"It Brings Me Great Joy Every Night": 27 Everyday Items That Frugal People Are More Than A Little Bit Obsessed With
I'm the type of person who can easily spend $5 a day on nonsense but will agonize over anything that's $20 or more. So when I came across this thread of people sharing the best things they've bought for their homes that save them time or money, my interest was piqued. Here are some of the top responses:
1."I bought a heated mattress pad (and a good down comforter/duvet) over a decade ago. I don't keep it on overnight — just pre-heat my bed. But I can keep my house almost frigid at night and stay warm. It saves me a ton in energy costs. It also brings me great joy every night when I climb into cozy, warm sheets."
"I have had a heated mattress pad for like 20 years. My cat figured out how to turn it on, so I always come home to a toasty bed (Don’t worry; it has a timer)."
2."Glass storage containers for leftovers instead of plastic are totally worth it!"
"These save on dishwashing because you can heat the leftovers in the storage dish. No more melted plastic. The Pyrex ones sell replacement lids."
3."In college, I bought cheap pans that lasted through college, and that was it. Afterward, I shelled out for some nice pans (steel and cast iron pans), and they will likely outlive me."
"I’m currently using my grandparents' cast iron pan. No idea how old it is, but my father said they used it when he was growing up in the 1960s.
Also, it’s heavy AF, so I get a workout and a meal."
4."Home gym, not saving yet but will do in the long run by saving on gym memberships, and it has definitely changed my life."
"I love my home gym so much!! It ensures that I work out even when I don't want to leave home 🤩."
5."Souper Cubes! They are silicone rectangle molds that allow you to portion out and freeze leftovers. They work great for soups, pasta, and just about everything. When you want to have a decent serving, just pop it out, and it is all set to go in the microwave. Once the food is frozen, it also fits better into freezer bags. We use so much more of our leftovers now."
"I freeze everything in my cubes. We will crock pot a chunk of meat, pork, or beef, pull it, and I will freeze the leftovers into chunks. They heat up well and quickly in the pan, and one cube is the perfect serving size for two."
6."Instant Pot. I use it more than my stove."
"I love my Instant Pot too, and keep a notes app for timings! Amy and Jacky is a great website for all things instant pot.
We are having our kitchen remodeled at the moment and, between the microwave, toaster, instant pot and my (also beloved) air fryer I joked about not even bothering to replace the oven. I will do it, but large pizzas and the few times I can be bothered to make bread are about all we use it for these days!"
7."I replaced my car with an e-bike. I am paying off my e-bike on an interest free loan for a year from a local e-bike shop and they perform all maintenance for free. I live in an urban community so I rarely need to drive anywhere. On days when the weather is bad, I take public transportation. On rare occasions, I take a Lyft or Uber ride."
"Even though I ride an e-bike, I still have to pedal, so I get a decent cardio workout. I also use it to go on group bike rides, mostly with other people who are young enough to be my children or grandchildren, and that helps me stay young in heart and mind. I am 63 and I only work a few hours a month, but I used my previous bike to commute to work daily when I did own a car. I got rid of my car roughly six months ago because I rarely drive."
8."An electric kettle. Makes making tea easier for me."
"This is funny to me as a Brit because they are ubiquitous here. It would be quite odd to find a household without one. Seeing this as a recommendation is like seeing "get a sink!" or something! But on the flip side I guess Americans would probably find it odd that having a coffee machine isn't a given in most homes here. We tend to have instant coffee - made with our kettles lol."
9."A rice cooker. You can get a 5lb bag of good long grain rice for $6 or less. A rice cooker will make perfect rice every time for about $12 cents per serving."
10."A bidet. Mine is heated, but I only use the heater for a couple months when the tap water is below 60ºF. A non-heated bidet would work too if you were ok with the cold water. It saves money on toilet paper, but also gets you way cleaner. Once you use one, going back to using toilet paper starts to seem kinda gross.
I ordered one after seeing someone on Reddit ask, "if you got poop on your hand, would you wipe it with a piece of paper or wash your hands?""
11."The combo of getting an upright freezer and a vacuum sealer have saved us so much money and headache because I can make two of everything and freeze meals for easy heating later."
12."Hot tub. It took a lot of saving but almost every time we use it my husband or I remark about how it's the only large purchase we've never regretted. Melts away the stress and warms me up on the cold, wet Oregon coast."
13."A $15 foam roller."
14."Air purifier!! My rooms don’t get dusty as quickly as before and I sleep better now. Also helps get rid of any smells when cooking in the kitchen. I have the air doctor pro"
15."Cooking lessons. Most communities have low cost cooking lessons through the library or recreational department or local adult vocational programs. 40 years ago, I took Chinese cooking lessons thru the county Adult Educational program department. I don't recall the cost, but I was on a tight budget at the time, so it couldn't have been much. I learned to make egg drop soup, beef with broccoli, moo goo gai pan, and several other dishes that I still make today.
Since then, I've taken so many cooking classes and I've learned so much in the process. Not only how to make yummy dishes but so many other food prep lessons, like how to save veggie pieces to make your own stock later, etc.
Knowing how to cook gives you the freedom to eat amazing food at the lowest possible cost."
16."Sourdough starter and a scale. Now can make sourdough loaf for $1.50 each."
17."This is kind of small but has saved me a bunch of money so I'm pretty pleased....I bought a makeup removing wipe at the dollar store which just uses water to remove makeup. It's simply just a round fleece washcloth but it works really well for removing makeup!"
18."Automatic litter box. Saves me money on cat litter. Cats like it, so don’t protest dump elsewhere. Only have to deal with cleaning the boxes weekly instead of daily."
19."A good set of tools. Combined with YouTube tutorials you can do a lot more than you think. I literally saved $400 today by replacing my own brakes (I wouldn't recommend starting out by doing your own brakes until you know what you are doing, just using this as a pertinent and timely example)."
20."Bread machine! We save money while using mostly organic ingredients with no preservatives and regularly make bread, bread rolls, and other yeast doughs as well as yogurt with organic grass-fed milk."
21."Bought a 2-gallon humidifier from Costco on sale. Has cool or warm mist and UV to help keep down bacteria. Where I live, it is normally pretty dry (it’s been running 8-10% humidity), and in the winter, it feels worse. Every time I touch a metal object, I get shocked. My hair and skin are dry, and I’m prone to respiratory infections. The humidity in my home now is around 30%. No more shocks, no more crazy static hair, better breathing, and fewer nose bleeds. I use a Zero Water water purifier (bought on sale) for water for the humidifier. Takes almost all the minerals out, so I don’t have to keep gallons and gallons of distilled water, and works out to be less expensive, too. I can easily go through 3 or more gallons of water a day."
22."I bought myself a kitchen island from IKEA. I'm a renter, and the lack of counter space really prevented me from cooking. Now I make way more meals at home and enjoy it!"
23."Heated foot pad for under the desk. It’s a little rectangle pad, maybe 50 x 30cm (or a foot and a half by a foot). It sits under my desk and heats my feet. Like having underfloor heating but just for my feet. Working from home with that on, I feel so much warmer and use the heating less."
24."Ninja food blender. It has helped me convert to a plant based diet in a healthy and delicious way. Every morning, I have a breakfast smoothie made from frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, fresh spinach, and pea protein powder."
25."My weighted blanket. I struggled with sleep, and it helped tremendously to keep me well-rested. It changed my life."
26."For me, a good quality noise canceling headphones was one of the best purchases I’ve made. It really helped me block out distractions, whether I’m working, studying, or just needing some quiet time."
27.And finally, "My Roku. I took forever to get with the times and buy one and then wondered why I hadn't. First splurge I made on myself (always cutting back on myself for my then-husband and the kids), and I just loved it. Saved tons of money not having cable, and don't spend much on streaming, but so many free and low-cost options."
What's something you've bought that saves you time and/or money? Tell us about it in the comments!
