I've been buying the big cans of gatorade powder lately because I've been busy and they are cheap. But they are still absurdly expensive for what is essentially just salt with food coloring and artificial flavor, and I dislike how much sugar it contains.

Hi! Since liquid soap is so cheap I want to cheap out by making it cheaper. I pretty much always dilute it which extends its life but the resulting runniness lead to some soap escaping the hand washing my money straight down the sink.

This pain is unbearable and I’m thinking to add a little bit of corn or potato starch, agar or some such from the pantry to increase the viscosity How bad of an idea is this? I figure soap doesn’t really allow for microbe life and starch tends to be quite anti microbial. Same goes for dish soap. The soap is dumpstered so switching to hard soap isn’t cheaper and I haven’t found a foaming dispenser in the trash (yet). But soap is rare in the trash so I want to make last. Alternatively anyone know if a a regular pump can be made foaming or have other creative solutions?

Do note: these aren't a great option if you're on Linux, since they no longer receive driver updates, and likely won't work well on Wayland based systems due to that. You'd probably want to opt for an AMD Vega 56 instead for something that's similarly powerful that can use the open-source driver, though I believe it's a little more expensive.

Streaming prices are out of hand. What are cheaper alternatives?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/44396235

I’m considering joining a CSA for summer produce …….

But getting produce this way can be expensive so not everyone can do it, but this one place also spends part of our shares to offer

• “Food For All” where they offer half price food shares on request, no paperwork or shame involved!
• you can buy shares with SNAP at subsidized prices so it’s at least comparable to grocery stores, but then put money back on your SNAP card!

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/39989064

So, before I begin, some context: I'm unemployed and relatively poor and spend a lot of time trying to optimize my grocery bill and finances. I also have some obsessive tendencies, so I'm sorry if that gets in the way - feel free to ignore details you don't value.

That said, I prefer to be frugal more than "cheap", meaning I don't like to buy the cheapest option in all cases, only when it makes sense - and then I try to pay extra for what matters. For example, I buy the cheapest peanut butter and bananas I can find because the higher-cost options don't make enough of a quality difference to justify the price. But I buy whole oats because freshly rolled oatmeal is so much tastier.

I have struggled to find whole oats in a store locally, and I found some online for $0.93 / 100 g. (Would love to hear what better oat prices I should look for, and where I could find them. I might re-engage my search for whole oats in store.)

I like to make a batch of what I call "fiber oatmeal" at the start of the week. Ingredients:

• 1 cup (250 mL) of freshly rolled oats
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) flax seeds
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) chia seeds
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) hemp seeds

I weigh out around 115 grams of whole oats and use a hand-cranked oat flaker / roller. If you haven't had fresh oatmeal, it's very creamy and in my experience is much tastier than oats I buy at the store. It's a luxury for me. You can always substitute old-fashioned oats from the store, though - it just won't be as fresh and creamy, but it's totally fine.

I bring 2 cups (500 mL) of water, once it's boiling, I add a pinch of salt and the rolled oats, and I cook on medium-low until it goes from a liquid-y substance to more of a thick paste - I turn the heat off while it's still a little liquid-y because it thickens significantly as it cools (so don't overcook the moisture out of it!).

Then I grind the flax, chia, and hemp seeds together (I used to just use a mortar and pestle, but I have become lazy and started to use an electric coffee & spice grinder), and I mix those ground seeds into the oatmeal once it's at that slightly liquid / almost solid stage, and take it off the heat. The chia seeds will gel the oatmeal up even more, so remember it can handle more liquid than you think, as long as the oats are fully cooked.

::: spoiler why the flax and chia seeds?

The reason for the flax and chia seeds is mostly to add soluble fiber, which helps as a prebiotic, as a way to increase satiety and reduce hunger (to make the meal last longer), and to help with regular and healthy bowel movements (which is relevant for me because of a surgery that impacted my bowel movements). Note that insoluble fiber (like you get from a typical brand of high-fiber breakfast cereal like FiberOne) will increase bulk of bowel movements and make them harder to pass, whereas soluble fiber will soften bowel movements and make them easier to pass. Not all fiber is equal. :::

Then I put the cooked oatmeal into two glass pyrex containers, and once cooled, into the fridge.

Here are my estimated macronutrients for this "fiber oatmeal", per 100 g:

• 130 kcal
• 4.37 g fat
• 17.8 g carbs
• 5.59 g protein
• 4.21 g fiber

Then in the morning for breakfast, I take a quarter of the whole oatmeal (i.e. half of a container). I put the portion in a bowl and microwave it to warm it up.

Here are the ingredients:

• 115 g of cooked oatmeal (~$0.30)
• 16 - 25 g (a spoon-ful) of creamy peanutbutter (~$0.10)
• 100 - 130 g (1 x, peeled) banana (~$0.17)
• 50 - 80 g plant milk (my preferred: pea milk or soy milk) (~$0.25)
• 20 - 30 g high-protein granola (~$0.07)

For context, the "high protein granola" is the cheapest off-brand granola, and it is basically a normal granola with soy protein isolate added. You could easily make this yourself at home; I haven't run the numbers on how much money you would save by doing that, but I fully intend to start making my own granola again, once my life settles down and I have time to spend that way.

Usually the cost for this breakfast is around $1 for a single bowl. I like to sprinkle the top with some cinnamon to cut the blandness, and I've been using the same batch of "true" ceylon cinnamon that I bought over a decade ago, so I haven't included that in my cost estimate.

I don't always add a banana - I only add it when there are bananas that need to be used up (my partner eats bananas, I would never buy them myself for ethical reasons; but when there are bananas to use-up, this is how I avoid waste and use them up).

I eat this oatmeal basically every morning during the week, and then during the weekend I change it up for variety and happiness reasons. I haven't gotten sick of this despite eating it for months now.

Here are the macronutrients for a typical bowl of this oatmeal:

• ~500 kcal
• 20 g fat
• 68 g carbs
• 18 g protein
• 10 g fiber

I would like to see more like 20 g protein, but otherwise I think the nutrients are around perfect for being only $1 and for being one of my three meals per day.

For a future post: sometime I'll share my default lunch (when I'm not eating leftovers), as it is also typically around $1 and also aims to be around 500 kcal and aims for 20 g protein. It focuses mostly on eating beans as the main carb and protein, and uses tahini as a way to add fats and protein.

I prefer to keep my daily food vegan for ethical, health, and financial reasons.

Otherwise, I'm open to suggestions and would love to hear about your frugal food habits!

The one I'm drinking right now is 6.76€ and the cheapest one is 1.28€.

First of all - what a price difference. Secondly, it's actually not bad. It does have that faint "cheap coffee" taste, but after a few cups I barely notice it anymore.

The real question is: is the tradeoff worth it? Do I give up a few percent of enjoyment on every single cup just to save the equivalent of a month's grocery bill yearly? I'm not in any dire financial spot - frugality is basically a hobby/lifestyle for me at this point - but it's getting rarer and rarer to find ways to pocket savings of this level anymore.

Finally got around to fixing the sewing machine. But I needed something to test it on. I found a just-big-enough piece of linen to make a bandana.

To hit a price point most bandanas are ~22 inches. That's way too small for my head. Most are polyester. Which means they don't wick away moisture. You want a 27 inch cotton and those cost extra. Like twice as much.

But linen? That's premium. Those start at ~$15 and go up from there. More durable, less environmental impact, better at evaporating than cotton. A linen bandana easily pays for itself if you are the kind of person that needs a bandana.

Now that my machine is working I just need an iron and fabric to start making things happen. Time to go to a thrift store and start looking carefully at fabric that can be repurposed.

In 2017 my employer gave me £1150 to buy my own iPhone X for work. I knew I would not be working there forever and decided to start saving £10 per month in monthly saver accounts, 2 years later I left the company and they didn’t want the phone back as it was too old. Yay!

I continued saving every month in accounts ranging from ~4-8% interest and my most recent monthly saver just matured and my fund has reached £1121.64

I’ve also been really savvy with my mobile plans over the last 5 years, my current monthly charge is £6 but has been as low as £3, and has absolutely been less than £5 on average. So my mobile phone costs have been on average £15pm.

The iPhoneX is not getting software/security updates anymore, but there is nothing really worth having in this years upgrade:

• 120hz vs. 120hz with ProMotion
• MagSafe - meh!
• 12MP vs. 48MP camera with better low light
• 4G vs. 5G - but HD video streaming works perfectly on 4G.

Do I keep saving and ignore the upgrade again? Or am I silly for running a phone with no security updates because I’m not that interested in a better camera?

Either way I thought my little-by-little saving to get something nice and a little extravagant was worth sharing. The number of people with £50-£60 phone contracts is crazy.

Flashback to my mother buying entire brown cardboard shipping boxes of cereal out of the back storeroom of the grocery store and storing it in her basement pantry 😀❤️

For those of you who have the luxury of buying in bulk, what do you buy in bulk when it's cheap? Do you do it because it's always going up in price, because it's seasonally expensive, or because it's a staple item that you always need. To what extreme do you go with your bulk purchase?

Examples from my own life,

• toothpaste and mouthwash, buy when cheap store extra tubes, usually no more than 5-10
• cleaning supplies, chemicals and towels. Enough to keep a backups closet stocked.
• pasta, probably have enough for a couple of months
• coffee, ten to fifteen bags
• shoes, buy multiples if I find ones I like
• consumable hobby items like bike intertubes

The basic idea is to identify the items I will almost certainly decide to buy then snag them up when they're at their cheapest to achieve long term frugality.

I've had no ISP-provided Internet access since Feb. 2023 or so and, while it's been a pain at times, I still haven't caved into returning to the evil monopoly that is Spectrum, so far, and probably won't for as long as I can't land a remote job. ArrowDL, while not perfect, has been pretty good at download management for the most part in conjunction with mobile data-hotspotting. Update: I'm now using AB Download Manager to mitigate download cancellations at the throttled speed.

Is there any way to get either YouTube Premium or Spotify at a heavily discounted rate? Are there any cheaper alternatives?

Hey, c/frugal, I was reading through this little post, (https://lazysoci.al/post/23833029) when a comment about baking bread reminded me of something I had heard back on reddit: that apparently baking bread is a great way to be frugal. I haven't had bread for a while, and would love to engage with the bread-eating community again, and so I wish to ask your favorite frugal bread recipes! From loaves to naan, I would love your input :) P.S. I would also love to ask what you all think of breadmakers, are they a good frugal buy?

I'm looking to have tasty and balanced food while maintaining a reasonable budget and being more organised.
I know how to cook. I already have tasty yet not complicated meals I'm use to make but I never needed to be organised about it before.

So I decided to start to write menu in advance, do a some meal prepping probably a bit of batch cooking.
I found resources online to start following a plan but maybe you have advices for the beginner that I am.

Thank you!

Buy Nothing Challenge

I would like to reduce my ecological impact and disassociate from the consumerist mindset. I don't like the direction the US government is taking and I would like to decouple from the US economy.

My challenge is to buy nothing* for one month, and at the end of the month, see if I can continue for another month.

*I will continue to purchase items that I consider necessities.

Necessities that I will buy as required:

YES: Food

YES: Health and medication

YES: Daily necessities (toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.)

YES: Bills (phone, rent, insurance, taxes)

YES: Repairs (home, bicycle, vehicle)

YES: Gas/Transportation (walk or bike when you can)

YES: Receiving gifts, trades where no money is exchanged

YES: Camping, hiking, bicycle travel

YES: Giving charity

Items I will avoid purchasing during the challenge:

NO: Fast food, coffee shops, restaurants

NO: Entertainment devices, books, subscriptions

NO: New clothes or impulse purchases

NO: Hair services

NO: Amazon orders, streaming services

NO: Vehicles

NO: Acquisition of things for new hobbies

NO: Use of credit (credit cards or loans)

NO: Hotels, vehicle based travel

NO: Google, Meta, Reddit, X products

This isn't about how to find a cheap flight, but if you have a ultra basic no-frills essentials-only bottom-dollar economy ticket, and need to figure out how to pack and make the most of it. I'm most experienced with Flair Airlines and flying in Canada but I expect many airline procedures to be similar, ymmv. In the past you could often get away without measuring the bag but they have been getting a little stricter about it recently.

• Think beforehand what you actually will bring and what you plan to bring back. Will you pack food that will be gone before you return? An empty bottle? How many days of clothes do you need? How much in souvenirs will you get (if any?) Toiletries and extras, are there small things you will be able to pick up at minimal cost (such as soap bars that you get at a hotel)? Keep in mind that anything that you forgot to bring and end up buying at your destination will amount to more luggage on the return trip.
• Wear multiple layers of clothes to serve as next days changes. If you are going from a cold to warm climate, wearing several layers will save you from bringing the jacket you won't need the whole trip. Warm to cold, stay in air conditioning, avoid overheating yourself, only wear it when baggage is being sized, either at the check in counter or the gate.
• Have your outermost layer be one with many pockets to put any extra stuff. Just don't forget to take pocketed items out for scanning to have an easier time through security.
• A bottled drink at the airport is very expensive but if you are short on space you can use that instead of bringing an empty. (Important: Buy drinks after security!) Or pack one of those fillable water pouches which are very space efficient when empty.
• If you bring a bag that is slightly bigger than the size limits, make sure you can fold in or squeeze any parts that would stick out. A 30L backpack can fit when squeezed. Avoid packing your stuff too tightly and keep delicate stuff that might break when squished hard in your pockets until the bag is sized.
• Remember that once your bag is sized and you have a valid tag affixed, there will be less scrutiny to the actual size, so you'll be able to pack more in your bag after validation. If you are near the back of the line when boarding, there is often even less scrutiny. Don't go overboard with it, as the bag will still need to fit below the seat if overhead bin space is limited.
• If you have multiple people in your party not getting checked in at the same time, or someone you know well is dropping you off at the airport, place a lot of the contents you plan to bring in a separate plastic bag or whatever and leave it with your buddy, have your bag sized in the holder easily. Get the validation tag, then away from the counter, place the other contents back in the bag. This won't work if you travel alone or in one group who are all checking in together, you don't want to be marked as suspicious by leaving stuff unattended at the airport. Leaving stuff temporarily in your car at the airport parking, or in a nearby rental locker are alternative options, but give yourself extra time and research ahead.
• Once on the plane, if space permits you might be able to place your jacket and personal item in the overhead bins. Please be respectful to your flight attendants and fellow passengers, if you are asked to place your items under your seat you need to do that.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/26917080

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