Super Frugal Living: 5 Habits You Should Copy
Editor’s note: When we wanted a post about super frugal living, we knew we wanted to pick the brain of Jordon Cox, Britain’s Coupon Kid and frugality expert. When he was 15 years old, he had to figure out how to save money to help his mum, who was struggling financially. Now, he helps people like us save money.
You may think that super frugal living will only save you a few pennies here and there, but you can be frugal by only a few small changes to your lifestyle – and it could be easier than you think.
Jordon’s 5 Super Frugal Living Tips
Once the first tricks are tackled and you’re feeling the frugal living lifestyle, there are some ways to kick your savings up a notch.
As you’ll see, you don’t have to be cheap to be frugal with money – rather clever ideas will save you money and add up the dollars you save.
1. Take a Bucket Into the Shower
Yes, you read that right. If you’re taking a shower, the amount of water used means a lot will be wasted.
To combat this (and even reduce your water bills), take a bucket with you into the shower to collect water which can be used for other purposes.
That extra bucket of water can be used for plants, washing dishes or cleaning a car.
If you’re on a water meter, it’ll mean less spent on your bill and less water wasted.
If you do decide to use this method, place a bucket at your feet either before or after you get soap and shampoo involved so the bucket is only filled with water.
The last thing you’d want is to kill your plants!
You can also put a bucket out in your yard to collect rainwater to do a similar thing (as long as you don’t live in the desert)
Save money on your one income with these genius budgeting hacks!
2. Ditch Your Cleaning Spray for Lemons
Most cleaning sprays you buy in the supermarket set you back $3 or more, but do you notice most of them are infused with lemon?
That’s because it’s high in citric acid, which is a natural cleaner.
On average, you can get a pound of lemons for just $2 (at least that’s the case in the U.K.).
Not only is it cheaper, but it cuts out the nasty chemicals that you find in regular household cleaners.
It’s worth noting that you should only clean with lemons on certain surfaces – not because it’ll damage it, but rather it won’t kill all bacteria.
I’ve found the microwave is one of the best places to clean with this citrus fruit.
To get stubborn stains out of the microwave, follow my method:
- Fill up a microwave safe bowl halfway with water
- Cut a lemon in half and squeeze all juice into the bowl
- Microwave the bowl on full power for 3 minutes
- Let it stand for 5 minutes, this allows the steam to attack the grime
- Wipe away all the loosened dirt and grime with a cloth
- Related: 12 Tips to Save Money on Groceries
Stop buying THESE THINGS to save money fast!
3. Cut Your Own Hair
Before you freak out… have you ever stopped to think about how expensive a trip to the barber or salon is? You could be spending hundreds of dollars throughout the year or even in one trip!
You find plenty of how-to videos on Youtube for other things right?
There are also videos for cutting your own hair or someone else’s hair.
Truth be told, this is much easier for men to do with a pair of clippers, so it might be worth having a go.
A short back and sides aren’t that difficult to master.
If you wanted to avoid going back to the bowl cuts, you can also try and find a student hairdresser, who can cut your hair at a reduced price to give them more experience (but hopefully still a good quality cut).
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Best of all, Rakuten works in the background. It’s always searching for cash back opportunities.
Are you trying to save money on a low income? These are the best ways to start saving money fast!
4. Freeze Food You Wouldn’t Normally Think To Freeze
We’d all freeze that extra loaf of bread or microwave meal that we didn’t get ‘round to tucking into, but you can actually freeze a lot more foods than you might think.
Not only would this stop food waste, but it will also save those precious pennies by using up food you’ve already bought.
Use these tips to create a budget you will stick to!
5. Sell Your Toilet Paper Cardboard
And you thought just toilet paper was valuable, didn’t you?
Those cardboard rolls in the middle of your toilet paper might actually be worth a bit of cash!
This is because they can be used for arts and crafts, and you are able to sell them on places like eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
It might not make you rich, but it’ll mean you get a bit of money back on your toilet paper purchases.
The going rate is around $5 per 50 empty rolls, so it could be a cool little side hustle.
If you’re crafty, you could use them with your kids too instead of buying new ones.
Check out these cheap living tips and tricks to save money!
Remember the Keys to Frugal Living
These frugal living tips might go a bit further than most, but what did you expect when they invited me, Britain’s Coupon Kid, to write about super frugal living?
Try these tips and you will definitely see your savings add up.
If you do end up watering your plants with your shower water – let us know!
You don’t have to take on board everything, but rather pick and choose which will fit your lifestyle best, and you might see a switch to super frugal living.
You won’t regret learning these genius habits of successful wealthy women!
Resources In The Image Above:
1 – Simple Tips to Live on Next to Nothing
2 – How to Live Life Cheap to Save Money
*Capital One Shopping compensates us when you get the Capital One Shopping extension using the links we provided*
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About the author Jordan Cox
Since age 15, the mission of Jordon Cox, Britain's Coupon Kid, has been to make sure nobody pays full price for anything. Everything from grocery shopping to foreign travel - he can always find a deal on it. He regularly appears on TV and radio teaching people how to save, and also freelances for national newspapers and Wooster Media Group LLC.
When my daughter lived where she had a water/sewer bill, she kept a tote in her tub to catch the water, soap, shampoo & she would dump it into her top load washing machine. She saved quite a bit that way & it didn’t matter if the water had some soap in it.