u/infidelpreacher

Generally posting here so that everybody is aware and I understand that a lot of these things are pretty much common sense and people already know. However, I do observe that there are quite a lot of young people who might probably not know. These are all things that one might not find immediate savings in large quantities. But over a period of time, they add up to a considerable amount.

1. When you start living alone, you might want to purchase a slightly bigger cooker instead of a small one. This way, rice / lentils / vegetables can all be cooked in one go. Marginal increase in gas use but bigger savings in time and eventual reduction in multiple trips to cook many things.
2. If you use a water kettle, pour only the amount of water you would immediately consume. This takes a shorter amount of time to heat up and consumes less energy. Also, if you can invest in a water kettle that heats water up to a specific temperature (say 60C which is good for drinking) it is even better.
3. Eggs boiler is fantastic. Quickly hard boils eggs and is less expensive than doing it on a pot in the stove.
4. Online medical pharmacies are expensive. Get the number of 3 or 4 local pharmacies where you live. All of them will door deliver and minimum order is often around Rs. 250 to 400 which is quite easy
5. Max out on your and your spouse / children / parents health insurance. This will always come in handy in tough times. Do not be frugal here. Its the wrong place to save on money. Negotiate and get a good price but do not skim on this.
6. Most of the time, you do not need regular sugar on coffee. 40% of it will do just good enough to remove the bitterness. I understand this is more of a taste thing but it certainly helps if you do not want sweet coffee / tea / beverages
7. Soaking rice, legumes, dal in water for at least 2 hours will reduce cooking time, saving money.
8. In the age of the internet, learning how to make simple things like Sambar, Rasam powder from youtube and doing it in big batches and storing it in the freezer and defrosting it in small batches will save you lots of money.
9. Between saving some money and saving some time, prioritize on the time aspect. It will have far reaching benefits in the long run.
10. Bulk purchasing vegetables at a local market every week does many things. a.) You can pick healthier options instead of the regular potato / brinjal / okra kind of things and chose gourd varieties and country variety veggies b.) Evaluate every single thing you buy and purchase avoiding damaged goods and hassle of returns c.) Reduce cost in the long run.
11. Set a schedule to wash clothes. Figure out the maximum clothes one can put in the washing machine for a load and maximize returns.
12. If all of this sounds cumbersome, google calendar (or apple) is your friend. Its free and you can set repetitive notifications. Set it once and it becomes a rigorous habit.
13. 24 hour fasting and if possible 48 hour fasting can do incredible things. It literally reduced my psoriasis problems by 2/3rds and cut down my diabetes from 9.8 to 6.6 Hba1c in a few months. Nothing fixes most inflammation like fasting does.
14. Take the stairs. Its tough at first but habit becomes easy. Its small but consistent additional physical exercise without actually planning for it. Similarly, using smart pickup on ride hailing apps is fantastic because it helps you cut down cost and puts you in walking mode. The only drawback is if you walk with a crutch, like i do, its unsafe in the evening due to street dogs. So chose carefully.
15. Plenty of repair / mending channels on youtube teach you all sorts of things from fixing electronics to mending faded, torn clothes. Put in the effort to learn these things. Stitching torn clothes is something most tailors do not do, in 1st tier cities. When they do, its expensive.

Please feel free to add more and correct anything i have posted.