Frugal Tips for Homemakers (Simple Living Guide)

If you’re on the hunt for some frugal tips for homemakers, then I have you covered! We will discuss some great frugal tips along with some encouragement for those of us who are still trying to figure this out.

What is frugal?

Being a frugal homemaker can look a lot of different ways. Some of us make our own clothes, while others would rather put their energy into baking sourdough.

But there is a huge difference between being frugal and being CHEAP.

“Cheap” evokes a picture of plastic nonsense that breaks before you even get it home. (arcade prizes) Just because something is CHEAP doesn’t mean it’s frugal.

How many times have you purchased something that was cheap, only to have to repurchase a more expensive version after the cheap one broke.

Sometimes we have to spend a little money. The key is knowing what we “need” and what we can forego.

How can Minimalism Change Your Life?

The definition of frugal is “economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful:” 

This is a really nice description of what we are going for. We want to be wise with our resources and use them to the fullest while doing our best to waste NOTHING.

It sounds so pleasant in theory, but once we add in the chaos of daily life we can all accidentally forget about those darn salad greens in the back of the fridge…. yikes.

Not being wasteful can be hard.

That’s why it’s so essential to know what we truly need and what we can do without. 

Frugality at the grocery store

Going back to the salad greens that were forgotten… Knowing what your meal plan is for the week will be one of the best ways to save so much money at the grocery store.

Eating the fresh produce first is an easy way to save money on grocery shopping. It can be hard when the kids are asking for crackers and granola bars, but feed them the grapes first!

Throwing our food in the garbage is going to be a huge budget killer. 

That’s one of the most obvious examples, so we will move on to other ways to practice a frugal lifestyle.

Practice contentment and be aware of influences.

I believe women have a more difficult time with this (in my experience).

This, of course, includes online influences.

I remember I used to watch a youtube channel that was all about frugal tips. It wasn’t until after a while that I noticed she was ALWAYS trying to sell me things. (Use my code to get $20 off!)

Wait… I am here because I’m trying to NOT spend money.

We can really get suckered into this without even realizing it’s happened! 

Do you follow accounts on social media that are encouraging contentment and a simple life? Or are all the people you follow trying to sell you things?

Add in those perfectly suited instagram ads and we’re always thinking we have something we “need” to buy. It’s not easy.

Apart from the online shopping debacle, do you have frugal people in your real life? 

This is always interesting to me. 

I have a handful of friends that are extremely frugal. And some are very well-off, even though you would never know it from their lifestyle. 

And I’ve had friends that I chose to limit their influence in my life, because they are always talking about shopping and buying things. (Literally always)

Even things that were not within their means.  

I’m not saying people who like shopping should be cast aside, but it’s a good idea to be aware of the people you surround yourself with. 

Frugal friends will help you grow in contentment and you will learn so many frugal tips from each other!

It’s a beautifully symbiotic relationship.  Frugal friends tend to be more content, and more content people tend to have a lot of peace and joy in life!

Second-hand shopping for better deals

One of the best frugal living tips is shopping second-hand.

Garage sales, consignment shops, or the thrift store will have many wonderful treasures that may bless your family.

This is such a great way to get the most for your money. I also love how it’s a more “green” option as these items already exist and are just getting a “new life” so to speak.

Most simple things in the household are perfectly fine from the second-hand store. 

And (in my opinion) finding home decor from a yard sale or thrift shop is almost always superior quality to what is found at the local craft store.

Plus, there’s always something so special about finding a beautiful treasure that was cherished by someone else before you had it.

One of my favorite bread bowls has an old piece of tape on the bottom with the previous owner’s signature on it. I smile every time I see it. 

The down side of shopping second-hand is it takes so much energy.

Sometimes we don’t have two weeks to pop into every thrift store in the area to try to find a specific item. Sometimes it seems that our time is more precious than our money. 

Next up in the area of money-saving tips for homemakers is convenience items.

This can be really tricky because sometimes we don’t even realize that we’re buying convenience items! 

For instance, do you purchase taco seasoning? If so, you probably also have all the individual spices to make taco seasoning in the pantry.

This is a small example, but making your own spice mixtures will save you a lot of money in the long run.

What about greeting cards? If you purchase greeting cards for $5 a piece every time you need one, that will add up over time!

I have found on amazon a pack of 200 blank greeting cards for under $20. That’s $0.10 a piece!

Yes, they’re not as fancy as some other cards, but most greeting cards just end up in the garbage eventually. 

If you adore greeting cards and love giving them thoughtfully, then please continue doing so however you wish. This is just a simple example of how we can look anywhere to save a few dollars.

We can also save oodles of money by making our own bread.

Sourdough bread seems to have become a cult lately…. a very delicious cult.

But even using store bought yeast to make homemade bread is incredibly frugal. This article states that an average homemade loaf costs $1.58 including fuel cost. 

Do you buy granola? It can be made very simply and for pennies!

Take note of the things that you’re buying at the store that you could make yourself instead.

In my (small-town and very expensive) grocery store, our favorite bread costs over $5 a loaf.

Do you purchase muffins? Do you buy granola bars? Maybe that’s our challenge for the week; take one item that is usually a convenience item and try a homemade version. 

Some people even make their own laundry detergents and deodorant. If this is you, then I applaud you!! 

We all can continue to grow in areas of our frugal homemaking skills.

What can we go without?

Are there things that can be limited or canceled altogether? Are there any specialty beverages that could be swapped out for simple water?

Instead of stopping at the coffee shop or restaurant, can you make it at home? Treats are great, but these little purchases add up quickly!

Are you in the habit of buying snacks at the gas station? Packing your own snacks will save you lots of money! Plus, then you know what’s in your own food.

Streaming service and Service providers

This is a great time to reassess all of your subscriptions.

If you’re going extremely frugal, you could cancel everything and check at your local library for dvd rentals along with magazines, games, puzzles and books. 

Have you checked with your cell phone provider for a more affordable option? We save a ton of money by using pure talk.

What about your car insurance? My mom told me how she recently saved half on her car insurance simply by switching to a local provider.

These dollars all count!

Saving extra money on these recurring charges will lead to huge savings. 

This isn’t very fun or exciting, but it’s definitely a place that needs regular assessment.

Mending vs Replacing

Let’s talk about fixing things before we discard them and purchase it new.

It is SO EASY to purchase things on amazon. This is a huge blessing and a curse. 

It’s almost too easy!

Sometimes, in the name of being efficient I think I’ll just purchase a new one so we can keep the home running smoothly.

But, taking a moment to watch a few youtube videos about how to repair an item can really go a long way. We just have to invest a little time. (Sometimes our time is more precious than our money, so use your discernment.)

Also, don’t be afraid to ask someone in an older generation for their advice or help with fixing things. I can almost guarantee they will be honored that you are asking for their help. 

My food processor broke a while ago and my grandpa actually fixed it for me. I thought it was a goner, but he made it functional again! 

Do you know how to mend clothing and remove stains?

I am not an expert in this area, but I have learned so much while being a stay-at-home mom. 

What about fixing furniture? Never underestimate the power of a woman with some wood glue and a bottle of spray paint! Ladies, you can do so much more than you think!

Homemakers Taking Dominion in the Home

When you’re on a tight budget, I’d even suggest you join some “frugal homemaking” facebook groups. This can be a great place to ask questions about how to remove stains, fix furniture, or make homemade jam. 

Streamline as much as possible.

It can be very easy to be convinced that we need a specific cleaning product for our shower, and one for our toilets, and yet another for our floors.

What if…. hear me out…. what if we found ONE super great all purpose cleaner that worked well for showers, toilets, laundry stains, and countertop cleaner?

This is possible! Do a little research on a good all-purpose cleaner and it can take the place of a myriad of other “specialized” cleaning products.

This streamlining can be done in many other areas of the home as well.

For instance, how many different forms of cheese does the average person buy? Maybe one huge block would work for all our applications.

What about body wash for the whole family? Do we really need a specialized “kids body wash” and a “men’s body wash” and so on? No, we can find a nice clean soap company that will do great for the whole family.

It will feel like a never-ending cycle if we are always trying to have on hand every specialized product that is available for us!

This is a great time to take a look at what is being used in the home and see how we can streamline the products we consume.

Now, I want to talk about one last thing.

If you haven’t always gotten this right, or if you ended up in credit card debt, don’t get discouraged.

If you feel like you don’t even know where to begin, then just take a deep breath and know it’s all going to be okay!

You will likely get overwhelmed if you try to do everything all at once. Just choose a few places to try and start there.

It can take time to get things back on track, but better now than later, right!? 

It’s going to be in the little things. All those little decisions and little changes we make in our day.

​You are amazing. You can do this!

All of these small things will help us spend less money.

When we have financial goals, we will need to look at every area of our lives to see where we can adjust things to be more frugal.

This will be a lifelong journey!

I hope I’ve given you some great ideas to get your gears turning on some better ways to save money. 

God bless you!

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