8 Extreme Frugal Tips To Save You A Ton Of Money - Project Hot Mess (2024)

This is it. You need to save some serious moolah and you need to do it now. All stops are being pulled out and you’re getting down with these extreme frugal living tips to save you a ton of money.

Whether you need to cut right back on your spending, if you’re in hard financial times or if you have a big financial goal to achieve, these extreme frugal tips with help you get through and save a ton of money.

While I’m a big advocate for finding ways to earn more money rather than cutting back on everything (earning more has a greater capacity that cutting back), I do understand that sometimes you just have to reign it in and cut right back.

If you’re in need for some extreme frugal tips then these will have you covered.

1 – Sell Anything You Aren’t Using And Don’t Need

You’ve seen the posts about decluttering and making some extra cash, but this is next level. This isn’t just about selling what you don’t want anymore, this is about selling what you don’t need.

Sell your second car, or your main car if you can get by without it, sell any kitchen appliances you don’t use, furniture that isn’t necessary or anything in your home that you don’t need in the immediate or near future.

If you’re going extreme, there’s a reason so make it happen.

2 – Downsize

Now you have less ‘stuff’ you can downsize to save money. If you’re renting, consider a smaller place with less rent, or if you have a mortgage, consider selling your home and buying something smaller (this will be totally dependent on your personal financial situation and the housing market in your area).

If you’re wanting to save even more, see if you can rent a room from your parents if possible, another family member or a friend. Or even share accomodation by getting renting a room out in your home.

3 – Become Coupon Crazy

There are so many couponing Queen’s out there who can guide you to saving an absolute fortune using coupons. Some go to extreme lengths and become obsessed with couponing, but try to stick with only getting what you need. It isn’t about getting as much as you can for less, it’s about using and needing less and paying as little as you can.

4 – Stop Using (Most) Electrical Appliances

Wash your clothes by hand, dry them on the line, reheat your food on the stovetop and boil your water in a saucepan.

Electricity is a massive cost and a lot of it can be cut if you dramatically reduce your electrical appliance use. You can even use candles at night instead of lights (but keep your fridge and freezer running otherwise you’ll spend more money on spoiled food).

5 – Shop At Farmers Markets

This may not seem like an extreme way to save money, but you can really make this work for you and save an absolute fortune.

Plan your meals based on what food is in season, and therefore considerably cheaper. Vegetable based meals are often cheaper than meat, so eat more of what you can find for less.

When shopping at the markets you can often find ‘discount’ boxes of fruit and vegetables that taste just as good, they just don’t look as pretty. You can also freeze these for later use so they don’t spoil.

6 – Say Goodbye To Home Internet

Save big on your home internet bill by not having any! Most mobile/cell phone plans have a decent amount of data included now, more than enough to sustain a home. Cut your home internet, and reduce your streaming services and games services and see how quickly the dollars saved can add up.

7 – Cook All Of Your Meals At Home

To your grandparents, this would have been laughable as an extreme frugal tip, but nowadays the average American family eats out almost 5 times a week. While takeaway meals may seem like a cheap option, homecooked meals can be made far cheaper if you’re smart about it. That’s without even factoring in the long term health costs of eating unhealthy takeaway meals too.

8 – Eat The Same Menu

Food is such a huge cost for so many people, and therefore it is a great source to save money too. Instead of trying to come up with new and exciting meals each night, eat the same set menu that you can create of budget friendly meals and rotate it through.

The number of meals you include is up to you, you can have the same meal every night for a whole week and cook it in bulk, you could have the same 7 meals each night of the week and cook for two weeks at a time, rotating through, or you could go longer or shorter depending on what food you like and what your storage abilities are if you choose to cook in bulk.

Rotate your menu as the seasons change and different foods become ‘in season’ and cheaper to source.

Remember, there’s a difference between living frugally and being cheap. Just because it’s an extreme frugal tip, doesn’t mean you have to be cheap, unhealthy or live in a way that makes you uncomfortable. Some of the savviest and wealthiest people are extremely frugal. It’s up to you how frugal you want to be.