Fun Frugal Tips

Do you remember bar soaps? 

My mom would put the bar soap in those little seashell soap dishes in the bathroom for handwashing. When the bar soap got down to a sliver she would not throw it away. She would press it against another bar soap to make a larger bar soap. Sometimes there would be 4 or 5 slivers squeezed together to make one bar of soap. 

This is the epitome of being frugal, squeezing every last drop out of an item.

Here are some other fung frugal tips others have shared with me:

1. Cut containers - when I first met my husband he would cut lotion containers to get the last 20% of lotion from the container. I started doing this not only with lotion but also with shampoo and conditioner. There's still so much left in the container.

2. Water in soap bottles - another lesson I learned from my mom. When the hand soap or dish soap is going low, put some water in the container to stretch the soap to last a little longer.

3. End of season shopping - at the end of a season, when things go on sale, that's when you purchase items. When the winter season is ending buy winter coats, winter boots, sweaters to get ready for the next season - another frugal tip I learned from a friend.

4. Meal sharing - when going out for dinner order one meal to share between two people. Some meals are more than one person can eat so what better way than sharing it with either your partner or kids. Simply ask the server to bring two plates.

5. Clothes swap - one of my friends put on a clothes swap party where each person brings clothes they no longer want. All the clothes are displayed nicely on racks, you browse through the items and bring home the clothes you like - for free.  

6.  ChatGPT menus - Make weekly menus from the items you have in your cupboards/freezer. Use ChatGPT to put all the items in and it spits out a menu for you! I would say this has been a major money saver for us! 

7.  No bank fees: Don’t pay bank fees! Switch to a no-fee bank. 

8. Utility bill check-in: Set a date every 4-6 months to check your gas/electricity bills to see if there is a better rate. You might want to use this date to also call your cable and cell phone companies to see if they can get you a better rate.  

9. Homemade roadtrip food: Make road trip snacks/lunches versus buy fast food on the way. 

Join our Money Chat on Monday, February 24, 2025 @ 7:00 pm (MST) or share your ‘being frugal’ stories and frugal tips as part of Fun Frugal February.