Are you looking for practical ways to live frugally on one income? There are so many reasons in life that might make you want to learn how to live more frugally on a single income. Maybe you want to be a stay at home parent and raise your family, unexpected illness, or injury, you could have lost a job whatever the reason living frugally without compromising on the necessities is possible.
With the right approach saving money is easy. Below are the best and most realistic 45 money-saving tips to implement in your lifestyle to help you live frugally on one income. The idea is to find many frugal ideas that you can easily add to your life without having to interrupt your daily routine. That way it’s more achievable and realistic. First you need to cut out on these 11 things if you are still spending money on them.
All these tips revolve around you taking care of all your resources such as money, time, and your family. Basically everything. Realistic ways to maximum them fully to their full potential.
Living frugally on one income is all about efficiency. What needs to be scaled back or to be added? You have to show commitment and to be efficient with your spending, resources, money, and even time. Take some time and evaluate what is necessity for your life and what can be eliminated. For example, do I need to eat lunch out every day or I can carry packed lunch from home? Is getting a second car a necessity or can I get around with public transportation? Needs versus wants. It’s all about the small changes in life that will allow you to put these frugal living ideas into practice and still live a comfortable fulfilling life.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my full disclaimer for more information
Recommended articles:
9 Bad money habits that are keeping you poor
19 Ways to save $500+ each month
17 Best & Realistic frugal living tips for that’ll save you more money
11 Budgeting tips for beginners you can’t afford to miss out one
So how to do you live frugally on one income?
1. Eat seasonal food
Food in season is way cheaper and it’s a great practice to eat high-quality fruits (there is a wide variety to choose from) and vegetables.
2. Have an emergency fund
You need to have some money set aside for those unexpected situations. Things happen that are out of our control such as job loss and car repairs where you will be required to have the money upfront. The last thing you want is to get into debt or to end up putting everything on your credit card.
Building an emergency fund is one of the best things you can for your finances. Have a separate account which is easily accessible where you put money aside for when things goes wrong. Have at least 3 to 6 months worth of expenses which will help you reduce the chances of getting into debt. It’s also good for your mental health.
This should be a different account from your normal one and you shouldn’t withdraw from it unless it’s an emergency.
3. Have a budget in place
Having a budget in place is one of the most important steps to becoming frugal. You can’t be able to live frugally on one income without knowing how much money you earn and spend each month. You need to create a budget if you don’t have one in place already. It will help you track every penny.
With a budget in place, you will be able to organize your money and spend it more mindfully. A budget makes surviving on one income manageable and less stressful. Especially if you are transitioning from a double income to one it’s going to be hard and if you don’t have a budget in place it will be harder.
A budget will help you to evaluate your expenses to know which you need to cut back on or do away with completely hence saving you more money. You will now have control over your money instead of it controlling you.
4. Pay off your debts
Paying off your debts should be one of your priorities.
For you to be able to live frugally, you have to come up with a realistic strategy to shrink your debts. Avoid getting into more debts. Debts are stressful and will be a big hindrance to your frugal living journey. If you have any credit card debt make a plan on how to pay it as soon as you can. The higher the interest rate, the more it will cost to pay down the debt.
Dave Ramsey has amazing tips on saving money and becoming debt free. He is an outspoken financial guru who became a self-made millionaire at 26 but lost all of it and at 28 he filed for bankruptcy. What makes him an amazing teacher is that he teaches from experience on how he went from been broke to prosperous again.
He has authored several books and my favorite is Total Money Makeover. This book was a life changer for me. From his profound tips, I have been able to save more money this year than I ever imagined possible. His tips have helped millions of people from all over the world to improve their financial life.
Related post: 10 Easy Dave Ramsey tips for saving money and improving your financial situation.
5. Prioritize your goals
Goals are good because they will keep you focused and motivated. What are your future goals? You must differentiate between wants and needs. Take some time and evaluate your wants from the most important to the least so you have a plan in place.
Knowing and writing your goal whether it’s long term or short term will help you to remain motivated and to work towards them.
6. Cut your grocery budget in half
Many research show that food is one thing that most people tend to overspend on. Grocery stores have come up with all sorts of tactics to lure us to keep buying more and more. For example, candies and all sorts of yummy treats are always near the checkout aisle, right?
There are so many things you can do to cut your grocery budget in half such as going shopping alone, sticking to your shopping list, avoid shopping when hungry, meal planning and dining at home. Check out these 18 Realistic and simple ways to save money on groceries.
7. Shop sales and compare prices
Shopping sales is another way to live frugally on one income and enjoy life at its fullest. Most of the clothing stores when they get a fresh shipment of new items some of their clothes end up in sales rack as they want to create space for new stock. You end up getting new high-quality items at a fraction of the original price.
Also be on the lookout for different upcoming sales such as Black Friday sales, memorial sales, back-to-school sales, Christmas sales, and so on. Their is always a sale going on.
8. Use Rakuten when shopping online
Rakuten is a cashback program formerly known as Ebates. It gives you the perfect opportunity to make sure that you are maximizing every dollar you are spending. Rakuten offers you the best deals, discount offers, coupon codes, and flash sales. You will never pay full price again.
You get to earn money every time you shop from your favorite stores. It has more than 400+ online partners meaning that’s most of the popular stores such as Macy’s, Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Kohls
The best part is that after completing your first cashback purchase you will get a $10 Welcome bonus. Who doesn’t love free money? If you shop online, then you can’t afford to miss out on Rakuten. You can receive either a ‘Big Fat Check’ or PayPal payment every quarter for using promo codes and shopping the latest deals and discounts right from your phone.
Signing up to Rakuten is totally free and takes like a minute. You just need to download the Rakuten Browser extension and every time you visit an E-Commerce site online that is eligible for cashback you will receive a notification.
Sign to Rakuten (Ebates) today and get a $10 bonus.
9. Shop at thrift stores
Thrift stores are a gold mine as you can find hidden treasure in there. Just because something is second-hand doesn’t mean it’s not good. Shopping at thrift stores is a great way to save money while getting to enjoy good quality items. Just be ready to spend sometime rummaging through. You can also check online thrift stores like Thredup.
10. Sell the things you don’t need
With our world been all about consumption, you might be tempted to keep buying things that you don’t need but living frugally on one income calls for a more minimalist lifestyle. Do away with things you don’t need and spend money on things that you need.
11. Pay cash for everything
This is one of those things that are easy said than done, try as much as possible to use cash in hand to avoid getting into debt. Make it a habit to pay your bills on time and in full. Not only is this a great habit to help you organize your money but it helps you to avoid late fees.
12. Use a credit card wisely
Unless you are very disciplined when paying your credit card bill, you should do away with them. Credit cards work well for anyone who pays off the balance every month meaning they get to enjoy cashback rewards. Some credit card companies have amazing rewards, for example, you get 2% off general purchases, some give you one free airline ticket every year, 5% off Amazon purchases, and free checked baggage on our flights.
If you forget or you are unable to pay the balance on time, you will have to pay interest which might lead to you having a huge debt.
To fully enjoy the benefits do away with any standard bank card you have and get a quality credit card with generous rewards.
13. Start meal prepping your meals
Meal prepping is one of the main ways to cut your grocery bill in half. It’s a big money and time saver. A simple trick that will help you reduce your grocery bill by saving you hundreds each month. It’s a money-saving hack because you will have a grocery list based on items that you need only. Before going to the grocery store always counter check the things in your pantry to avoid buying items you already have which might end being a waste. Meal planning ensures that you already know what’s for the meals as it removes all the guesswork which means you are not stressing about cooking every time.
$5 meal plan is a great place to start. It’s a budget-friendly service that makes meal planning possible. It enables you to get a fresh meal plan delivered straight to your inbox. You will get cheap meal-prep recipes sent straight to your inbox every Friday for one week, curated shopping list and every meal is made to cost no more than $2/person.
For $5 a month, they will send a meal plan where every meal will cost $2 per person and sometimes even less. No need to get stressed in the evenings trying to figure out what to make for dinner now. It’s takes all the guesswork out. Super easy to follow recipes and you will also get a shopping list to help you organize your grocery trip.
Try $5 Meal Plan (and get a free 14-Day Trial Period only when you sign up here!)
Make one trip to the grocery store. The more times you are at the grocery store the more you will get tempted to buy unnecessary things. To avoid getting the shiny object syndrome make sure you buy everything you need at one go. Try as much as you can to limit your grocery shopping trip to once a week or even a month.
14. Buy used items
Before you make any purchase check out thrift stores first. Chances are you might end up getting an item in really good condition for only a fraction of the cost. Buying things from sites such as Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, Poshmark and eBay you get to save so much money and the best part is you are getting items that are working just as well as something new.
15. Grow your food
If you have an outside space, it’s time to make use of it by growing a kitchen garden. Depending on the size of your garden you can even sell some of the produce.
16. Cancel unnecessary subscriptions
Canceling subscription can save you more than $500. Do you have an unused subscriptions that you haven’t used in years and you are still paying for them or other subscriptions you might have that aren’t a necessity? Maybe you signed up for trial membership and forgot to cancel it before the monthly fee started being deducted your credit card?
Companies have made it super easy to sign for their subscription (just sign up with Google or Facebook) which means that all this information is already in your device so you end signing in just a few seconds. No time to think about what you are signing up for. Those are the subscription that gets forgotten because you are no longer using the service but you are still paying for it.
Unnecessary subscription such as magazines, TV shows, and gym membership. Just analyze and decide if you need them. Nowadays newspapers and magazines have online versions which you can easily access on your phone.
17. Unplug and turn off things you aren’t using
All it takes to be frugal is the small habits we form. Unplugging and turning things off not in use, may not seem like a big step but it’s one of the ways you can cut off your electric bill in half. Even though appliances like TV and phone charges are switched off they are still using electricity. Only leave the appliances which are a must like a refrigerator plugin.
If we are being realistic with ourselves sometimes unplugging all the appliances every time can be annoying, to make it manageable you can get a super affordable power bar that will make it easy for you.
18. Use energy-efficient bulbs
To make it easy for you to live frugally on one income invest in LED light bulbs. They are a little pricier than the normal bulbs but you will get to save so much money in the long run. They use less energy meaning you will be able to reduce your electric bill.
Another spark is that they last for a very long time than the regular bulbs meaning no often replacement is required. It doesn’t mean you have to change all of them at a go, you can do it slowly until you are done.
19. Cook in bulk and freeze
This is a frugal living hack that will save you hundreds of dollars every month. Cooking bulk will help you to cut out the temptation to keep ordering in and you will end up eating healthy which is good for you.
It’s also great for those evenings you don’t have the energy or so much time to prepare a meal in the evening. Cook in advance and just throw the food in the oven. Save yourself money, time and it’s stress-free.
20. Stop eating out
Eating out is expensive and it will ruin your budget. Aim to cook in bulk and to eat at home more often. With the $5 meal plan eating at home becomes an easy task.
21. Save 50% off your meal when eating out by Groupon
As much as you might try to stop eating out there are those days when you just want to go and enjoy restaurant food. Being frugal living on one income doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy life. It’s all about planning and spending your money in a better way.
Groupon helps you with that when it comes to meals. You simply check out the deals in your area on Groupon and you get to save 50% off or even more at the restaurants near you.
22. Pack lunch for school or work
Studies have shown that for most households one of their highest expenses is food. Save money by packing your lunch instead of going to spend about $10 in a cafeteria. It doesn’t have to be something so fancy, you can make yourself a sandwich or even last night’s leftovers.
These lunchboxes are great for both adults and children. Long lasting, you can put them in the microwave, easy to clean and they have different compartments. The compartments will allow you to put different type of food without anything becoming soggy.
23. Cut out non-essentials
You need to be real with yourself and carefully evaluate your expenses. Find out which non-essential things you have be spending money on that you can cut back. This doesn’t mean you deprive yourself. You just have to stop buying those items you were buying just because. You know those that you can’t justify. For example, you don’t need to keep buying new clothes just because they look good.
24. Use coupons online
Using coupons will help you to live frugally on one income. Coupons are so easy to use and easily accessible nowadays. This frugal living tip will help you save hundreds. If you don’t know where to get coupons you can easily google or use apps.
This doesn’t mean that you buy items you don’t need just because you have a coupon. Remember our goal is to live frugally on one income. Stick to the items that you need.
25. Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses
This is one that has led many to huge debts. Trying to be like everyone else and own what they have will put a dent into your budget. Sometimes we focus so much on impressing others we forget that our goals and incomes are different. Just focus on yourself and the goals you are trying to achieve instead of focusing on others and you will lead a more content, stress-free life. Be real with yourself.
26. Wash your clothes with cold water
Have you ever gotten an electric bill and were shocked by the absurd amount? Heating water for everything in your home can do that your bill. To save money, do your laundry in cold water.
There is no need to heat the water before you start as there are so many specific laundry detergents that work great with cold water so no need to worry your clothes will still be clean.
27. Use a drying rack
Using a clothing rack instead of the dryer is an effective way to reduce your electric bill. Dryers are one of the most expensive appliances in most homes and they end up consuming so much energy. To reduce your electricity bill minimize the use of a dryer and use a drying rack or retractable stainless lines which are so easy to install.
If you must use your dryer be smart about it. Make sure your load is the optimum size. This is to make sure that you won’t be wasting energy by dying just a few clothes and that your dryer won’t be on a strain to dry oversize loads.
28. Use dryer balls
Another trick to make it easy for you to live frugally on one income is to eliminate any single-use products such as dryer sheets. Dryer sheets are damaging your clothes as they go through the dryer due to their rough texture which causes the clothes to wear faster meaning you will end up spending more money in the long run.
Make use of reusable dryer balls. They are cost-effective and you don’t have to throw them away after a single-use. Dryer balls will help to cut down the drying time of your clothes without damaging them and also remove static.
29. Track your spending
To live frugally on one income you need to get to the habit of tracking every penny you are spending. Spending money without tracking your expenses will have your budget out of control.
You need to know why you are spending every penny and where it’s going. That’s why you need a budget in place at first which makes tracking your spending easy. This habit will help you to work towards your goal and to use your money appropriately.
30. Make DIY gifts
With the rise in technology, you can easily find tutorials on almost everything online. Make YouTube and Pinterest your friend. DIY gifts are the most meaningful gifts because it shows you put in some effort in to and it’s a great way to save. When gift-giving, it’s the thought that counts. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a gift for someone to love them.
For example, if you want to make a birthday card or Christmas gifts for your friends and family there is no need to go store just hope on YouTube and get creative.
31. Cut your hair
How much money do you spend in the salon every month or after 2 weeks? Living frugally on one income will mean cutting back on some luxuries like frequent visits to the salon. Haircuts are expensive. Thanks again to YouTube there are so many video tutorials on how to cut your hair from home. This is a simple way to save hundreds of dollars a year. All you need is a pair of scissors.
Same case applies to your nails. There are so many beauty gurus online you can learn from. Doing your nails at home is way cheaper than doing them at the salon.
32. Cut out cable
Nowadays there are so many places you can enjoy your favorite movie or series without having to pay for cable. If you have Netflix or even Prime video there is no need to pay for cable as well.
33. If it’s broken fix it
Every time something breaks in the house you don’t have to get a repair person to fix it make YouTube your best friend. With it being one of the largest search engines, it’s very resourceful and there is so much information on everything from a broken toaster to clogged drain.
34. Cut out bad habits
It’s time to cut out those bad habits such as smoking and drinking too much that are costing you so much money every month. Those bad habits will hinder you from saving and in the future you might not afford to cover the cost.
35. Try cheap date nights
Just because you are trying to live frugally on one income, it doesn’t mean you stop enjoying life. Life doesn’t have to be boring. It also doesn’t mean spending over $100 on a single meal. There are so many fun things you can do like going on play board games, cook together, picnics and hiking. All which allows you to spend time together.
36. Eat more at home
Not only will you be enjoying healthier meals but you will also be saving lots of money. Try out the $5 meal plan for 14 days free and you will have a blast cooking dinners at your home. With all the recipes floating online making your meals has never been easy.
37. Buy in bulk
One of the best frugal ways to live on one income is to buy in bulk. There is no need to go crazy just because a product is on sale. You need to be sensible. Focus on those items with a great shelf life such as pasta and toiletries. You can also stock up on canned food and use your freezer to stock meat. Not only will you save money but it’s also environmentally friendly.
Always compare prices to make sure you are getting the value of your money. When buying in bulk the unit price of each item should be way less than if you are purchasing one or two cans.
38. Start a side hustle
Side hustles are great and they will help you live frugally on one income as with time you will be able to make extra money. There are so many side hustle ideas you can start today that doesn’t require prior experience, needs zero to minimum investment and that allows you to work on at your specific time. Check out this list of 36 ways you can make money online.
39. Always use a shopping list
A great way to reduce your grocery bill is by using a shopping list. A list helps you to avoid impulse buying and you only shop the things you need. Before going to the grocery store, walk into your kitchen, and create a grocery list of what you need, and make sure you stick to it. This small trick will help you stay on budget.
40. Cut out soft drinks and drink water
This is another very realistic tip that will help you adapt the frugal lifestyle. Soft drinks are expensive and are loaded which unprocessed sugars making them unhealthy. To keep your grocery bill down, drink water and do away with things like sodas, juices, and bottled drinks. They might taste good but they are expensive in the long run.
This doesn’t mean buying bottled water. Bottled water is expensive and not environmentally friendly. Drink tap water, or if your tap isn’t good, invest in a water filter and you save at least $100/month. Get yourself a fancy reusable bottled water that you can just keep refilling water every time.
41. Sell your clothes on Poshmark, Depop and eBay
We all have those clothes that we haven’t worn in years and a great way to make money is by selling them online or even through garage sales. It’s also a great way to declutter and you make easy money. You can sell your gently worn clothes in places like Depop, Poshmark, and eBay.
With the rise of technology selling online has become so easy, you just take a picture of the item set a price and post it on the app.
42. Utilize Amazon subscribe and save 15% off everything
This is a great way to save money off your normal supplies such as Kleenex, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, toilet paper, paper towels, pasta, canned beans, pet supplies, and more. The list is endless. For example, you tell Amazon that you want paper towels sent to your house every two months and you’re done. So easy, hassle-free and save more than hundreds every month.
43. Travel off-season and stay in an Airbnb
Hotels are expensive and in most cases you will be limited in terms of space. Airbnb is super ideal for anyone trying to save some money. You will live more comfortably and you will save more than hundreds of dollars. You get to live like the locals.
Traveling off-season is awesome. You have the tourist attraction sites to yourself, no long queues and everything will be way cheaper.
44. Stop buying the branded items
Most branded items are expensive for no good reason. Surprising enough generic items are equally good and some might even do a better job. It’s time to do away with branded items and find cheaper alternatives. For example, you can skip buying the expensive chemical cleaning products from the store and use vinegar.
45. Use Swagbucks and make extra cash fast.
Swagbucks is one of the best surveys which makes it a great way to make extra money online by watching videos, browsing the web, and doing simple surveys. You can redeem points for cash or gift cards.
Check out Swagbucks here.
I hope you have enjoyed and found these tips on how to live frugally on one income helpful. Implementing these little changes in your lifestyle will help you to get your finances in order. Remember making smarter money moves is what will make your money work for you and you will be able to live on one income. You must stick to the tips you choose to implement for you to see any changes.
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.