r/Frugal

I hope this is the right sub. I just got the ac in Nov 2025 and now I am regretting it. My electric bill has gone high probably bcs it is a non inverter ac

Weather where I live:

11am - 6pm : Very hot

- 31°C~

- Feels like 40°C with humidity

7pm - 10am : Warm, damp and muggy

- 25°C - 29°C

- Feels like 31°C with humidity

I've been wondering whether I should use Dry mode instead of Cool mode?

Supposedly, Dry mode extracts water from air making the surrounding feel less humid and uses less energy. But I've also read that Dry mode is designed for cold but humid weather. Using it in hot and humid weather like my country defeat the purpose. It leaves the room dry but not cool enough to counter the hot temperature outside

For context, I stay in my room on most days. I also have hyperhidrosis so with this humidity level, I got smelly & sticky very quickly

Short term I'll die without the ac

Long term, I'll die from the electric bill lol

Whenever I searched on google or social media, I got different opinions about ac electricity usage

My current usage, I usually run at 27°C (87F) in Cool Mode for around 18 hours a day...

- 11am-1pm (3 hours)

- 2pm-5pm (3 hours)

- 7pm-5am (10 hours)

I'm planning to cut down nighttime usage from 10 to 5 hours. If I stick with Cool mode I will turn on the Eco whenever the ac is on and will also turn on Sleep at night. Are these actions good enough to save the bill?

Also, is it more efficient to

- leave the ac on for hours straight?

- turn it on off alternately like how I'm already doing it?

Looking for free original YouTube content/series. Here are my favorites so far:

\-The Backrooms

\-The Amazing Virtual Circus

\-Puppycat and Bee

\-Theatre Class

\-Buzzfeed Unsolved Mysteries

\-Salad Fingers

\-Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

It doesn't matter the genre or style I'm just looking for a series that I can binge watch. Something thats partially niche or old or new that does not get enough attention.

For me, I once walked 4.5 miles in a light drizzle just to bypass a $2.50 bus fare because 'the exercise is free and the bus is commercial.' I saved the money but ended up getting completely soaked, caught a massive head cold, and ended up spending $15 on cold medicine two days later. It was easily the most mathematically counter-productive thing I have ever done, but in my mind at that moment, I felt like a financial genius. I literally spent hours coughing just to save a few coins. What is your most ridiculous, extreme, or hilariously counter-productive frugal story? Let's hear them!

I came home yesterday night to find my house a scorcher. I slept in the basement and called an HVAC company first thing this morning. They said they could get here Tuesday and it would be $110 just to look at the thing. I said ok because I need air conditioning and I have no idea what kind of black magic goes into those things. But when I hung up, I decided fuck that. I'm no idiot and I live in the era of YouTube and ChatGPT. So I spent the day learning about AC and found out it was likely a bad capacitor (a term I now feel like a G for knowing). Went and bought one for $30 and fixed my AC in 15 minutes. Saved at least $80. But what's even better than that is I feel accomplished as fuck. I'm basically Tim the Tool Man Taylor now. So moral of the story: use the tools/resources available to you, learn about your shit, believe in yourself. Anyway, I'm off to bring peace to the Middle East.

My Verizon bill is always a source of consternation for me. It always varies from month to month based on… whatever excuse they decide to give me. This month the bill is the cheapest it’s even been- $100. Last month was $170. I hate how expensive it is. My phone is paid off and I want to switch to Mint. I know it’s a pay-upfront situation, but honestly, a $15/mo six-month plan up front ($90) is still cheaper than my typical monthly Verizon bill.

Any Mint customers here with a grievance towards the quality of the service? Any suggestions?

I’m currently enrolled on a monthly gym membership and even though I’ve already paid for it, every time I go it feels like I’ve got in a ‘free’ activity.

It‘s got me thinking, what other activities/ hobbies/ personal care interests have the same feeling like you’re not overpaying every time you go out but you’ve obviously paid for it beforehand. You’re getting multiple uses out of that one payment. I’d love to hear any suggestions and thank you in advance 🙏🏼

One of my favorite frugal trends that's become popular again where I live in Germany is people putting boxes of unwanted items outside their homes with a sign saying "Zu verschenken" ("free to take").
People clean out their basements, closets etc., put everything in a box, and leave it outside their homes on nice days for anyone who wants it. My mum remembers this being really common in the 80s, and it's made a comeback as of recently. My family was actually one of the first in our neighborhood to start doing it again, and we pretty much keep a free box outside year round.

What I actually love most is that there's no stigma around taking things. I've seen even teenagers post about getting excited when they spot a "Zu verschenken" box because you never know what treasure you might find. I think it's such a simple but great way to save money and reduce waste. Instead of throwing perfectly good things away, they get a second life with someone who actually needs them. It's also perfect if you don't have the time or energy to sell everything online. Whatever it is, someone will almost always be happy to take it.

Does anyone have something similar where they live? I'd love to see this become more common elsewhere.

I am tired of paying the high amount for AAA. Never really used their discounts anyways but I want to keep roadside for the piece of mind. Good Sam has 50% off their plans right now and can sign up for multiple years with the same discount. Plus they don't charge for wife or kids.

Has anyone had to call them for roadside service? I know I can get roadside with my car insurance progressive but don't want a claim showing if I actually had to use it.

I've been asked to bring a pie to my cousin's party tomorrow. They remember the wonderful pies my mom used to make and ask me to bring a pie all the time. I looked at peaches and blueberries at the grocery store today and either would require $25-30 to fill a small pie. I do have cranberries in the freezer from December. Would it be really weird to take a cranberry pie to a July BBQ?

Putting aside from the moral implications of Amazon (which I will weigh separately) could the $139 a year be worth it or maybe costco instead?

I have CPTSD+ADHD so I often rely on the grocery delivery to actually save money. I have things well calibrated to the $25 minimum and I also use it for tv comfort shows too even though I like Netflix a lot better. The thing with ADHD is going to the grocery store scrambles my brain so I often buy the wrong things or more than I need but online is perfect because it is easier to search for what I need and compare pricing. I mostly shop at Aldi or the local ethnic store when I do, or the local foodbank.

I am solo with my dog so buying in bulk might not be worthwhile. But might be worthit for chicken salad+croissant combo with their chickens.

What do you guys think? Justifiable?

Staying at an air b&b this weekend. Its near a national park in rural Pennsylvania. They have a window ac unit in almost every window. I understand that they prob only have to run them a couple months out of the year cause its typically not that hot. I just cant see the cost saving of doing this. We cant even open windows for the breeze. Then the hassle of taking them all out in the winter and having to store them. Obviously not my monkey not my problem but does anyone know why this would make more sense?

To preface, I have a really hard time spending money on non essential items. It feels like lately I’ve been seeing almost every bathroom I go into have a squatty potty. Are they worth it? Are there any other items like that that are non essential but you consider life changing? I’ve been thinking about electric toothbrushes, cooking tools like mandolins, veggie choppers, etc.

Prime Day always makes it easy to confuse getting a discount with actually saving money.

I’m trying to judge home purchases less by how much they’re marked down and more by cost per use. A discounted appliance still isn’t a good deal if it gets used for two weeks and then sits in a closet.

The purchases that seem most worthwhile are usually the boring ones that remove a recurring chore: a dishwasher, dryer, air purifier, decent vacuum, or storage that actually keeps the house manageable.

I’m currently debating a robot vacuum for the same reason. I live alone, and cleaning the floors isn’t difficult, but it’s repetitive enough that I keep putting it off.

At the same time, it’s still a fairly expensive solution to a chore I can technically do myself, so I’m trying not to justify it just because it was on sale.

What home purchase cost more upfront but genuinely saved you enough time or effort to feel frugal in the long run? And what quality of life upgrade turned out to be wasted money?

With the new iPhone coming out in September, I thought it’d be fun to see how long everyone has kept their phones. phones are so expensive these days - at least $850 with tax and pro models are $1400 easily. so we need to be very intentional about phone spending

I’m still using a 6-year-old iPhone 11 Pro Max, and honestly it still does everything I need (calls, texts, Google map, photos, YouTube, banking, and Reddit). I was tempted tk get a new phone when my screen cracked bur decided to fix it dor $80 and hold it until it dies - hopefully no earlier than 2 years.

It’s a good reminder that upgrading every year isn’t necessary. What’s the oldest phone you’re still using as your daily driver? Let’s see who wins the “oldest working phone” contest.

this 300 characters limit is.. a lot lol. how do people write 300 characters for a simple question?

In the summer, I put cheap reflective Mylar emergency blankets on windows and sliding glass doors that get full direct sun. I use a spray bottle to mist water on the glass, place the blanket on the glass, smooth it out, and then a likely clear tap on the edges. It cost less then a $1 per window and significantly cuts my energy bill.

I'll take it down in the fall because I want the full sun to help heat the house.

I have a 13 year old daughter plus two teen nieces living with me for the summer. We have a family grocery list and previously we allowed the kids to put anything they wanted/needed on the list, but it's starting to get out of hand with all the "viral" drinks and snacks. I just went shopping for a road trip and spent over $100 on just Poppi. They also always want $$$ snacks like tiny single serve jars of everything (Nutella, hot honey, etc.), Goodles, Dot's, Dubai chocolate, fancy pickles. How do I get them onto cheaper snacks and drinks? I honestly don't think they even like a lot of this stuff and just want it because it's trendy.

I've been wanting to take my parents on a trip for a while now. It took a long time for them to actually commit to going, and it's in the mt Rushmore area during July 4th so I kinda figured the late booking would make us pay more.

I found an airbnb for 2400 for the 5 of us (siblings, not 4 parents). Anyways I looked at hotel prices today and realized we could have gotten everything we wanted for half the price and I can't stop being upset about the obvious lost money.

I hoped some of you might have felt this way before and would have advice.