12 Essential Tools For Frugal Living!

Save Money! Frugal Living! Inflation is here and prices are rising! 12 awesome frugal living ideas! Early retirement debt and mortgage free couple shows you how you can have an abundant and full life with less money! Living a debt free life is possible by simple budgeting and not over spending! Debt free living is within reach!

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Frugal Money Saver
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[carolineewalker]

FRUGAL MONEY SAVER IS SUCH A BLESSING!!!🥰🙏🏽❤️

[lisabyl]

Love the pic on the video. My Dad used to say to us " you kids think money grows on trees"! Lol...Now I'm saying it to my kids and grandkids! Very helpful tip from Paul about the car diagnostic mechanism. You had a smart Dad to give that to you. Most auto part stores have those and can diagnose a car problem or test a battery for you. I've gone there to see what the problem was and see if my battery was salvageable. I ended up needing a new one after 2 attempts it wouldn't keep a charge. . I also have a good neighbor that knows cars and can check out whatever car problem there is. Thank God for that. He's a Blessing. Great video! Thank you both. God's richest Blessings to you both too.

[rosaliebahe]

Hi Emmy! I'm a librarian, so thank you for recommending people use their library cards! YES! You pay for this service with your taxes, so cash in and read some books :) Also, if the library doesn't have what you want, the librarian can often interlibrary loan the book or movie from another library.

[tammyrich]

Hi Emmy. I love that you mentioned having paper and pencil/pen on hand. I am not one that likes electronics. I never have. I live in the South, and I have experienced a major black out in Southeast Texas. There had been an accident in one area, but it knocked out total power for many counties. Within a matter of minutes, it was total chaos. No purchasing food, gas, anything. The chaos that started in just a matter of minutes was frightening to say the least. When the power goes down, there is no way of purchasing anything when everything is all electronic. I have always felt that we need to keep the "old ways" of doing things.... ie: pen/paper like you said. I am so glad you brought that up. Everything you have mentioned are awesome ideas. Thank you so much for sharing.

[marlene]

I can add another suggestion. Pump bottles. When contents no longer pump out. Remove the pump nozzle, turn the bottle upside down and let the contents drip into a jar. I was amazed how much hand cream was still in that bottle. It filled the jar almost to the top. Same goes for shampoo bottles. Turn it upside down and let it drip out.

[DCupcake]

Another great video! Paul's comment about the floor mats had me laughing; my husband's garage BFF is his code reader. Library = ❤❤❤. One of my greatest frugal living tools are my clothes lines.  I don't think I've used my clothes dryer to dry my clothes since May. I do use air fluff for about 10 minutes after line drying clothes to get rid of any pollen, or residual dog hair, etc. When you talked about attitude I have to share that each night before sunset I walk through our vegetable garden doing one last look for any infestation or to check on watering needs but I also take the time to thank my garden for another great day of growing and producing (and thank God as well). I thank my flowers, too since they bring in the pollinators. I might sound a little hippy dippy but yah, I talk to my garden.

[tikacalifornia]

I have several frugal living tools that save me so much! First of all, when the health crisis hit and there was no bathroom tissue to be had at any price, I found that I could reduce my usage by 75% by making piddle cloths. I took scrap fabric (I sew so this is abundant) and recycled flannel and cut them into squares and rectangles - I wasn't very precise, so they're all sorts of sizes and shapes. I ran them on zig-zag and now, I just accumulate them in a small bin in the bathroom and wash with regular wash. They're no more contaminated than regular underwear. Even though bathroom tissue is no longer in short supply, I still use these because they are far less irritating than paper.

Next - we typically keep a bottle of dishwashing liquid next to the sink and how many times have I grabbed that for "just a drop" which turned out to be more like a light squirt for a single dish that I needed urgently. That is SO wasteful. Now I have a spray bottle containing one-half oz of dish soap to 31.5 oz water to spray, clean and rinse that urgent tool. This solution is significantly more concentrated than the regular dish-pan solution and it works very well. It works on tomato worms, too.

I have quite a collection of bar-mops from COSTCO or dish towels from IKEA. These are less than $1.00 ea, but the price may have gone up. I use these instead of paper towels, and the only thing I really use those for is blotting bacon, or cleaning up doggy yack. For draining fried foods, I have a rack that I set over a baking sheet that works far better than paper towels, so that might be another savings.

You didn't mention your instant pot or air fryer. I have found that I can get an excellent pot of beans using dried beans and my instant pot for less than half of the cost of canned beans. Cooking is something I do very well, and I make from scratch most things that people go to the prepared foods area. I also can and have an All American 941 pressure canner that is a life and wallet saver. Even if I don't have room in the freezer(s), I can can up some of the meat I can get on sale or even can the older stuff and replace it with new. My turkey-stuffing casserole is a hit here and my family never says anything about it not being "Thanksgiving..." or whatnot because I have raised the to know that food is tied neither to a clock or calendar. That's why we usually see left - over supper for breakfast. I try not to let any food go to waste, but sometimes it just happens. Using the air fryer saves a lot of money over using the big oven, and I love it for re-heating things you want to be crispy.

I re-use the larger dish washing liquid bottles as a "poor person's bidet." Just fill up with water to squirt off the affected areas. Cuts way down on tp usage, and you feel cleaner, too.

I use only a tbs or 2 of laundry soap liquid instead of the amounts on the bottles, and set the machine to heavy duty. Clothes get clean from the water and agitation much more than the soap. Most of the time, I use the detergent to pre-treat the spots and then put what's left in the bottom. I love oxy clean and especially bleach for the towels. We know about line-drying already.

Those are some fast ones. I'm sure I can come up with more as time goes on.

[sandralmoore]

Oh, I've been a mender since a youngins. Remember mom teaching me to handle. Then years later when in college, was in a historical reenactment group w/ friends and remember helping another member make her n bfs matching garb
And in college, no sewing machine. Shed started before I was around and started at them up so fabric slipped. I got there, figured it out, ripped out seam and had resewn her dress before she got bfs tunic (and he was a shorty, maybe 5'2"ish height so half) length her dress before she had his.
Local libraries, theres 5 branches, three of them know me very well. 1 branch threatens to give me a key and let me sleep there since there often.

[samjones]

Totally agree, I watch YouTube with a note book and pen lols x

[deborahdecker]

This kind of goes along with your sewing kit... Today I was walking through our local consignment store, and in one of the booths, they had jars of buttons for $10 each. I grew up with everyone having a jar of buttons, so they could repair clothes if a button came off. I just wondered to myself how many people now actually replace a button, or just throw away the item, and buys new. Thanks Emmy and Paul. Great video

[ThatSimpleLife]

Fun video topic! Since my husband just took a job with our church (with a much smaller paycheck, but eternal rewards!) I am more motivated than ever to be frugal. I was raised by a very frugal mother, and I thank her often for that. :). My favorite frugal tools include my clothes drying rack and clothesline, the Dave Ramsey money envelope method (38 years and counting for this!), Aldi, being a homebody, the library, You Tube, and my online frugal friends including you!

[tamerinkelly]

Thank you so much for reminding me to make a hard copy of all my phone numbers and addresses. I never even thought about doing so but can clearly see how important it is. My frugal top is to be thankful for my food. An animal gave its life so I could eat. Do not waste it.

[ladydhayney]

My microwave, crock pot, blender, kitchen aid mixer, bread machine. I can't live without them. My sewing machine has been one of my biggest money Saver. I use it for mending, making pocketbooks, luggage, gifts, pot holders, placemats, and quilting is my biggest entertainment. I try and use fabric from the free table at the senior center or quilting guild.
The freezer use to be my biggest money Saver. Can't have one where I live now.

[susanrobinson]

I love Carla Emery! Her daughter, Esther, has a YouTube channel. Emmy, can you believe all the cooking videos where no one scrapes the bowl!! It makes me crazy!! You are a super-scraper!!

[El-aceyace]

Water bottle/cup so that I can always bring something to drink with me. Simple, but it usually keeps me from buying something to drink while out shopping, running errands, etc.

[WndyPearc]

My insulated travel coffee cup. It has a lid that I can close to prevent spills, and I use it all the time. My two great weaknesses is Op Shops and coffee shops. I can visit the coffee shop twice a day....my coffee costs $4.90 per cup as coffee can be expensive here in Australia. That worked out to nearly $300 per month. I nearly passed out....so...that had to stop and I bought my travel cup and make my own coffee. It's not the same, but then my bank account isn't either, it's $300 per month better off. 😉

[bethfloyd]

It will probably sound silly but my imagination with throwing ingredients together has made some of the most delicious, then beloved meals. I’m making a handwritten cookbook for my granddaughter (so they’ll be here after I’m gone and in my handwriting), and it’s always funny when at dinner she’ll say Nonnie can you add this to my book? And I tell her that I will try to remember what I put in there and she gets annoyed that I don’t write it down as I go. But I cook with love and it’s my passion. Thanks so much for all you do, I always learn something from your videos! Have a blessed weekend 💕

[kathleendillie]

I have a mimeographed 1975 copy of Carla Emery's book in a 3-ring binder (over 600 pages!) that I bought at a thrift store more than 20 years ago. It's such a treasure trove of homemaking wisdom! My biggest frugal tip is just to stay home. I find that when I leave the house, not only am I using gas, I inevitably spend money on things I don't really need. If I do need to go out, I combine all my errands as best I can. Also, I take a cooler with water and snacks with me, so I don't get tempted to stop at a fast food restaurant for a bottled water/meal. And, like you, I take advantage of my library a LOT.

[kathrinekerns]

One thing that I like to do is to keep a journal. It can be a daily motivational tool. You can keep your budget list, along with your goals that you are wanting to achieve. Writing down your plans on how to achieve your goals helps. In school they used to teach us to journal, even daily chores and weekly chores. It helps to make projects go along a lot smoother. I love your tips.I use the library frequently. I also crochet as a hobby. I make hats for the children and homeless people for the winter. Keeping busy and being thankful go hand in hand. TY.

[marykayesugerman]

One of the best things that keeps my costs down is Walmart delivery. By ordering online I’m not going into the store and impulse buying plus it keeps me on track with my spending. If the bottom line costs in my order gets too high I can look through my cart and decide what I don’t really need. It’s much easier than physically taking things out of a real grocery cart. Plus with delivery as long as I spend more than $35 it will be at my door when I decide it will and all I have to do is take things out of bags and put them away. It’s not perfect but I cannot imagine taking the hour plus time and doing a weeks worth of grocery shopping by physically going through the store. Yes I have to tip the gig worker making the delivery but I’m giving a few dollars to someone who is trying to make a few extra bucks: mothers, students and people out of work who need it.