Upworthy's book GOOD PEOPLE, now available - take a look!

Shop
 Explore 

budgeting

Science

Frugal people share 30 things they stopped buying completely to save money

There's so much we buy and use simply out of habit.

Image via Canva

Frugal people open up about how they save money.

Saving money is never a bad thing. And for those looking for economical solutions for how to cut back on spending, a smart place to start is taking an inventory of your spending habits and what you buy.

In an online forum of frugal people, member TS1664 posed the question to fellow savvy financial members: "What’s something you stopped buying completely and don’t miss at all?"

They continued, "For me it’s paper towels. Switched to rags and microfiber cloths a year ago and haven’t looked back. I used to go through a roll a week without thinking, now I just toss the cloths in with regular laundry. Saves money and space."

And they ended the post with some more insight. "It made me realize how many things I was buying out of habit, not need. What things others have cut out completely that turned out to be no big deal or even better without. Could use some inspiration!"

The callout garnered some excellent real-life advice from frugal people. These are 30 things that thrifty people shared they stopped buying completely that helped save them money.

save money, saving money, money habits, money advice, saving Make It Rain Money GIF by A Little Late With Lilly Singh Giphy

"Dryer sheets." Super-Examination594

"Starbucks - bought an espresso machine, took some time to learn how to dial it in and pull a proper shot. It’s been 4+ Years and don’t miss it one bit." Fox_137

"Makeup! Used to wear it every day and buy tons of it to try new products and such. Now I only wear it for special occasions. It works great — even just a little bit of makeup really pops when you hardly ever wear any." VerschwendeMeineZeit

"Soda. Too expensive now. Pre-pandemic, sometimes Kroger would have a sale (4) 12-packs for $10." NotJimIrsay

"Cigarettes 😊." rickety_picket

bottled water, bottled waters, water, plastic water bottle, water martial arts water GIF Giphy

"Bottled water." WorriedPermission872

"Most fast food but especially McDonald's and bk. When I paid $20 for two adults' meals, it stopped making sense, and I'll cook better burgers and better sides fries at home for less." diegothengineer

"Cable tv subscription." nombreusuario

"Pizza delivery service. Frozen meals are just as unhealthy, but much cheaper." The_Keri2

"We started our pizza making journey by buying dough (under $2) at trader joe's. it really lowered the barrier to entry. once we kind of perfected the bake etc, we started playing with dough recipes until we found one we loved. it sounds painful but it was a good learning experience and fun to do together." suddenlymary

candles, candle, scented candle, buying candles, glass candle christmas sniffs GIF by Target Giphy

"I stopped buying scented candles. I used to grab them all the time on impulse, but they’re expensive, don’t last that long, and honestly gave me headaches half the time. Now I just open a window or boil some citrus peels with cloves if I want the place to smell nice." HollisWhitten

"Cigarettes and nicotine pouches! Been smoke free since august 2021 and pouch free since July 2024 :)." HueLord3000

"Amazon Prime. We stopped paying for the privilege of shopping and making money for Bozo. Now, we just put stuff in the cart until there is enough for free shipping. I don’t miss Prime, I never found anything on Prime video I wanted to watch once that wasn’t a rental. We live in a rural village, so online is cheaper than driving 25 to 50 miles to a store." cwsjr2323

lottery, lotto, lottery ticket, scratch off, scratch offs Animation Scratch Off GIF Giphy

"Lottery tickets." evissamnoisis

"Hair color. I’ve embraced the gray!" phishinfordory

"I’ll add sandwich bread. I started making my own. It costs just over $1 for me to make a small loaf that’s just enough for the 2 of us for a week. Plus no additives or preservatives." BeerWench13TheOrig

"Books. I go to the library." Significant-Emu1855

library, library card, library book, books, reading Dog Glasses GIF by County of Los Angeles Giphy

"Broth. Have an ongoing 'broth bag' going in the freezer. Once I run out of frozen broth cubes, I make another round." Colorfulplaid123

"New clothes from shops! I'm now a charity shop and Vinted gal, my clothes are so much better quality and I spend less." CorinaPhoto

"Bidet toilet seat is cheap, easy to install, much easier and faster to use, and most importantly will keep you far cleaner while not wasting any toilet paper." hopopo

"Menstrual products. Bought a menstrual cup back in 2016 and have not looked back." simply-misc

"Chip clips. I buy cheap old wooden clothespins! Works great and if they break, no biggie. It’s $2 for 24. I also use clear shower caps for dishes I have no lids for or it’s something that can’t have a lid, like deviled eggs. I use the shower caps. Much cheaper than those bowl covers they sell 8-12 in a pack for $1.25. Those bowl covers are kind of pricey and you get 1 large and 2 mediums and a bunch of tiny ones!!" Florida1974

alcohol, quit alcohol, drinks, pour out, drinking Pour One Out Malt Liquor GIF Giphy

"Alcohol." Fit_Artichoke_523

"Baked beans in the can, I literally keep everything on hand to make it so it was an excess purchase. Instant rice packs, I make regular rice, 20 minutes is not that long 😆 We keep getting gifted napkins but we don’t purchase them." Miss_Pouncealot

"Soap in a pump bottle. Switched to bars (Costco). So much value, less trash and plastic, and a better experience. Why did we invent pump bottle soap??" thebiglebowskiisfine

From Your Site Articles

save money

Internet

Mechanic shares secret to knowing if shops really put on new tires when it’s time to change them

Why isn't this taught in driver's ed?

Photo credit: Canva

Mechanic shares secret tires shops don't want you to know

Owning a car is expensive. It's not just expensive to purchase a car, it's expensive to maintain the vehicle. From oil changes to tune ups, to brakes and struts, the price tag can shock you. One of the more expensive maintenance purchases for cars are new tires.

It doesn't matter if you have a tiny car that looks like it could fit into your pocket or a Ford F-150–tires are going to cost a good portion of your paycheck. For that reason alone, people want to make sure they're getting the best tires that will last them as long as possible.

But what if mechanics were keeping a secret about tires that may impact how long your tires last? Secret may be a stretch but not every mechanic is straightforward so some may use this well known trade information to unload stock that might need to be reduced. Like supermarkets put food that expires soon towards the front and the newer food towards the back, some tire shops may be doing the same with tires and one mechanic is spilling all the details.

A mechanic uploaded a video, which was then shared by Glam Home Design, explaining how to tell when your tires are old before you drive away from getting a brand new set of tires installed. In the video, the man points out that every tire has to have DOT (Department of Transportation) printed on it. Follow the line of printed information until you reach an oval with numbers printed inside. That oval is where the manufacture date is found.

The man explains that the numbers in the oval represent the week and year the tire was made, and since tires are only good for 6-10 years, according to the mechanic, it's best to make sure the tires being installed are new. Now, the date is only printed on one side of the tires so the man shares that you need to specifically ask for the person changing your tires to put the date on the outside. People were shocked by this information while some took his advice and checked the dates on their tires.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Glam HomeDesign (@glam.homedesign)

"I bought brand new tires. Got home and checked the dates on them. All were over 2 yrs old. I called them up and they put brand new tires on the next day. Crooked a**holes. This is a well known franchise. So look before they put them on," one person writes.

"This is great! Went in for new tires yesterday and one of the 3 was made in 2019. When I told the assistant manager that I didn’t want a 4 year old tire he said ‘I don’t blame you’ and ordered 4 new ones (still, he said he could sell the 4 he was going to put on my car). While I have to wait another several days for my new tires, at least I wont have 1 that’s bad to begin with," another person exposes their mechanic shop.

One person contested the information sharing that they didn't see what the big deal was if the tires were unused, so another commenter filled them in on why the date matters, writing, "If the tire is kept indoors, it can last 10 years without any degradation. The number one degrader of rubber is UV light, followed by ozone, both of which can be eliminated if the tire is kept inside. The only other antagonist is oxygen. But degradation of a tire due to normal oxygen levels indoors would take over 20,000 years so there’s no need to worry. Unfortunately, most tire shops keep their tires in an outside hangar, with direct sunlight (and thus UV light) hitting the tires occasionally, indirect sunlight hitting it all the time, ozone and humidity at higher levels, and hot temperatures help it break down. As a result, never buy a tire more than 1 year old if it’s been stored in a hangar, and never buy a tire PERIOD if it was stored outside in direct sunlight with zero elemental protection."

The more you know. Now, go check your tires and remember this little trick when it's time to get new ones so you're getting all of your money's worth. In this economy information like this can be extremely helpful.

From Your Site Articles

secret to buying tires

Family

Money-savvy mom swears by these 5 things for a budget-friendly summer

"It doesn't have to cost $100 every time you leave the house."

Photo credit: Canva

It is possible to have fun this summer while not over over budget.

Honestly, there isn’t a season that doesn’t invite us to overspend. Autumn demands funds for school supplies and Halloween costumes, then there’s buying Christmas gifts in winter, followed by an expensive spring break vacation, and finally…summer. A time for camping ($), trips to the amusement park ($) and concerts ($$). It’s easy to see how no one can avoid going over budget each year.

But mom and money mentor Elyse says that these “five things” can help families not overspend without missing out on any summer fun.

“If you're a mom, and you are already dreading summer because you know that you're just going to spend money over and over and over again…I got you,” Elyse begins in a video posted to her TikTok. “It doesn’t have to cost $100 every time you leave the house, you just have to plan ahead.”

Number one: packing lunches.

“We are packing a lunch, snacks, drinks everywhere we go,” Elyse says. “Get a cooler, find one at a thrift store, get that cooler and pack it every single day. We are taking the, ‘We have food at home’ to ‘We have food in the car.’ The major exception. of course, being: I will always have money in the budget for ice cream. We can get ice cream on the way home.”

@thesavvysagittarius It doesn’t have to cost $100 every time you leave the house, you just have to plan ahead #budgetingwithkids #summerfun #summerbucketlist #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity ♬ original sound - Money Mentor - Elyse

Appreciate that she allows for the one treat that really matters. As one person rightfully put it, “there’s always money for ice cream.”

Second: opting for parks

“I live in Nebraska, and we have a lot of state parks available within driving range of where I live, but I think it's like $34 to get a state park sticker for the entire year in Nebraska ... it gives you access to so many other resources and so many places to go, but also just regular parks in general. We're going to the park. It's 8 a.m. Parks are always open, at least most of them,” she says.

Third: Hosting over going out.

“We are inviting friends over for meals. We're not going out for dinner. It's expensive. We don't need it. We are exercising our hospitality muscle this summer. Invite them over for coffee or tea or a meal or snack.”

Four: not hopping on the latest fashion trend of the season.

Rather, Elyse and her family will wear last year’s summer clothes, or buy secondhand. We are done consuming just to consume. Maybe this means I'm getting old but I am not following the summer's trend just because last summer's trend was slightly different. I'm not spending money on new clothes if the ones from last year already fit,” she says.

Last but not least, money saving tip number five: “a hose and a sprinkler or splash pads are the way to go.”

“I see so much pressure on social media, especially for moms to buy the big bounce house or the big pool or all the things,” Elyse explains. “My kid's three and he played in a puddle for 45 minutes yesterday. Some of my best memories are with a hose and a sprinkler.”

Elyse’s advice certainly resonated with folks, many of whom offered their own summer saving hacks.

“Our go-to is uncrustables, take it out of freezer and good by lunch time 😌 the library is also a great place to go! Rain or shine. Ours has events, play areas, and storytime,” one person wrote.

“Here in California you can also get a state park pass at the library to use for free,” added another.

A third wrote, “Find a friends with EBT or WIC and take part of the museums for all program.”

“Buy nothing groups are amazing too,” another person suggested, referring to the community groups on Facebook where neighbors can offer or take all kinds of items for free.

Sure, the opportunities to spend money will be everywhere this summer, but just as Elyse mentioned, having fun while being frugal just takes a bit of planning. But it’s totally doable, and you can still enjoy the important things…like ice cream.

From Your Site Articles

money

Pop Culture

People reveal which paid memberships are 100 percent worth every penny

"Costco… For the chicken and food court alone it is worth it."

Photo (left) by Johannes Andersson on Unsplash Photo (right) by Ben Wicks on Unsplash

From National Parks passes to air ambulance services, some memberships are totally worth it.

With the basic cost of living stretching many folks financially, people are always on the lookout for ways to save money. But with long-term commitments and ever-increasing costs, people are also often wary of memberships or subscriptions that might save you money (or at least be worth what they cost), but also might not.

Thanks to a Reddit user who asked fellow Redditors, "What membership is 100% worth every penny you pay for it?" we've got a list of memberships that might actually be worth checking out.

The kinds of memberships people listed vary widely, from warehouse stores to learning programs to medical evacuation services, but everyone who shared made a strong case for why the cost of them are worth it.

Here are the memberships people say are worth every penny:

Emergency Helicopter Services

"I live on an island in Alaska with limited healthcare. An emergency flight to a more capable hospital will cost $50000. For $100 a year I save $49900 if I ever need their services. That $100 covers everyone living under my roof. There is no limit on the number of flights. And seniors pay $75. Of course, the flight isn't a guarantee. Bad weather or the donated jet needing repairs can, and does, prevent you from being flown out." – Ksan_of_Tongass

"Can't believe someone beat me to this.
A year and a half ago, I had to be medevaced to Seattle with a broken back. Price tag on the flight would have been $141,110.89...
Good thing we are a member of the air med network!" – Tedious_research

"More common than you would think. They have this same premise in rural Texas for about $25/m." – sevargmas

The Great Courses (or Wondrium)

"The Great Courses. It’s now under the umbrella of Wondrium (and they have a bunch of other stuff, but I look for the GC stuff) They have hundreds of courses. Each one has roughly 26-40 lectures. They’re the best professors in the world - the ones that students report as their favorite teachers.

My boyfriend and I always have four on Thursdays: a science, an art, a philosophy (or wild card) and a history. We’ve done classes like: botany, the analects of Confucius, The Medici’s, the physics of time, early humans and the history of food.

I’ve got a good deal with them at $10/month all I can stream. Great for lifelong learners." – Shaydie

"I bought a 2 year subscription (when it was 50% off) and never looked back. Ancient Egypt is probably the best course I've ever taken, even including courses I've taken in college. It's old (1999) and some things have been disproven since, but it's still so damn good. Now I'm watching Ancient Mesopotamia, which is also very good." – Ok-Supermarket-1414

"I’ve learned so many things from having a Wondrium subscription (and mostly the great courses ones are my favourites). I think having the streaming version of this versus buying courses has led me to learn so many more things than I would have, and try and some and find out they weren’t really for me." — Shipping_away_at_it

Mountains rising up behind a lake at sunset

Grand Tetons National Park

Photo by Nate Foong on Unsplash

National Parks Pass

"The US National Park Senior Pass. The BEST bargain in the nation." – BrunoGerace

"We toured the us in an rv this year, and the america the beautiful pass paid for itself many, many, many times over." – mushnu

"And if you're not a Senior (or Vet) the annual pass is still a deal. Visit 3 NPs or NMs in a year and it's paid for itself." – Kerensky97

"I’m canadian, I’ve seen national parks in canada, a lot of europe and the us, and it’s not even a fair contest. The national parks in america are s tier amazing sites. Diverse, well cared for yet wild, affordable, etc." – mushnu

The YMCA (though this varies a lot by location and income)

"YMCA - I pay $70 a month for a family of four and it includes use of the pool, gym, and sauna and up to four hours of childcare a day. I go nearly everyday and have lost 60 pounds over the last six months. It’s also my only childcare as a stay at home mom so it keeps me sane." – neopolitandynomite

"Came here to say this! I’m in WI and pay $82/month for my family of 7. We go 3-4 times a week, love it. Also have volunteered to coach soccer and have kids in the youth sports. Pool, hot tub and sauna is like a spa to me." – Martini6288

"My family YMCA membership (one adult + children) is $115/mo, but even so, it's totally worth it! I attend at least 3 group ex classes a week, my kids go in the kid zone, they get swim lessons, T-ball, summer camp, etc at reduced cost. It's also very convenient as we live right across the street. We attend many of their special events too (Halloween party, pumpkins in the pool, etc)." – WhJoMaShRa

AAA

"AAA or equivalent roadside service club in your respective country. A single tow costs more than your membership and it quickly pays for itself. Plus all the other discounts and affiliated services they offer, it is absolutely worth the money." – llcucf80

"Between tows and the times either I or someone I was with locked their keys in their car, it has more than paid for itself. It has been a life saver more than once." – nelsonalgrencametome

"Family car broke down on a road trip. My dad had some upper level AAA membership or something, because they covered the tow, a bus ticket for me home while they got covered in the affiliated hotel for 2 nights, along with meals." – DopeCharma

"I haven't owned a vehicle in over 6 years, up until the last two years I've had a AAA membership.

It's worth mentioning that it's not like insurance, it's your membership. I kept it because I could call them if a friend needed a tow, someone locked their keys in their car, needed gas but no way to get it, flat and no spare, doesn't matter

If you have a membership, youre present, card in hand, doesn't matter who's vehicle it is, you're golden. I even got complete strangers a tow, I wasn't gonna use them.

One time I even got my own vehicle out of an impound using AAA because the tow company was certified with AAA and it was only impounded for expired tags. I didn't pay a dime to the tow company, they just got more from me requesting the tow through AAA to an auto shop

Amazing service, 100% worth every penny." – drklunk

Costco can save you on a lot more than just chicken.

Photo by Grant Beirute on Unsplash

Costco

"Costco… For the chicken and food court alone it is worth it." – Peach3ater

"Even if you ONLY buy allergy med from Costco, it’s worth the membership fee. $70 membership + $14 bottle of 365 allergy pills is basically 2-3 months max of Claritin or other brands at regular grocery store." – the_bio

"For me it's my contacts. Just my regular prescription for a year is more of a discount at costco vs 1800contacts than the membership costs." – MRoad

"There are so many things it can save you $10 a month on. It’s insane. My wife and I probably save $120 a month on everything from bulkier groceries/snacks, paper towels/toilet paper, laundry detergent, some clothes, tires and gas. We don’t even drink soda or have pets, both of which can more than pay for a membership. We live an hour away and factor our time/wear and tear on the car into how much it saves us. $120 a month easily even on a light month." – sevseg_decoder

Spotify Premium

"I've had Spotify premium since 2011 and I listen to it all day every day. Best value subscription." – Breakfast_1796

"Undoubtedly this, especially compared to what you used to have to spend on physical media. Even then, you’d be stuck with the same handful of albums with one good track instead of nearly every song ever recorded." – Chewie83

"Sometimes I imagine explaining Spotify to my 16-year-old self. "So for about the price of a single CD a month... You can have all the music ever, on demand. All of it, Whenever you want..." It's honestly a dream come true for me lol." – DAFUQ404

"I've had the spotify family plan since like 2015 or so. 15/month for 6 people? Yes please!!! I'd be paying 10 just for me to have premium. Now my fiancée, my adult children, my bestie, and her husband all have a quality music service." – eyemacwgrl

From Your Site Articles

personal finances

Parenting

Mom's real world budgeting lesson goes viral after it leaves her kids feeling overwhelmed

"I just won't eat lunch. I'll just eat a big breakfast. I probably won't eat breakfast."

Ariel B.|TikTok

Mom does budgeting exercise with kids. They're stressed.

Kids, as much as we love them, they're like our little broke best friends. They seemingly always want something and have little to no concept on how much money things cost.

There are some parents that start explaining how finances and budgeting works at an early age so kids know what to expect. It also likely helps them understand that parents don't have an infinite amount of money to spend on unnecessary items. Ariel B. is a mom and content creator that created budgeting worksheets for her children to use to learn how to budget and uploaded the video to TikTok.

Let's just say, the kids were a bit stressed before they even finished the worksheet.

The mom of four gathered her children around the table with budgeting worksheets and a $3,000 imaginary budget, which is based off of a $15 minimum wage plus an additional $500. Ariel explained the average cost of rent in their area and instructed her kids to look up the average cost for utilities in an apartment.

"How long are you leaving your lights on," one of her daughters asks. To which Ariel responds, "well, all of our lights are on in here and you don't seem to mind."

At one point in the video, they're discussing a food budget when one of her children says he will eat take out daily. Reality quickly set in when Ariel encouraged them to crunch some numbers.

"That's too much money, actually," the younger daughter exclaims. "I just won't eat lunch. I'll just eat a big breakfast. I probably won't eat breakfast."

@the_arielb
Teaching my kids budgeting💰 FREE PDF 🔗 in bio ❤️

In another video, one of the children is appalled that they would be expected to pay first and last month's rent when moving into an apartment. The older daughter is simply flabbergasted at the lack of available money.

"I have nothing. I have no money at all. And I don't know what to do about it," the girl says. I cut all of my ones and I'm already on a bike. Like I don't know what to do. Like what else can I do?"

Oh, little ones, welcome to Adulting 101. These kids are likely thanking all of the stars in the sky that this was just an imaginary situation and not something they need to worry about for a long time.

@the_arielb
Teaching my kids budgeting, they only have $3,000 a month. 💰 FREE PDF 🔗 in bio ❤️

From Your Site Articles

budgeting activities

budgeting

Frugal people share 30 things they stopped buying completely to save money

There's so much we buy and use simply out of habit.