18 Frugal Home Must Haves To Save Money
If you want your home to be a fabulously frugal home what key things do you need in order to make the frugal magic happen?
I’m a frugal girl and have been for a very long time although I didn’t start out that way. I try to stretch my money as far as possible and have finally worked out what items I absolutely need in my frugal home to help me do so.
My frugal homemaker life is very much about saving money, spending less and enjoying a life living on, and with, less.
I think we all want to employ some simple frugal living tips to save money where we can, don’t we?
When you are getting started it can be helpful to know some of the basics items that experienced frugal folk might take for granted as things they already have.
It just makes sense to do so doesn’t it?
I know I could have saved more money if I had this list when I was beginning of my journey into simple frugal living. It wasn’t until I read the tightwad gazette and all the help it provided that I really started being frugal.
Sometimes you have to spend a little money in order to save money in the longer term.
But what frugal household must haves would I encourage you to spend your precious money on?
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Frugal Household Hacks in the Kitchen
Let’s start with frugal home ideas that are real must haves for the kitchen. Your kitchen is where you can make some great savings and stretch your hard earned money.
The following items are my must have items that are stalwarts in helping me save money. They often serve multiple purposes and will save you money in the long run.
You may also like: 55 Easy Ways To Save Money In The Kitchen
1. Beeswax Wraps
Beeswax wraps are a late addition to my need to have list but one of my favorite frugal finds as they combine frugal living with being eco friendly.
These have replaced both cling film and foil and are very versatile. Made from organic cotton and covered in beeswax they come in various sizes. I have both multi packs and the bread wrap sizes.
They last for ages as long as you don’t wash them in hot water, or put them in the microwave.
Hint: heat melts wax – ask me how I know! Wash in cool soapy water.
The heat from your hands helps to mold the wrap around your bread or bowl and as it cools it tightens and forms a good seal.
These are the beeswax wraps and bread size ones I have.
2. Crock Pot
Every frugal family home needs a crock pot (slow cooker). Crock pots are perfect for busy people and for super frugal living.
You can throw in your ingredients before you leave home and come back to a meal ready to be served.
But slow cookers are not just about cooking one meal, they are perfect for batch cooking frugal meals especially when you are trying to save money on groceries.
Batch cooking allows you to cook multiple meals in one go, freezing the extra for another day.
I have a large crock pot like this 6.5l one and I even cook whole chickens in it – great for making home made stock with the bones afterwards.
For some fabulous frugal home recipes check out these posts:
100+ Of The Best Cheap 5 Ingredient (Or Less) Recipes
80+ Frugal Meals For When You Feel So Broke
✅ Do you need to save money right now? Want to embrace being frugal and how it can transform your finances? Then find out how to become fabulously frugal here.
3. Glass Jars
You can bulk buy glass jars and reuse them over and over again. They are incredibly environmentally friendly and because you can reuse them so often they are indispensable in my quest for simple and frugal home living.
Traditionally used for home made preserves, jams and chutneys, nowadays you can use them for so much:
- Leftovers
- Pens
- Cut flowers
- Hair bands
- Wooden spoons
- Washing up brushes
As part of my decluttering campaign I have reduced the number of glass jars I have being used as storage but I can’t get rid of them all!
4. Reusable Food Containers
I try to reuse the plastic containers that some products come in, like ice cream but they eventually wear out and I don’t buy ice cream that often.
These days I am trying to ensure my frugal home cooking is as eco friendly as possible so I have invested in these BPA free, reusable food bags.
They are freezer, microwave and steamer safe so perfect for everything you would use them for. Being reusable you don’t need loads of them, just enough so you have a few spare.
5. Microfiber Cloths
I’ve not bought paper towels or kitchen wet wipes for years in an effort to save money. I made do with old clothes rags for some time but upgraded a few years ago to microfiber cloths.
They rarely leave smears and dry as they wipe so much more effective than cotton cloths. I also love the bright colors of these ones which allows you to color code their use e.g. bathroom, floor, work surfaces, if you prefer.
6. Coffee Maker
Being British I am a tea drinker through and through but I accept most people enjoy many a cup of coffee.
Buying real coffee when out and about quickly mounts up to a sizable chunk of money. Treat yourself to decent coffee for a fraction of the price with a coffee maker like this one.
Make you own and take it with you in a hot drink flask like the one below. My husband does this all the time.
7. Traditional Teapot
Did you know tea bags have tiny particles of plastic in them which is why you cannot compost whole tea bags but must split them and shake out the leaves?
Switching to real tea leaves is on my to do list but am anticipating a hike in my tea drinking cost as a result.
Although I haven’t yet switched exclusively to tea leaves I do now take the time to make a pot of tea as I think it makes for an extra special cuppa.
As part of my pursuit of frugal simple living and simplifying my life I have started using a teapot at the weekend, it’s tea drinking life in the slow lane – perfect!
8. Baking Soda And Vinegar
Both vinegar and baking soda are the bedrock of many frugal home hacks. Both help you achieve a clean frugal home for very little cost. And vinegar is a staple for fabulously frugal people who preserve the food they grow.
Practical frugal home hacks
9. Rotary Clothes Line
I know in winter it can be impossible to fully dry your clothes outdoors, but you can still get a head start outside and finish off inside.
I have been known to hang washing outside when there is a hard frost – it makes for very cold hands!
Better that than spending out on a dryer that not only costs a lot of money to buy, it eats electricity and your money when drying your clothes.
Whereas a rotary clothes line is a one off (much cheaper) cost and lasts for years.
You might call this extreme or super frugal living to not even own a dryer but I’ve managed without one for over 10 years. I’ve probably saved myself the price of at least one dryer and all the electricity it would have used.
10. Indoor Airer
There are plenty of times when drying your clothes outdoors isn’t possible or feasible, bad weather being one of them.
But you don’t need to resort to a dryer, you can dry clothes inside very easily with an indoor airer. Make sure you create an airflow to allow moisture to escape by opening a window.
I hang shirts and trousers on hangers in the doorway and they dry within 24 hours even in a cold house. Just mind your back when you bend low to get through the doorway!
11. A Large Freezer
Having a large freezer provides you with many money saving opportunities. If you are trying to stockpile food on a budget then a large freezer is your friend.
Likewise if you batch cook many meals, freezing the extra portions is where you win with your grocery budget.
I went a bit over the top on freezer space for a long time as I inherited a chest freezer, having already got one. Just so you know, having too much freezer space can be a problem, you can lose food in them!
True story – I lost a large turkey in mine which I totally knew I had, just couldn’t find it! I unearthed it 6 months later when I reduced my food levels down so I could get to the freezer bottom.
12. Energy Efficient Power Strip
We all have a multitude of electronic equipment with the result that many are left on permanent standby.
All very convenient but standby still means you are paying for some electricity and risk a power surge which could destroy your appliances.
An energy efficient power strip does it exactly what it says. It saves energy so it saves you money and saves you from the risk of an outage.
Plug all your games, TV and entertainment equipment into one of these and you can switch them off in one fell swoop.
13. Energy Efficient Shower Head
Most modern power showers shoot out the water at such a fast speed that you are literally washing money down the drain.
Water is a scarce commodity even if you do live somewhere it rains too often for your liking. (Hello UK!)
An energy efficient shower head reduces the rate at which water is dispensed thereby being more eco friendly and saving your money too.
14. Tap Aerator
A tap aerator will reduce your taps water flow by up to 50%. With water being in scarce supply at times it makes sense to to be frugal with water and reduce your spend on it.
Related post: 10 Ways To Save Money On Your Water Bill
15. Water Butt
Capturing rain water is another frugal homes hack where you can be eco friendly at the same time.
A water butt can be as little as £25 new and can provide you with a regular supply of free water throughout the year. Now that’s what I call fabulously frugal!
In the UK, you can often get reasonably priced water butts from your water company. These can work out cheaper than water butts from a garden center so make sure you check there first.
Essentials For Outside My thrifty Frugal Home
16. Hot Drink Travel Mug
My longest lasting indispensable item is my hot drinks travel mug which I have had for nearly 7 years. It’s dark pink color is a little faded but I cannot tell you how much money I have saved using this one item.
It goes everywhere with me – work, walking, the allotment and even shopping. I refuse to pay £2 for one teabag so I always take my own.
Investing in a flask like this one will save you hundreds of pounds over just one year if you use it as much as I do!
17. Reusable Water Bottle
Healthy frugal people drink lots of water using a reusable water bottle. Drinking water is not only good money saving but also great for the environment.
Tap water in the UK and most other 1st world countries is completely safe to drink. Bottled water may taste different to tap water but is it actually better?
And is it worth the money and the environmental impact? We use these bottles for cold drinks when out walking, on a super hot day your water stays beautifully cold – amazing!
18. Reusable Shopping Bags
These days plastic shopping bags cost money and of course are bad for the environment.
Reuse the bags you have until they fall apart and then invest in something like these cloth shopping bags which can be washed and reused many times.
Brownie points if you make your own cloth shopping bags!
Answers to your questions on frugal living and frugal home tips
How do I start frugally living?
I like to say frugal living is a journey, not a destination so taking the first step is just that. The first step. Start by thinking about why you want to be frugal, create a budget that you can live with. Then look to see where you can start saving a little money. Pack your own lunch, cut back on entertainment costs.
What is the difference between being cheap and being frugal?
When you are cheap you are stingy and mean with your money. Saving money at the expense of others. When you are frugal, you are being economical with your money, making it stretch further so you can do more with less.
Is being cheap a bad thing?
In short, yes. By all means find lots of ways to be frugal at home but don’t save money at the expense of others. Don’t let your cheapness impact others.
If you want to go extreme to save as much money as possible, without being cheap, then check out why living stingy might just be what you need!
How can I live very frugal?
You can choose to live as cheaply as possible, spending as little money as you can, if you need to or want to. The more money you need to not spend, the more you will likely have to give up.
Housing and transport tend to be our biggest spenders so choose very cheap housing someplace you can either walk to work or cycle it. Eat the cheapest foods you enjoy (no point not enjoying your food!) and learn to make do and mend.
Can being frugal make you rich?
The short answer is yes! There are plenty of frugal millionaires. But in truth most frugal folk are not millionaires, yet they consider themselves rich.
Why? Because they have enough. Enough to enjoy the benefits that frugal living gives them, benefits that are unique to them. The frugal living benefits for me were paying off our mortgage 10 years early, no worrying about money and having enough money to retire early.
For more help in becoming very frugal check out these posts:
Frugal Living For Beginners: How To Get Started
11 Extreme Frugality Tips To Really Save Money
20 Frugal Living Tips For Seniors
Essential Products To Help You Live Frugally
Frugal folk know the value of having the right tools to help them save money. These are all essentials in my book. They will pay for them selves in the savings you will make in a matter of months.
Contigo Snapseal Insulated Travel Mug
Insulated travel mug. Brew your own coffee (or tea) and take it with you. The no.1 gadget every frugal person has. Get your own and save money every single day.
An eco-friendly and frugal alternative to dryer sheets. Can reduce your appliance usage and electricity bills by shortening drying time up to 25%.
Aucma Stand Mixer,6.5-QT 660W 6-Speed Tilt-Head Food Mixer
Cooking at home saves you so much money. A kitchen mixer is an essential tool in your frugal kitchen to make delicious meals, breads and snacks. Worth it's weight in gold!
4-arm Rotary Outdoor Umbrella Drying Rack Clothes Dryer Clothesline
Dry clothes outside when the weather is fair and save money. Line drying reduces creases, saves money (no dryer costs) and helps clothes last longer.
Power Strip with 8 Ft, POWLIGHT Surge Protector with 12 AC Outlets and 4 USB Ports
Organize all your electronic wires in one place so you can turn them off and save electricity. Don't use standby!. Protect your gadgets from power surges with this surge protector power strip.
Modern Water Bottle with Straw Lid Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Metal Thermos
Keep cold drinks cold and save money by taking them with you from home. A frugal must for everyone wanting to save money.
3 Essential Thrifty Tips For simple frugal living
All frugal folk struggle with continually trying to be frugal, believe me! It can be hard to consistently watch your pennies when others don’t seem to be.
It’s called frugal fatigue, it’s very real and something you can definitely overcome. These 3 thrifty tips will help you stick to your plans.
Absolute No.1 – Buy Used when looking for frugal ideas for the home
Lets talk frugal home hacks and shopping. Straight up let’s talk used versus new.
When you buy something new and use it a couple of times it becomes used. It still works fine and likely last you a long time but it is no longer new.
So if you identify something you want to buy why not consider buying used first?
So many people buy new items with the best of intentions and then hardly use them. They decide to sell these lightly used items to make a little money rather than having it clutter up their house.
Why not take advantage and grab yourself a bargain? It’s something you have already identified as an item you intend to buy and it’s a model you know is right for you.
If you are diving into super frugal living it makes sense to consider buying used. You can pick up items from Ebay, Craiglist, FaceBook Marketplace, Preloved as well as charity shops and thrift stores.
No.2 Must Have Is the frugal home Budget – No Cost Involved!
Living on a budget that you can and do stick to is your 2nd frugal living tip to live by. Especially when you are on a low income.
The benefit of having a budget that works for you is that it allows you to spread your money much further, to spend wisely.
For your budget you need knowledge of what you earn and what you spend. Your budget gives you this information especially when coupled with tracking your spending.
Obviously as we are talking about being fabulously frugal you don’t need to buy any software to create your budget, you could do it on paper or use a basic spreadsheet you devise.
Related posts:
No.3 A Strategy To Successfully Live Within Budget
It’s all very well my saying you should be living on a budget but without a strategy to turn that budget into a reality, it isn’t going to work for you. A strategy that helps you successfully live within your means is what you need.
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail – (possibly Benjamin Franklin?)
You need a strategy that helps you manage your finances successfully and stops you living paycheck to paycheck.
Different strategies work for different people. If you are just starting out, perhaps with debt to pay off, then I wholeheartedly recommend the cash envelope system.
There’s something about handing over your cash that makes it that much harder to do and helps you be more frugal with your money.
Contactless debt/credit cards are not your friend when you have a new budget to work to.
Here’s to your frugal home and health
So there you have it, the secret must haves of the frugal home I really think you need. Ideally buy as many second hand as you feel comfortable with.
My frugal life and home is littered with used items that I bought for a fraction of the cost brand new. If this frugal girl can save money with these items then so can you!
Further frugal living blog posts you might enjoy:
How To Be Frugal: Frugal Living Tips For Financial Success
The Best Books On Frugal Living You Need To Read
Come and follow me on Pinterest for more money saving hints and frugal tips!
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We live in the northern U.S. and heat with geo-thermal. I use propane to run my stove and my gas dryer. We use a 'bomb' like the ones that run people's gas grills, and switch it out quarterly. We are spending less than $120.00 a year, give or take a couple of bucks. It's not really practical here to hang laundry outside in January, February etc. My mom used to hang things in the basement on lines strung across the joists. Our biggest electrical expense is the motor that runs the geo-thermal system, lights and hot water. Still not as high as heating with propane. Thanks for the ideas. :-)
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