Frugal Five Friday: 5 Ways I Saved Money This Week (Real Life Edition)
Some weeks the “big savings” aren’t big dramatic moments — they’re the tiny choices that keep you from bleeding money in a hundred directions.
Here are five real ways I saved money this week, and you can absolutely steal these ideas for your own house.
1) I used sweater clips to save a shirt that’s too big
I’m down a bit in size and one of my favorite shirts is now hanging off me. Instead of tossing it, replacing it, or letting it sit in the closet like a guilt blanket, I grabbed my decorative sweater clips and gathered the fabric so it fits again for the season.
These clips are honestly one of those weird little “why is this so useful?” items — they work for sweaters, shawls, loose tops, cardigans, even as a quick fix when you want something to lay right without sewing.
Savings: kept a perfectly good shirt in rotation instead of replacing it.
2) My daughter snagged wrapping paper on a loss-leader deal
My daughter found beautiful wrapping paper at BJ’s for just over $2 and grabbed it. That’s the kind of deal that makes future-you very happy.
We popped it right into our zipper wrapping paper container so it’ll be easy to find when we need it (instead of getting crushed, ripped, or lost in the attic void).
Savings: bought wrapping paper at a smart price before we’re in a holiday panic paying $8 a roll.
3) I tied up blackberry branches with an old faded t-shirt
I needed something to tie up my blackberry branches, so I did what any reasonable frugal person does: I sacrificed an old black, faded t-shirt of my husband’s and cut it into strips.
It worked perfectly, and I had way more strips than I needed, so we saved the extras for the growing season — because I will need them for SO many things (staking, tying tomatoes, quick garden fixes, you name it).
Savings: used what we had instead of buying garden ties.
4) We ate down the pantry and freezer (and I actually planned around it)
This week’s menu was primarily made up of what we already had on hand. Pantry. Freezer. Bits and pieces that usually get ignored until they become “mystery items.”
This is one of the biggest money-savers in any household, because it slows the grocery spending fast — and it keeps you from throwing away food you already paid for.
Savings: fewer grocery trips + less waste + meals already paid for.
5) I went in for the loss leader… and didn’t “accidentally” buy extra nonsense
I took a quick trip to the local grocery store (7 miles from my house) for this week’s loss leader: hamburger for $3.49/lb.
I grabbed three good-sized packages, portioned it out, and put it straight in the freezer.
And here’s the real win: I walked in, bought what I went for, and did not pick up stuff I didn’t need. That right there is where budgets live or die.
Savings: stocked up at a good price without the impulse-buy tax.
The Real Frugalist takeaway
Saving money isn’t always about extreme budgeting or never enjoying anything. Most of the time it’s just:
- using what you already own
- buying what you need at the best price
- and avoiding the “while I’m here…” shopping spiral
If you did one frugal thing this week, what was it? Tell me in the comments — I love a good idea I can steal. 😉
