“The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Saving Money (Without Sacrificing Coffee or Sanity)”
Overview:
A funny, honest list of low-effort, high-impact ways to save money—perfect for the reader who wants to be frugal without turning their entire life into a DIY homesteading survival show.
Listen, I love a good challenge—unless it involves 72-step coupon stacking or making my own soap from rendered goat fat. Hard pass.
The truth is, most of us are busy, tired, and just want to save a little money without making it weird. So here’s my no-fuss, Real Frugalist-approved guide to saving money without breaking a sweat (or your budget).
1. Grocery Shop at Home First
Open the fridge. Look in the pantry. Yes, even that weird bag of rice you forgot about. Start there. Make meals from what you’ve already got and then make a shopping list. Boom—instant savings. And don’t forget to peruse the flyer to your favorite grocery store for this week’s specials, if you don’t have it at home at the very least make your menu from that.
2. Unplug the Vampires
Your toaster doesn’t need to suck power 24/7. Neither does your TV, microwave, or that lamp you haven’t turned on since Easter. Unplug it. Bonus: it makes you feel weirdly powerful.
3. Use Half (Or Less) of Everything
Shampoo. Laundry detergent. Dishwasher pods. Just use less. Everything still gets clean, and you magically buy things half as often. It’s like witchcraft, but it’s just math.
4. Embrace the Leftover Life
I don’t call them leftovers—I call them “Meal Prep I Forgot I Did.” No shame. Slap it on some toast, put it in a wrap, or toss it into soup. Waste not, eat weirdly well. Freeze it for another day. Use it up! And it can save you on a day you just don’t want to cook, warm up what people chose and just be done with it. (No prepared food or take out required)
5. The 24-Hour Rule (a.k.a. Talking Yourself Out of Dumb Purchases)
Want to buy something not on your list? Walk away. Give it 24 hours. If you’re still dreaming about it tomorrow and it’s not a raccoon-themed garden gnome… maybe it’s worth it. And if it’s something you really want stick it in your Amazon wish list, you’ll get a notification when it goes on sale! Just navigate to the Amazon Shopping section in your notification settings and select “shopping notifications”.
6. Stop “Just Browsing”
Target, I love you. But we both know I can’t be trusted in your dollar section. Stick to a list, skip the middle aisles, and for the love of your bank account—don’t go in hungry. They do offer “Drive Up” for your orders, if you can’t trust yourself to go in the store, do that! (it’s one of my favorite things to do to save money. Target doesn’t make me spend that much but Lowe’s is another story entirely.
7. Make Friends With the Clearance Sticker
It’s not shameful. It’s smart. Clearance is where the real treasures live: dented cans, slightly smushed boxes, and discounts so good they practically pay you to buy them.
8. Keep a Cheap Meal Cheat Sheet
Have 3–5 meals that cost next to nothing and come together in a snap. Ours include breakfast-for-dinner, bean soup, and “whatever’s in the fridge” stir fry. Mr. Frugalist has a list! Instant budget save.
Saving money doesn’t have to be dramatic. You don’t need to coupon like a ninja or grow all your own food (unless you want to—hi, fellow beet planters!).
Sometimes it’s the smallest changes—the lazy ones even—that keep your wallet full and your life running smooth.
Now excuse me while I eat last night’s dinner straight out of the Tupperware, because that, my friends, is frugal luxury.
With affection and leftover spaghetti!
