What's the most frugal thing you do?

[Dicey]

My actually most frugal choices are earlier in the thread but I have a new one. With the unusually brutal heat this summer I have hit a limit on how much plain water I can enjoy drinking.

I recently found certain blond fruit-forward coffees shaken with ice to chill yield both a chilled coffee shot for morning latte purposes & a surprisingly palatable coffee-perfumed water from the reserved ice melt. I have also taken to drinking the water I use to rinse the blender after fruit smoothies. Each ends up with a nice aromatic component & preserves the enjoyment of the chilled water used to make the initial drinks. I have joked that it's homemade flat La Croix (having never tried La Croix.)

Yours is better, I promise you.

[Scandium]

Working on chores/money lessons. I offered my kids $0.25 if they unload the dishwasher. But now I find myself trying to do it so I don't have to pay them..
I may be doing this wrong

[Freedomin5]

Working on chores/money lessons. I offered my kids $0.25 if they unload the dishwasher. But now I find myself trying to do it so I don't have to pay them..
I may be doing this wrong

This sounds like an MPP to me 😂

[Just Joe]

Reworking our screened in porch. Reusing most of the 2x4s so sanding all the old wood which is weathered but solid. Did need to replace a few pieces. Correcting mistakes and sloppy workmanship by someone before us.

Cheap compared to hiring this project out. This is how we live life. DIY as much as we can so we can keep our money invested/banked.

[Metalcat]

Reworking our screened in porch. Reusing most of the 2x4s so sanding all the old wood which is weathered but solid. Did need to replace a few pieces. Correcting mistakes and sloppy workmanship by someone before us.

Cheap compared to hiring this project out. This is how we live life. DIY as much as we can so we can keep our money invested/banked.

Having lost a lot of my ability to DIY, I feel this. I've spent stupid amounts on money outsourcing projects that I really would have preferred to do myself.

[rosarugosa]

Working on chores/money lessons. I offered my kids $0.25 if they unload the dishwasher. But now I find myself trying to do it so I don't have to pay them..
I may be doing this wrong

This is hilarious!

[rocketpj]

I'm a boat maniac, love boats, want to own boats.  Used to own boats, worked on boats etc etc. 

My frugal way to deal with that very nonfrugal wish is to volunteer with Search & Rescue.  I get to go out on boats all the time, training twice a week.  I get to go really fast on boats sometimes.  I get all kinds of training and certifications paid for.  I get to help people.  I get a nice tax break for being a volunteer first responder (Canada).

I'm FI but still working so can't justify owning a boat (made that mistake before).  When I do choose to retire I will buy a boat, and be extremely well qualified to use it. 

The icing on the cake is that there is a lot of casual and/or professional marine work around here, and all the certifications and experience I've accumulated through volunteering would make me a walk-on for many of those jobs - which I would enjoy as a post-retirement cash bump.  Happy water taxi operator at your service ;)

[Dicey]

I'm a boat maniac, love boats, want to own boats.  Used to own boats, worked on boats etc etc. 

My frugal way to deal with that very nonfrugal wish is to volunteer with Search & Rescue.  I get to go out on boats all the time, training twice a week.  I get to go really fast on boats sometimes.  I get all kinds of training and certifications paid for.  I get to help people.  I get a nice tax break for being a volunteer first responder (Canada).

I'm FI but still working so can't justify owning a boat (made that mistake before).  When I do choose to retire I will buy a boat, and be extremely well qualified to use it. 

The icing on the cake is that there is a lot of casual and/or professional marine work around here, and all the certifications and experience I've accumulated through volunteering would make me a walk-on for many of those jobs - which I would enjoy as a post-retirement cash bump.  Happy water taxi operator at your service ;)

I know a guy who had a similar love of boats. Post-FIRE, he took a "fun" job selling yachts, which was less fun than he'd hoped. He pivoted when he noticed a lot of people have more money than boat sense. Many people wrecked their boats before the new boat smell wore off. He started training people how to safely operate their boats. He had acquired all the necessary certifications through the Coast Guard along the way. He started writing a boat safety column in a respected boating publication, and quickly established himself as the "go-to" guy for boating safety. Now, people pay him very good money to teach them how to to use their very fancy boats, at their expense. He gets paid to do what he loves without the cost of owning and operating his own boat. Genius!

[Verdure]

Probably the most frugal thing (as in the thing that saves us the most money) I’ve done is buying a house that has more than met our needs for well under what we could afford back in 2008 and never upgrading.

But a piddly frugal thing I do that I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread (though maybe I missed it) is use a menstrual cup. I am big on avoiding disposable items in general, and specifically I think this is far superior to any other period product I’ve used.

[EchoStache]

I suppose if I had to choose what is *THE* most frugal thing I do, it would be paying attention(to income and expenses).

Not sure I've seen this mentioned, buy staying healthy(through physical activity and a generally healthy diet) is quite frugal.  At 52, I can run, jump, skip, hop, do pull-ups, pushups, jump over things, pickup heavy things, sit on the floor and stand back up, get in and out of cars easily, squat to full depth and stand back up, and am the strongest person I know.  I don't have to take medication for a sedentary lifestyle that results in obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, etc etc etc.  Good health is frugal!

Important disclaimer: I'm fully aware that some medical conditions are beyond our control; I am extremely grateful that I have no such issues, and sympathize greatly with those who are not so blessed.

[Metalcat]

I suppose if I had to choose what is *THE* most frugal thing I do, it would be paying attention(to income and expenses).

Not sure I've seen this mentioned, buy staying healthy(through physical activity and a generally healthy diet) is quite frugal.  At 52, I can run, jump, skip, hop, do pull-ups, pushups, jump over things, pickup heavy things, sit on the floor and stand back up, get in and out of cars easily, squat to full depth and stand back up, and am the strongest person I know.  I don't have to take medication for a sedentary lifestyle that results in obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, etc etc etc.  Good health is frugal!

Important disclaimer: I'm fully aware that some medical conditions are beyond our control; I am extremely grateful that I have no such issues, and sympathize greatly with those who are not so blessed.

This stands for us sick cripples too though, we actually need to take really good care of ourselves even moreso than you able-bodied folks because we can't get away with shit the way you folks can.

The stakes for me maintaining a healthy lifestyle are much, much higher than they are for able-bodied folks, like, high blood pressure is bad for everyone, but in my family, high blood pressure creates enormous risk of sudden death due to spontaneous, catastrophic internal bleeding. My mom, at 64, just lost a 5th of her brain to this because her BP was high for a few weeks.

So yeah, we folks who aren't so blessed may have a harder time maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but the stakes for not doing so are often much, much higher.

I understand that wasn't your point when you mentioned us sick and mangled folks who aren't so blessed, and what you were trying to say was that you understand that lifestyle can't stave off everything.

However, I always get a little prickly about how people talk about the sick and injured, as if the exact same logic doesn't apply to us. As if the work of exquisitely taking care of a body doesn't continue just because part (or parts) of that body doesn't work optimally.

Again, not trying to pick on you in particular, I just work with folks with serious health issues, so I deal with this kind of toxic messaging and internalized self-image every day, hence why I'm prickly about it.

[BECABECA]

The most frugal thing I do is that I view possessions as obligations. Obvious ones like if I decide to have a car again or own a house again, I’ll be on the hook to maintain it. But this extends to the less obvious like a new small electronic device or another article of clothing. Do I get enough joy and utility out of a possession to make it worth my time and effort maintaining it, storing it, and eventually moving with it. I really started seeing everything like this after a year of backpacking around the world, but now that I’m back and living in very small spaces, I’m hesitant to inflate my possessions again.

[Kris]

I suppose if I had to choose what is *THE* most frugal thing I do, it would be paying attention(to income and expenses).

Not sure I've seen this mentioned, buy staying healthy(through physical activity and a generally healthy diet) is quite frugal.  At 52, I can run, jump, skip, hop, do pull-ups, pushups, jump over things, pickup heavy things, sit on the floor and stand back up, get in and out of cars easily, squat to full depth and stand back up, and am the strongest person I know.  I don't have to take medication for a sedentary lifestyle that results in obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, etc etc etc.  Good health is frugal!

Important disclaimer: I'm fully aware that some medical conditions are beyond our control; I am extremely grateful that I have no such issues, and sympathize greatly with those who are not so blessed.

At 57, I sure feel this. I am the only person around my age I know who doesn’t take any medications. I feel incredibly lucky.

[Just Joe]

Reworking our screened in porch. Reusing most of the 2x4s so sanding all the old wood which is weathered but solid. Did need to replace a few pieces. Correcting mistakes and sloppy workmanship by someone before us.

Cheap compared to hiring this project out. This is how we live life. DIY as much as we can so we can keep our money invested/banked.

Having lost a lot of my ability to DIY, I feel this. I've spent stupid amounts on money outsourcing projects that I really would have preferred to do myself.

Well, if you were our neighbor, we'd come over and help you with your projects! Honestly - we socialize around DIY work and chores with some friends.

[Metalcat]

Reworking our screened in porch. Reusing most of the 2x4s so sanding all the old wood which is weathered but solid. Did need to replace a few pieces. Correcting mistakes and sloppy workmanship by someone before us.

Cheap compared to hiring this project out. This is how we live life. DIY as much as we can so we can keep our money invested/banked.

Having lost a lot of my ability to DIY, I feel this. I've spent stupid amounts on money outsourcing projects that I really would have preferred to do myself.

Well, if you were our neighbor, we'd come over and help you with your projects! Honestly - we socialize around DIY work and chores with some friends.

Thankfully, I'm mostly living in Newfoundland where a lot of neighbours will help out. My one neighbour built me a deck because he was bored.

But I had an extension built, and there were absolutely stages of the work that were I able-bodied, I would have done myself, but just had the contractor do.

Granted, the contractor is *also* a neighbour who frequently comes by to do things for me for free that I can't do for myself, so there's that.

[EchoStache]

I suppose if I had to choose what is *THE* most frugal thing I do, it would be paying attention(to income and expenses).

Not sure I've seen this mentioned, buy staying healthy(through physical activity and a generally healthy diet) is quite frugal.  At 52, I can run, jump, skip, hop, do pull-ups, pushups, jump over things, pickup heavy things, sit on the floor and stand back up, get in and out of cars easily, squat to full depth and stand back up, and am the strongest person I know.  I don't have to take medication for a sedentary lifestyle that results in obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, etc etc etc.  Good health is frugal!

Important disclaimer: I'm fully aware that some medical conditions are beyond our control; I am extremely grateful that I have no such issues, and sympathize greatly with those who are not so blessed.

This stands for us sick cripples too though, we actually need to take really good care of ourselves even moreso than you able-bodied folks because we can't get away with shit the way you folks can.

The stakes for me maintaining a healthy lifestyle are much, much higher than they are for able-bodied folks, like, high blood pressure is bad for everyone, but in my family, high blood pressure creates enormous risk of sudden death due to spontaneous, catastrophic internal bleeding. My mom, at 64, just lost a 5th of her brain to this because her BP was high for a few weeks.

So yeah, we folks who aren't so blessed may have a harder time maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but the stakes for not doing so are often much, much higher.

I understand that wasn't your point when you mentioned us sick and mangled folks who aren't so blessed, and what you were trying to say was that you understand that lifestyle can't stave off everything.

However, I always get a little prickly about how people talk about the sick and injured, as if the exact same logic doesn't apply to us. As if the work of exquisitely taking care of a body doesn't continue just because part (or parts) of that body doesn't work optimally.

Again, not trying to pick on you in particular, I just work with folks with serious health issues, so I deal with this kind of toxic messaging and internalized self-image every day, hence why I'm prickly about it.

Thank you for sharing your perspective.  Hadn't thought about situations such as yours where not only do you have health issue that is not lifestyle related, but that a healthy lifestyle is perhaps even more critical for you!

In my line of work, most of the sick, unhealthy people I see have chosen to be so.  Helps me be more determined that I won't choose to be unhealthy.

[Metalcat]

I suppose if I had to choose what is *THE* most frugal thing I do, it would be paying attention(to income and expenses).

Not sure I've seen this mentioned, buy staying healthy(through physical activity and a generally healthy diet) is quite frugal.  At 52, I can run, jump, skip, hop, do pull-ups, pushups, jump over things, pickup heavy things, sit on the floor and stand back up, get in and out of cars easily, squat to full depth and stand back up, and am the strongest person I know.  I don't have to take medication for a sedentary lifestyle that results in obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, etc etc etc.  Good health is frugal!

Important disclaimer: I'm fully aware that some medical conditions are beyond our control; I am extremely grateful that I have no such issues, and sympathize greatly with those who are not so blessed.

This stands for us sick cripples too though, we actually need to take really good care of ourselves even moreso than you able-bodied folks because we can't get away with shit the way you folks can.

The stakes for me maintaining a healthy lifestyle are much, much higher than they are for able-bodied folks, like, high blood pressure is bad for everyone, but in my family, high blood pressure creates enormous risk of sudden death due to spontaneous, catastrophic internal bleeding. My mom, at 64, just lost a 5th of her brain to this because her BP was high for a few weeks.

So yeah, we folks who aren't so blessed may have a harder time maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but the stakes for not doing so are often much, much higher.

I understand that wasn't your point when you mentioned us sick and mangled folks who aren't so blessed, and what you were trying to say was that you understand that lifestyle can't stave off everything.

However, I always get a little prickly about how people talk about the sick and injured, as if the exact same logic doesn't apply to us. As if the work of exquisitely taking care of a body doesn't continue just because part (or parts) of that body doesn't work optimally.

Again, not trying to pick on you in particular, I just work with folks with serious health issues, so I deal with this kind of toxic messaging and internalized self-image every day, hence why I'm prickly about it.

Thank you for sharing your perspective.  Hadn't thought about situations such as yours where not only do you have health issue that is not lifestyle related, but that a healthy lifestyle is perhaps even more critical for you!

In my line of work, most of the sick, unhealthy people I see have chosen to be so.  Helps me be more determined that I won't choose to be unhealthy.

Yeah, I categorize this as "compulsory" vs "elective" health.

Compulsory health is what you don't have control over. I don't have control over the fact that my blood vessels are made of tissue paper and tend to tear for no reason, which is super deadly. But to a large degree, blood pressure falls under the elective health category, meaning it's heavily determined by lifestyle for a lot of folks. So while I can't do anything to improve the integrity of my blood vessels, I can do everything in my power to prevent my blood pressure from rising, which radically lowers the chances of spontaneous, catastrophic internal bleeding.

My 64 year old mom lost a fifth of her brain to one of these bleeds because she didn't take her rising blood pressure seriously enough.

How much of someone's condition is compulsory and how much is elective? That's actually really complex and pretty much unanswerable at any kind of granular level, but yeah, for folks with a high compulsory morbidity, like me, elective health becomes SO MUCH more important.

I work with a lot of people with compulsory illness, and trust me, they're just as motivating to take care of my elective health as the folks whose only health issues are lifestyle. Because the otherwise healthy folks who have almost pure lifestyle/elective illness are doing orders of magnitude better than the folks with serious compulsory problems who aren't taking care of themselves.

The average 64 year old with high blood pressure for year isn't going to lose a fifth of their brain.

[deborah]

I suppose if I had to choose what is *THE* most frugal thing I do, it would be paying attention(to income and expenses).

Not sure I've seen this mentioned, buy staying healthy(through physical activity and a generally healthy diet) is quite frugal.  At 52, I can run, jump, skip, hop, do pull-ups, pushups, jump over things, pickup heavy things, sit on the floor and stand back up, get in and out of cars easily, squat to full depth and stand back up, and am the strongest person I know.  I don't have to take medication for a sedentary lifestyle that results in obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, etc etc etc.  Good health is frugal!

Important disclaimer: I'm fully aware that some medical conditions are beyond our control; I am extremely grateful that I have no such issues, and sympathize greatly with those who are not so blessed.

This stands for us sick cripples too though, we actually need to take really good care of ourselves even moreso than you able-bodied folks because we can't get away with shit the way you folks can.

The stakes for me maintaining a healthy lifestyle are much, much higher than they are for able-bodied folks, like, high blood pressure is bad for everyone, but in my family, high blood pressure creates enormous risk of sudden death due to spontaneous, catastrophic internal bleeding. My mom, at 64, just lost a 5th of her brain to this because her BP was high for a few weeks.

So yeah, we folks who aren't so blessed may have a harder time maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but the stakes for not doing so are often much, much higher.

I understand that wasn't your point when you mentioned us sick and mangled folks who aren't so blessed, and what you were trying to say was that you understand that lifestyle can't stave off everything.

However, I always get a little prickly about how people talk about the sick and injured, as if the exact same logic doesn't apply to us. As if the work of exquisitely taking care of a body doesn't continue just because part (or parts) of that body doesn't work optimally.

Again, not trying to pick on you in particular, I just work with folks with serious health issues, so I deal with this kind of toxic messaging and internalized self-image every day, hence why I'm prickly about it.

Thank you for sharing your perspective.  Hadn't thought about situations such as yours where not only do you have health issue that is not lifestyle related, but that a healthy lifestyle is perhaps even more critical for you!

In my line of work, most of the sick, unhealthy people I see have chosen to be so.  Helps me be more determined that I won't choose to be unhealthy.

Yes, I guess I chose to be unhealthy, but it's extremely difficult to change once you are! And I'm not sure that I ever realised that I chose to be unhealthy - it was just a natural pathway that seemed to be the way to do life.

In primary school, I was the worst at games in my class, and I was encouraged to learn piano instead of going to PE classes. I was bright, so I was encouraged to read rather than to exercise, to go to university, and to get a job where I worked from a desk, rather than to be active. At any point, I suppose I could have chosen to try to do physical things, but being laughed at each time for any effort I made tended to put a damper on everything, and being female, physical activities were not seen as the sorts of things girls did! My job required long hours, and I was on call, so I was regularly woken up in the middle of the night by work. Despite people looking at an obese person and considering them as a lesser form of humanity, I felt I contributed greatly to our society.

So by the time I retired I was obese and unhealthy - one of the people you despise. Over the years since retirement, I have tried. Really tried. I lost a lot of weight and kept it off for 10 years, which is a miracle, since about 85% of people who try and actually lose weight put it back on within 5 years. I was still obese, and needed to lose more, but I couldn't manage to lose more. Despite this, I have struggled all the time to keep off the weight I lost. I'm pretty impressed with myself that I've largely succeeded where 85% fail.

In October, I had covid, and I've had long covid ever since. As a result I have been unable to exercise and go to the gym, lost a lot of the concentration needed to keep off weight, and have put back on half the weight I kept off for 10 years. I'm pretty upset by that. However, in the past month I've been able to access a long covid recovery clinic and I now have some help in turning my current problems around.

I don't think I've really chosen to be unhealthy, and I don't think many people really do.

[Just Joe]

Reworking our screened in porch. Reusing most of the 2x4s so sanding all the old wood which is weathered but solid. Did need to replace a few pieces. Correcting mistakes and sloppy workmanship by someone before us.

Cheap compared to hiring this project out. This is how we live life. DIY as much as we can so we can keep our money invested/banked.

Having lost a lot of my ability to DIY, I feel this. I've spent stupid amounts on money outsourcing projects that I really would have preferred to do myself.

Well, if you were our neighbor, we'd come over and help you with your projects! Honestly - we socialize around DIY work and chores with some friends.

Thankfully, I'm mostly living in Newfoundland where a lot of neighbours will help out. My one neighbour built me a deck because he was bored.

But I had an extension built, and there were absolutely stages of the work that were I able-bodied, I would have done myself, but just had the contractor do.

Granted, the contractor is *also* a neighbour who frequently comes by to do things for me for free that I can't do for myself, so there's that.

Sounds like you have a great community!

[Metalcat]

Reworking our screened in porch. Reusing most of the 2x4s so sanding all the old wood which is weathered but solid. Did need to replace a few pieces. Correcting mistakes and sloppy workmanship by someone before us.

Cheap compared to hiring this project out. This is how we live life. DIY as much as we can so we can keep our money invested/banked.

Having lost a lot of my ability to DIY, I feel this. I've spent stupid amounts on money outsourcing projects that I really would have preferred to do myself.

Well, if you were our neighbor, we'd come over and help you with your projects! Honestly - we socialize around DIY work and chores with some friends.

Thankfully, I'm mostly living in Newfoundland where a lot of neighbours will help out. My one neighbour built me a deck because he was bored.

But I had an extension built, and there were absolutely stages of the work that were I able-bodied, I would have done myself, but just had the contractor do.

Granted, the contractor is *also* a neighbour who frequently comes by to do things for me for free that I can't do for myself, so there's that.

Sounds like you have a great community!

Newfoundland is world famous for its people, that's a huge part of why I chose to live out here.

Well that and I could buy a house for, like, a tenth of the average price of a house in the city I was in.

[spartana]

I'm pretty minimalistic and frugal by nature - although I just call it "the way I live that makes me happiest". But probably the biggest thing is being car-free for several years now. I generally can walk or bike anywhere I need. Still have never taken an Uber or Lyft. I also don't like spending much time in front of a screen - whether online or TV - so dont have a computer or laptop or home internet or TV subscriptions.  I do have a tv (and an antenna) but very limited reception so use it to watch (free!) DVDs from the library. Use a cheap pay-as-you-go Tracfone for my limited online stuff. Do almost all everything DIY while I have the skills and ability. 

All that stuff saves money but being car-free is the biggest cost saver I believe.

[RelaxedGal]

Probably the most frugal thing (as in the thing that saves us the most money) I’ve done is buying a house that has more than met our needs for well under what we could afford back in 2008 and never upgrading.

But a piddly frugal thing I do that I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread (though maybe I missed it) is use a menstrual cup. I am big on avoiding disposable items in general, and specifically I think this is far superior to any other period product I’ve used.

Came here to say buying our house 20 years ago and never upgrading was my #1 most frugal thing.

I'm not sure the menstrual cup is my second most frugal move, but I definitely agree it's the most comfortable solution I've found (though the first cycle was weird and I wasn't sure I was doing it right; I'm glad I tried again)

[Jack0Life]

Last year, I sneakily moved the thermostat from 79 to 80. Wife complained about it but ended up being used to 80.
This year, I installed some fans around the house and now it's sitting at 81 and after a few complains, wife let it go.
The fans will paid itself by the end of the summer.
We live in Florida.

[Omy]

Won't divorce cost more than you're saving on electric bills?

[jinga nation]

Last year, I sneakily moved the thermostat from 79 to 80. Wife complained about it but ended up being used to 80.
This year, I installed some fans around the house and now it's sitting at 81 and after a few complains, wife let it go.
The fans will paid itself by the end of the summer.
We live in Florida.

Fellow Floridian here. Have had fans in all rooms in my current and prior homes since 2009. Removing carpet and putting in solid flooring (tile/laminate/wood) improved air circulation. Having low ceilings (8') in my prior home and then replacing old windows with low-E hurricane-rated models was another boost. We went from running the house at 76F to 78F by changing flooring. Then 78F to 79F to 80F during the day with the low-E windows, 79F at night. Sleeping with a light sheet instead of heavy blankets in the summer. Sleeping with windows open in spring/winter/fall. The human body is amazing at adapting to new temps within a decent range.

[jinga nation]

I have recently started making oatmilk to use in my coffee. I estimate my cost at $0.50 per week, so much less than purchasing oat or cow's milk and I know exactly what I'm drinking.

What method do you use? I'm interested.

We make our own plain yogurt from whole milk, every couple of days. So simple.

[Just Joe]

Yes, come spring and fall, we live with the house open as much as we are able. In the spring as the temps begin to climb, I set the thermostat to say 75F. Just enough to make the system run occasionally and to manage any humidity. It helps with DW's allergies. I might get up early and open the patio door to let the cool air into the house if DW is okay with that.

Then as summer arrives, I bump the thermostat up bit by bit until in the peak heat, the temp is about 80F b/c the weather is hot enough to cause the a/c to come on often enough to keep the humidity out of the house. Paired with fans as other folks have already detailed - it works.

I have to keep an eye on the upstairs thermostat b/c our eldest will arrive at home all sweaty from fun or work and turn down the thermostat to 74F and forget about it. Don't want to pay for that a/c system to run continuously. I complain and warn them to leave it alone and to use a fan or go watch TV in the basement for 30+ minutes. It is always cool down there.

[GuitarStv]

Yes, come spring and fall, we live with the house open as much as we are able. In the spring as the temps begin to climb, I set the thermostat to say 75F. Just enough to make the system run occasionally and to manage any humidity. It helps with DW's allergies. I might get up early and open the patio door to let the cool air into the house if DW is okay with that.

Then as summer arrives, I bump the thermostat up bit by bit until in the peak heat, the temp is about 80F b/c the weather is hot enough to cause the a/c to come on often enough to keep the humidity out of the house. Paired with fans as other folks have already detailed - it works.

I have to keep an eye on the upstairs thermostat b/c our eldest will arrive at home all sweaty from fun or work and turn down the thermostat to 74F and forget about it. Don't want to pay for that a/c system to run continuously. I complain and warn them to leave it alone and to use a fan or go watch TV in the basement for 30+ minutes. It is always cool down there.

We do the same in spring and fall as much as possible.  Unfortunately, the city of Toronto and Toronto Police Services both stopped enforcing noise complaints from house parties about seven years ago.

We have a large population of people around here who like to have large multi-day weddings (usually between 2 and 6 days long).  So from spring to fall, about once a month at random houses around our suburb there will be a multi-day/multi-night wedding where between 50 - 150 people will crowd into a house and yard, play drums outside (snare, kick, and multiple hand drums), and blast extremely loud music that make it impossible to keep windows open.  Sometimes they'll stop late in the evening, and sometimes they just go straight through until morning.  With no enforcement of noise laws, it's up to whatever they think is appropriate.

[crocheted_stache]

water-only haircare

Me too!!! My hair is in amazing shape since starting no shampoo 5-6 years ago and I have saved so much money/bathroom clutter.

I’m literally afraid to use shampoo or conditioner since my scalp does the job so well now and I don’t want to mess up the balance it has achieved.

It's crazy how much easier my hair is since giving up hair products. It used to be frizzy and difficult and require heat styling to not look stupid. Now it's always soft, shiny, and super manageable. If it looks stupid, I just need to wet it and put it where I want it to be and then it just dries nicely there.

My scalp used to be an asshole too because I have psoriasis, but now it's usually fine.

How is this done, and how long does it take to achieve this magical balance? Shampoo in general seems to cause various sensitivities for me, in ways that weren't previously a problem. Inspired by this post, I tried just skipping it the last few days, and I'm itching less, but my hair just isn't handling right. Feel free to refer me to the existing resource(s) I should be consulting on the subject. It's a new one on me.

[Metalcat]

water-only haircare

Me too!!! My hair is in amazing shape since starting no shampoo 5-6 years ago and I have saved so much money/bathroom clutter.

I’m literally afraid to use shampoo or conditioner since my scalp does the job so well now and I don’t want to mess up the balance it has achieved.

It's crazy how much easier my hair is since giving up hair products. It used to be frizzy and difficult and require heat styling to not look stupid. Now it's always soft, shiny, and super manageable. If it looks stupid, I just need to wet it and put it where I want it to be and then it just dries nicely there.

My scalp used to be an asshole too because I have psoriasis, but now it's usually fine.

How is this done, and how long does it take to achieve this magical balance? Shampoo in general seems to cause various sensitivities for me, in ways that weren't previously a problem. Inspired by this post, I tried just skipping it the last few days, and I'm itching less, but my hair just isn't handling right. Feel free to refer me to the existing resource(s) I should be consulting on the subject. It's a new one on me.

There's some thread about it where I explain the process, I just can't remember where exactly. But you can look into any online resource for transitioning to "Water Only"  haircare.

The two key concepts you need to know are:
1: Clarifying, you absolutely MUST remove the silicones from your hair because they fuck with the natural oils
2: Transition, it takes everyone a different length of time to transition from greasy hair oil to more waxy hair oil, and that's the stuff that makes hair super soft, thick, and manageable

[Siebrie]

I pick up coins in the street, and the return odd bottle to the supermarket for a refund, and put all that money in a separate tin. Once every 2 years I have enough for a theatre ticket :)
I started doing this when I was a student, and just continued.

[Just Joe]

Yes, come spring and fall, we live with the house open as much as we are able. In the spring as the temps begin to climb, I set the thermostat to say 75F. Just enough to make the system run occasionally and to manage any humidity. It helps with DW's allergies. I might get up early and open the patio door to let the cool air into the house if DW is okay with that.

Then as summer arrives, I bump the thermostat up bit by bit until in the peak heat, the temp is about 80F b/c the weather is hot enough to cause the a/c to come on often enough to keep the humidity out of the house. Paired with fans as other folks have already detailed - it works.

I have to keep an eye on the upstairs thermostat b/c our eldest will arrive at home all sweaty from fun or work and turn down the thermostat to 74F and forget about it. Don't want to pay for that a/c system to run continuously. I complain and warn them to leave it alone and to use a fan or go watch TV in the basement for 30+ minutes. It is always cool down there.

We do the same in spring and fall as much as possible.  Unfortunately, the city of Toronto and Toronto Police Services both stopped enforcing noise complaints from house parties about seven years ago.

We have a large population of people around here who like to have large multi-day weddings (usually between 2 and 6 days long).  So from spring to fall, about once a month at random houses around our suburb there will be a multi-day/multi-night wedding where between 50 - 150 people will crowd into a house and yard, play drums outside (snare, kick, and multiple hand drums), and blast extremely loud music that make it impossible to keep windows open.  Sometimes they'll stop late in the evening, and sometimes they just go straight through until morning.  With no enforcement of noise laws, it's up to whatever they think is appropriate.

That sounds miserable. May this activity pass. Its fun when you are at the party, not so when a person isn't. May those hosts get a taste of their own noise.

[spartana]

Yes, come spring and fall, we live with the house open as much as we are able. In the spring as the temps begin to climb, I set the thermostat to say 75F. Just enough to make the system run occasionally and to manage any humidity. It helps with DW's allergies. I might get up early and open the patio door to let the cool air into the house if DW is okay with that.

Then as summer arrives, I bump the thermostat up bit by bit until in the peak heat, the temp is about 80F b/c the weather is hot enough to cause the a/c to come on often enough to keep the humidity out of the house. Paired with fans as other folks have already detailed - it works.

I have to keep an eye on the upstairs thermostat b/c our eldest will arrive at home all sweaty from fun or work and turn down the thermostat to 74F and forget about it. Don't want to pay for that a/c system to run continuously. I complain and warn them to leave it alone and to use a fan or go watch TV in the basement for 30+ minutes. It is always cool down there.

We do the same in spring and fall as much as possible.  Unfortunately, the city of Toronto and Toronto Police Services both stopped enforcing noise complaints from house parties about seven years ago.

We have a large population of people around here who like to have large multi-day weddings (usually between 2 and 6 days long).  So from spring to fall, about once a month at random houses around our suburb there will be a multi-day/multi-night wedding where between 50 - 150 people will crowd into a house and yard, play drums outside (snare, kick, and multiple hand drums), and blast extremely loud music that make it impossible to keep windows open.  Sometimes they'll stop late in the evening, and sometimes they just go straight through until morning.  With no enforcement of noise laws, it's up to whatever they think is appropriate.

That sounds miserable. May this activity pass. Its fun when you are at the party, not so when a person isn't. May those hosts get a taste of their own noise.

Doubtful. In my old hood it was big parties all the time with big tent set ups. Fun but yeah super noisy (even for deaf me) and no AC in SoCal.

Where I live now we have tons of short term rentals going up.  Most owners don't live in their short term rentals but elsewhere so probably not effected by noise traffic or big parties.  They just built and started renting a large airbnb across from me this winter (big house with 4 or 5 bedrooms, and 2 ADUs - one a two bedroom the other a one bedroom) that are rented constantly. The parking is horrendous. The noise and parties are horrendous. I don't think the owners or host care. Too much money!

And now the other house next to them (and directly across from me) is finishing construction on their house (from 1200 SF single story to a 2 story 4000 SF plus 2 ADUs) to turn into short term vacation rentals. I thought the ongoing construction traffic and noise was going to kill me but I might miss that when this place starts renting in a couple of weeks. Time to move!! Seriously actively looking and plan to put my place up by July 1st.

Of course not that has anything to with being frugal unless I get on the STR bandwagon myself. No thanks.

[LifeHappens]

I have recently started making oatmilk to use in my coffee. I estimate my cost at $0.50 per week, so much less than purchasing oat or cow's milk and I know exactly what I'm drinking.

What method do you use? I'm interested.

We make our own plain yogurt from whole milk, every couple of days. So simple.

I just use the Minimalist Baker recipe and a small blender https://minimalistbaker.com/make-oat-milk/

[GuitarStv]

Yes, come spring and fall, we live with the house open as much as we are able. In the spring as the temps begin to climb, I set the thermostat to say 75F. Just enough to make the system run occasionally and to manage any humidity. It helps with DW's allergies. I might get up early and open the patio door to let the cool air into the house if DW is okay with that.

Then as summer arrives, I bump the thermostat up bit by bit until in the peak heat, the temp is about 80F b/c the weather is hot enough to cause the a/c to come on often enough to keep the humidity out of the house. Paired with fans as other folks have already detailed - it works.

I have to keep an eye on the upstairs thermostat b/c our eldest will arrive at home all sweaty from fun or work and turn down the thermostat to 74F and forget about it. Don't want to pay for that a/c system to run continuously. I complain and warn them to leave it alone and to use a fan or go watch TV in the basement for 30+ minutes. It is always cool down there.

We do the same in spring and fall as much as possible.  Unfortunately, the city of Toronto and Toronto Police Services both stopped enforcing noise complaints from house parties about seven years ago.

We have a large population of people around here who like to have large multi-day weddings (usually between 2 and 6 days long).  So from spring to fall, about once a month at random houses around our suburb there will be a multi-day/multi-night wedding where between 50 - 150 people will crowd into a house and yard, play drums outside (snare, kick, and multiple hand drums), and blast extremely loud music that make it impossible to keep windows open.  Sometimes they'll stop late in the evening, and sometimes they just go straight through until morning.  With no enforcement of noise laws, it's up to whatever they think is appropriate.

That sounds miserable. May this activity pass. Its fun when you are at the party, not so when a person isn't. May those hosts get a taste of their own noise.

I doubt it will pass until noise bylaws are enforced.

[Just Joe]

I can't imagine being stuck with that kind of situation. I wish you well Spartana.

[spartana]

I can't imagine being stuck with that kind of situation. I wish you well Spartana.

Thanks. Yeah it's a PITA I'll be selling soon - although not for that reason alone. I know reducing or even eliminating STRs, and especially nightly party house rentals, is happening in a lot of cities so hopefully future housing stock like additions and ADUs can go to long term residents. Of course they'll still party loudly occasionally but Im ok with that.

[partgypsy]

The first 35 years of my life I didn't drive. Bought my first (newish) car 8 years ago, and still going strong. Not being a car person has saved me alot of money over the years. 

[crocheted_stache]

I suppose most of these have been covered in other posts, and I'm not sure what "most frugal" really means*, but here are a bunch of the things we do.

House:

• Purchased 20+ years ago for about $50k under asking in a high COLA that has only gone up.
  
• Paid off the mortgage early. (I know, this is debatable. Feel free to debate in that other thread. It made sense for us, and it felt great. Still does.)
• Painted the entire interior and DIY-ed a bunch of small and intermediate repairs and upgrades. (It showed badly, so the amount under asking was the elbow grease discount.)
• Furnished mostly from assorted secondhand sources.
• Appliances from scratch-and-dent, factory refurbished, and/or with utility rebates.
• Maintain and repair these appliances to extend their useful lifetimes.
• Do our own cleaning and gardening.
• Staying put, not trying to move uphill or up-market. In California, this strategy also means keeping our older, lower property tax basis.
• Rented out spare bedrooms for a low-effort house hack.

Food/shopping:

• Cook at home with leftovers in mind.
• Eat leftovers for the next day's lunch.
• Buy mostly single ingredient foods. Bake our own bread.
• Create a shopping list as items are depleted and then stick to it.
• Mostly don't chase coupons and specials, preferring to spend less time and energy chasing them. If Costco marks down a shelf-stable product that we use, we'll get some extra a little early, and that's about it.
• Drink mostly tap water and tea/coffee made at home or supplied by the office/event/host. DH sometimes buys a coffee when we're on the go, but that might be twice a year.
• Keep the makings of a few easy meals around, such as sandwich fixings, that are faster and lazier than going out.
• Cook or organize a potluck or hybrid potluck (we make the main dish and guests bring sides, salad, dessert) for gatherings we host.
• Grow a garden including fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs. Can, dry, freeze, and share the surplus.
• Use canned, dried, and homemade foods (e.g. bread, granola) as gifts. Most adults we know can buy anything they want, anyway, and many have too much stuff already, so homegrown, handmade, and consumable are appreciated.
• Use fabric towels, cleaning cloths, napkins, etc., reserving paper/disposable for occasional use when necessary.
• Get clothes and household objects secondhand from garage sales, Buy Nothing, etc.
• Get selected clothes and household objects new, with the intention of keeping them forever or for a long time.
• Borrow items from Buy Nothing that we only need temporarily. Also lend items to group members to contribute and encourage sharing, and to get more use out of our less-frequently-used possessions.
• Don't buy stuff we don't need or won't use.
• Use no makeup, just some sunscreen and moisturizer.
• DH and I cut one each other's hair at home.

Transportation

• Maintain one older, economical car for two adults.
• DH and I both started driving later than usual, not immediately upon our respective old-enough-to-drive birthdays or as soon as we could possibly pass the test.
• Bike, walk, and take transit for most of our transportation, including shopping. We get around more without our car than with it.

Utilities and conservation

• Heat sparingly.
• Regulate temperature by opening windows at different times of day.
• Bundle up indoors during cool weather and set the thermostat pretty low.
• Pay for the smallest trash bin. We buy to avoid trash, then compost and recycle all we can, so it's plenty.
• Use an unlocked Android phone (under $300 new, going on 3 years old) with USMobile service at $72/year. I can add extra data à la carte, but I've never needed to.
• Ditched the ~$40/month landline and moved the number over to a Google Voice.
• No cable/paid streaming, but I do support a handful of creators I like on Patreon, plus a few public radio stations.
• Line dry nearly all laundry.
• Turn off lights and water when not in use. We even installed a quarter-turn valve behind the shower head to pause the water between the rinse and the repeat.
• Select for efficiency, value, and durability when upgrading appliances, fixtures, etc.
• Keep a bucket in the shower and in the kitchen sink to collect water while waiting for hot and from relatively clean uses like rinsing vegetables. We use it to water plants and flush toilets.

Hobbies

• Volunteer
• Write
• Play a musical instrument
• Bike and walk
• Cook, bake, and preserve
• Garden
• Enjoy library materials and programs

Other

• Travel less frequently but stay longer, especially when airfare is involved.
• Travel to see friends and family, and also see the places while we're there. This approach helps avoid "tourist traps" and sometimes results in lodging and laundry facilities being "included." It's usually a more intimate glimpse of a place, too.
• Host visitors and travelers while at home.
• Had our small, self-produced wedding at home, which cost far less than a new car or the down payment on a house somewhere.

*Saving the most money? Probably living debt-free and driving one car sparingly. Most effort in proportion to money saved? Shower bucket, probably. Then again, the water is more valuable than what we pay for it, and it's a useful reminder to water our plants.

[TimCFJ40]

We have a few frugal things that don't even seem frugal anymore because they just work. 
-We rarely eat out at restaurants, even on most vacations.  Most of our trips are driving, and pulling out the cooler or even the camp stove for lunch at a nice roadside park or playground sure beats fast food.  My wife can meal prep for 3-4 days at a time on the road and we eat great and travel inexpensively. 
-We do most of our shopping at our local thrift store.  It's closer to us (walkable or short bike ride) than any other store, and usually has great items (most all of the donations are from our fairly well to do community). 
-Cloth napkins are way better than paper for many reasons, functionality included.  Most of ours are sewn from fabric scraps by my wife, some are sets we pick up at the above thrift store for a dollar or two.

[Luke Warm]

I've got a Weber charcoal grill. When I'm done grilling I shut the air supply off to stop the fire and reuse the charcoal next time I grill. I'm not saving tons of money but it keeps me from having to dump used briquettes in the garbage.

[Just Joe]

I'm ordering the parts tonight to repair our grill. The bottom rusted out. Rather than $400 for a new gas grille, It might be closer to $40 to extend it's useful years another 4-5.

[Luke Warm]

I'm ordering the parts tonight to repair our grill. The bottom rusted out. Rather than $400 for a new gas grille, It might be closer to $40 to extend it's useful years another 4-5.

Mine is limping along. I noticed one of the tabs that holds the charcoal grate in place broke off. The vent on the bottom broke off years ago. I've replaced the top grate once that I remember. It all still works though. I think a new Weber is about $100.