Ten Frugal Tips For Home And Everyday Costs

With everything getting more and more expensive it’s more important than ever before to make your money work harder. I’ve done a few posts now on frugal living and frugal tips on food and drink. This time I’m going to offer some frugal tips on general living costs.

It’s important to remember that being frugal isn’t about being cheap or never spending money. Being frugal is about being economical with money and saving waste.

Here are some home living frugal tips.

Invest in draught excluders

This is less important for the summer months, but if you get draught excluders when the weather gets cooler you’ll keep the warm air inside and the cold air out.

There may be spots in your home where you can feel a breeze which can mean your home needs to work extra hard to keep the space heated. So you’ll be spending more on gas. If possible fill the hole up, but if it’s the bottom of a door get a draught excluder.

Insulate your home

Following along the same lines as draught excluders, insulate your home. It may cost a little bit of money but it will save you in the long run and that’s what being frugal is all about.

Insulation will keep the heat in during the winter months and out in the summer so your home is at the right temperature.

Invest in a smart thermostat and metre

A smart metre is so important so you can see how much energy you’re using and what’s on when you experience spikes. Sometimes just seeing it tick up is enough to make you want to reduce.

A smart thermostat is a great frugal way to save on heating as you can regulate your house temperature. We have ours set that if the house gets below a certain temperature the heating will turn on. Then when it reaches that temperature it will ease off. We also have timings set. So in the winter months, we have it much lower during the day as although I work from home I can put a jumper and slippers on. And it’s higher in the evening when we’re both a home.

Frugal tips: carpet is warmer

Wooden and tiled flooring looks really nice and is beautiful in the warm weather. But we spend more of our year in the cool/ colder months and carpet will keep a space warmer and more cosy feeling.

We have carpet in our bedrooms and main living space, with wooden flooring in our kitchen/ diner for ease of cleaning.

Use the economy cycle on appliances

The economy cycle on a washing machine or dishwasher may take longer but due to the temperature and other factors can use less gas or electricity than a standard cycle. So they’re not just cheaper but they’re more efficient to run.

Frugal tips- check for drips

Dripping taps/ toilet cisterns etc mean wasted water and higher water bills. Check for any drips and get them fixed.

Walk or cycle more

The price of fuel is relatively high but it’s such a convenience. Try and walk or cycle more to save money and get some exercise.

Review account fees and subscriptions

A lot of banks offer paid-for accounts and sometimes the benefits can be well worth the cost, other times not so much. See if the perks justify the fee, and if not look to swapping to a free bank account or a different bank altogether.

We should always be reviewing subscriptions and services but keep tabs on yours. My frugal tips aren’t always about cancelling everything and saving money, if it’s something you utilise well and enjoy then keep it (where you can afford to).

Frugal tips- streaming can be cheaper than the cinema

Some streaming services offer movie premiers for a one-off cost of £10-15. This may seem like a lot of money to spend on a movie at home, but buying cinema tickets for the same movie could work out a lot more expensive.

If you watch the movie at home you save on any travel costs and you can make drinks and snacks at home.

Reevaluate your gym membership

If you have a gym membership but don’t go too often consider if outdoor/ home workouts may be more suited to you (and save you money). Walking and cycling are great activities when the weather is nice, and there are loads of free workouts in YouTube.

If you do use the gym and it works for you, make sure you take advantage of any facilities your fitness club offers.

Do you have any frugal tips for home life?

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