I've been trying to be more intentional with money, but it keeps turning into a loop: groceries creep up, I search for frugal ideas, and the suggestions become a list of chores that feels like a part-time job.
Meal prep sounds great, but I'm a busy parent in the suburbs. My free time comes in ten-minute chunks and usually one hand is occupied. By the time dinner is done, lunches are packed, and the kitchen is back to normal, I have nothing left to be an inventory manager, rotating pantry stock, tracking unit prices, and planning three different meals around half-used ingredients.
Same with the whole "go to three stores" advice. The math can add up, but gas, time, and wrangling the kids often wipe out the savings. Couponing, rebate apps, and rewards programs all seem to need constant attention. No judgment to anyone who makes that work, I just can't keep up.
I feel guilty when I choose the simple option, even if it's still within budget. I want frugal to feel calmer and more stable, not like a never-ending optimization game.
If you have low-effort frugal habits that actually reduce mental load instead of adding to it, please share what worked for you.
Venting: every frugal tip turns into a second job and I'm already maxed out
byu/Aggravating-Rope8230 inFrugal
Posted by Aggravating-Rope8230
15 Comments
Frugality is about spending your resources wisely, including time.
(Side note: this is why rule 11 bans discussions of side hustles.)
This also pertains to DIY stuff too.
I’m with the previous comment on time. I shop at one grocery store for the majority of my food. I meal plan for the week based on what I already have plus what is on sale that week (and do stock up if there’s a particularly good deal, especially on meat). I order pickup 99% of the time. I end up saving money by not buying extras and time (and headaches!) by not having to wrangle toddlers in the store. Could is save more money shopping around – definitely but at the cost of gas, time and my sanity which I’ve decided isn’t worth it. I’m also big on frozen bagged veggies (already chopped!) and sticking to a rotating regular meal menu (no thinking! Kids already like it! Know exactly what I need to do!). Frugal for me is spending money in a way that aligns to my values, and the value of my time especially with little kids, is huge at the moment. Saving five dollars but having to spend time managing coupons for three different stores and driving all over town is definitely not worth it.
Pampers app is low effort and provides coupons every 10 scans. I usually keep the packaging in one spot and scan several at once, usually on laundry day. That’s easier for me than scanning as we go.
I do grocery pickup more often than in-store shopping. Taking 30min after bedtime to be able to focus and plan, while walking around my kitchen to check inventory, tends to be a better use of my time than going to the store for 60min+ while trying to track down everything on my list with a kid in the cart.
Plus the app/store I use (Albertson family of stores) I can add directly to my cart from the coupon page, so that saves money plus reducing impulse buys from walk through, and add items throughout the week when we’re running low so I don’t have to remember come grocery day
I’m out the other side – kids successfully launched, I’m mostly retired. I totally understand the reluctance to do multiple stores and never did when I was juggling full time work, running a household and child responsibilities. If you are within budget, drop the guilt. You have enough on your plate already!
cancel Amazon.
stop buying anything you don’t need.
sell/donate anything in your home that you don’t need.
if you need something, buy it 2nd hand/used.
stepping away from being a consumer sounds stupid, and isn’t easy, but it will change your life.
Sounds like your partner should do more around the house to help in your mission towards frugality
learn to delegate. Put your personal chef in charge of coupons AND meal prep. /s
I’ve found it’s time or money. So with some things I will invest the time, others are worth the money. With food, I’m aiming for simplicity – what is the simplest healthy thing I can cook that won’t take too long and doesn’t cost too much. Sometimes that will be a bagged salad. Recent example of actual cooking was pizza beans.
My mom taught me to value my time by mentally assigning myself pay at minimum wage when I’m cooking and crafting and doing DIY to figure out if it’s actually “cheaper.” Cutting or dyeing my own hair takes half an hour so it is cheaper. So is grating my own cheese or cutting up a melon instead of buying fresh cut. Spending four hours price matching to save ten cents on soup is not.
Embrace boring. Repeat meals. Make big batches once instead of cooking all week. This does require an initial time investment and maybe containers if you don’t have enough or can’t use cheap foil and baggies (can be reused) to make it work. I spend a hell of a lot less time cooking and money on food now. Also, use a meal base like rice or salad to stretch out protein and other ingredients.
Know the price of groceries and buy items on sale rather than full price. For example, get the berries that are on sale rather than the ones that are the kids favourite.
I recently picked up four bags of 5 avocados for $2.77 on sale. I put them in the fridge and take a few out at a time to make them last longer.
Tip for meal planning frugally as a parent: Do a regular rotation of meals that your family likes. Either a one-week or two-week pattern that you just repeat over and over. This will take the mental load off as you get used to it! And they don’t have to be complex meals. Example:
Monday: mac & cheese & a vegetable
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: baked chicken & potatoes
Thursday: burgers
Friday: pizza
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: shopping and mom’s day off from cooking (PB sandwiches or breakfast-for-dinner if your budget doesn’t allow eating out)
This allows you a little room to experiment IF YOU WANT TO but gives a framework that lets everyone in the family know what’s coming next. It will make the shopping easier too – if you know your normal plan uses 2lbs of ground beef and 2lbs of chicken every week, you can stock up when they go on sale and put the extras in your freezer.
Bonus: as your kids get older, you’ll be able to teach them to make one (or more) of these simple meals, too.
Once in a while if you have extra $$ buy 10-15$ worth of paper plates, disposable cups, and disposable silverware. It can give you a few days to a few weeks worth of less dishes to worry about. If you’re a smallish family, then even better.
When my dishwasher has broken in the past, buying disposable stuff saved my time and mental/ physical energy.
Try not to feel guilty! Honestly, I’m not even a parent and don’t have the energy for most the things people suggest to save money. And my brain honestly just *won’t* do a lot of things if it perceives that things are to convoluted.
What I do is read all rhe suggestions, but I only honestly take into account the ones that are *actually* plausible for **my** life. And I disregard everything else.
Even when things were much tlighter for my financially, and would sometimes need to choose between having change for laundry or getting food… there were things I just didn’t see as worth the effort.
I used to try to coupon a lot more, but in all honesty it got to the point where my “free time” was spent hunting for the best deals, coupons, etc instead of actually doing things to help me enjoy life and relieve stress. That’s no way to live.