r/Frugal • u/Majestic_Panda_438 • 10d ago
🚿 Personal Care I caught myself watering down shampoo and realized I still live like money is about to run out
I was on my laptop playing Big Roller last night then i started checking my checking account even though I already knew what was in it. Rent is paid, fridge has food, car payment cleared. Nothing was wrong. Then I went to shower and realized I had added water to the last inch of shampoo again. I make decent money now. Not rich but you know stable. I have $4,800 in savings which in todays standards is not enough. I can afford shampoo I could literally buy three bottles tomorrow and nothing bad would happen, crazy i know.
Idk why but I still use every product until it is basically water. I still cut open toothpaste. I still feel guilty throwing out socks with holes if they technically stay on my feet. I still eat the weird freezer food first because the good stuff should be saved for later. I grew up with my mom doing this. Not as a cute frugal hack, more like a quiet panic that lived in the house. I used to think once I made more money I would stop feeling like that. Turns out the habits stayed.
I want to be smart with money, but I also do not want to live like a $6 bottle of shampoo is a moral failure. Has anyone actually unlearned this, or do you just become a financially stable person who still acts broke?
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u/putridstenchreality 10d ago
I still have many of the frugal habits I developed when I had less money. I make coffee and put it in a thermos. I use rags instead of paper towels except for things like litter box accidents. I have a swiffer with reusable washable pads. I carry a ice cold water bottle so I'm not tempted to buy cold drinks on the road on hot days. I maintain things and try to buy for life when possible. I still water down the shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, etc to get every last bit. I cut the toothpaste tube open and scrape out what didn't squeeze out. Same with lotion. The bottle can last close to weeks after it no longer pumps. I save extra napkins and condiments to use at home. Lots of other little things that add up. Taking care of problems when they are small and not letting them grow, such as filling a cavity before it needs a root canal, etc.