In today’s rapidly changing economy, many people are finding it increasingly difficult to save money. The crux of the problem often lies in small, regular spending that, over time, drains more money from our pockets than we realize. That’s why you should focus on these frugal habits that save more money than you think.
These daily costs impact your finances and, over time, add up significantly. There are a multitude of ways you can save money on regular expenses.Thankfully, that’s why it’s surprising how quickly you can right-size your budget and save money by cutting back on spending.
Seemingly insignificant costs add up to substantial amounts over time. To prove it, let’s talk about trimming these costs and discover exactly how much money you truly could save.
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#1: Coffee at Home
Did you know that one in five workers buys coffee every single day? A 16 oz. tall drip coffee at a coffee shop costs an average of $2.85, while making coffee at home averages just 30¢.
How much can you save by taking coffee from home?
If you stop by Starbucks every weekday, you’re spending $14.25 a week or $741 a year. In contrast, substituting the made-at-home version would cost you $1.50 a week or $78 a year.
This simple switch results in a savings of $663 a year!
#2: Taking Lunch from Home
A significant number of workers frequently eat out for lunch. In fact, 71% of workers purchase lunch out at least three times a week, while one in ten eats out every workday. Nearly half of those who eat out spend more than $20 per lunch.
The average cost of a lunch out is between $10 and $20, with one in seven workers spending over $400 a month just on lunch.
If you shell out $15 going out to eat for lunch three times each week, you will end up spending $45 a week or $2340 a year. On the other hand, a lunch from home costs about $2-3 per meal.
How much can you save by eating lunch at home?
Taking lunch from home three days a week costs an average of $7.50 per week or $390 a year. That’s a savings of $1950 a year!When you combine inexpensive ingredient choices with frugal food prep techniques, your savings could grow even higher.
Personal Tip:
Our son, Daniel, is in college and is very frugal. He takes lunch every single day to class or work – and he loves his lunch bag from EverFun, who is offering you 20% off with the code 20LOAU9S for a limited time. EverFun is our partner for this post.
The bag has two compartments, separated by an insulated wall, meaning he can put hot things in the top and cold things in the bottom. The hot food will stay hot, while the cold food will stay cold.
Although there is a handle, Dan is partial to the padded adjustable strap which allows him to carry the EverFun lunch bag over his shoulder. The water resistant exterior means that even if it’s raining while he’s walking from the parking lot to his classes, his lunch will stay dry.
Frugal Lunch Examples
Dan takes these to class and work quite often. Each costs $3.00 or less to make.
Cold Lunches:
Lunch #1: Sandwich, chips, cookie, pasta salad, banana, and ice water.
Lunch #2: Taco Salad with spinach, lentil taco filling, cheese, onion, cucumber, tortilla chips, salsa, ranch dressing, and iced tea.
Hot Lunches:
Lunch #3: Hot baked potatoes (wrapped in foil) with beans in chili sauce, cheese, onions, ranch dressing (in a separate compartment with an ice bag), and a bottle of water.
Lunch #4: Soup, crackers, peanut butter sandwich, homemade trail mix, banana, and hot coffee.
Check out EverFun lunch bags and use our exclusive discount code: 20LOAU9S to get 20% off for a limited time.
#3: Breakfast Out
Breakfast at home instead of eating out is definitely one of the frugal habits that save more money than you think. Sixty percent of workers buy breakfast out at least three times a week, and ten percent buy breakfast every day. Nearly half of all workers who eat out for breakfast spend at least $15.
Overnight soaked oats with raisins, chopped dates, and chopped almonds can be made for under $1.00.
Pancakes freeze well. Although they can be topped with fruit and syrup, my sons favored using two pancakes like a “sandwich” and spreading peanut butter and jelly between the layers of pancake. This made the pancakes very portable and easy to eat in the school cafeteria.
Bagels or biscuits with cream cheese and a piece of fruit cost around $.50 if you make the bagels and biscuits yourself. If using bagels from Aldi and store-bought cream cheese, add a $0.25 banana, and you still have a complete breakfast for under $1.00.
Homemade breakfast sandwiches can be made for about $1.10 each when you purchase all the ingredients at Walmart. But, if you make the English muffins or biscuits from scratch and buy ingredients on sale, that price can drop to as low as $.28 per sandwich.
Finally, breakfast burritos are super easy and inexpensive. You can make tortillas from scratch for about $.05 per tortilla. Roll your favorite fillings inside and you have breakfast (or lunch). Roll-ups are a fantastic way to stretch leftovers to feed the whole family for another meal.
How much will you save by taking breakfast from home?
Breakfast out three times a week is costing you just over $1500 a year. Since it’s so easy to slide breakfast on the table (or take it on the road with you) for about $1 per serving, you’ll be pocketing a sweet $1404 a year by packing your at-home breakfast “to go”.
#4: Buy Generic
When it comes to frugal habits that save more money than you think, buying off-brand is often overlooked (and undervalued). Yet, switching to generic brands can save you an average of 40%, according to Forbes. Some people don’t realize that most off-brand foods are produced in the same factories as their name-brand counterparts.
The average American family of four spends about $1500 a month on groceries, or $18,000 a year. That means, by switching from strictly name brand to all generic, they could save up to $600 a month or $7200 a year.
#5: Buy Second Hand
We’ve thrifted for decades and have found that by using smart thrift shopping strategies, we’ve been able to find items we need at bargain prices. Statistically, buying second-hand items can save you up to 50% off the original price.
Research by CouponFollow in 2022 shows that you could save over $1700 a year by purchasing used items.
Let’s add up the savings:
Little decisions every day – small habits – DO make a difference!
Your Homework
- Tell me in the comments, what small, but important habits have you adopted which have allowed you to save money.
- Make sure you are subscribed to us on YouTube so you get all our latest videos.
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I’ve been living in SSDI for several years. Spending like my savings grew on majical trees. I finally took the dive and went carless. I had a plan. Finally was able to afford $250 for consultation with an herbalist. I was able to afford a water distiller, stainless cookware and all glass cooking and storage. No more plastic or paper waste. Big financial return. I also switched to an organic whole food plant based diet. I was able to eliminate about 50% of prescriptions. While most of my prescriptions were zero copay, after cold Turkey on some and a few slowly eased off. It is surprising how easy that prescriptions come with a price of needing other prescriptions to help with the side effects. I am diabetic and overweight and terrible labs regarding cholesterol, fatty live and triglycerides. Not only am I saving on not eating meat, fish and most dairy (put cheese back into my menus. My endocrinologist was very impressed with my weight loss and much improved labs and the supplements my herbalist recommended. I love cooking and planning and it worked out that I partnered with an 80 year old girlfriend to taxi me to appointments, do the YMCA together, go shopping and do our laundry at a local washateria. In return she comes to eat or I deliver about 4 meals a week plus I make fruit salad twice a week to satisfy sweet tooth. Cooking is a real joy. I buy my groceries through a home delivery service. My girlfriend lost 15 pounds eating my way. Her clothes are noticeably looser. My grocery bill today was a $109 for 4 meals planned. This arrangement is a win-win. I was paying nearly $600 a month for a car, note, insurance, tags and taxes and maintenance. My 80 year old girlfriend was gifted her car by her son and he pays insurance. My biggest financial burden is supplements that were recommended by the herbalist. Before I’d shop for cheapest supplements which were inferior and many not kosher. If you have a suggestion for superior supplements I’d love to hear.
Sounds like you are on a really good path for your health and your finances.
I’ve been living on SSDI for several years. Spending like my savings grew on majical trees. I finally took the dive and went carless. I had a plan. Finally was able to afford $250 for consultation with an herbalist. I was able to afford a water distiller, stainless cookware and all glass cooking and storage. No more plastic or paper waste. Big financial return. I also switched to an organic whole food plant based diet. I was able to eliminate about 50% of prescriptions. While most of my prescriptions were zero copay, after cold Turkey on some and a few slowly eased off. It is surprising how easy that prescriptions come with a price of needing other prescriptions to help with the side effects. I am diabetic and overweight and terrible labs regarding cholesterol, fatty live and triglycerides. Not only am I saving on not eating meat, fish and most dairy (put cheese back into my menus). My endocrinologist was very impressed with my weight loss and much improved labs and the supplements my herbalist recommended. I love cooking and planning and it worked out that I partnered with an 80 year old girlfriend to taxi me to appointments, do the YMCA together, go shopping and do our laundry at a local washateria. In return she comes to eat or I deliver to her about 4 meals a week plus I make fruit salad twice a week to satisfy sweet tooth. Cooking is a real joy. I buy my groceries through a home delivery service. My girlfriend lost 15 pounds eating my way. Her clothes are noticeably looser. My grocery bill today was a $109 for 4 +?meals planned. This arrangement is a win-win. I was paying nearly $600 a month for a car, note, insurance, tags and taxes and maintenance. My 80 year old girlfriend was gifted her car by her son and he pays insurance. My biggest financial burden is supplements that were recommended by the herbalist. Before I’d shop for cheapest supplements which were inferior and many not kosher. If you have a suggestion for superior supplements I’d love to hear.
I love that you did the math and figured out what was most important to you.
As a sewer and a knitter, I use those skills to make gifts. And as a yard sale and thrift store shopper, most of my craft supplies come from those places. A tip for non-sewers – many fabric stores have classes and online videos.
Thanks for the tip! Lovely hobby!
I appreciated learning about the cost differences between buying out and making at home. I knew the differences were significant but they were larger than I had thought. The tips Hope provides on what to do instead are super helpful.
Jennifer, I’m so happy the tips were helpful for you. You’re right. There’s something about seeing the numbers in print that makes the impact of spending the money very real.
I have always lived my life using the five frugal tips you outlined. My wife and I furnished our entire home with used furniture. Ninety-five percent of my coffee is consumed at home. My wife and I seldom eat at a restaurant, and when we do we use gift cards from birthdays or Christmas. I bundle all of our car trips for maximum gas savings. Most of our food brands and prescriptions are generic. I use a plain brown bag for my lunches on-the-go. My wife and I still save even though we live on Social Security, retirement savings and rental of a very small farm. We just purchased a “New” car. It’s a 2021 Lexus RX450h. The price was $10,000+ less than a brand new version. It looks and drives like brand new and saves money every trip. I can get 45 miles per gallon on long trips. My SUV DOES not require expensive premium fuel. My wife and I enjoy life and we are able to gift our daughters and grandchildren every year. Life is good.
We love that you are living your best life – frugal style!
I Do batch prepping & cooking therefore no waste of food from spoilage; I make list replenish staples when see sales or BOGOs; I shop once a month… I always check expiration dates looking for end of month or longer month-out dates. Only
in-between shopping for produce items or special occasions. Use my food stamps sometimes pick up few items for neighbor or friend and they pay-me- back with items food stamps don’t cover like Toilet Tissue, Dish Detergent, Laundry cleaning items win-win or necessary toiletries
Love BOGOs. We don’t get too many around here. But, I just scored some coffee this week at Kroger on a BOGO. Super excited.
Get a life straw water filter picture! The water taste better than any I’ve ever had, and it’s free. No plastic no waste. Just clean water in my own container which I clean out with vinegar periodically. I’m not sure how much this saves me, but I really am troubled by plastic in our oceans and landfills. I’m sure this saves me a lot of money, and it’s also saving my health.
Thanks for the recommend. I think we have some of their smaller straws that you would take camping with you. But, not the pitcher.
Could you fix that typo question I was dictating. Instead of typing PITCHER, The darn thing typed picture. Sometimes I hate the dictating thing.
No worries. I understood what you meant.
When meat shopping I buy in bulk and utilize a freezer. It’s the per pound cost that. Matters. Chicken I buy bone-in then I Filet it, boil the balance for stock and pulled meat. A small ham instead of pre sliced for sandwiches and breakfast ham steaks. Really adds up the savings.
You’re so right. It’s also interesting to figure out whether the cost for the boneless, skinless is ever better than bone-in. My feeling is that those boneless cuts would have to drop pretty low in order to make it worth the swap. With the bones, you can always make broth, which adds to the value (even though, technically, you are paying for the bone).
We didn’t have pets for a long time but now have two dogs we’ve been making their food by reading some of the ingredients that are on a healthy dog food bag and making it ourselves
We have a friend who does that, too.
Just stumbled upon your YouTube, my husband had told me about when we were dating being frugal is an important way of life if you want to have money when you do decide to retire. If you do this, when you’re young, you shouldn’t have to worry about meeting the expenses that you will occur as you become older.
I will say that 35 years of frugality have certainly given us choices that we might not otherwise have had.
We live prettily frugal, by like others using generic medications, store brand foods, buying gas low when we can, shopping around for our insurance, and trying to live ecologically, which for us means being low consumption and using our cars as little as possible. We save money and lighten our load on the environment and hourly do our part to lessen climate change.
I’m an oldster born at the end of the 40’s. My mom was the 3rd child of a mill worker and dad one of four kids in a farming family.
Both grew up during the depression and knew what hard work and being “frugal” really meant. When I see all these suggestions on how to be frugal I just want to laugh. They had coffee and breakfast at home every day. Neither parent ever left home without a bagged lunch. Dinner out was a real treat. Birthday cakes were baked at home. With three kids they had to be careful with their money. No one had credit cards back then for an emergency. We always had a good home with a big garden, food on the table and everything we needed.
As a young stay at home mom in the seventies and a divorced single parent in the 80’s and 90’s I relied on the lessons from my childhood to do the same for my kids. Granted everything cost so much more….sports fees etc. but still….
It’s mostly common sense. Anyone who can add knows that a $5 coffee every day will put a $150 dent in any budget. I worked with women who had the special coffee every morning and lunch out every day and wondered where their money went every month. I don’t think in my working lifetime I even once got coffee out, lunch out was an occasion and store brand has always been the rule. I bless my Home Ec teacher every day for teaching me the right way to sew. Being “frugal” isn’t new.
We love that you have seen first-hand how practical frugality can be.
We would not buy used clothes as readily as I buy used furniture, except for any fabric furniture (sofa, mattress, etc). We live close to minamilistic, sparse furniture, sparse kitchenware, just the essentials. Have rented rooms as a couple, kept housing expenses to a minimum.
My tip: know when a bargain isn’t a bargain. Say you get a restaurant job and you need non-slip shoes. At the store you’re given two choices: a name brand pair for $75 and a cheap knockoff for $25. They’re just gonna get dirty and destroyed anyway, so the best bet is the cheap pair, right? Wrong. The difference is in the materials. Within a month use of the cheap ones the soles will crack. Within two they’ll start separating from the top. You can stretch the use to three months with some duct tape creativity. Then you go buy another $25 pair and the cycle starts all over again. After a year you’ll have spent $100. Meanwhile, the $75 pair last a year on average, due to quality materials and design, and they also provide better support so you don’t hurt as much after a long shift. So not only have you spent $25 more for worse quality, your feet, legs, and back suffer too. As a 40 year service industry vet, you’ll never get me out of my Skechers again. The moral of the story is be sure your bargain is a bargain. Cheap us not always better.
Totally agree! Perfect example, too.
Restaurant manager here. You are spot on! Good shoes are the better investment, both in your feet and wallet.
Another is investing in the pre-wash spray Shout. Restaurant grease will ruin all your clothes. Shout, bought by the gallon at BJ’s Warehouse, is extremely effective in getting those blotches out!
On Valentine’s day my wife and I make our way to the grocery store and peruse the many greeting cards available for purchase. While doing so we watch with amusement the many people (mostly men) coming into the store to buy expensive flowers and chocolates and cards.
After a time I will show my wife the card I most like for her and she will do the same for me. We’ll then wish each other a happy Valentine’s Day and walk out of the store with nothing.
You may think of us as the cheapest people on the planet and, if you do, you’re likely missing the point. This is a ritual for us, a commitment to each other to not let rampant commercialism or societal expectation influence our decisions. It’s our way of getting one over on the very system that lays waste to the financial future of so many.
Think about the money you shell out on an annual basis on holidays. Something special doesn’t mean something expensive.
I love your ritual! We do something similar. But in our case, Larry leaves a handwritten love note on the kitchen table for me every Valentine’s Day. It’s more special to me than any Hallmark greeting could be.
(Long!)
Divorce and destitution changed my life and shopping habits. I was the example of impulse shopping no matter what the cost because cost didn’t matter.
I have learned that cooking for one CAN be cost effective, if you make a big pot and immediately freeze portions.
A shopping center by me is a God-send. It starts with a Dollar tree. Paper and plastic goods. Espresso, canned goods, and things like chopsticks lotions cleaning supplies, etc Go often and you find name brands!
Next door is a Big Lots. More canned goods, often unusual kinds. If you snack or bake? Shop here. Cleaning supplies and some home food stuff.
Next to that is a BJ’s. Cat litter & food, bulk frozen foods, fresh veggies and fruit.
Around the corner is an Aldi’s and Safeway. So always start on the Dollar tree end of the center and save $100s.
I won’t go into house shopping on Craigslist, Freecycle, and architectural reclamation centers. Completely rebuilt my house after a fire this way. Cabinets, building materials, furniture, tile, stone pavers, etc. YouTube taught me woodwork, drywall, painting, hardscaping and general DIY skills. (Tip: don’t skip in good, quality tools!)
Bottom line if you can develop patience and look at frugality as a challenge to get what you ultimately want without retail or paying a fortune? Savings can be has.
I call thrift store/second hand stores treasure hunting!
Yes! In a way, it definitely is!