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Frugal Things I’ve Done Recently

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 65 Comments

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Frugal Things I've Done Recently - Living Frugally TipsAs you may have read recently in my post You May Be Wasting Thousands Of Dollars On These 7 Things, we are watching our spending, living frugally, and always trying to find new ways to be smarter with our money.

No matter what your income is, I always think it’s a good idea to eliminate any ways you may be being wasteful.

There’s really no need to be wasting money if you don’t even value it. Why spend money just to spend?

Below are several things I’ve done recently so that I can continue living frugally. They are all fairly small, but they all count!

I may turn this into a monthly series. I think jotting down ways to live frugally can be a great way to look back and remember past actions, plus I enjoy reading comments about how others are currently saving money!

 

1. I meal prepped.

Meal prepping is a great way to start living frugally, especially if you have a problem with food spending (like we do).

We had to come home earlier this week to get some warranty work done on our RV and you better believe I took full advantage of our kitchen inside our home! While RV cooking is similar to cooking at home, our RV kitchen is much smaller so there is less room to cook, less stove space, and more.

I was able to save money by meal prepping some meals for both the RV and for while we are at home waiting on our RV to be fixed. One of the meals I prepped was chicken fried rice, which I’ve been missing since being in the RV. It made around 6 meals and they were all tasty!

 

2. We stocked up on groceries.

One thing we’ve noticed since being on the road is that grocery stores near national parks and other touristy areas are much more expensive. While this is probably a given, it’s something we did not think about before we left.

Instead, we were stocking up as we drove, which led to a lot of money being wasted. In fact, the other day I needed to cook and bought a few items for twice (and sometimes even three times!) what they would normally cost at the store. UGH!

When we were at home the other day, we went to our local grocery store and stocked up on items such as granola, dried fruit, cereal, noodles, canned goods, and more.

 

3. We RV camped for free.

Being in the RV has been great so far. We’ve already been to Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, numerous national forests, and more.

Despite all of the traveling, we are actually spending less money than ever. Plus, we are camping for free about half of the time on BLM land and in national forests. Camping for free is THE BEST – the views are great, being secluded is awesome, and surprisingly I’ve had the best internet when we’ve been free camping as well.

 

4. We used coupons.

We’ve received a lot of coupons in the mail lately for completely free products. They weren’t for the healthiest items, but we are human and eat unhealthy sometimes. Plus, free is good and I can’t say no to that.

Some coupons we received include coupons for free Hot Pockets, free McDonald’s, and $1 off dog food. No, I won’t become rich but saving money and living frugally are always good in my mind!

 

5. We attempted to pick up change off the ground.

Ha, yes, I said attempted! The other day we were walking and Wes noticed a quarter on the ground.

He tried to pick it up, but it was actually glued to the ground. It was obviously a trick by the store that the quarter was placed in front of. I’m sure everyone had a laugh while Wes was trying to pick up a glued quarter!

What frugal things have you done recently? How are you living frugally? Share below!

 

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About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  2. Erica {[email protected]} says

    Meal prepping is awesome! I’ve done it for years as a way to save money and eat much healthier (so easy to eat junk when you are tired and don’t feel like cooking!)

    My frugal win for the week; finding a pair of $95 Sperry’s I’ve been wanting for ages on eBay for $39 (shipped!)

    Reply

  3. Luke Fitzgerald @ FinanciallyFitz says

    Ha! The glued quarter is a good one! This week we’ve only cooked twice (big meals though) and ate leftovers the rest of week. The way our buget is set right now, we have no choice but to live fruagally if we still want to do any form of entertainment 🙂

    Reply

  4. Penny @ She Picks Up Pennies says

    Coupons – love to hate them and hate to love them. I couponed away this week! In terms of fun frugal things, my husband and my dad are working on restoring this really old rickety tin can of a row bow. It’s been so fun to see them do it. I can’t wait to get back out on the water this weekend. Oh, and your free RV campsite photos on Insta have me sold! 🙂

    Reply

  8. Sarah says

    Menu planning saved our grocery budget big time. I lowered our monthly budget from $700 for a family of three to $400 for a family of four. I’m working on trying to get it lower. I’ve limited myself to one soda a day (next month I’m going to try to do without) but getting my husband on board with that is an entirely different battle.

    Reply

  9. Chonce says

    I love meal planning and cooking at home. It saves a ton of money, makes your life easier and just feels right. I’m glad to hear that the RV is saving you money. Camping is so fun, but even better when it’s free 🙂

    Reply

  10. Danell says

    I love menu planning. When I do it anyway. . . that’s the tough part sometimes. I do much better if I don’t have to think at the last minute about what to have for dinner. Saves me time and money. This month I’m dropping my grocery/food budget for the three of us from $300 to $275. This includes any meals out. Wish me luck!

    Reply

  12. Brittany says

    HAHA! I read this at the same time I saw one of those Sasquatch prank commercials where the guys stick a quarter to the ground using honey to mess with Sasquatch. Good job staying frugal!

    Reply

  16. Bryan @ Just One More Year says

    We buy the “loss leaders” at our local grocery stores. We then plan our meals around what was on sale, fresh, and usually in season.

    Secret to the glued coin trick: give the coin a small nudge with your foot first. If it moves you are good!

    Reply

  17. Steve Miller says

    We have been traveling all summer (been in Colorado). We are now in Telluride, CO for our final 2 weeks of travel.

    To save money on eating out, we have been buying groceries and cooking in. We also go to the breweries between 3pm – 5pm to get craft brews for $3 instead of $5. Then head back to our rented condo to eat dinner. A nice way to go out and not spend a lot.

    Reply

  19. Corrina says

    Unfortunately I hate couponing. It is soooo time consuming and I rarely have the patience or time for it 🙁 But, I’ll share what we’ve done recently. Money has been tight lately and we have a local buy & sell Facebook page and we’ve sold a lot of items we don’t need and would’ve just given away. We still donate items to our local goodwill but it’s nice to make a few bucks! It has put gas in our cars and paid for other necessary expenses! It’s like a community yard sale page! Give it a try!

    Reply

  20. Ali @ Anything You Want says

    I am focusing a lot on meal planning and stocking up on groceries lately. Not only is meal planning better for my budget, but it also really helps me to know what to make for dinner after a long day at work. On the grocery front, I’m trying to get better at buying non-perishables when they’re on sale and keeping a stock on hand. It can be hard since I live in a relatively small space, but I think the savings will be worth making some room.

    Reply

  21. Karen Hassett says

    Meal planning before shopping is the way to go. Besides reducing your dining out expense ( because you didn’t have planned for dinner) or expensive prepared food, it also forces you to inventory your pantry before heading to the grocery store. @finlitlady1

    Reply

  22. Gina says

    Other than the RV camping, my husband and I have done all of those things! Haha. My attempts at frugality lately have been cancelling monthly services that we no longer need (whittling down those bills) and we joined a local CSA to get a good price on local organic veggies. 🙂 That last one has been so much fun and it’s a surprise to see what we get from them each week. I highly recommend it!

    Reply

  25. diane @smartmoneysimplelife says

    Great idea stocking up when you’re in a cheap grocery area. It’s crazy how much more expensive all the basics are when you’re in a tourist area. Must suck to be a permanent resident!

    Prepping meals ahead of time can make a HUGE difference to your life and your budget – even if you’re not travelling the countryside in an RV.

    Reply

  26. Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says

    I prioritize the use of coupons more than paying it full in cash. As a matter of fact, I have small envelops for these coupons separated accordingly like for clothes, food, products, services, and a lot more. This really helps me spend money wisely and save some money.

    Reply

  27. Mrs. Crackin' the Whip says

    Sometimes it’s the little things! We recently gave Baby Crackin’ a haircut at home. Plus he and Mr. Crackin’ are washing the car today (I can’t wait to see this; it’s a first.) I have always been in charge of car cleaning and left to my own devices I will end up at the $15 after coupon car wash. Ugh!

    Meal prepping goes a long way! That’s where my focus is today! As soon as I get off this computer…=)

    Reply

  28. giulia says

    there are items that you can buy in bulk like toilet paper, tooth brush, food in tin so this no perishable items helps you to stay on your budget….well now you noticed price difference so next timeyou will prepared…

    Reply

  30. William says

    Stocking up on groceries is definitely my favorite way to save money – especially since I eat a ton. It allows me to eat good quality food without spending tons of money, and it allows me to buy food only at the prices which I want to pay instead of having to pay full price. Having a deep freezer is really key to saving tons of money on groceries in the long-run.

    Reply

  31. Amy @ DebtGal says

    Love the quarter trick!

    I do not enjoy cooking or meal-planning, but I do both to save time, money, and my sanity. I’ve also been harvesting lots of veggies from my garden, lately!

    Reply

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