This post contains affiliate links marked with *. If you click through and make a purchase, this site will earn a small commission.
If you have decided to rein in your spending and save money this year, we have some ideas to inspire you. Here are 24 frugal things for 2024.
1. Make a budget
A written budget is the first step to taking control of your money and the most fundamental of our 24 frugal things for 2024. It can be as simple as a list of income and outgoings in a notebook, you can invest in a special budget book*, or you can use an app. It doesn’t matter how you organise your money, but make a budget so that you know what you have coming in, what will be going out to pay for essentials and what you have left over.
2. Track your spending
Tracking your spending is so helpful when you are trying to work out where all the money goes. If you frequently find there is too much month for your salary, tracking your spending can help identify where you can make cuts.
Many banking apps allow you to categorise your spending as you go, but if yours doesn’t, make it a habit to go through your statement once a week or so, note what you are spending on food, going out, clothing, etc and check to see if you are still in budget or need to rein it in.
3. Meal plan
If you are someone who eats a lot of take-out food, or flies around the supermarket throwing things in, then meal planning can save a lot of money. It allows you to plan easy meals for the nights you will have little time, include possible leftovers, and incorporate food you already have in that needs using up quickly.
It will reduce food waste too, so you won’t be throwing your money in the bin in the form of stale bread or soggy salad.
4. Write a shopping list
Once you have made your meal plan, write a shopping list to take to buy your groceries. Try not to be pulled in by special offers and extra items, unless you can incorporate them into your meal plan.
5. Make fewer car journeys
Reduce your petrol consumption by making as few car journeys as possible. Plan to do as many tasks as you can whilst you are in the same location. So, if you are going to the supermarket, take the bag for the charity shop with you on your way, drop in your dry cleaning and fill up on petrol whilst you are there.
6. Keep a gift box
Keep a gift box at home so that when you spot bargains in the sales you can buys items that will make good presents for friends and family.
This is great in January when the post-Christmas sales are on, but it can be done throughout the year. It is especially useful for children’s party gifts.
7. Save for Christmas and birthdays
As well as buying gifts when you see them, it makes sense to put money aside for Christmas and birthdays each month. This especially takes the stress out of Christmas and helps to avoid debt. You can also check out this post: How to Prepare your Finances for Christmas.
8. Line-dry your laundry
OK, so winter is not the best time to get your laundry on the washing line in your garden. However, even in winter, if you get a sunny and windy day, line-drying instead of tumble-drying will save on your energy bill.
A clothes horse is a must for drying laundry indoors, and you could consider investing in a heated electric airer to speed the process up. This one from Vivo* takes up less space than most.
9. Declutter a cupboard a week
Decluttering not only makes you feel more in control of your home, it also saves you money. How often have you bought something, only to discover you already had some of the same lurking at the back of an untidy cupboard or drawer? If you know what you already own, you can make use of it.
10. Sell your old stuff
Once you have decluttered, you can identify items to sell to make extra money. Vinted offers a great way to sell unwanted clothing and takes no commission. Facebook Marketplace can be good for larger items. Alternatively, you could have a yard sale or get to a boot sale on a fine day.
11. Give up buying branded stuff
One of the easiest frugal things for 2024 is to question whether a branded items – be it food, clothing, toiletries, medication or whatever – is actually good value or if you are just paying for a well-known name.
Try some of the supermarket own brands. You may be surprised at how good the quality is and how little you and your family notice the difference.
12. Socialise at home
Fun as it is to go out to pubs, restaurants and the cinema, it can play havoc with your budget if you do it often. Why not socialise at home instead? Invite friends for a home-cooked meal, or for a bottle of wine and a film? Host a pot-luck supper and ask everyone to bring a dish and a bottle? Or suggest a games evening.
Once you start, you will find your friends reciprocate.
13. Find free stuff to do
They say that the best things in life are free, which isn’t always true. However, there are actually quite a lot of activities that cost nothing or, at least, very little.
Check your council website for a list of free museums and art galleries, for starters. On a fine day, there are likely to be any number of parks and gardens that have free entry, as well as scenic local walks. Take your own food and drink from home to keep the costs down. Check noticeboards for free talks, exhibitions, festivals and other events.
There are more ideas for entertaining children on a tight budget here.
14. Enter competitions
One free activity that can prove profitable is to enter competitions. There are various forums listing current competitions and draws, some even giving you the answers. We like Super Lucky Di, the competitions thread on Money Saving Expert and Loquax.
15. Buy second-hand
The list of things that you can obtain second-hand rather than new is pretty much endless. Not only will buying second-hand save you a small fortune, you can buy really high quality and prevent items going to landfill.
This post lists some more reasons to buy second-hand as one of your frugal things for 2024.
16. Reduce Reuse Recycle
The mantra for sustainable living, reducing, reusing and recycling will also save you money. Buying less in the first place is good for your budget, but if you look at ways to reuse the things you own that will save cash too. For example, instead of buying new planters and pots at the garden centre, you can use old welly boots, saucepans, sinks and more for your plants.
You can help others too by taking their unwanted items (and offering your own, of course) via organisations like Olio, Freegle and Freecycle.
If you are artistic, you can recycle your own rubbish by turning some of it into works of art, as this site illustrates.
17. Work on your spending impulses
If you are an impulse spender, it can be difficult to stick to your budget. This post gives suggestions to help you rein it in and help curb impulsive purchases.
18. Become more energy efficient
With energy prices increasing once again, improving your home’s energy efficiency should be one of your top frugal things for 2024. Cheap ways to do this are to turn down your thermostats, heat yourself using blankets and layers rather than switching on the heating, fitting insulating foil behind your radiators and hanging heavy curtains. For more ideas, see this post.
19. Use less water
When your water is on a meter, it pays to use less when you can. Showering rather than having a bath (as long as you don’t have a power shower), sharing bath water, using your waste water for your plants, investing in water butts and fixing leaks can all help. For more ideas on how to save money on your water bill, check this post from Money Helper.
20. Find a cheaper holiday
If you have room in your budget for a holiday, then make sure you look at ways to get one as cheaply as possible. For families, camping offers excellent value and children love it. But you can also explore house swapping or even pet sitting as a way to get a cheaper change of scenery. This post gives more ideas for budget vacations.
If you are staying home, there are some great ideas to keep the kids occupied during the summer here.
21. Learn to say no
It’s a small word, and often hard to say, but ‘NO’ can save your budget. Saying no to your partner, your children, friends and especially to yourself on occasion is essential.
If you understand your budget and your financial goals, then saying no is much easier. Saying no because you are paying off debt, because you are saving towards something, because you have car repairs to pay for or because you have had a drop in income is all perfectly understandable. Don’t be ashamed to live within your means.
22. Learn old-fashioned frugal skills
Our wartime ancestors were the masters of frugality. They had to be. Darning, altering and repairing clothing was commonplace. Growing some food in the garden and cooking from scratch allowed people to stay healthy and well-nourished. Making do and mending are almost forgotten skills and revisiting some of them could be one of your favourite frugal things for 2024.
23. Do it yourself
On a similar note, doing things yourself that you might currently pay other people to do can save a lot of money. House cleaning, DIY, car washing, window cleaning, gardening and small household repairs may take time but can be very satisfying.
24. Automate your savings
Having an emergency fund and putting money aside for upcoming expenses will help keep you in control of your finances. It makes sense to automate these savings as soon as you get paid. This way you don’t even miss the money. Some bank accounts help you with this by allowing you to create savings pots, or you can set up a standing order to send a percentage of your income to a savings account or ISA.
If you enjoyed our 24 frugal things for 2024, please share this post! For more frugal ideas, check out Shoestring Jane’s book, Extreme Frugality: Save Money Like Your Grandma*.
Leave a Reply