I see a lot of advice about extreme couponing, driving across town to save a tiny amount on gas or groceries, and spending hours chasing the absolute lowest price on everything.
I tried doing some of that for a while, and it just wasn’t worth the time or mental energy. I’d spend 30–45 minutes planning to save a few dollars, while ignoring bigger expenses that actually moved the needle.
Once I focused more on the big 3 (housing, food habits, and recurring subscriptions), my savings improved way more with less effort. Meal planning, reducing takeout, and canceling unused subscriptions saved me significantly more than optimizing every small purchase.
Curious if anyone else has a frugal tip that sounded great in theory but ended up costing more time, stress, or even money in the long run?
What’s the most overrated "frugal tip" that didn’t actually save you money?
byu/Ewa_Star inFrugal
Posted by Ewa_Star
13 Comments
Yes, I never understood that advice either.
If it’s just to save half a euro, there’s no point in going to several stores in terms of mental load.
I get the coupons and the like. At this point I know where to get what at the cheapest stores and will occasionally check Sams Club to see if the have the non perishables I need on sale. Beyond that, I’m not chasing down the deals.
Couponing works for me personally because I’m an EMT, so during my downtime waiting for a call I am able to browse online for coupons! I ALWAYS do “buy online pickup in store” and stack all of my coupons that way. I got 75% off of diapers from CVS by doing this the other day. but I can see how if your job doesn’t allow down time, this would be annoyingly time consuming!
Not every DIY is cheaper. It often only is cheaper if you need something that cannot be massproduced. And even then, buying the materials is often more expensive than modifying an existing product.
Gas savings is the biggest thing. My car had a 20 gallon tank. Even a 20 cent price difference would only save me $4. If I get gas every other week at most that’s $100 a year.
But a 20 cent difference is huge. It’s literally not worth it to try to save a couple cents per gallon.
The thing is, unless you literally can’t afford to pay an electric bill, then there’s no need to be obsessed about saving 50 cents/ pence on something.
Life is short, and living with an anxious state of mind, one that extreme frugality brings a person, is not really conducive with inner contentment. In my opinion anyway
Driving around to find cheaper gas is pretty ridiculous. Like, I get filling up before going near the airport car rental, and not filling up at rest stops if possible, but otherwise just keep an eye out for what on your way.
For me, it’s cheaper to fill up in Delaware, but I only do so if I’m down that way shopping. I don’t purposely drive out of my way.
I see this so often. People get lost in the details and lose sight of the bigger picture. If you can keep housing and transportation affordable and also earn a decent wage, you don’t need to spend your time concerned with the small purchases.
I have a family friend who refuses to use any lighting in their home to keep their electric bill low. In the meantime, they drive a new pick-up truck that they can barely afford. I would buy an affordable car and use lamps.
So, I’ve never really gone down the path of trying to get wealthy by saving 20 cents.
I ignore apps for companies even if I do use the business. Your suggested free sandwich if I buy a large fries and large drink is more expensive than ordering what I want. The coupons in the paper are not worth the time to cut out, sort, and save as they are not what I normally buy.
Making (laundry detergent, yogurt, cheese, whatever) from scratch. If it takes more than 3 steps and/or 2 hours I’ll just use less and/or coupon for it. Between procuring the ingredients/equipment needed, the labor involved with execution and clean up, and then the learning curve of possibly making a shitty end product, I’m ok with paying for the convenience of a consistently good product.
Buy nothing groups and free stuff on fb marketplace have gotten me through so many tough times.
If you have a coupon or cashback, you don’t have to spend it all to keep it from expiring. Buy only when you need to.
In general, anything that takes a lot of time. The convenience of money is there and it is a balance.