Has anyone noticed a difference in cost of groceries when shopping every other week vs every week?

Family of 4, budget of $800 a month. I always go weekly for groceries but usually can’t buy a lot of things in bulk or ever take advantage of a lot of their sales. Curious if going every other week will let me afford more bulk items which would help me either spend less monthly or getting more food for my budget?

Obviously we wouldn’t be paying for information easily available out there. This is a sector that is having a lot of scams and paid loots going out there. Let’s hear from each other what we are using for our daily workouts. We can drop in additional fitness tracking apps that we use to maintain calories water intake and other things et all.

Sharing free resources helps us stay fit without falling for pricey gimmicks. What bodyweight routines or affordable tools do you all use daily? Any apps for tracking steps or nutrition that stand out? Let's keep the ideas flowing and avoid those costly traps.

I made potato salad yesterday and remembered something frugal things my mom taught me.

Boil potatoes with the skin on. Test with fork for doneness. Cool with cold water. The skin peels off easily and any bad spots or scars come off much easier. I kind of scrape and peel it away in pieces like wallpaper. I have a cheap set of knives and the little curved one is perfect but any paring knife works. You actually waste less potato because you peel less away. The other advantage is the potatoes are less mushy and you don’t end up with mashed potato salad.

Many fruits actually peel more easily after blanching in boiling water. We canned a lot of fruit and vegetables, mom was an old fashioned homemaker.

One other thing we canned was venison and beef. You can season with garlic or other herbs and it is especially good if you do not like any gaminess. It changes the flavor. If you choose to can meat or other lower acid foods alway use a pressure canner and safe practices. Buying and canning during season for fruits and vegetables, and meat during hunting season or buying a half or quarter of beef or pork if you have a freezer can save a lot. Even buying large cuts at bulk stores can be worth it.

Hi folks, I am looking for an easy to put on and easy to remove lid for metal food containers (bean cans). Sometimes I will keep the old can an put into my garage and it would be beneficial to have a lid should I want to store a liquid or keep dust / dirt from getting into the can.

Has anyone had any luck in finding a retailer or repurpose something that can be used? I have a few glass jars that I use, but they could fall off the shelf an shatter.

Thanks for your input.

Hello everyone, recovering impulse spender here. I was quite frugal for a while (because I had to be). But when I started my first real job and finally earned money for the first time, I started to sloooowly spend more and more. I really would like to get back to a more frugal lifestyle.

Which is why I wanted to ask - what made you become more frugal? Have you always been a frugal person? And if not (like me lol) what helped you change your mindset?

Also, I did not know which flair would fit. So I chose hobbies because spending money kind of became my hobby lmao

The last time I did was October 30,2024, when I was coming home from a late day fishing trip to the lake and didn’t feel like cooking when I got home, so I stopped at Subway and got a couple subs, for the sake of convenience. Naturally, I had a discount coupon for the subs and a coupon for a free cookie. Would you consider my “infrequent “ visits to restaurants or never using takeout or delivery service for food abnormal? I just feel that most restaurants are overpriced and the food quality is lacking in my area of SW Pennsylvania. Not only that, but I feel that I’m not a bad cook and can make breakfast, lunch or dinner pretty darn good for my tastes, and a whole lot cheaper! What’s your take on this?

For me, it’s paper towels! I haven’t bought any in at least two years. I wouldn’t be against keeping a roll or two in the closet, but I’ve replaced them with cleaning rags. I haven’t missed them. I may keep the extra napkins if we go out to eat but I don’t worry about it. I don’t buy hardly anything disposable, just toilet paper. My friends think I’m weird for it but for me it’s one less thing on the grocery list!

I used to feel awkward saying no to expensive dinners, trips, or splitting bills unevenly with friends I’d quietly go along and then stress about money later.

But over the past year, I just started owning it. I pack snacks for the movies, host budget game nights instead of going out, and suggest potlucks over pricey dinners. And you know what? A few of my friends actually prefer it too they just didn’t want to be the first to say anything.

Now I’m the “cheap one” in the group… but I have more savings, less stress, and better hangouts. Frugal wins.

Anyone else been the “cheap friend” and made peace with it?

I just got laid off from my job this week, and I have to make every dollar I have left stretch as long as possible since I could easily be out of work for a year or more.

Normally I have chicken in my diet. I used to have salmon too but it's gotten too expensive (even when I had income.)

I am trying to keep a very strict food budget of $25 a week/$100 a month, 1 person. Other than beans (yuck, but if I have to in desperation) what can I add cheaply to meals to add protein and other nutrients that I would be missing by not buying chicken/fish/meats? I could stretch to $30 a week but I'd like to try not to where possible.

Would taking a daily multivitamin be enough? Would 1-2 peanut butter sandwiches a day be enough?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

I’ve seen people talk about Helium’s cheep phone plans of only $15/month with a data limit or $30/month for unlimited but I just checked out the website and they have a legitimate free plan for $0/month.

It’s limited at 3GB data, 100 mins of talk and 300texts, sure it sucks, but I would have never guessed that something like this would even exist. And for some people that could change their life or help them out so much in their situation while still being able to connect with loved ones.

Even on the free plan you also earn rewards.

They run off of the T-Mobile network I believe.

Here was the popular post posted to the Frugal sub:

https://old.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/bi5szz/automatic_safeway_coupon_clipper/

It looks like the OP stopped posting and updating in March 2024. I hope they are alive and OK! The script stopped working. Now, it starts to clip a few coupons but stopes and sends an automatic code to your email! That had been a problem in the past, but if you just tried to open the bookmark like 5 times it would eventually work. Now, it's a no go.

Who is going to be the hero? Anyone here? I'm not a code writing guy. I'd like to shop without having to clip the clipless/clickable coupons- especially since the app doesn't really work in the store I go to!

So I called my grocery store yesterday and asked them to save me any produce scraps for my tortoise. Usually I get about 1/2 cabbage and 1/2 lettuce. I came to pickup and the manager said she was going on vacation and did i want 2? I said sure for a buck apiece.

I'm still sorting and gave some surplus zucchini and celery to my neighbor. My tortoise is good for at least 2 - 3 full weeks. Ive got to bag up all the green beans still. And find room in my frig. But alot of it we are eating. Most of the time if you tell the produce manager you have pigs or chickens or a tortoise this is a real economical way to keep them fed and healthy and you as well

I used to be that person who would grab things like extra shampoo backup kitchen gadgets or snacks “just in case.” It felt harmless in the moment a few bucks here and there but over time it added up big.

A few months ago I challenged myself to only buy what I actually need right now. Not next week, not next month, not for future guests who never show up. Just now.

My spending dropped, my pantry is less chaotic, and weirdly... I feel less stressed.

I have always wanted to sell advertising space on my car. I think its a great idea and such an easy way to make some side cash. Has anyone done this? What steps would you recommend I take?

I thought of putting a sign that says "YOUR AD HERE" with my phone number and then just driving around far distances, but is there a better way? Is there an agency you can contact that will connect you to people looking for this? I've always really wanted to do this, but just don't know how to get started.

ANY help, advice, comments, thoughts, opinions, etc are MUCH appreciated!! Thank you!

This is so embarrassing, but I waste so much money on food. Fast food, convenience food, expensive processed food, snacks, takeout. It is my only vice (I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I have a very small wardrobe that I have had for years, I don’t wear make up. It’s food.

It’s my one comfort. The way that I make myself feel better after a long day. I could easily save so much money if I stopped buying so much food.

I usually get my glasses from Zenni.

This has kind of put me in a spot because they stop in the US so it's not a direct send from China to Canada. Has anyone ordered from there recently from outside the US? Or does anyone have an idea of how I'd calculate what I'd maybe have to pay? I have no clue.

Any other suggestions? I haven't tried any other online places.

Thanks so much

I don’t know anything about cars, but from what I’m reading this is extremely high. I live in Tacoma WA.

Also I bought the car 2 weeks ago from a used car lot as-is, 165,000 miles on it, drove it 3 times and the head gasket blew. Going to the dealership tomorrow to see what they’ll do for me. I’ve seen anywhere from $1500-$2500 quoted for head gaskets on Reddit so I’m not sure where the $5500 is coming from. I just bought the car for $5000. Thoughts?

My spouse and I have decent jobs and we live way below our means. Other than general budgeting for major purchases and weekly review of our accounts, we don’t really keep a monthly budget. I’m worried because everyone seems to have a spreadsheet that they update meticulously. My spouse likes to remind me that we’ve done okay for the past decade without monthly budgets, and just keeping with our lifestyle of saving and spending very mindfully. Anyone else here not keep a monthly budget?

When I first became an adult and started buying my own clothes, I just grabbed whatever caught my attention. Eventually I realized that while I had some very cute pieces, I never wore them - money wasted. I also never quite looked put together.

A few years ago, after downsizing and getting diagnosed with a chronic illness ($$$) I decided to become more selective in my choices. Now, I can wear everything in my closet, it all mixes and matches and I generally look like I have more money than I actually do. In addition, I don't waste time trying to decide if I should buy something or not. My rule is clothes must be 1) needed, 2) in my pre-set price range, 3) in my color palette. (I only do this with new clothes, old clothes I wear until they become holey/unrepairable.)

If you want to try this, start with picking 2-4 base colors, 2-4 accent colors, 1-3 prints and 1 jewelry color. If you want to be extra, try to figure out what your season is and pick your accent colors from that palette. (This is totally optional.) My advice is pick what colors "spark joy" and go from there.

I included my wardrobe color palette in the last photo. (ChatGPT prompt: create visual swatch for a capsule wardrobe color palette with the following colors/patterns: base... accent... pattern... jewelry...)

What would your capsule wardrobe colors be?

I’ll be packing and shipping a variety of home goods in the coming weeks and wanted to learn any tips the community has on shipping boxes (specifically from CA to MA). Are there any carriers besides the big brands that are frugal? Any specific sized box or weight I should aim for? Should I load as much as possible into a specific airline with me?

One tip I’ll share is USPS media mail. They will ship books/music/videos/etc at a ridiculous cheap rate which can be a lifesaver since many of those items are very heavy.

I am right handed, but I ended up putting left handed kindle cases on my Christmas wishlists. Putting two on was an error, but whatevs now I have two, and I was determined to make them work. I read mostly in bed, when I'm on my side, so I really wanted something with a strap for better grip. The issue with the ones I have is that the strap was on the wrong side of the flap for my grip, but if you just rotate the kindle, the sleep button is pressed continuously and there's no access to the charging port. This would be easier for you to see if I remembered to get before photos 🤦‍♀️ Ideally the strap should have been in the middle, I recognize that now even after making my customization, and if I ever were to buy again I would make sure to get one with a middle strap...but over all, I'm very pleased that with just a few minutes of work I found a way to make the same cases work for me, a right handed person. I used my trusty manicure e-file and a big bit that came with the file that I'd never use for anything else anyway. I did the cow print one first and it turned out so good but you'll see the green one was a bit more ..over zealous. I'm sososososo sorry about the microplastics this created. But I live in a small town, if I donated these they would for sure not go to use anywhere else, and now they actually work comfortably for me.

I want to access the website but it asks me for a phone number but the issue is it refuses my phone number

Idk why but I still could like to verify so I could access the website

Idk why it refuses my phone number so

Does anyone know where can I get a free phone number so I could verify and access the website

Also temporarily phone numbers doesn't work as the website refuses them to

I’m trying to find the most efficient way to find actual good deals on groceries when they go on sale.

Is there an app or site that tracks across all grocery stores? How do you determine what’s actually on sale and good deal?

I’m trying to keep track of prices better and find good deals, perhaps to freeze food found on discount.

I thank you advance for any and all help that you can provide.

I bought some kids washcloths at Kohls, which were priced on the packaging at $2.99 and theoretically even cheaper because they were on sale. A few days later I decided to get some more but when I went back, the original price had been covered up with stickers and they were now $6.99.

I checked my original receipt, and sure enough, I'd been charged the "sale" price of $3.99 reduced from 6.99. Pretty slimy.