There are plenty of ways to save money and avoid living paycheck to paycheck, and these frugal living habits can be one of them. A frugal lifestyle can help a stay-at-home mom, a single-income family, or someone striving to reach financial goals, giving them control over their finances.
As someone living a frugal lifestyle, I know how difficult it can be to make a lifestyle change. But a frugal lifestyle has helped our family save money and pay off debt, and I can stay home with my toddler.
What is frugal living?
Frugal living means being conscious of your spending habits and focusing on financial goals. It also means making better money choices that align with one’s values or goals, not because one is trying to keep up with trends or everyone else. Frugal living means being careful how money is spent, spending less, and saving more.
Benefits of frugal living
As a stay-at-home mom, I’ve experienced firsthand the benefits of a frugal lifestyle. It’s about saving money and enjoying a simpler, more sustainable way of life. Here are a few of the benefits I’ve found most rewarding.
- Achieve financial goals—frugal living can help you achieve financial goals faster. Whether you want to pay off debt, increase your savings, or build your own business.
- Less clutter– living a frugal lifestyle will help you be more conscious of your spending habits and what you bring into your home. This will prevent you from having a cluttered house, leading to less cleaning time.
- Sustainability—Frugal living aligns with sustainable living. You save money by purchasing secondhand first, reducing consumption, and avoiding one-time-use items. Not only are you saving money, but you are also keeping items out of landfills.
Check out Grove Collaborative for sustainable cleaning, skincare, and body care products. I personally use Method, Grove Co., and OSEA.
Ten frugal living habits as a stay-at-home to save time and money
- Curbside grocery pickup
Scheduling and ordering your groceries for curbside pickup will save you time and money. Download the app where you do your grocery shopping. When you notice you are short on an item, add it to your online order.
Plan your meals for the week and add the items you need. There is also a buy-again section of items you frequently buy to make adding to your online order easier. If you prefer to choose your fruits and vegetables, get off and only go to that area when you pick up your curbside.
By picking up your groceries curbside, you will save time when going into the store and getting what you need. You will save money by not buying items you do not need instead of buying them because you saw them in store.
- One-day errands
When you need to run errands, schedule them for the same day. Depending on how many errands you need to run, you can schedule them once every two weeks or once a week. Running your errands all in one day will save you time and prevent you from spending money you were not planning on spending.
- Enjoy staying home instead of retail stores
Avoid going to retail stores to spend time and browse around. You will likely end up spending money you did not plan on spending. Instead, enjoy spending more time at home with your family and doing more things you enjoy or can keep you busy. Try a new recipe, do resets in your home, and declutter to donate. There are plenty of activities you can do to help you avoid going into retail stores if there is no need to.
- Enjoy free activities
Doing free activities for the kids will keep them busy and save you money. If the weather permits, you can take them to the park. The local library offers free activities during the week. You can do activities at home like coloring, painting, or playing with Play-Doh.
A simple walk outdoors, looking at trees, plants, and outdoor decorations, can keep your kids busy and happy.
I know my toddler enjoys our daily walks around the neighborhood.
- Simple skincare and make-up routine
For many years, I tried different skincare products that did not go well with my skin. Finally, I found affordable skincare products that do not dry up my skin, and I enjoy them. My simple skincare routine contains four products in the morning and three at night. I also exfoliate two times a week.
I suggest you find skincare products that work for your skin type and you enjoy. As you age, you must add products to address your skin concerns. The same should go with your makeup routine. Find what you use and enjoy, and stick to a simple makeup routine.
This will save you time while doing skincare and makeup routine and will save you a lot of money.
- Finish products before buying more
Making it a habit to finish up products before you buy more will save money and avoid clutter. Do not buy more skincare or makeup products until you are done with what you already have.
It’s the same thing with cleaning products and laundry products. Avoid buying products to try a new product or because they are on sale.
- Wait to make purchases
This is one of my favorite frugal living habits, especially since I know I am saving money. I enjoy a few products from Sam’s Club, and I get them when they offer instant savings.
To mention a few, one is collagen, and the other is Olay night moisturizer. I will buy the products if I am close to running out, and they have instant savings.
If I am close or run out, but they are not on instant savings, I wait till they go on sale. I do not think going a week or two without products will make a big difference.
Now this works for me and can work on specific items for you.
- Simple homemade meals
Creating simple homemade meals you and your family love to eat can help save you time and money. You can find many recipes online and make them at home for busy days requiring a few ingredients.
Meal prepping can also save you time and money. You avoid getting fast foods or carry out by creating simple homemade meals.
- Embrace underconsumption
There are plenty of ways to embrace underconsumption, and this is a frugal living habit you should practice as much as possible.
Underconsumption will save you money and is better for the environment. Finish up products like skincare, makeup, or cleaning before purchasing more. Buying gently used or second-hand instead of buying new. These items can include clothes, toys, furniture, or books.
Avoid buying items just because they are on sale. Purchasing eco-friendly and reusable items to avoid one-time products ending up in landfills.
Check out my post Underconsumption Core and Why You Should Embrace it Now
- Limit fast food and take-out
With the cost of food rising, so are the prices of fast food and takeout. Buying fast food or takeout weekly will quickly add up. Making homemade burgers, tacos, or fried chicken not only tastes better but costs less to make.
If you plan on getting fast food or takeout, check out the dollar menu and specials or use coupons.
Our family gets fast food or takeout once a week, and using coupons helps us decide what to get. Using coupons saves us a lot of money.
Final thoughts
Applying these frugal living habits can help you save time and money, whether you are a stay-at-home mom, working mom, or anyone trying to reach financial goals. I suggest you start with a few and slowly add more to make these habits stick.
Check out the related posts below.
Mindful Shopping: 10 Ways to Save Money and Reduce Clutter
How Loud Budgeting Can Help You Achieve Your Financial Goals