Are you a homemaker or stay-at-home parent trying to live off one income or just want to learn how to save more money for your family? Adopting a frugal lifestyle can bring a sense of richness and simplicity to your life, benefiting your wallet and well-being.
When you are trying to save money, you often need to invest more of your time or make the most of what you already have before buying new things. Being resourceful will save you money.
If you want to live frugally, you have to change your mindset. It’s not always easy, and you’ll probably have to sacrifice wants over needs. But being a frugal homemaker is worth it when your family has goals or priorities.
With practical steps like cooking at home, making do with what you have, setting budgets, gardening, and learning new skills, you can take charge of your finances and become a happy, frugal homemaker.
Here are 10 practical steps to help you become a more frugal homemaker.
For more tips, check out my guide to 37 things frugal people make at home to save money.
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10 Steps to Becoming a Frugal Homemaker
1. Set a Budget
Before you do anything else, I recommend sitting down and working out a budget for your family.
Creating a budget helps you clearly understand your financial situation. By recording how much money is coming in and tracking where it goes out, you can identify areas where you are overspending and adjust accordingly.
It doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Even a simple budget can help you manage your spending habits.
It may seem obvious, but spending less than you earn is key.
2. Cook Homemade Meals
Cooking at home can be a great way to save money and stay healthy. It’s much cheaper than eating out; you can control what ingredients go into your family’s food.
If you keep your pantry stocked with good ingredients, you can plan your weekly meals, cook large batches, and eat on leftovers.
You can also learn how to replace store-bought items with homemade ones, which can be a game-changer. Try making homemade bread and this quick maple pecan granola. Bake simple snacks like these chocolate chip cookies and make easy dinners like baked mac and cheese or gnocchi with pesto sauce.
With a little effort, you can enjoy delicious and nutritious meals at home while saving money. Here are some quick tips to get started:
- Find a handful of recipes for the week from cookbooks or online.
- Write out a meal plan, including breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Make a shopping list and stick to it.
- Prepare any meals or snacks you may want to in advance to make the week ahead easier.
Food is one of the quickest and easiest expenses to reduce when you cook at home. I encourage anyone wanting to save money or live more frugally to focus on this skill first.
3. Buy in Bulk
When you prepare homemade meals frequently, you tend to use many ingredients. This is particularly true when baking, preserving, or canning food from your garden.
Purchasing bulk ingredients is a great option to save money on these pantry staples. Although it may seem intimidating and expensive initially, the cost is generally much lower than purchasing small individual packages.
Buying in bulk also reduces the number of trips to the grocery store, resulting in savings on petrol. Remember to support your local farmers by buying produce, dairy, meat, and eggs from them.
Check out my list of bulk panty ingredients to consider buying!
4. Make Your Own Home & Beauty Products
Instead of buying cleaning and beauty products, try making them yourself. This step may sound intimidating, but once you start, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start earlier.
It can be fun, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, washing powder and soap can all add up. Many of these products are filled with toxic chemicals and microplastics, not to mention all the packaging.
Many amazing, tried, and true tutorials are online to help you get started. Here are a few of my favourite recipes to try:
5. Grow Some Food
There’s something incredibly satisfying about eating food that you’ve grown yourself. Not only does it taste better, but it can also save you a significant amount of money. Frugality is all about being thrifty, so growing your food seems like a no-brainer if you can!
Start with easy-to-grow herbs and vegetables like basil, lettuce, and tomatoes. As you get more comfortable, you can expand your garden.
Remember, you don’t need much space—a few pots on a balcony or a small plot in your backyard will do.
The best part is gardening is a relaxing and fulfilling pastime that can provide a sense of achievement.
6. Use Up What You Already Own
Becoming a frugal homemaker means being thrifty. Before you make a purchase, taking inventory of what you already have is always a good idea. This will help you avoid buying items that you don’t need and save money. Most of us have cupboards filled with stuff that we can make do with!
Consider your bathroom cupboard; I bet there are multiple shampoos, lip glosses, and soaps sitting unused. Let’s use them all up before we buy the latest and greatest products that influencers are promoting!
You can save money, reduce waste, and help the environment by using what you already own.
7. Be Resourceful
Keep items that you can repurpose or reuse. For example, an old t-shirt can be turned into a cleaning rag, and an empty jam jar can store pantry staples and sewing supplies or be used for homemade pickles.
Repurposing like this can help you get more use out of the things you already own, reducing the need to buy new things and saving you money!
Understanding the value of resourcefulness is important for leading a frugal lifestyle. This means looking for ways to make the most of what you already have rather than constantly buying new things.
Repairing items instead of replacing them, borrowing instead of buying, and swapping items with others instead of shopping for new ones are great ways to save money and make the most of the resources available.
Plenty of resources are available to help you learn how to repair and maintain items around your home, such as fixing a leaky faucet, mending a torn garment, or refurbishing an old piece of furniture.
These skills save you money and add value to your life by giving you a greater sense of self-sufficiency and pride in your ability to take care of your belongings.
By embracing a resourceful mindset and adopting these skills, you can live a more sustainable, budget-friendly lifestyle while reducing your environmental impact.
8. Cut Back On Spending
When shopping for groceries or household items, it’s easy to think that the most expensive brands are always the best. That’s not always true. I like to look at the quality of ingredients and make my decision based on that.
Another way to save money is to cut back on discretionary spending. This means examining your monthly expenses and evaluating what you truly need. For example, you could try working out at home using free online resources or secondhand equipment instead of paying for an expensive gym membership.
Instead of buying new books, you could borrow them from the library for free. Instead of ordering Starbucks every time you run errands, make a copycat version at home before you leave the house.
You can save money without sacrificing quality or convenience by making these simple changes.
If you do need to buy something, look for secondhand items. They’re cheaper and usually better quality. If you’re looking for household items, check out my ultimate guide to thrifting for home decor.
9. Learn New Skills
The internet is a treasure trove of free educational resources. You can find tutorials online, whether it’s learning how to sew, cook, preserve food, or build things. These skills can save you money and make you more self-sufficient. Plus, they can be a great way to spend your time productively.
30 Homesteading skills to start doing today {no matter where you live}
10. Change Your Definition of Success
Finally, success doesn’t mean having the most expensive items or the latest gadgets. Success can be having a loving family, a comfortable home, and the time to enjoy the little things. When you shift your perspective, you’ll find that living frugally doesn’t mean missing out—it means focusing on what truly matters.
Remember your why and stick to your goals.
