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36 middle class money-saving hacks that frugal folks swear by to keep spending in check

"The savings definitely add up."

Image via Canva/bogdankosanovic

Middle class people share their best money-saving hacks.

People who earn a middle class income understand that paying attention to every penny that comes in and goes out is a smart money strategy. According to Pew Research, the median household income for middle class people in the United States in 2022 ranged from $56,600 to $169,800.

And frugal middle class people are full of money-saving tips and hacks. To boost their savings, middle class people offered their best money-saving habits to those looking to boost their savings accounts.

From grocery shopping, cooking habits, and bills, they shared their best financial wisdom. These are 36 middle-class money saving hacks that can help everyone save more money.

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"For me, it’s the simple habits passed down from family. Cooking at home instead of eating out, carrying a water bottle instead of buying one, and reusing jars or old cloth as cleaning rags. Even shopping during discount seasons instead of impulse buying has been a huge saver. These little things may not look like much, but over time they add up and keep life grounded." - NoMedicine3572

"Cooking beans and legumes from dry buying in bulk." - LiterallyKath

"I have an old Toyota is pretty messed up now, but it makes me laugh because it looks kind of like shit lol. But I don't have a car payment and I still get 25 miles per gallon or so. I'll drive that thing into the ground. As long as the car has air-conditioning music and drives decent, I don't really care." - renerdrat

"Stop being snobby about your cell phone service and go to cheaper ones that use the same towers. Mint Mobile has blown me away ... had it for 2 years now, can't believe I was paying AT&T $100/month before. Now I pay $25/month and everything works the same." - mordiaken & wezvidz

"I’ll add to this. We don’t need a new phone every year. Still rocking my 13 mini. Not planning to buy a new one anytime soon." - no_car1799

"Take Amazon off your phone- all orders need to be done on a laptop. Pay for groceries in cash- it tends to take down impulsive purchases. Coffee at home. Make your own cold brew. End of each quarter is use up what is in the fridge and pantry- only purchase are for what completes a meal. Talk about a budget each month. Actively look at places to cut." - Door_Number_Four

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Look at the grocery store flyers and plan your meal prep around what's on sale that week. Base most of your meals on canned goods, frozen veggies, and tofu/inexpensive protein options. Wash/clean whatever you can using baking soda and or vinegar. Don't bother with paper towel use rags. Don't impulse buy research beforehand. Get a library card and use that sucker. Ensure your hobbies aren't too expensive for your lifestyle. Find weekend activities that are basically free. Don't attempt to keep up with other people in order to maintain some weird social status. Keep it simple when it comes to hygiene showers everyday and have your staple products you know work well for your hair skin and teeth and buy them in bulk when they go on sale. Look at your wardrobe and figure out what you actually need to replace before you go clothes shopping (write a specific list before you leave your place). Find frugal friends ;). " - RangerAndromeda

"Buying a sewing kit and learning basic hand sewing can help save pieces of clothing that need minor fixes for almost no additional investment. I can replace buttons, hem slacks, and reattach zippers with the same needles and thread I've had since 2016." - Iceonthewater

"Pack your lunch at home. Don’t eat out. I have a mini fridge under my desk. I’ll bring 2-3 lunches at a time, plus they are healthy." - smack4u & wpbth

"Door Dash [don't do it]. A $20 meal now costs $50 with tip and delivery." - Cucharamama


@miarosemcgrath

part 2 the ‘frugal chic’ #savingmoney #splurgevssave #personalfinance

"Learn how to fix simple shit safely. Leak under the sink? It’s 150+ just to have a plumber come out to look at it. Half the time it’s just a twist or swapping out a standard part that costs $5. And if you can’t fix it yourself you can still call the pro. It’s the same with most shit, I’ve learned with YouTube videos how to fix most of my appliances, change out outlets (TURN OFF THE BREAKER FIRST I KNOW) and repair a lot of things around my home that would cost me $100s of dollars for just a few bucks. Also, if you know handy people just ask them how. I had a sprinkler line split and it would have cost me $1000s for a professional repair. My neighbor works on gas lines for the city and he came over with a bag of spare joinings and told me to go grab some pvc and that blue glue shit they use. Cost me $20 bucks and half a case of modelo (we split it while he stood there watching me dig it up and then directing me how to cut out the compromised piece and fix it)." - JoefromOhio

"Buying popcorn in bulk and popping it on the stovetop, instead of prepackaged popcorn." - CBased64Olds

"Evaluation of my bills regularly- and tracking that the expected amounts are deducted. Example: my Comcast bill is normally $70/mo. $77 came out. The following month the invoice said $95 would be deducted. These companies creep up the bill and if you aren’t watching it will climb. In my experience, Comcast has been the worst offender of this. I called them and was refunded and my bill is back to $70. Also price shopping. I pay $15/mo for my phone service (Visible by Verizon- my service is better than when I was paying $179/mo T-Mobile or $250/mo att!) and $2.17 for Disney + Hulu. I use alternate suppliers for my electric. My bill was almost $300/mo, now it’s down to $110-$120/mo. Your bill is still generated through the regular electric company. You are just buying the electric from a cheaper supplier. I check/switch providers for any and every service every 3-6mo for the best savings. I was with AT&T for 20 years. Then I asked myself why am I loyal to them? Or any company? Bc it’s just easier. But now I view comparing prices for these things as a side hustle. Some of my bills are so low (like my cell bill or my streaming) that I don’t price shop them anymore. It’s a small time investment for thousands saved. I like to keep my money!" - Thor_StrngstAvenger

"Automation. You gotta find your number and then give yourself a little cushion and then the rest of your money needs to be automated out. Basically you learn to live on the money in your checking account. People who don't do this usually never realize that they can easily live on less." - scottie2haute

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"When I see something I like my first thought is 'but what am I gonna do with it?' If the answer is primarily 'Idk, I just think it’s neat', then I don’t buy it." - DeepDot7458

"Sounds silly, but we got my husband a nice cooler for Christmas, and I’ve taken to packing it when I go on outings/errands with the kids. “Mom’s random bag of shelf-stable snacks” doesn’t have as much appeal as that Chick-Fil-A sign, and I found myself easily convinced to order nuggets for myself, a medium fry or Mac and cheese for each of the kids, etc. $30 later, we’re satiated, but I’m kicking myself. Turns out turkey subs, chips, and snackle boxes with fruit, cubed cheese, crackers, mini pepperoni, etc ARE more appetizing than CFA, especially when they help pack the cooler." - Snoo-669

"IMO, it's not the habits around the small spends. It's the habits around the big spends. I focus on keeping my housing, transportation, food, and utility costs down -- in that order. Making my own coffee at home is trivial in comparison. But I do that too. And shop at Aldi. I keep a mental list of the good price on all the things I buy and try to always hit those prices and stock up when they do." - Cannelli10

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How much money do you need to make to be considered 'middle class' in the U.S.?

The income thresholds vary widely, but it still feels like these figures just can't be right.

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For many, the American middle class doesn't feel like it used to.

The U.S. middle class has long been a symbol of American prosperity, a promise that freedom, opportunity and hard work will provide your family a reasonably comfortable life, even if you don't strike it rich. In the past, an average middle class family could presumably afford to buy a modest home and take the family on fun-but-not-extravagant vacations. Not living luxuriously, but easily affording the basics, building up some savings and enjoying a little wiggle room in the budget for occasional extras. A nice, secure life.

But the reality of the middle class has shifted over the decades. Not only is the middle class shrinking, according to government statistics analyzed by Pew Research, but many people who fall into the middle class income-wise aren't feeling any sense of financial security. Approximately half of Americans are classified as middle class, down from 61 percent in 1971, and those who fall within middle class income thresholds can often feel like they're barely making ends meet.

When a TikTok user asked middle class families to share how much money they have in savings, the responses were eye-opening. Many middle class Americans say they have nothing in savings, and not for lack of trying. There's always some expense that comes up. Especially for those on the lower end of the spectrum of middle-class incomes, it can feel like living one emergency away from financial doom.

So how much money do you need to actually make to be considered middle class in the U.S.?

To compare middle class household income ranges by state, SmartAsset analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data using Pew Research's definition of middle class, which defines the middle class salary range as two-thirds to double the median U.S. salary. New Jersey came in at the highest range at $64,224 to $192,692 and Mississippi came in the lowest at $35,142 to $105,438.

Here are the rankings in order:

There are even bigger variations between cities. The highest middle class income range in SmartAsset's list of 345 cities is Sunnyvale, California (near San Jose) at $113,176 to $339,562 and the lowest range is Detroit, Michigan at $24,300 to $72,906.

Cost of living varies a lot, as we all know, so it's understandable that middle class income in the Silicon Valley wouldn't be the same as middle class income in the Midwest.



But the differences from place to place are arguably easier to digest than the differences within the ranges themselves. There's an ocean of difference between a household income of $50,000 and a household income of $150,000, no matter where you live. For most families I know, the low end of the income range in my state would be a huge stretch to even live on while the upper end would mean complete financial security. How can the entire range be considered middle class?

Interestingly, the past decade or so has seen middle class income ranges rise dramatically. According to GoBankingRates' analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, the household income required to be considered middle class increased by 41.67% overall from 2012 to 2022, with Oregon, Washington and Colorado each seeing an increase of over 50% during that time frame. People are making more money, but people also feel like their dollar isn't going as far.

Is that true, though? According to Investopedia, Americans overall are making more money than ever and are wealthier than every by nearly ever measure, even accounting for inflation. But at the same time, more Americans feel poorer. There are several possible reasons for that. One is the surge in housing prices increasing homeowners' net worth without adding actual, spendable dollars to their bank accounts. Another, as Investopedia points out, is that broad averages mask greater disparities between people's wealth—in other words, the rich are getting richer at higher rates than the average American. People also may still feel shaken by the pandemic's economic fallout. That sense of insecurity from an unprecedented global event may still linger in people's minds, making them feel financially unstable even if that's not their actual reality on paper.

And then there's the lens of partisan politics that can color people's perceptions. Half the country tends to see the economy negatively when one party is in power and the other half sees it negatively when the other party is in power. We also shouldn't discount the role that aspirational social media plays, with feeds pushing plush vacations and perfectly curated luxury homes, altering people's expectations of what life should look like.

Of course, some middle class folks really are financially struggling, and again, those lower income thresholds do feel incredibly low for most households. Perhaps it's time to shift the definition of "middle class" to be more reflective of how those incomes are experienced by real families rather than simply a percentage calculation that feels way off from reality.

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