As the battle between customers and consumers for the best deal rages ever onward, frugality evolves. Businesses nip some tried and true tips in the bud, forcing customers to develop different savings strategies.
These frugal tips used to reign supreme, but they’re not worth your time anymore.
Couponing
The world of extreme couponing is coming to an end. Although some savvy customers can still score great deals with coupons, companies are wising up and placing more restrictions on the deals to prevent abuse.
Coupon clipping is rarely worth the time anymore.
Sewing
Clothes are so cheap that fixing old clothes is rarely more affordable than buying new ones. The rise in hobby sewing also makes sewing supplies more expensive than they used to be.
Buy a Beater
Teenagers used to buy beaters for $500 and drive them into the ground. The days of driveable cars costing less than $5,000 are long gone.
Black Friday
Black Friday deals attract more and more people while getting worse and worse for consumers. Stores will advertise $10 televisions but only have one available, causing a stampede, while the rest of the stuff goes on sale for similar price points throughout the year.
Washing Dishes
Some super frugal folks refuse to use modern dishwashers, believing it’s not worth the extra water and energy costs.
Modern dishwashers often use less water than if you wash by hand, and the time savings are well worth the extra cost in power.
Canned Soup
Frugal experts say eating cans of soup as backup meals saves money, but with food prices rising, a can of decent soup is $4-5, and it typically doesn’t even have enough calories to count as a complete meal.
Pot Roasts
Pot roast, beef stew, and pork roast were all staples of the working class, but with rising meat prices, they’re now luxury meals.
Cheaper Gas
It’s rarely worthwhile to drive around looking for cheaper gas. Most gas stations have similar prices, and the difference usually isn’t worth the extra gas you spend going to the more affordable place.
Thrifting
When thrifting got cool, the stores learned they could raise their prices. You used to score great deals on threads and home goods at thrift stores, but now they’re almost as expensive as buying new stuff at Walmart and Target.
Avoid Credit
In the past, frugal-minded people could avoid most credit. However, in today’s world, everything is about your creditworthiness, so it’s better to have credit and use it responsibly than to avoid it altogether.
Hostels
Young frugal travelers could use hostels to stay in fantastic cities at bargain basement prices. Although they’re usually cheaper than hotels, the rising cost of staying in a hostel dorm makes booking your private room a lot more attractive.
Fast Food
When you needed to eat cheaply, fast food was always a bargain. However, most fast food restaurants are raising prices and no longer offer bargain basement prices.
DIY Home Improvement
Frugal pros will tell you that you can build a fence and remodel a kitchen all on your own. With the rising cost of supplies and the more stringent zoning laws, hiring a professional is cheaper and easier.
How Much Does Life Cost?
With rampant inflation, the cost of living is higher than ever. Here’s how much it costs Americans to live on average.
Frugal Hacks from the Experts That Still Work
Frugal experts are always coming up with innovative ways to save money. These frugal hacks still work!