r/Frugal

Id like to find a place to get bulk or semi bulk prevention for myself and my elderly neighbors dogs. She's so sweet and she puts her dogs first but id like to help. Between us both we have 5 dogs all 8-10 lbs.

I checked Costco and sams as I know friends that have memberships and its still expensive. There have to be cheaper online sites out there. A while back i found a few listings from Canada and some wholesale but can't seem to find it.

In order to utilize Flashfood in NW Ohio I have to drive a minimum of 45 minutes to the closest participating location. The only participating Too Good to Go store in the area is Circle K and it's usually just junk food that they provide.

Is there another app or service that might work better for those of us who live in small towns with limited grocery options? (I'm talking to you Kroger!)

Currently hunting for some new kitchen appliances during the holiday sales and keep running into the same dilemma at checkout. Every time a new machine is added to the cart, the site pushes an extended protection plan or warranty for an extra hundred or two.

It feels like every major retailer is desperate to add these onto the final total, but I’ve always been skeptical about whether they actually provide real value or if they’re just pure profit for the company.

Are there specific types of appliances where these plans might actually save money in the long run, or is the consensus generally to skip them?

For those who has had to deal with a claim with these protection plans, did the process actually work out, or was it a total headache with denied coverage and long wait times?

Every time a new phone, laptop or camera comes out I convince myself I do not need it. Then I see the reviews, the camera tests, the battery life comparisons and suddenly my current setup feels ancient even though it works fine. I am not trying to be the person who lines up to pay full retail on day one, but I also do not want to be stuck buying outdated stuff forever. Lately I have been checking resale sites, refurbished deals, trade ins and even came across galaxy bids while looking around for cheaper ways to get newer tech. The annoying part is that tech does not even feel like a luxury anymore. A decent phone, laptop or camera can genuinely make work, travel and everyday life easier, but the prices make every upgrade feel like a bad financial decision. I am trying to find that sweet spot where I can get something current and useful without feeling like I got talked into paying the launch day tax.

I used to buy cheap earbuds in the $20 to $30 range and tell myself it was the frugal choice.

The problem is I kept replacing them. Battery got worse, one side stopped working, the fit was uncomfortable, or the connection started acting weird. Even when they technically still worked, I would stop using them because they were annoying.

Maybe it makes more sense to spend around $80 to $100 on something I’ll actually use every day instead of buying another cheap pair every few months. How do you decide when paying more upfront is still the more frugal option?

Was having problems with my water heater so I decided to simply turn off power at the circuit box. With the warmer weather the cold showers are much easier to handle and now that hot weather is arriving I actually prefer cold showers anyway.

My apartment is old and the water heater is likely decades old but this is a quick, easy cheap hack during the warm weather months that could save you big.

Edit: My latest electricity billl is $37. I'm used to paying closer to $100 or even more during peak months like summer and winter. I live in a warm climate, so by june it'll be over 95 degrees for the high regularly.

Was in the middle of cooking dinner yesterday when I realized the A/C was seriously struggling (ended up being low on freon, it's fixed now). Checked the coils, they were a sheet of ice, so I turned the whole thing off. It wasn't THAT hot out (maybe around 76?), so I thought things would be ok.

I noticed the A/C was on the fritz because it was set on 77 and it was up to 79. Had to finish cooking, by the time I was done it was up to 84 :( The oven was only on for maybe 45 minutes.

I have always read that you should avoid cooking while the A/C is running because of the heat it generates, but I never had the effect demonstrated so clearly. A 7 degree temp differential that your A/C has to fight against? That's going to raise your bill. AND IT WASN'T EVEN HOT YESTERDAY. Imagine when it's 100 degrees out!

So now I'm really brainstorming how to keep that heat out of the house this summer. My thoughts:

• use the grill more. sucks to stand outside in the heat and cook though. (Maybe sell it as a treat and get the husband to do it.)

• use appliances like crockpot, instapot, etc more. they generate way less heat (and use less electricity). If using a pressure cooker, take it outside to vent.

• consider cooking early in the morning and then reheating for dinner? or just cooking a couple days a week and eating leftovers in between. We are already pretty good about this. I usually end up doing 3 or 4 "big cooks" in a week.

• cold dinners. We are big bean salad / cowboy caviar fans around here (still gotta cook the beans somehow though). Sandwiches are also a good cold option.

• the dishwasher seems to generate a lot less heat, but it's still probably a good idea to run it overnight instead of during the day (probably cheaper electricity too)

• luckily my clothes dryer is down in the garage and well-vented but running that overnight instead of during the day is also a good idea!

How do y'all help your A/C work efficiently when everything inside the house seems determined to heat things up?

Been really into building out my magsafe setup lately, currently running a magsafe charger, Belkin car mount, and the supcase magflip magnetic wallet with stand city edition. So far the MagFlip is my favorite out of the three, holds 5 cards, kickstand works portrait and landscape, Now I've been thinking about adding a magsafe battery pack next but not sure which one is worth it. anyone have recs?

I’ve always considered robot vacuums more of a luxury than a frugal purchase, but lately I’ve started wondering if higher-end ones actually make sense long term.

Less time spent cleaning, cleaner floors every day, potentially replacing a lot of manual vacuuming and mopping. I can kind of see the argument now.

For people who bought premium robot vacuums, did it actually feel worth the money over time?

I(22m) want to get as comprehensive blood work done to assess my health to hopefully address my brain fog among other issues im dealing with.

I do not have insurance, I'm aware I should get insurance at some point soon and will probably go

through my job

For the time being, I would like to get it done as in depth as possible & cheaply.

There is a business called any lab test now that is selling panels for $150 to $219. Would anyone know of any frugal methods to get it for cheaper?

Thank you!

Hi frugal friends!

I got my iPhone 13 a few years ago and it's already failing me. I've tried replacing the battery, clearing out storage, etcetera, and it still won't function properly. So I think it's time to get a new one. I'm currently with Xfinity Mobile and it looks like I can trade my current phone in for an iPhone 15 (the oldest model they carry) for a monthly payment, but would it be smarter to buy second-hand? This is my first time switching devices and am not sure what the most financially savvy move would be...

(And yes, I need an iPhone for work, so unfortunately I cannot switch to Android or another brand).

Thank you for your help!

I’ve been trying to cut down on food spending but still eat out occasionally. Google Maps and Yelp just show the same sponsored spots. I end up paying more than I wanted because I can’t find the hidden affordable places. How do you guys actually discover cheap, good local food? Do you have a system, or just word of mouth? I love finding cheap spots but it’s always a struggle. I found the best way is to just walk in and over time find cheap deals but I would love an easier way

I love this sub. I'm trying to be more intentional, but I keep falling into a trap where frugality feels like a puzzle to solve instead of a way of living.

I'll walk or take a longer bus route to hit a cheaper grocery for a couple items. By the time I get home I'm wiped, I don't cook, and those supposedly cheap ingredients just sit in the fridge while I eat whatever is easiest. The savings look good on the receipt but not in real life, even if I did earn a couple cents in gift cards from something like Mistplay while zoning out on the bus.

Or I buy the larger size because the unit price is better, but I live in a tiny apartment with no storage and no habit of cooking enough to use it. I have thrown out wilted produce more than once because I was sure I'd be the meal-prepping person. Turns out I'm not. At least not right now.

I do this socially too. I'll offer to host a board game night because it's cheaper than going out, then I stress about snacks, cleanup, and whether people will think I'm cheap if I don't provide a spread. I end up spending more mental energy to save a few dollars.

I'm just venting because I keep doing the math afterward and realizing I didn't actually save money. I moved the cost into time, food waste, or stress.

How did you train yourself to stop chasing tiny optimizations and focus on bigger wins without feeling like you're being careless?

I used to think buying a robot vacuum was the opposite of frugal. Like, congratulations, you spent money so a hockey puck can get stuck under your dresser. But after living with one for a while, my opinion is annoyingly less simple. The frugal part is not “buy robot, never clean again.” That is nonsense. The frugal part is whether it keeps small daily messes from becoming bigger, more expensive, more disgusting problems. I do not maintain it perfectly. I forget the filter sometimes. I clean the roller later than I should. The side brush has looked emotionally defeated more than once. And yes, when the filter is packed with dust, suction drops and it stops pulling fine stuff out of rugs as well.

That matters, especially if you care about breathing and not kicking dust back into the room every time it runs. I also learned the mop function is not a replacement for real floor cleaning. If the pad is dirty or the water system is gross, you are basically giving bacteria a free tour of the kitchen. So my rule now is cheap and boring: robot vacuum for prevention, real vacuum for deep carpet, real mop for sticky or questionable messes, filter check on trash day, hair cutting from the roller when I watch TV.

Stuff like driving across town to save a couple bucks, buying bulk food that actually expires repairing something that should be replaced, keeping something cheap that makes the task so miserable you don’t do it anyways, etc. I have done all of these things and always feel so silly once I realize. But I think it helps to know you aren’t alone lol.

The long term savings are where we should really be focused. But most financial tips I see fall in to the frugal habits category

So I’m on maternity leave right now, which means two things: I am home more, and I have suddenly become the CFO of every crumb, receipt, and questionable household purchase.

For weeks, I kept ignoring the floors in my car because I did not want to spend money on something as boring as car floor protection. But the situation had become… emotionally difficult.

The driver’s side had salt stains, the backseat had sand from a playground trip I barely remember, and under one seat I found what I believe was either a fossilized grape or a tiny raisin with a tragic origin story. Add a toddler, wet shoes, snack dust, and one leaky water bottle, and my car was starting to feel less like transportation and more like a mobile compost experiment.

I first looked at the fancy fitted liners everyone seems to recommend. They looked great, but I could not make myself spend $120–$150 on something that was basically going to catch mud, crumbs, and whatever mystery substance children produce in car seats.

Then I looked at the cheapest universal mats, but some of them smelled awful, slid around, or looked like they would curl up after one hot day.

So I went full frugal detective mode. I measured the floor space, checked thrift stores, looked at online open-box listings, searched warehouse returns, and compared boring details like thickness, grip, trimming lines, and whether they had that strong chemical smell.

I finally found a set for under $50 that fits well enough, stays put, and does not make the car smell like a plastic factory in July.

The funny part is that the biggest “win” was not even the mats. It was forcing myself to clean the old carpet first. I vacuumed, scrubbed the salt stains, shook out the old mats, and realized half the problem was that I had let the mess become mentally bigger than it was.

The new mats are not glamorous. They did not change my life. No one is going to admire them. But every time my toddler drops crackers back there, I feel a tiny, ridiculous sense of victory.

I know “buy cheap, buy twice” is real, but so is “don’t overspend just because the expensive version photographs better.”

Where do you all draw the line? Do you usually go cheap-but-functional for boring household/car stuff, or do you prefer to pay once and cry once?

What is a reasonable monthly grocery budget for a family of 4? We currently spend $1000-1400. We mostly buy generics, but also plenty of convenience foods instead of cooking from scratch. We do indulge in sodas daily, I know this is a major expense. We have young children so cooking elaborate or labor-intensive meals is not practical for this stage of our lives. I'd like to get the budget down to closer to $700 but I don't think that's possible anymore in this economy. I feel like I place a $150-200 Walmart grocery order at least weekly so that's over $700 on just Walmart.

HELP!

Hi, I haven't seen this posted recently so in light of the warmer weather (at least where I'm at anyway) coming, I'm hoping to brainstorm some ideas on how to save on cooling my house. Our electric bill is already so expensive and I'm kinda panicking about the summer. The house gets a ton of sun so I've been closing curtains/blinds as the sun moves. I realized it takes a ton of time to actually cool the house down so I turn on the air when it has reached the "desired" temp so it can maintain the temperature instead of working hard to cool it. Anywho, any ideas would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!!!