Frugal shoppers share the money-saving habits that helped them the most

“We really trimmed the grocery bill this year doing this. It really helped.”

Saving money was not easy. With home and grocery prices climbing, everyday living got more expensive. Consumer prices also increased over the latest 12 months ending in September 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which makes these ideas worth revisiting.

Still, frugal people found ways to make it work. By leaning on practical habits, they cut costs on heating, groceries and plenty of other everyday expenses.

In a Reddit discussion, users shared the strategies that helped them save a lot of money. Here are 23 of the most effective ones.

Here are the methods they used

“Mine was just bringing my own food to work. I didn’t think it would matter that much, but not buying lunch out every day saved way more than I expected.” – salamagogo

“Meal planning prioritizing what I have in my fridge that will go bad in the next few days. My food waste is way down once I started doing this.” – danedori

“It’s a great year for savin money. I completely stopped ordering takeout and drive-thru. Air fryer and rice cooker for the win! Brought all my own lunches. Best bonus, lost some weight, and brought down my blood pressure a couple digits.” – garlicnaughts

Eating out is also rising faster than groceries. USDA forecasts restaurant prices will increase 3.5% in 2026, compared with 2.3% for food at home, in its latest outlook.

“Biggest change that will pay dividends (eventually) that I made was upping my mortgage repayments. About 2 years in at what started as a 30-year, I am now on pace to be done in another 15. If I can shave off a couple more in the coming years and just be done in 15 years all in, would be pretty happy. Gonna save me hundreds of thousands in interest over the life of the loan.” – dinkygoat

“Track my spending daily and aim for 13-18 no spend days a month. I’m ending this year with 60% No spend days and added over $1k/month to savings.” – justanother1014

“I also have a list in my reminders app for upcoming bills. It’s kept me home so much this month to see that I have $500 in car repairs next week so no, I don’t need to go out shopping right now.” – justanother1014

“Also: not logging into Amazon those little purchases really add up!” – Rowland_rowboat

“I mix black beans in with my ground beef. I use this in almost any recipe with ground beef, but mostly Mexican food which my family loves. It’s wayyy cheaper and healthier. And you still get the taste of meat. You could do pinto beans or white beans as well. Also, my investment in an instant pot was great because in other beans (cheap!) and can have them ready to go in an hour.” – Liza_Jane_

Unexpected places where savings showed up

“Finally got a bidet this year. Shortly after, I switched to bidet cloths. I don’t even think about toilet paper anymore, though I keep a couple rolls on hand for guests. Wish I’d done it sooner.” – after_tomorrow

“I signed up for a few store delivery services, two with half price specials, and a subsidized ride share program for seniors, which allowed us to go to one car. We save more money not having the second car vs. paying for the other services. Walmart+ ships free and does free return pickup, plus includes a free streaming channel, so that has been an especially nice time and money saver.” – bob49877

Walmart+ costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month, and the streaming perk is a choice of Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential.

“I bought more produce saver containers and washable silicone food storage bags so we use very few Ziploc kind of bags anymore.” – bob49877

“I’ve started making baked potatoes from Sam’s in the crockpot, just put on high for 4 hours, keeping extra in the fridge for reheating for meals for a few days. Ten pound bag, two days worth of calories, for only $3.77.” – bob49877

“I switched to loose teas I use with metal tea strainers to save money and avoid plastics from regular tea bags.” – bob49877

“I put as many electronic devices as feasible on power strips and reduced the electric bill by $25 a month.” – bob49877

The Department of Energy says standby power typically costs a household $100 to $200 a year, so $25 a month is above that typical range.

“I bought a used Kindle and ended up spending $0 on books this year thanks to Libby.” – agoraphobiai

“Surprisingly, it was getting one of those budget tracking apps. I didn’t think it would do much but it really shifted my mentality when I saw that I was spending 200+ on eating out everyday, and much more on entertainment than I thought.” – Exotic_Caregiver_179

Cutting clutter, tracking expenses, and selling unused items

“Don’t accumulate clutter- a huge time and money saver. No storage lockers lingering away, no stacks of boxes in the basement. Yard sale that stuff or give it away.” – Due-Kale3412

“Also- Smartphone coupons. I worked at a big corporate retail store and noticed how popular these are with younger shoppers. If a coupon is offered, use it. Some stores are all about it (Menard’s, Kohl’s) others won’t mention them but a verifiable coupon will be honored.” – Due-Kale3412

“Selling on fb marketplace. It’s slow, it can be frustrating but you just keep stuff going and it can be nice.” – emeraldead

Where grocery savings added up the most

“Last week of every month we do an eat down of the pantry/freezer. I will only buy absolute essentials (fresh milk, fruit) that week and get creative with everything else. It’s basically cut our grocery costs by 20%.” – playhookie

“Shopping at Aldi really helped my grocery budget. My budget is 250.00 every two weeks and ordering online at Kroger, it kept creeping up steadily and not leaving any room for produce or forgotten items. Now I can get a full cart of groceries at Aldi for 100-150.00 and just get my specialty items from Kroger. My fridge and pantry are definitely fuller now. We really trimmed the grocery bill this year doing this. It really helped.” – LeighofMar, Rowland_rowboat

“Going out for special dates only, more expensive, less often, much more memorable, and much less average eating out.” – SoggyBottomTorrija

“Making soup. Soup is pretty cheap and easy to make. I usually cook a pot each week. This week’s was broccoli cheddar soup. The week before that was chicken noodle and the week before that was butternut squash soup. It’s something we really enjoy and it helps save us money. Having soup in the fridge means we always have something to eat. Especially when we don’t feel like cooking. So we may have it for lunch or supper or even breakfast if we don’t feel like making something else.” – Euphoric_War_2195

What these ideas have in common

Most of these money-saving habits do not require a major lifestyle overhaul. There is no extreme couponing and no need to give up things people genuinely enjoy. The common thread is paying attention to what is in the fridge, what is on the power strip, what is sitting in the online shopping cart and what is quietly draining the account every month. The biggest savers in this discussion were not necessarily the ones making the harshest sacrifices. They were the ones who spotted the small leaks first.