Frugality doesn’t have to take hours out of your day. In fact, after over three decades of frugal living we have found that some of the best ways to save money take less than a minute. Over the years, we’ve built simple, repeatable micro money habits that allow us to live below our means.
Most of them are so automatic that we barely think about them anymore. But together they’ve helped us cut hundreds of dollars from our monthly budget without making our life more complicated.
The best part is that none of these habits require special skills or expensive tools. They’re just small actions repeated consistently. As you’ll see, those little decisions add up to big money over time.
Prefer to watch instead? Here’s the full video where we walk through all 20 of these habits and show you how they’ve worked for our family
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Scan Your Refrigerator Every Day
Let’s jump right in with something we’ve done for decades. Spend about 30 seconds scanning your refrigerator every day. Look for produce, dairy products, and leftovers that need to be eaten fast.
We’ve found that even when the refrigerator looks almost empty, there’s usually enough food to make meals for another two or three days. Not only does this quick habit cut down on spontaneous trips through the local drive-thru, it also reduces food waste and helps us use the food we’ve already paid for before it goes bad.
Follow the “No Date, No Fridge” Rule
While you’re checking the refrigerator, take a few extra seconds to make certain that every leftover is labeled with the contents and the date it was made. Around our house, we call this the “No date, no fridge rule”.
This simple, 30-second habit means there’s never any guessing about what’s in the container or how long it’s been there. It also keeps us from discovering mysterious science experiments hiding in the back of the refrigerator. Best of all, we’re much more likely to eat the food we’ve already paid for instead of throwing it away.
Check the Weekly Sales Before Meal Planning
We never build a meal plan until we’ve looked at the weekly grocery ads. Instead of deciding what we want to eat first, we look at what’s on sale and build our menu around those ingredients.
One tool that makes this even easier is Flipp. This super helpful app, which allows me to compare current ads from my favorite stores all in one place. I can circle items I want to buy and create my entire grocery shopping list all in one place.
IIt only takes a few minutes, but over the course of a year this habit saves us a surprising amount on groceries because we’re buying food when it’s at its lowest price.
Keep a Buy Now List
This is a micro habit Larry learned from his parents, and we’ve been using it ever since. Keep a simple “Buy Now” list somewhere in your kitchen. Ours lives on the side of the refrigerator. Whenever someone grabs the last of something from the pantry, whether it’s ketchup, peanut butter, or paper towels, they’re responsible for adding it to the list.
Before heading to the grocery store, I either grab the list or snap a quick picture with my phone. It only takes a few seconds, but it helps us avoid forgetting important items or buying things we already have. Even better, we can wait until those items go on sale instead of making an extra trip to the store.
Do a Weekly Food Inventory
Once a week, take a few minutes to see exactly what you have in your refrigerator. I like to write down our leftovers and other perishable foods on a simple inventory sheet. Seeing everything in one place makes meal planning much easier.
This habit works hand in hand with scanning the refrigerator every day. Instead of forgetting about food hidden in the back of the shelf, we know exactly what needs to be used first. That means less waste, fewer last-minute grocery trips, and more money staying in our budget.
Always Check for Discounts Before You Buy
Whenever we’re shopping online, we never click the buy button until we’ve checked for cashback and discounts. We use Rakuten before almost every online purchase because it only takes a few seconds to see if cashback is available.
After that, we spend another minute looking for coupon codes, checking whether a local store will match an online price, or seeing if any special discounts apply. Teachers, military families, and seniors are often eligible for savings that many people never think to ask about. Spending one extra minute before you buy can save far more than that minute costs.
Automatically Save for Medical Expenses
Medical bills have changed a lot over the years, and we’ve had to adjust right along with them. Instead of scrambling to find the money when prescriptions or doctor visits come up, we automatically set aside a little each month in a dedicated medical fund.
This simple system gives us peace of mind. When an unexpected expense comes along, the money is already waiting for us. We don’t have to pull it from another part of our budget or dig into our emergency fund.
Record Every Purchase Right Away
One of the first things we do when we walk in the door is record any purchases we’ve made that day. We enter everything into our budget using the free version of EveryDollar, so we always know exactly where our money is going. At the end of each month, we transfer the totals from every budget category into our customizable budget spreadsheets to keep a long-term record of our spending.
While we’re at it, we also upload our receipts to Fetch. Over the course of a year, those reward points usually earn us a couple of nice gift cards, and we put those toward our Christmas budget. It only takes a minute, but it’s a habit that pays us back year after year.
Save Receipts for Items with Warranties
Not every receipt belongs in the trash. If we’ve purchased something with a warranty, we keep that receipt in a designated envelope so we can find it quickly if we ever need it. We write “Saved Receipts” and the current year in big letters on the front of the envelope. Then we file it in the same place every time so we always know where to find it.
It’s a tiny habit that has saved us frustration more than once. When something breaks during the warranty period, we don’t waste time searching through piles of paper or wondering where we put the receipt. We know exactly where to find it.
Improve One Financial Habit Each Week
When we first started budgeting, we tried to improve everything at once. In very short order we felt very overwhelmed. That’s why now, we choose just 3-5 small financial habits to focus on each week. We write them down and keep that list where we can see it. After practicing those habits for a week, we evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and make a new list for the following week.
Here are a few ideas for what you might add to your list: reducing food waste, tracking every purchase, cutting back on subscriptions, or finding new ways to lower your utility bills. Small improvements are much easier to stick with than major lifestyle changes, and over time those little wins begin to add up.
Make a Daily To-Do List
I’ll admit it. I’m a to-do list person. Every morning, I write down everything I need to accomplish. Crossing those items off throughout the day helps me stay focused and keeps important tasks from slipping through the cracks.
A simple to-do list also saves money in ways people don’t always think about. When I’m organized, I’m less likely to forget an errand, miss a deadline, or make an extra trip across town because I forgot something the first time. Sometimes the simplest systems are the most effective.
Wash Only Full Loads of Laundry
Before starting a load of laundry, we always ask each family member one simple question: “Do you have any clothes that need to be washed?” Waiting until we have a full load helps us get the most out of every cycle.
Running fewer loads saves water, electricity, detergent, and wear on the washing machine. It’s a tiny habit that takes less than a minute but consistently cuts the cost of doing laundry.
Adjust Your Thermostat Every Day
One of my favorite micro money habits is checking our thermostat app every day. I’m always opening the app to see what the temperature is inside the house and asking myself, “Can I raise it a degree or two without anyone noticing?” In the winter, I do the opposite and see if we can comfortably lower it a degree.
It doesn’t sound like much, but those one-degree adjustments really add up over time. In fact, statistically, you save between 1-3 percent for every degree you raise or lower your thermostat.
Because we check the app every day, we’re constantly making small changes that help lower our heating and cooling costs without sacrificing comfort.
Create a Gift Closet
A gift closet has been one of the best money-saving systems we’ve ever created. Whenever we find a great gift at a great price, we buy it, label it, and put it in the gift stash until we need it. We use it for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, Christmas, and just about every other special occasion.
Shopping ahead means we’re buying gifts because they’re on sale, not because we’re in a hurry. It also saves a tremendous amount of stress because when an invitation arrives, we usually already have the perfect gift waiting.
Audit Your Subscriptions Twice a Year
Twice a year, we sit down and review every subscription we’re paying for. We write down the name of each one, how much it costs every month, and then multiply that number by twelve to see what we’re really spending each year.
Seeing the annual total can be eye-opening. It’s much easier to decide whether a subscription is worth keeping when you realize it isn’t costing $12 a month. It’s costing nearly $150 a year. If we’re no longer using a service, we cancel it and put that money toward something that’s more important to us
Rotate Your Streaming Services
There’s no rule that says you have to keep every streaming service all year long. They are paid for on a month-to-month basis. We’ve found that after about three months, we’ve usually watched everything we wanted to see on one platform. That’s when we cancel it and switch to another service for a while.
By rotating subscriptions instead of paying for several at once, we still get to enjoy the shows we like while spending much less over the course of the year. It’s a simple habit that doesn’t make us feel like we’re giving anything up.
Check Gas Prices Before You Fill Up
Before heading to the gas station, take a few seconds to check current fuel prices using an app like GasBuddy. We compare stations that are close to home and choose the one with the best price.
Saving a few cents per gallon might not sound like much, but it adds up over dozens of fill-ups every year. Since it only takes a minute to check prices, it’s one of the easiest ways to lower the cost of driving.
Check Tomorrow’s Calendar Today
This is one we learned the hard way. We already had daily to-do lists and time-blocked schedules, but we realized we were only looking at today’s calendar. Too often, we’d forget about something that was scheduled for tomorrow.
Now, before the day is over, we always take a quick look at tomorrow’s calendar. It helps us prepare for appointments, remember errands, and avoid costly mistakes like missing an appointment or making an unnecessary trip across town.
Keep Your Money-Saving Systems Simple
One lesson we’ve learned over the years is that the best micro money habits are the ones you’ll actually keep doing. If a system is too complicated, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll stop using it.
That’s why we look for simple routines we can put on repeat. The easier a habit is to remember, the more likely it is to become part of everyday life. Those small actions may not seem impactful on their own, but together they can save hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.
Build Frugal Swaps Into Your Everyday Routine
Some of our favorite frugal habits are what we call frugal swaps. These are simple, inexpensive DIY versions of everyday household products that work just as well as the store-bought versions. The best part is they don’t take much time to make, so they fit easily into our regular routine.
Over the years, we’ve replaced several products with homemade alternatives that cost less and work just as well. We don’t spend hours making everything from scratch. We simply look for easy swaps that save money without making life more complicated. Those small changes have added up to hundreds of dollars in savings over the years.
Final Thoughts
The biggest lessons we’ve learned is that living within your means and saving money begins with easy micro money habits that you put on repeat. You’ll soon find that small amounts of money, saved over time, add up to big savings without leaving you feeling frustrated or deprived..
Your Turn
What micro money habits do you use on a regular basis? Tell us about them in the comment section
For Further Reading
If you’re ready to build on these micro money habits, these articles will help you save even more. They include practical strategies, simple systems, and frugal ideas that have worked well for our family.
