A simple frugal life sounds pretty attractive right now doesn’t it? So many of us are drowning in chaos and clutter and need to save money fast.
But there’s a problem.
Because although that simple frugal life looks idyllic, actually adopting it can feel crazily complicated. There are just so many frugal life hacks out there we become overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.
So what are the best frugal life hacks that will actually help us reach that simple frugal life we yearn for.
The Best Frugal Life Hacks
Well it turns out the best frugal life hacks are often not really life hacks at all, they are life skills.
What’s the difference you ask?
Well a life skill is something we practice and master and get so good at it becomes a simple habit we can do on autopilot, no stress, no drama, no chaos.
So if you want to embrace a simple frugal life this year invest your energy in learning these simple frugal life skills. They’re very specific skills and easy to master in a fairly short time but each one of them can save us hundreds and hundreds year in, year out to pay off debt, establish an emergency fund and build savings whilst actually helping us feel much calmer and happier.
Do give them a go and for more easy steps to a simple frugal – and more enjoyable – life follow me on Pinterest and check out my other tips on thriving frugally.
14 Simple Frugal Life Skills That Really Save Money
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 Spinach & Salad Leaves
You don’t need a big old vegetable garden to save money. If you simply learn how to grow spinach and cut-and-come-again salad leaves in a couple of old pots you can literally save yourself hundreds a year on immune boosting fresh vegetables.
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
Decluttering is key to enjoying a simple frugal life but yanking everything out Marie Kondo style is a recipe for disaster so this year master the simple skill of the just 10 things gentle declutter method.
11. Selling Clutter Easily
And then learn this simple way to sell clutter easily so you can make money from all your small, low value clutter. And not it’s not eBay or Craigslist!!
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 Cold Relief Tea
And my final frugal life skill making your own cold relief tea is all about feeling better frugally. Now you might not think that is going to save you hundreds a year but the thing is it’s an eye opener. Once you make it and see how easy it is and how great it is at warding off colds and infections you’ll see how easy and cheap it is to make your own simple natural remedies with natural antibiotics for all sorts of common ailments from coughs and head aches to stomach pain and warts!! And save a fortune on medications and prescriptions whilst you’re at it.
So there you go, 14 simple frugal life skills that you can enjoy mastering this year that will save you money immediately but also help you slow down and step by step start the journey to that simple frugal happier life you dream of.
I do hope these frugal living ideas help for more tips on living simply and saving money follow me on Pinterest and check out these posts :
Brielle says
I always encourage people to use the library. It is a fabulous and free resource. As well as books they have computers you can use free of charge and papers and magazines to read. Our library will order books from other areas for you free of charge. There is a whole world of knowledge just waiting to be discovered.