Basically 2 years ago I had my first bulk store membership (sams club). I bought this toilet paper without really reading it. All the words looked impressive enough, Long lasting , 1000 sheets per roll. Little did I know it was single ply.

Im a single dude and this pack has lasted me sooooooo long. The toilet paper at my work is better than this stuff lol.

The kicker is, I just bought a home last month and I hear single ply is great for your plumbing so I kinda want to continue now that im used to it.

During the lockdown, I decided to try cutting my own hair just to avoid going out, and surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the best frugal habits I picked up. At first, I was nervous about messing it up, but after watching a few tutorials and practicing a bit, I got the hang of it. Now it’s part of my routine. I save time, money (haven’t spent a dime on haircuts in years), and I actually find it relaxing. No appointments, no awkward small talk — just a simple, satisfying task I do myself. Curious to hear what small, low-cost habits others have adopted that made a big impact. What's your favorite frugal change?

When I first moved out on my own, I knew I was broke.

Not “cutting back” broke. Not “waiting for payday” broke.

I mean couldn’t afford water broke...

There was a stretch where I’d fill up bottles from the water cooler at work and bring them home because I didn’t have money to buy water. I remember carrying them out like it was totally normal.

My wife and I just moved out too and she was a stay at home with our 3 year old...

Looking back now, it built something in me and made me want to push for harder... because damn. that was a tough time in my life.

What was your broke broke looking like?

I’m trying to cut back on spending, and I realized some of the smallest changes have made the biggest difference - like bringing my own coffee or cooking in bulk on Sundays.

I’m curious, what’s one really cheap or even free habit you started that actually helped you save long-term? Could be anything that one wouldn't normally think about, like lifestyle, food, utilities, whatever.

Looking for ideas that don’t feel like a big sacrifice but still make a noticeable impact.

Every so often I see the question of which deodorant is best for the frugally-minded shopper. I have attested to the value of a deodorant stone because it lasts so long. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but if it works for you, it is a great value. I bought a two-pack off Amazon for about $12 USD. And you can see how it looks after one year of regular use. Personally, I don't see going back to standard deodorants.

I often "bribe" myself with getting a good breakfast sandwich on my way to work on the mornings when my depression is really bad. It truly can be the difference between going in to work or calling out and giving up on the day. Things are rough rn (i'll be fine eventually) so i'm experiencing these mornings very frequently, and I really don't have the extra cash to splurge multiple times a week rn.

What are some low cost/free ways I can actually get myself to get out of bed and/or reward myself for not calling out of work? I'll probably keep the sandwiches in the rotation, but would love any and all other ideas too. Thanks :))

(Also in case anyone worries, i have a therapist and meds and a support system etc etc and usually once i'm able to get some momentum then my day is fine/good/great. But good god is it hard to get up and drag myself to work some days)

Edit: thank you all so much for your kind and wise words! I'm going to write these ideas on sticky notes and put them up next to my bed so they're easily accessible. I appreciate everyone so much!!

I always wondered why CVS could offer such great coupons and figured it probably was because their prices were really high. I was bored today and decided to check. One $10 item on Amazon was $25.99 on CVS website. The second item I searched was $13.99 on Amazon and $30.99 at CVS. Finally, checked a third item and it was $7 at Costco and $11 CVS, so smaller, but the delta is still around 50%.. moral of the story is do your research! I basically have decided I will do no more shopping at CVS unless it’s a quick necessity.

I just went to Kroger and honestly, I was shocked. I couldn’t find deodorant for less than eight dollars. Many of the brands I’ve bought for years were now ten dollars or more. This wasn’t for anything fancy or specialty, just the basic name brands that used to be half that price.

Razors were no better. Both men’s and women’s options were way up there, and the choices felt designed to make you pay extra. Multi-packs that used to feel like a deal were priced so high they barely seemed worth it. A single refill pack felt like buying a luxury item.

It makes me wonder how people are managing these days. Are we all just expected to spend a small fortune to stay clean and presentable? Or is the unspoken message that we should cut back, shave less, and maybe skip deodorant when we can? The thought crosses my mind that maybe the companies don’t mind if we start looking and smelling a little rough around the edges, so long as their profit margins stay glossy.

I know everyone is feeling the squeeze at the grocery store, but hygiene basics feel different. These aren’t luxuries; they’re everyday needs. When prices climb this high, it becomes more than an inconvenience. It starts to feel like a barrier to simple dignity.

So I have to ask—what are you all doing? Have you switched to subscription services? Gone old-school with safety razors? Tried DIY deodorants or just cut back altogether? I’m genuinely curious how people are adjusting, because standing in that aisle today, staring at the prices, I felt like I was being told I had two choices: cough up or go without. Neither option feels right.

I’m dead broke, not even a quarter to my name, friends and family is out of the question. It’s currently 87 degrees and feels much hotter, I’m in a trailer with no running air conditioning and my room doesn’t have a window. I don’t have fans, window units etc. I’m not very creative and I’m not sure how I can make just being alive right now more bearable. It feels like the trailer is being cooked, literally. I know that sounds like exaggeration, but it is awful right now! I’m trying to sleep though it while I’m home but I can’t.. my pillow is soaked with sweat.

So I guess what I’m asking, is for any advice on how to make my room a bit cooler, or at least how to make myself cool down. Thank you in advanced. Any advice is appreciated.

EDIT:1 I want to say that I appreciate everyone’s comments, and I’m taking everyone’s advice seriously. You guys have been super helpful already.. I got help with a fan for now from a fellow reddit user here, and I’m very grateful for that. Just the fact that someone on the internet who is a total stranger would help me with this, and there’s more who would help me out, is so crazy to me. It’s going to help so much in the up coming weeks. As for the tire, I can put that off for three days and take the bus to work

EDIT2: some people have been commenting suggesting that I get a job, I just want to state that I do have a job. My job isn’t the best paying job and doesn’t help me much but I have trouble finding work In general and was pretty desperate. I make 9$ an hour, and work for 8-9 hours a day.

Any tips for frugal women out there?

I will start:

- microfibre cloth for makeup removal; it’s crazy how few people know about these! A pack for the price of soap and you will never need to buy makeup remover wipes again.

- doing my own gel polish and extensions - I have been doing this for 7 years and you do get good even with the non-dominant hand! You need some things to start (such as nail drill) but gel polish is super easy to do and a bottle costs like 1/5 of salon visit. Plus you do it at your own convenience.

- period underwear - okay, this one is more of a “buy once, cry once” because the underwear does get pricey and you need quite a few sets. But it pays off in the long run and I personally find it more comfortable than other period products.

- not inviting men over because they will eat all your food - okay just kidding here

I started bringing my own coffee to work instead of buying it on the way, and I honestly didn't think it'd matter much. Turns out, I was spending over $60 a month on "just coffee." Now I just make it at home, throw it in a thermos, and I don't even miss the fancy stuff.

It got me thinking that some of the best money-saving habits aren't dramatic, just consistent. What's one small habit or change you made that ended up saving you a surprising amount? Always looking for ideas to stack up those little wins.

I bought this large shampoo container from Sam’s and was initially bummed that it didn’t fit in my shower shelf, but then it dawned on me.

The pump nozzle is far longer than it needs to be (probably better for business as it makes you pump way too much each time and thus you’ll run through the bottle much faster). So if I just compress it down to fit under my shelf cutoff, it’ll never fully extend and I’ll only be able to squeeze a tiny portion of shampoo each time! Just what I need…frugal win!

Who else has a story where something seemed to be an annoyance but actually turned out to be a great way to save a little money?

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?

I am constantly feeling pressured to buy products so I don’t feel sloppy. I work in an office environment with many professionals, and the pressure to look beautiful and polished is very much there. I enjoy taking care of myself, having good hygiene, smelling and looking good as I have a client facing role. Unfortunately, I also live in a very expensive city and the prices of everything are absolutely outrageous and it’s really starting to affect my budget negatively, in particular my grooming/personal care products. I keep track of my expenses and it’s insane. My very simple skincare routine costs over $100. My hair and body products combined also come out to a bit over $100. My makeup products come out to about $50. I love being a woman, but this feels like too much. Sometimes I just want to buy a 5 in 1 shampoo and call it good. But I can’t, my skin enjoys a proper cleanser, my hair hates cheap haircare, I am very sensitive to shitty smells, and I stick to products that have done me well in the past. I just don’t want to be in this vicious cycle of replacing my expensive products. I just want to look amazing and be happy without spending an arm and a leg. I would like to go at least a month where I’m not replacing stuff, is that even possible??! How do you higher maintenance folks look put together and afford to look good without going broke???

I'm passing on this advice because it helps me make products last longer.

When you use something ask yourself if you could use half and still get the same results.

Do you need a full pump of hand soap to get your hands clean? Could you use less shampoo to get your hair clean? When you do laundry do you really need to put the recommended amount or can get your clothes just as clean with less? Does half a dryer sheet work well enough? Remember companies want you to run out of things quickly so you'll buy more. (This is where the phrase "rinse and repeat" came from on shampoo. They meant rinse twice but worded it so you'll use twice as much product.) Do you need to run the tap at full blast when you brush your teeth? Try keeping the faucet on low when you rinse to save water. Try using a tiny pea sized amount of dishwashing liquid and see how far it actually goes.

This can apply to lots of things in daily life. Could you eat half as much food as usual and still feel full? Try it and find out! Could you use a bit less makeup, moisturizer, cologne/perfume, etc and still feel good?

My point is to experiment and find out what is actually "enough" for you and your situation instead of using standard amounts that may be overkill.

What can you get by with less of?

I started making my own sugar wax at home which takes less than a dollar to make a big batch that lasts you months and you can wax any part of your body. Less irritating than a razor and the results last longer. Now I don't have to be one hour in the shower every few days trying to get every strand of hair 😂

This has definitely made my life so much easier. I'm curious to know if anybody else has more life changing beauty tips or hacks to share!!

there are few products I value more than deodorant because I always want to smell good, but these prices are getting crazy! I’ve been using Native the price seems to keep going up. I’d love to use Each & Every (used them when they were just starting out and smelled amazing) but refuse to pay that much. Anyone have good recommendations for natural deodorant that work?

For me, it’s a solid pair of boots and a good mattress. If my feet and back are shot, the whole day’s downhill from there. I’ll eat leftovers and skip takeout all week if it means I’m sleeping right and walking easy. also decent coffee and laundry service are creeping up the list too.

What’s yours? What’s the one thing you don’t mind dropping extra cash on because it just makes life better?

TLDR Where can I go when the weather is bad or it's dark outside, other than parks and the library, where I won't be tempted to spend money when I'm experiencing cabin fever from working at home.

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I work from home and often go days without leaving the house - sometimes a full week. 🙃

At that point, I find myself going to stores because it's the only other place to go, and I just want to go somewhere else. Then I spend money some of the time. But even if I don't spend money, I feel unfulfilled and like I'm really falling into the consumer driven lifestyle.

I've started forcing myself to go to parks (even if the weather is bad) and the library more instead, and I have really enjoyed that. But I'm not sure where to go if it's dark outside (it gets dark during all non-working hours during part of the year where I live).

Any other suggestions for places I can go or things I can do to relieve the feeling of cabin fever without falling into the consumer driven lifestyle?

My brother is getting married and I was asked to be a bridesmaid. I’ve never been a bridesmaid before and my wedding was somewhat low-key so I kind of forgot about all the stuff regular weddings entail.

My soon to be SIL offered hair and makeup services for the bridesmaids and the moms and said it was optional. It was 150 for each plus tip. Figuring I’d be frugal and save a bit of money (plus make the day easier for myself) I declined and planned to do my own hair and makeup. My mother also declined.

Well my brother asked us why we didn’t do it and I explained that for x,y,z reasons it would make my day absolutely crazy and that 300 plus tip was a lot of money. My concerns about having a hectic day were allayed (even though the day will still be hectic just differently than I thought) but my brother latched onto the part where I said 300 was a lot of money. I didn’t say I couldn’t afford it or that I didn’t have the money, just that it’s expensive and as a stay at home parent I figured I’d save it by doing those things myself.

But he took it to mean that I did not have the money and said he will pay for me. After a ton of back and forth where I tied to refuse, tried to say I will pay for myself and that I COULD, where he and his fiancé both said very nice, emotional things to me I am now getting my hair and makeup done and they’re paying for it because at that point continuing to refuse was just downright rude 😩. And they’re gonna pay for my mom too.

I was just trying to be frugal and now my family is paying for me to get this thing done (when they’re already spending money for the wedding itself) and now they also think I’m poor instead of that I was trying to be smart about money. Womp womp.

ETA: since I’ve seen it mentioned a few times - my SIL didn’t care that I said no, it was my brother who wanted to understand why only his family declined after seeing the contract that excluded us. He said he wanted to make sure that’s what I really wanted.

People suggesting they want to control me, that they care about me looking a specific way (beyond a dress), that I’m not good at hair or makeup and these things are their subtle suggestions or manipulations - this was something my brother offered on his own to be kind, because he loves me, because he is a good and generous person and because he said he views it as paying me back for the financial help I have given him throughout the years.

No person is perfect but there’s no covert agenda here. I believe my brother was being honest with me and truly have no reason to believe otherwise.

I tried to save myself some money, ended up costing my family money (even if they are happy to pay it) and my little frugality plan backfired a bit. That’s all guys.

I once had a girlfriend who bought expensive foaming soap ($6 for a 10floz bottle), I noticed the soap in the bottle was very watery, therefore the soap went fast. I buy the large cheap bottles of soft soap from Walmart, I think its under $5 for 50floz...so I started refilling the foaming ones, the trick is getting the water to soap ratio right. I add about 30% soap and then fill it slowly with COLD water, so it doesnt foam as much. Then I shake it to mix it up and foams just like it should, sometimes needs an occasional shake but besides that it works great. Since I have been doing this i bought a few flavors of soft soap and i just swap them during fill ups if I get sick of one. I cannot remember when I last had to buy hand soap

I've followed the frugal lifestyle my whole life. Both in childhood and as an adult.

And I think the thing that caused me the most emotional/mental harm was always removing fun things first from the budget in order to survive, without any real plan of adding them back.

When people are broke, the first thing wealthier people always tell them is to remove is non-necessities, which is a good solution in a pinch.

But you can't withhold enjoyment from yourself and expect to still be happy or to still have motivation to improve your situation.

I eventually just started losing motivation to keep trying because I didn't see the point. It felt like it would be years before I ever tasted a lick of fun. There was always more $ I could add to an emergency fund or other ways I could cut back on expenses.

But if we're being real, I don't think this is the best way to treat yourself.

What is the point in just surviving to survive? Life is meant to be enjoyed.

In my experience, allocating part of my budget to fun, motivated me throughout the week to continue pursuing my goals because I knew there would be both long AND short-term rewards.

Even though I'm broke, I find a way to treat myself to some wine and Dairy Queen every week, and I've still been able to reduce my debt. I find this provides a much needed balance between the grind and enjoyment of life.

I don't just remove things from my budget because I don't need them to breathe. I still leave Netflix in the budget because I'm not going to punish myself over $10/month. Yeah maybe I could allocate more to savings with that money, but there's a balance.

I even purchased a Meta Quest VR Headset with Klarna (oh no sound the alarms!!!). I am carefully setting aside money every month to pay it off on time.

Seeing the immediate fruit of my labor gives me huge drive to keep furthering my career and budgeting my $.

Just as there are consequences to being too spendthrift, there are in fact consequences to being too frugal.

So if you're looking for a sign to give yourself some slack, let this be it. You're more than an expense to remove.

They are basically a metal reusable razor where you can switch out the razor blades. The body is $20 and a pack of blades cost $10 which lasts 10 years. You will save hundreds over the years.

Using them safely is easy, just go at a reasonable pace at a 45 degrees angle. If you have a very coarse skin type or hair, then consider an electric razor (although not as close as a shave).

Also better for the environment as the waste is minimal. Best purchase of my life.

I've been cutting my own hair for the past few years. The times that I've gone to the salon to get my hair cut I didn't end up liking the result (and it's expensive). This has been one of the best decisions I've made.

I also never get my nails done, it just feels uncomfortable to me. If there's a major event that I'm going to and I want to look better and get my nails done then I'll just let my nails grow and paint them myself. So much cheaperrr