Frugal habits people started to save money that ended up being life changing

Paper towels might not seem like a big deal and probably aren't the most expensive item on your shopping list, but for one man switching to reusable paper towels has been surprisingly effective.

So much so that Josiah Bartlett wanted to know what frugal changes others had made that turned out to be better than they thought. He asked the question on Reddit prompting hundreds of responses from people whose money-saving moves had proved not just friendly on the hip pocket, but life changing as well.

Some agreed with Bartlett's reusable paper towel idea, either purchasing the "unpaper towel" products, which are essentially thin pieces of fabric attached to each other with press studs and placed on a paper towel holder, or making their own.

"To make it even more frugal, I use old T-shirts cut up to paper towels size and put them on a paper towel roll," they said.

“Like you, I use regular paper towels for the super gross stuff, but have been going through about 1/10 the paper towels I used before, with absolutely zero monetary or environmental cost. And it was a fun project to cut up the old shirts! A lot of them were my partners and I love seeing the designs again when I use them to clean.”

Some have stopped buying takeaway food, switched from ordering pizza to eating frozen ones from the supermarket or are making coffees at home.

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"This year I stopped getting coffee and drinks outside. This saves me about $125 to $150 per month. I'm unexpectedly not even missing it and I'm planning to throw this money into my retirement account," one said.

Still in the kitchen, buying plates second-hand instead of paying for a complete matching dinner set is saving one Redditor heaps.

"This is one from a long time ago, but [buying] thrift store plates that don't match. They tend to be less heavy, and they all do the same thing... And if one plate breaks, you don't care. The idea of maintaining a 'four piece set' when a plate breaks seems just another thing to manage, that really does not matter," they commented.

Another has given up alcohol to save money but ended up discovering many other benefits.

“Giving up alcohol. I quit last year after going through my budget at the end of 2022 and realising the insane amount I spent going out. I still go out with my friends, but I drink club sodas instead now – which normally bartenders don’t even charge me for or are free refills,” they said.

"Went from spending $500 plus per month on alcohol to maybe $30 on flavoured seltzers. Huge, huge win, and I am not only better off financially, but mentally and physically also."

Similarly, one person quit smoking because of the cost of heating the area he smoked in.

"My designated smoking area was my man cave, half a bay in the east garage. I did the math, and it was costing me $4800 a year for space heaters, and cigarettes. I stopped smoking June 2023 for economic reasons. Withdrawal was mildly annoying but done in three days. The habit still exists but the desire is less every month," they wrote.

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