Simple Frugal Life Skills

Simple frugal life skills can save big money because they let us do stuff for ourselves rather forking our for fancy expensive services.

But there's a but - of course there's a but - full self-sufficiency where we do everything ourselves is hard. Most of us have not got a cat in hell's chance of pulling it off anytime soon!!

However, there are a whole heap of very simple frugal life skills that we can all pick up super quickly to save a whole load of money. And I have for you here 14 of the best of them.

So to save money fast get learning ...

1. Cutting Hair

You can pick up a pair of decent hairdressers' scissors for under £20 so you're quids in after almost your first cut. There are loads of free videos around on how to simply cut all sorts of hair styles.

2. Unblocking A Drain

Simply knowing how to plunge properly, take off a u-bend and clean out the dishwasher attachment to your kitchen sink drain can easily prevent bigger plumbing problems and save real money year in, year out. I am really, really not good at DIY but even I have learned to unblock a drain easily. It's so much simpler than you think.

3. Making Pastry

You might not think pastry making would have a big impact on your finances but if you can make pastry on auto pilot you're only ever 5 minutes super easy effort away from heart warmingly, yummy pies, tarts, flans, pasties and more that use up leftovers and can save you a small fortune every year on ready meals and take aways.

4. Making Pizza Dough

And making pizza dough is just as simple - and calming for kids and adults - and can slash the cost of your family's weekly pizza habit. Saving £20 a week on pizzas alone could have £1,000 in your emergency fund by the end of the year!!

5. Flash Freezing

This is an unbelievably simple life skill but flash freezing can save us a load of money every year by letting us easily freeze left overs, free foraged fruit and cheap seasonal fruit like berries and plums at the pick your own farm or market.

6. Make Soup

With a half decent, i.e. not pricey, blender you can whip up simple, frugal immune boosting soup in no time at all. It's a brilliant way to save more money by using up leftovers and even cheaper if you grow your own.

7. Grow Your Own Organic Veggies

You don't need a big old vegetable garden to save money. If you simply learn how to grow cute-and-come-again spinach, collards, tomatoes and salad leaves in a couple of old pots you can literally save yourself hundreds a year on organic fresh vegetables free from nasty pesticides. You can even grow vegetables from scraps!

To get started check out this guide to starting a vegetable garden on a budget.

8. Write A Budget

This is such a simple life skill but truly is life changing. Lots of us struggle with budgeting but mastering it and turning it into a habit can do more than anything else to save money. If you've tried before and struggled check out these beginners budgeting tips.

9. Track Spending

This goes hand in hand with budgeting of course but it is a different skill and habit and it can actually help save money and stop wasting money before you've even mastered budgeting.

10. Declutter Simply

Quick and easy decluttering is one of the most important frugal life skills we can learn. Our lives' change and we need to get good at clearing out the things we no longer need nor love as they take up space - which costs us - and can be sold on easily for cash.

So master the simple just 10 things declutter method which helps you constantly get rid of things easily rather than yanking everything out Marie Kondo style.

11. Selling Clutter Easily

And then learn the best way to sell clutter easily so you can make money from all your small, low value clutter.

12. Patching Clothes

Clothes are so cheap these days it might not seem worth learning to mend them but they're cheap for some really nasty reasons and constantly buying cheap clothes we don't look after is one of the key ways lots of us women get addicted to shopping. So learning to do simple repairs is a great way to save money especially if you've got kids who go through grass stained knees and elbows in no time fast!!

13. Darn Holes In Elbows & Heels

Talking about elbows forget everything you ever though about darning, visible mending is now super cool and an incredibly therapeutic little stress reliever. So with this forgotten frugal life skill you save money, have a more sustainable wardrobe and feel better whilst you're it.

14. Make Home Remedies

It is easy to spend a small fortune on health and beauty remedies that we barely use. But it is also surprisingly easy to whip up natural remedies from natural antibiotics you already have in your kitchen. So next time you have a minor ailment - whether it's anything from a cough or cold to athlete's foot or head lice check out these natural remedy guides.

So there you go, 14 simple frugal life skills you can master easily in just a few weeks to start saving money month in, month out for years to come.

For more simple tips check out my other frugal living posts and follow me on Pinterest.