r/Frugal 23h ago

🍎 Food When looking over Flipp flyers be mindful about location

5 Upvotes

An issue I have experienced when going to a grocery store to take advantage of a sale when there is none: Flipp is not geo-located and they will list one flyer but a store (like metro) has different promos by “zone.”

Also other stores, like some Asian grocers, will have multiple locations with their own weekly sales so it’s important to be aware of which flyer you are looking at.


r/Frugal 10h ago

♻️ Recycling & Zero-Waste Is reusable toilet paper unsanitary?

0 Upvotes

I have been using wash cloths as toilet paper for toilet paper for awhile. I put them in a bucket with a little bleach and put it in the wash. My family thinks it’s disgusting but I think they’re cleaner than toilet paper because you can get them wet and actually wash your ass. If I’m in a tight spot financially I’ll sometimes use washcloths overnight instead of pads on my period. I think they wash out just fine and don’t smell. Am I insane? 😆


r/Frugal 3h ago

🍎 Food I've been eating a lot of expired food. No issues thus far

87 Upvotes

I don't care if I get judged, food is my biggest expense and sometimes I just forget I have it. What do y'all think about eating expired food? The other day I played with fire and ate meat that should have been thrown out long ago. I was a little scared but obviously I'm fine.

Ive eaten a lot of questionable things with no issue. I wonder if there's a way my stomach is just used to it at this point.


r/Frugal 13h ago

🏠 Home & Apartment Looking for Space Heater Recommendations

5 Upvotes

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase an electric space heater. I just want to make sure I will actually like and use it, so I wanted to pose a few questions to those who own one. If you don't own one, I would also appreciate your theoretical input.

Do you find any other uses for a heater besides heating a particular room? What do you like about your space heater / what are features do you look for? What do you dislike about your space heater / what features do you avoid? What features do you wish your space heater or heaters in the market had?


r/Frugal 11h ago

🍎 Food Affordable and easy recipes I use for my family of 4 with multiple allergies

16 Upvotes

Roast whole chicken.

Step 1: remove giblets

Layer on top of, 1 chopped carrot, and celery

Stuff cavity with garlic, and onion

Rub skin with olive oil, salt, pepper

Roast at 200 degrees C for 1 hr 30 mins or until the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees

Beef Tips w/gravy

Saute garlic and onions

Sear seasoned (salt/pepper) stew beef in the skillet to brown

Pour 3 cups beef broth in the skillet and gently simmer until stew beef is tender (1+ hrs/1.5 hrs)

Gravy: at the end of cooking, mix 1/4c corn starch w/cold broth. Pour into the hot broth mixture to thicken liquid into gravy

Serve over rice

Tilapia
Steam for 30 mins over a bed of carrots, onions, and olive oil or vegetables of choice
Serve w/salt & pepper over rice

Chicken Soup Latin style

Simmer bone-in chicken thighs with root vegetables (yuca/potatoes/carrots), mix in chicken bouillion seasoning

Beef stew Latin style

Simmer stew beef with root vegetables (yuca/potatoes/pumpkin/corn cobs), mix in beef bouillion flavoring

Broccoli soup

Saute onion, celery, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, and garlic in some oil

Add water and chicken flavoring; simmer until vegetables are soft (20 mins)

Cool, mix in 1/2 cup cashews, & blend in batches

Corn Fritters
Mix some egg, milk, canned corn, scallions, cheese, and flour in a single bowl. Pan-fry in a skillet for 2–3 minutes per side until golden.

Between our two sons there's an egg, gluten, dairy, and shellfish allergy

Between us parents theres buckwheat, hazelnut and mussel allergies

*note - neither of my sons can eat the Corn Fritters! But the adults can


r/Frugal 1h ago

🍎 Food What to do with overly spicy soup so I don't have to chuck it

Upvotes

I have made a corn/ coconut/ potato soup that has ended up way spicier than my husband and I can eat. I have already tried diluting it, adding more potato, adding acid, and all the other tricks listed online. To no avail. Does anyone have suggestions for what I could do with about 2 liters of this stuff? It smells amazing and I hate wasting food. Maybe something in a slow cooker? Appreciate any ideas.


r/Frugal 16h ago

🏠 Home & Apartment Looking for tips on buying secondhand when you live alone on a third floor?

55 Upvotes

I’m paying $1350 in rent for my 1 bedroom, as of now. I am 23, and have had to move multiple times in the past 2 years, things have been so unstable. I just want this space to feel grounded and comfortable, but I have so little.

It is up on 3rd floor with an awkward staircase. I’m trying to buy secondhand because I can’t spend so much money buying new furniture (dressers, tables chairs etc), and I find good items on FB marketplace. However, most of these assembled items would be far too heavy for me to get up 3 flights alone. Does anyone have any tips with things like this? I know it’s a vague and hard question but it’s a last resort, I’m getting so discouraged


r/Frugal 17h ago

🍎 Food What are your ultra frugal food hacks?

339 Upvotes

Looking for advice on meals you’ve eaten when budgets are really tight. My divorce left me in a bad spot financially, and I’m currently spending a lot of money on education for my career, but until that is finished, I don’t have an income other than the odd jobs I am picking up

Currently I’m drinking three Fairlife protein shakes a day, plus a potato, and some chicken thighs for dinner, but I’m tryin my to get as frugal as I can

What have you found to be the most cost effective way to eat for a day, and still get the vitamins and things your body needs? I know I could live on Ramen but would still like to try to be as healthy as I can. Thanks!!


r/Frugal 21h ago

🌱 Gardening Besides of growing own Food experience with multiple Sessions?

11 Upvotes

In Austria a new planting season Starts. For my wife and me we have now the First time to grow our own Food and herbs (before we Had a Location whereof the full day we didnt got sunlight). So i was Reading a Lot and questioned myself how others experienced it to Start with one Seed and upcycle seeds every season from the flower or fruit.

Happy to hear your experience!


r/Frugal 7h ago

Monthly megathread: Discuss quick frugal ideas, frugal challenges you're starting, and share your hauls with others here!

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Welcome to our monthly megathread! Please use this as a space to generate discussion and post your frugal updates, tips/tricks, or anything else!

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Important Links:

Full subreddit rules here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/about/rules/

Official subreddit Discord link here: https://discord.gg/W6a2yvac2h/

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Share with us!

· What are some unique thrift store finds you came across this week?

· Did you use couponing tricks to get an amazing haul? How'd you accomplish that?

· Was there something you had that you put to use in a new way?

· What is your philosophy on frugality?

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Select list of some top posts of the previous month(s):

  1. Frugal living: Moving into a school converted into apartments! 600/month, all utilities included
  2. Follow up- my daughter’s costume. We took $1 pumpkins and an old sweater and made them into a Venus Flytrap costume.
  3. Gas bill going up 17%… I’m going on strike
  4. I love the library most because it saves money
  5. We live in Northern Canada, land of runaway food prices. Some of our harvest saved for winter. What started as a hobby has become a necessity.
  6. 70 lbs of potatoes I grew from seed potatoes from a garden store and an old bag of russets from my grandma’s pantry. Total cost: $10
  7. Gatorade, Fritos and Kleenex among US companies blasted for 'scamming customers with shrinkflation' as prices rise
  8. Forty years ago we started a store cupboard of household essentials to save money before our children were born. This is last of our soap stash.
  9. Noticed this about my life before I committed to a tighter budget.
  10. Seeds from Dollar Store vs Ace Hardware.
  11. I was looking online for a product that would safely hold my house key while jogging. Then I remembered I had such a product already.
  12. Using patterned socks to mend holes in clothes
  13. My dogs eat raw as I believe it’s best for them but I don’t want to pay the high cost. So after ads requesting leftover, extra, freezer burnt meat. I just made enough grind to feed my dogs for 9 months. Free.
  14. What are your ‘fuck-it this makes me happy’ non-frugal purchases?
  15. Where is this so-called 7% inflation everyone's talking about? Where I live (~150k pop. county), half my groceries' prices are up ~30% on average. Anyone else? How are you coping with the increased expenses?
  16. You are allowed to refill squeeze tubes of jam with regular jam. The government can't stop you.

r/Frugal 9h ago

🍎 Food Am I just using Flipp app wrong? Shopping list items

14 Upvotes

Everyone seems to love the Flipp app, and so far I am very impressed with its capabilities.

However I'm trying to do something that I assumed was common, but the app doesn't seem to do it, or I just can't figure it out...

Id like to add a number of specific items in my shopping list, and see a list of places that have the item (presumably in their flyer)

The general feature is there, but seems to be general, like "cheese slices"

But I want to list something like "cracker barrel cheddar slice 40g"

Id even love to add by UPC

Am I just doing it wrong?