra line could be viewed as “freeloading.” It’s essentially a phone co-op.
Jocelyn says
May 20, 2019 at 4:25 pmI agree. I just couldn’t live off my in-laws even if it was there idea and they didn’t want you to pay rent. Nor could I use their cell phone plan. There is something to say about being an adult taking on your own responsibilities.
Caitlin says
January 20, 2014 at 12:02 pmHa! I love your plastic bag-drying technique! I’m always trying to prop mine open with chopsticks, but it’s not very effective. We don’t have a t.v. either and we don’t miss it and we are completely happy with dumb phones, because to be perfectly honest, I don’t even use all the functions on the one I have (which was free with our plan.) There are things I look forward to doing once we are debt-free, like buying a home, having a real couch, and going on vacations, but there are a lot of things that I probably won’t change… I actually like not having cable and using my phone only as a phone.
Stephanie says
January 20, 2014 at 5:47 pmMy husband is the genius behind the bag drying 🙂
We’re not planning on changing a lot once we get out of debt either (except buying a house). This frugal lifestyle will be so ingrained that we should be able to build our saving quickly.
Rebecca Lynn Cogar says
June 15, 2016 at 8:02 amuntil I read the article, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what you were doing with the bags lol. I place mine over the corners of the backs of chairs. I like your idea WAY better ! lol
BLOSSOM says
February 14, 2014 at 11:44 amI love your site, Stephanie! I reuse plastic ziplock bags too. 1. They’re expensive to keep buying over and over again. 2. The Earth pays a big price for us throwing massive quantities of these bags in landfills. 3. They are plastic and should be reused.
When I wash my bags, I TURN THE WET SIDE INSIDE OUT so it will dry. Hang them on binder clips from a nail or hook while they are drying.
Rebecca says
February 16, 2014 at 4:25 pmI have started saving the plastic bags that cereal is packaged in. I actually made a meatloaf inside the plastic bag the other day and never had to get my hands dirty at all. The plastic is heavier and more durable then an ordinary bag.
Stephanie says
February 17, 2014 at 9:53 amI’ve heard of people using the plastic cereal bags for freezing, but that’s a great idea to mix meatloaf in the plastic cereal bag! Keeping my hands clean around meat is a must 🙂 Thanks Rebecca!
Tonia Spencer says
April 21, 2014 at 7:18 pmOh awesome Ideas!
Stephanie says
April 25, 2014 at 10:42 amThanks Tonia!
Jessi says
March 20, 2014 at 1:39 pmIf you have a dishwasher (or dish drying rack) you can easily put the baggies on the prongs to get them to dry out. Also, if you hand-wash vs using your dishwasher, the racks in the dishwasher can be used for drying. 🙂
Stephanie says
March 20, 2014 at 8:52 pmI’ve only ever hand-washed the ziploc bags. I never even thought of washing them in the dishwasher! It’s only been in the past 5 or 6 months that we got a dishwasher. It seems like it always has dishes in it too 🙂 How did we ever live without it?!
Diana Quin says
May 2, 2016 at 6:24 amI think she meant just dry them on the prongs in the dishwasher, not wash them in the dishwasher.
Jill says
April 21, 2014 at 8:32 pmI don’t think most of what you are doing is extremely frugal. The only things on that list I am likely to never do are:
1. Cut my own hair- It’s curly and I have a stylist for a sister in law.
2. I won’t wash reusable bags, but I try to RARELY use them. If I do use them it is usually as a piping bag for condiments and I rip a hole in the corner anyway. I pack almost everything in my lunch in standard containers or oddball containers left over from butter, sour cream or whatever. I also use mason jars whenever possible.
Stephanie says
April 25, 2014 at 10:46 amIt sounds like you are frugal yourself Jill! I agree that to frugal people these ideas are not foreign or strange. I would guess that the average person in our culture doesn’t do most of these though.
We use lots of Ziploc freezer bags because we freeze lots of garden produce and fruit or meat that we get in bulk. If you look in our freezer, you will see only clear plastic freezer bags!
Anastasiya Didok says
April 25, 2014 at 10:37 amYea doesn’t sound too extreme, just not wasteful. We don’t reuse sandwich bags, that’s about the only thing. But we also use cloth diapers, also rags and hand towels instead of paper towels. I am not too fond of the TV we have, and we do not have cable either. Only internet, and only because I get an referral discount and we can have it for $18/mo at super high-speeds. I HATE our phone plan at a whopping $169/mo, but we are just about out of contract, at which point we are going to go with a prepaid plan that can hook up our out-of-contract phones for a fraction of the cost! If we weren’t required to have cell phones for work, I’d just go with MagicJack. For $20/year you hook up any phone to your internet and can talk that way. Or of course you can always Skype — that’s free. I’m also planning on growing a garden, learning how to can, and getting chickens.
Stephanie says
April 25, 2014 at 10:42 amI agree. I don’t think it’s too extreme in itself, only when compared with the typical American lifestyle. For example, my family (that I grew up in) is pretty typical middle class, yet to them our lifestyle is on the extreme side.
Shan says
May 6, 2014 at 10:33 amThat does not sound at all extreme. AT. ALL.
Do you have a deep freezer? We save a lot of money by buying sales and freezing and by freezing ahead or freezing in lieu of canning (expediency or taste).
Also we bought a pay as you go phone and add minutes to it yearly (or as needed). For instance (our) T mobile gold is $100 (worth of minutes) in to start and then add minutes as needed. Per minute amount is about 10 cents. Food for thought.
Stephanie says
May 7, 2014 at 9:52 pmWe love our deep freeze and it saves us tons of money, between stocking up when meat is on sale and freezing produce from the garden, it’s always full!
Suzie says
May 20, 2014 at 11:40 amI dry my bags too. My mom told me a long time ago that her aunt did it and I thought it was genius!
Stephanie says
May 20, 2014 at 6:55 pmI’m glad we’re not alone! 🙂
Trudy says
May 20, 2014 at 12:33 pmI love to see people reusing things rather than wasting. We live in such a “throw away” society, and there is a lot that people can learn from those of us that live to be frugal. Kudos to you! I also have a husband who throws nothing away, and I have learned a lot from him. 🙂
Stephanie says
May 20, 2014 at 6:56 pmI have learned a lot from my husband and his family. We do live in a very disposable society!
Stephanie Brenner says
May 20, 2014 at 12:51 pmI think your husband is normal in the sense of “frugality”. For people who don’t understand what he’s doing, it’s very simple; he saves the earth, saves him and his family money, without much of an inconvenience. American lifestyle and corporations have TAUGHT us consumerism, and your husband is living without all the “Necessities” we have all been taught to need. People who think it is extreme think that way because it’s been taught to them. People who look at frugality as extreme are often the ones promoting this consumeristic way we’ve been “taught” to be.
Stephanie says
May 20, 2014 at 6:58 pmThanks Stephanie. Well-said. 🙂 Our lives really can be much simpler than what society tells us they should be filled with.
Stephanie Brenner says
May 20, 2014 at 12:55 pm*Unintentionally promoting the consumeristic way* it is very much a subconscious act to many people. Becoming frugal is making the conscience decision not to live as a true consumerism.
trc says
May 20, 2014 at 1:34 pmNot extreme at all. I dry ziplozk bags and my husband and I do not own a TV. I grew up without one so it doesn’t bother me. My husband and I are newlyweds in graduate school and will rack up a whopping $600,000 of student debt by the time we are finished with our combined education. We do eat out occasionally and buy each other gifts, but we try to save in other ways! We don’t own a car, and we save plastic containers from store-bought items to reuse. I I reuse the foil pans we get leftovers from my in-laws in. We never buy trash bags since we just use the ones from the grocery. It gives me extra joy to be frugal when I know it both saves us money and helps waste down!
Stephanie says
May 20, 2014 at 7:01 pmThat’s great that you are working to be frugal now, even while you’re racking up the student loan debt. Are you both going to be doctors? That makes our $130K look piddly.
Frugality really does pay off! I love that you said it gives you joy. 🙂
melinda says
May 20, 2014 at 1:47 pmBeing frugal is something I learned from my pops. I find pride in finding deals, and the money saved and the energy not wasted. Being frugal is not wasting and not buying into the conformists idea of happiness, more more more. What we have is always enough! Eating out is overrated, sometimes its great, but generally there is the guilt of over spending, the question why eat out the fridge is full? And once youve paid you think, that was a trip to the supermarket to feed the whole family a week. Cheers!
Stephanie says
May 20, 2014 at 7:02 pmNot wasting is such a big part of frugality. It’s not just saving money, but avoiding waste. Thanks Melinda!
Jennifer H. says
May 20, 2014 at 1:58 pmI wouldn’t say those are EXTREME. I’m basing extreme off of TLC’s show EXTREME CHEAPSKATES though. Where people reuse bath water & turn off power to save on electric costs. The worst probably being the couple that shared dental floss & toothbrushes…EEEEWWWW! I mean, don’t get me wrong….i love my hubby….but I don’t think I’d share dental floss with him. (You can buy a pack at the dollar store for ONE DOLLAR)
My husband and I don’t have a car payment either. I don’t think I would be able to stay home with my children if we did. Driving a fancy car doesn’t define me as a person…so I’m happy with my 10 yr old Trooper! I wouldn’t pay for cable/satellite either if my husband didn’t “have”to have it. We have so many…literally hundreds…of dvds that I’d be ok without all the trash on tv. I used cloth diapers with my youngest. The only time I used disposables with him was on a road trip or if I was going to be out and about most of the day (which was rare..but happened a few times). I think I only purchased 1 small pack of disposable diapers. The rest I got as free samples. I exclusively breastfed him also…no expensive formula! He was so super inexpensive as a baby! Most of his clothes came from Once Upon A Child, too. I spent lots in my daughter’s clothes when she was a baby. However, neither the president or any member of royalty ever showed up at my house to see her and I don’t have an extensive social circle so I wondered, “why did I spend so much on her clothes”. I used to cut my husband’s and son’s hair but my clippers are broken so they’re back to visiting the barber shop. I don’t reuse plastic sandwich bags…but I don’t think I’d be “above” it should the need arise. I’m not too good to use generic or store brand food/products.
I say, if it works for you and you save money….GO FOR IT!
Stephanie says
May 20, 2014 at 7:08 pmYes, we are definitely not like any crazy reality shows around here. Thank goodness! My family just thinks we’re a little off our rocker. Thanks for sharing Jennifer!
Jennifer Roberts says
March 20, 2015 at 5:24 amI too have a husband who has to have cable. I managed to get him down to a slightly cheaper package and ditched the multi-room (he watches TV on his phone anyway), but I think that’s the best I’m going to do. The worst part is that he also has a huge DVD collection that he keeps adding to, despite the fact that we hardly ever watch them…
Compromise, compromise.
Helen says
May 28, 2014 at 11:35 pmThe other money saving thing is to try and use less toiletries etc as most people pile on the shampoo, washing up liquid etc. I try and encourage my kids to use less (exp toothpaste) and always cut the toothpaste tube to get the last bits out. Also not to use loads of fancy cleaning products. My friends seem to think I’m a bit odd re-using bags but I just say it’s for the environment which seems to satisfy them.
Stephanie says
May 29, 2014 at 9:03 amI’m glad I’m not the only one who gets odd glances for being thrifty! 🙂 You definitely have to watch kids on the toothpaste since all the ads and commercials show people putting an enormous amount of toothpaste on their toothbrush. I would gag if I used that much!
Juliana says
June 9, 2014 at 9:52 amI really admire your frugality and want to emulate some of the things you do! Do you think you’ll continue doing things this way once your debt is paid off?
Stephanie says
June 9, 2014 at 1:15 pmHi Juliana! I imagine we’ll continue to live frugally even after our debt is all paid off (which is still years down the road). It’s just in our nature. Plus, after the debt is paid, we will be saving for a down payment on a house! Being super frugal helps so much in reaching financial goals!
kathryn says
June 15, 2014 at 11:21 amNot too extreme, but it is a learning process. As others have mentioned, cutting back on toothpaste, shampoo is good too. turning bottles upside down, and cutting open toothpaste tubes usually gets you a few days more of product.
Washing bags, reusing tin foil, margarine containers all add up. We save the styrofoam trays (meat etc) and use when we’re having a picnic..saves buying disposable plates.
When cooking hardboiled eggs, macaroni, vegetables etc, I usually bring to a boil, and turn off the burner. The residual heat is usually enough to cook the food.
Learning to substitute ingredients you have on hand or just ommitting it, instead of buying a special ingredient usually doesn’t change the flavour much…sometimes it improves it.
Portion control in meals, and adding a healthy salad keeps your weight down, and your nutrition up. Buying ‘whole foods’ instead of boxed convenience foods are much better too..as well as cheaper, in the long run.
Stephanie says
June 16, 2014 at 11:42 amHi Kathryn! Thanks for including your frugal tips! I substitute ingredients pretty frequently and use lots of whole foods. I need to remember to turn off the heat early when I boil things. I do it with hard boiled eggs, but I often forget when I’m making other things.
Twiztc says
June 20, 2014 at 7:02 amwe do most of those things on your list- i dont pay large cable companies for tv- hubby built an aerial to get all the free view.
Timmi says
August 5, 2014 at 11:38 amOne thing that has saved us a bunch is toiletries. We make our own laundry detergent so that saves I don’t know how much but I see the prices at the store and shocked. I also use very little of the things that I don’t make. I use coconut oil as my face moisturizer and love it. I use water in my empty detergent container with a little bit of bleach for an all purpose cleaner. By the way once you are debt free you are gonna probably hug so many people. My husband and I have never really gotten into debt the way most Americans are and if I went back to school I would pay for it not get loans. Even though we live without many things (that I personally would love to have, I was brought up to satisfy happiness with stuff) its really satisfying knowing that we don’t have the stress of debt other than our house which will be paid off start to finish in 10 years.
Stephanie says
August 6, 2014 at 10:55 amWe make our own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent and you are right– it saves a lot! That’s great that your only debt is your mortgage ans that you’ll have that done fast!
sam says
August 30, 2014 at 4:36 amThought your ideas were great!!! Good job. As a side note on the $10 phone plan…I hold an at&t plan that sounds similar, and have my mom and m-I-l on it for the $10. They would not otherwise have phones, so it is totally worth it, but it costs me closer to $20 for each of them once taxes and fees have been added.
Stephanie says
September 3, 2014 at 11:30 amYou’re probably right Sam. I’m sure my dad picked up some taxes (without a complaint). We have since switched to Republic Wireless (a full post on our Republic Wireless experiment here). Now for $10/month we have smartphones with unlimited talk and text as well as data on WiFi. It’s a great deal. A month after we made the switch, my parents switched too! With a 30 day money-back guarantee, you can’t go wrong.
Rachel says
October 3, 2014 at 12:01 pmThe only time I re-use Ziploc bags is if there has never been any type of raw meat or cooked food. If a bag holds a sandwich that’s fine, and I store my flour in Ziplock bags too. I re-use them a few times until they get kinda grimy, then I toss.
Stephanie says
October 3, 2014 at 12:03 pmI’m the same way with meat. If it had meat in it, I toss it for sure! 🙂
Bonnie C says
December 30, 2014 at 10:44 amSo… I just found you the other day and have been *burning* through your archives – lol!
Re: plastic baggies – have you considered the disposable “bento” boxes out there? We (I) invested in some of the Ziplock and the Easy Lunch Box brands (for lunches and car trips) and have almost done away with baggies all together! My kids are 10, 8, and 3 and all of them can get into the boxes without help and I love that I can toss them in the dishwasher, easy peasy. We still buy zipper bags but the boxes last FOREVER now. 🙂 I switched more because I was looking for a less wasteful solution but the clear savings don’t hurt one bit – lol!
Stephanie says
January 1, 2015 at 7:54 pmGreat idea Bonnie! I do use some sandwich boxes for my kids lunches sometimes, but I could definitely do it more! Thanks for the reminder!
Tina says
January 5, 2015 at 6:44 pmWe are a pretty frugal family, except when it comes to family events. We feel that the two places where we aren’t extremely frugal, (although people still consider us frugal, because of our careful planning in these areas) are groceries, and making memories with our two daughters. The most frugal thing, that I would NEVER do (that is if I didn’t HAVE to) is live with family. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my parents, in-laws and siblings, but I wouldn’t want to live with them. Kudos to you if that works for you 🙂 My family also thinks we’re nuts, but we’re also the ones who aren’t living paycheck to paycheck because of our frugalness (for lack of a real word, lol).
Stephanie says
January 6, 2015 at 8:58 amI think what makes the “living in the in-laws basement” situation work so well for us is that we have our own entrance, own kitchen, and own bathroom. It really is like its own apartment, only we don’t pay rent and see my in-laws quite regularly. It has only improved our relationship. I would have a hard time sharing a kitchen or any living space though I know some people can make it work fine.
You’re right that being classified as “nuts” isn’t necessarily a bad thing!
Ami says
February 11, 2015 at 9:07 amThe only thing I would consider extreme is living with family, but that’s cause I need to know not to do that for my sanity level. Sorry family. I do many of the other things and often receive strange looks about that myself, therefore I would say the average person would probably consider you extreme but I would be right there with you.
melinda says
February 12, 2015 at 4:20 amMost is the normal for us too, esp. cloth diapers, reuse plastic bags, yes its normal. lol
mrs stookey says
March 19, 2015 at 6:34 pmI reuse jam jars, butter tubs, deli trays, I dumpster dive in my complex, most things I own were bought at yard sales handed down or given to me free. I have a Facebook page:
My Eco/thrifty/frugalnesss
I show ways that I’m frugal and green.
Molly Marlow says
June 4, 2015 at 2:30 pmIf you lived in your own house like grown ups, NOT off your in laws, then maybe I could begin to take you just a little bit seriously. Grow up and move into the real world. Then share real life tips.
Molly Marlow says
June 4, 2015 at 2:50 pmI want to apologize for my last post. It was very rude and ugly. I had no right saying that and should never have posted it. I tried to delete it but I couldn’t. I know that my apology doesn’t make up for what I said, but I’m truly sorry and hope that you will forgive me. You can delete both my posts if you want.
Stephanie says
June 5, 2015 at 2:51 pmTotally forgiven! No hard feelings Molly.
Tia says
January 7, 2016 at 7:57 amMaking sacrifices are hard but sometimes necessary. I have found a lot of great ways to save money and still live a full life. I still am able to eat out, go to the movies and vacation on a very limited budget. I think it is admirable that you are doing what you must to set your family up for greater financial success in the future.
Stephanie says
January 9, 2016 at 12:34 pmThanks Tia! You can definitely make room in your budget for your priorities.
Jared says
January 29, 2016 at 7:49 amI also re-use plastic bags. Especially the ones used in the freezer for smoothie ingredients.
Grimm says
February 14, 2016 at 6:32 pmMy husband and I have been offered many times by my folks to live in their house with them to save us money and allow us to pay down debt (when we still had large debt). It is not uncommon for parents to make these kinds of offers to young couples that may need the leg up.
Erin says
February 18, 2016 at 8:30 amMy son and I live with my dad. I keep the house clean and take care of everything in exchange for rent. My dad also watches my son if he’s home, so I don’t have to pay for a babysitter. It works out well for all of us. We spend a lot of time together too. Sometimes, I reuse the foil for baking, if they’re not super sticky. 🙂 I often try to reuse the gallon zip lock bags. I save them for things like throwing soiled items away when camping, etc. to reuse them. I also use old dishcloths instead of paper towels in the bathroom. If it were just me, I’d probably go green on the toilet paper, but it’d be gross with the rest of the family. I can understand why some do it though. I also mostly cook at home, and try to entertain myself with internet and books. I have lots of no spend days as well.
Stephanie says
February 20, 2016 at 11:46 amYou’ve got some great frugal habits Erin and it sounds like you have a good plan worked out with your dad where you can both be helpful to each other.
Amanda says
February 21, 2016 at 12:38 amExtreme? No way! I reuse zipper seal bags, make my own laundry detergent and cleaning supplies, I make my own body wash, face wash, facial moisturizing oil, body and hand creams. I have a family of 6 and my kids are still young so they take baths together. We wash ourselves everyday but only bathe (and wash hair) every 2-3 days unless we are dirty. I buy everything I can in bulk whenever I can, I stock up when things are on sale and make almost everything from scratch at home. Since I have 3 girls and only 1 boy, I shop sale racks for clothes ALWAYS. My girls have hand me downs and only get a few ‘new’ things IF they are on sale. I shop garage sales and thrift stores for my son. We’ve never been to a movie theater as a family. My hubby and I haven’t gone in almost 9 years! Our dates are usually takeout after the kids are in bed 😊(a babysitter for 4 kids is expensive!) As a family, we go on a lot of walks, bike rides, pick nicks and occasionally to the local swimming pool (4 hours at the pool with four kids, hubby and I is only €10!) We don’t have cable, just Netflix but living in Europe I NEED English tv for my sanity! We have a very small yard, so no garden, but I’d love some tips on how to plant some berries or other fruits and veggies in small areas or pots? All these things are normal to me as I didn’t come from a ‘well off’ family. If my husbands family knew, they’d think I was crazy! My hubby has caught on quickly and is on board. We don’t think of it as frugal, just not wasteful
Nancy says
February 21, 2016 at 6:40 amI have been doing many of these things probably before you were born and actually before they started selling plastic bags. I applaud you for not having a tv. You must be the weirdos on the block lol! Don’t worry I grew up that way and nothing terrible happened excepted these days the call it bullying:)) if you watch The Middle they will also give you good tips that I have always used like putting the little last bit of soap together with all the last parts to make a big one and putting water in the bottom of the shampoo bottle to use every last bit!
Lisa says
February 27, 2016 at 8:34 amStephanie, I admire your gracious handling of those who post negative things. Kudos to you for your great attitude! Though I am frugal, my own grown daughters mock my attempts at green living, though none of my methods could be considered extreme. I am a faithful composer and recycler. I love to curb shop and refurbish old furniture. I cut all my plastic bags into plarn and have crocheted it into beautiful tote bags, purses, coasters, mate, and even a valance. My garden is filled with plants I have found while curb shopping, and my path and borders from recycled stone, shells, concrete I have found. I make my own garden mulch, and dry my own seeds. I pride myself on being thrifty, but get discouraged by my daughter’s critical comments. Blogs like yours are truly encouraging. 😊 It is nice to know there are others like me around!
Stephanie says
February 27, 2016 at 12:13 pmThanks for the kind words Lisa. You sounds very resourceful. I bet your garden is beautiful! There’s hope for your daughters! When I was growing up, I was mortified when my mom would pick something up at the curb (out for the trash). I remember one time in particular we were in a nice neighborhood where some kids at school lived. I thought I might die of embarrassment. But I didn’t… and now I am just like her! HA! 🙂 Maybe your daughters will get to a point where they appreciate it (or at least stop giving you a hard time)!
Anne Salter says
March 22, 2016 at 4:44 pmWe have done the same for diapers – cloth, and most were received free, or we bought them used. Lots of my and kids’ clothes are hand-me down. A few extras we do (not listed above):
– I work at a school and some food is given to the students. I ask for fruit about to go in the garbage (apples and bananas)) to make banana bread and apple sauce at home.
– same idea, if milk will go passed its ‘best before date’ during a holiday, I ask for it for home.
– we repair discarded vacuum cleaners and sell them cheap – adds about $70 per week
Sharon Horton says
March 23, 2016 at 7:28 pmHere are a few frugal things I do.
If I bake something that requires me to cover the baking pan I save the tin foil. I rinse it off slightly crumple it up and throw it in the dryer. Zero static! Can be used several times. Just slightly uncrumple it and throw it back in. I never buy dyer sheets. I buy a small bottle of snuggle at the dollar store and use that for just my husbands shirts at his request. It lasts forever.
I also quit buying Windex cleaner. My grocery store sells a huge container of cleaning vinegar for $3.50. I use a mason jar. Fill it with vinager and orange peels. Let sit several days. Then pour into my Windex bottle works great! I can make several bottles worth of cleaner.
Vinegar is great for getting stains out of carpet including pet stains. I haven’t bought carpet cleaner in years.
I don’t buy stain removers either. The best stain remover is equal parts peroxide, baking soda, and blue dawn dish soap. Mix into a paste rub into clothes, let sit and then wash as usual. Ive used this on my daughters clothes since she was an infant. It gets out everything!
I have a friend who has a son a few months older then my daughter. She asked if I wanted any of her sons more gender neutral items. I said yes. My daughter wears all his clothes. Mostly stripes and animals. I put a bow in her hair and she’s good to go. No one even realizes they are boys clothes. I get so many compliments on how cute she’s dressed. Who cares if what she sleeps in has cars on it. I come from a family of shoppers. They enjoy finding cute things on discount. Between them and hand me downs I rarely buy clothes.
If your handy it’s amazing what a little sand paper and a good spray paint technique can do for hand me down furniture. We have entire rooms furnished with hand me downs.
I use cash back apps such as Ibotta, Checkout51, Mobisave, and SavingStar for groceries. I’ve made $100 so far this year with those.
OnGo is an awesome survey App. You earn a small amount of cash even if you don’t qualify for a survey. The best part is there are $10 and $15 in store surveys. My husband is hooked on this one. That’s how good it is. I’ve made $40 so far with another $25 pending. My husband has made $45.
I also use Find&Save. It gives you a list of stores that update daily. For example shopping at Walmart. You could earn 2% back when you spend $20. Sometimes the offers are even better like $5 back when you spend a certain amount. So I take advantage of those types of offers for groceries. I started using this one last Nov. (2015) and have to this date gotten $140 back. These are great to check out if you are looking for a little extra cash.
Missy Burger says
March 31, 2016 at 2:33 pmExtreme, only you can say for sure. I did not see anything as free loading, I am thankful for the date nights with my husband, we are careful about what we spend, I am thankful that we do choose to pay for clothes as needed and haircuts. We did get out of debt, it was hard, but I am so thankful for our lives. It would be hard for me to live in your situation, but if it works for you, that is great! We do go to movies, we don’t pay for nor do we have cable, we do buy family friendly movies 🙂 The reason for my comment, is this entirely debt driven lifestyle, or is this your choice always, just curious? My M-i-L, reuses baggies, food containers jars, she reuses everything and she saves everything. It would be hard for me to live the way my in laws live. With that said, I consider us very careful with money. We make our own laundry soap and other things. We shop sales and such, we do consider those without, we support Missions and families for camp in another country, we support orphans. We care about “the least of these” I do consider us a frugal family.
K. Turner says
May 1, 2016 at 3:32 pmWow…I absolutely do many of the things you mentioned…I re-use my plastic bags as well when I need to pack for snacks for my lunch..people consider me frugal as well but consider me well off since I don’t look frugal….here are some things I do : I save plastic shopping bags as trash bags for my room and bathroom, I shop a ton at the dollar store…(I recently have gone a no-buy training myself to use up what I have, rather than overbuying)…i visit freebie sites all the time…I take surveys to earn extra cash or gift cards…and I currently match coupons at mall stores only paying taxes in items….Am I extreme too?
Stephanie says
May 4, 2016 at 9:22 pmProbably! 🙂 At least you’re on the same end of the spectrum as me!
Sandi says
September 27, 2016 at 7:14 pmI suppose my most frugal move was dividing up food and instead of using Ziploc bags, I used the plastic bags that you get from the grocery store and tied them up tight
Crystal says
October 11, 2016 at 1:42 pmSo I make my own laundry detergents and fabric softener and dishwashing tabs. I have saved hundreds of dollars on the stuff over the last year. It’s amazing how much something domoittle can do to save. Crystal
Rikki T. says
January 14, 2017 at 12:01 pmNo, you are NOT extremely frugal, but I am. I’m partially disabled from Lupus and can’t work outside my home. I rent an apartment because I don’t have a choice. I pay less than $600 for 520 sf 1 BR with a nice private courtyard. I’d love to be able to find someone to share a home with to save money. I turn 65 in May, and right now, I live on less than $1000 a month most months. I don’t have a car or t.v. I do have cable internet, because I work online, but I’ve considered giving it up and going to the library to work. As it is, I call them every year at time to renew and end up getting a deal that saves me about $30 a month. I get a free phone through the lifeline program for low-income people, and I get food stamps. After working in offices and paying into the system for 30 years, I don’t feel bad about that at all. I ride the bus or walk/ride my bike wherever I need to go. Once I turn 65, I’ll get monthly bus passes for $17.50, so I’ll probably go more places than I do now, and further away, since I won’t have to pay $3 a day to ride. I will have Medicare soon, but I will have a state program that pays my premiums.
I could work harder and make more money, and when I want something, I do. I manage to save money each month by a number of means, like curb shopping and selling what I find, growing exta garden plants and selling them, flipping items I find cheap at thrift stores, etc. I have one place I work at night after my brain is tired where I just fill out surveys for pennies, and that is my mad money. I make about $60-100 a month doing that, and usually don’t spend most of it.
I’m always looking for freebies, and I pay as little as possible for what I buy. My one fault is that I let my clothes go too long before replacing them, because even at thrift store prices, I hate to pay for clothes for some reason.
I count toilet paper sheets. I water down my shampoo to make it last longer. I reuse paper towels that were only used to wipe up water and I do wash out and reuse ziploc bags. I cut my own hair, make my own cleaning and beauty products, and grow my own herbs and some of my own food, but I don’t have much room to do that. I get free plant containers from the Lowe’s recycle program, and I buy potting soil half price by looking for broken bags and carrying packing tape with me. Usually, I just compost leaves and kitchen scraps and make my own potting soil.
I don’t eat out, but I will occasionally buy a deli baked or fried chicken, which I can make last for 4 meals. My entire garden is grown from seeds and plants I got off the side of the road and empty lots, or seeds and plants I traded with other gardeners. I think I figured out that I had spent a total of $37 dollars last year for the entire garden, and that counts postage and fertilizer.
I don’t have any real debt, but I do need some dental work, so for the next few months, I’ll work more and get that done, then I’ll go back to being super cheap. Oh — I’m getting the dental work done at a clinic that charges like 1/5 of what dentists charge and 1/3 of what the local university charges.
I’m thinking of moving to Mexico, where I can live even cheaper.