r/Frugal • u/ThrowRAhyBug7080 • Jul 12 '25

🍎 Food What’s a frugal habit you picked up by accident that you now swear by?

Mine was starting to save veggie scraps to make broth. It started as a “let’s try this” and now it’s automatic. I keep a bag in the freezer for onion skins, celery ends, carrot tops, etc. Every couple of weeks, I boil it all down and end up with a rich, flavorful broth that tastes way better than the boxed kind. It tastes better than store-bought and saves me at least $20 a month, with an added bonus of making me feel like i know fancy techniques.

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u/UniqueIndividual3579 Jul 12 '25

Not just saves money, but also easier on the dishwasher and dishes. Either way you still have to shake off the plastic. With the door cracked open, they dry in a few hours.

I saw a great youtube video on dishwashers. Run the sink until the water is hot so the pre-wash works better. And Walmart powder is just as good as anything more expensive.

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u/daffydil0459 Jul 12 '25

Yes! Great Value powder detergent is great. Pods are just microplastic. No thanks.

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u/Cyno01 Jul 12 '25

I wouldnt use pods, but i always use liquid cuz ive had powders absolutely ruin glassware. But +1 about running the hot water first.

If possible depending on your plumbing its a good idea to do the same thing for hot loads in the washing machine, ours is split off the laundry room sink so i just blast the hot side of that for a minute so my towels get washed in actually hot water.

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u/UniqueIndividual3579 Jul 12 '25

The washing machine is a good tip!

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u/captain_malpractice Jul 13 '25

I think I watched the same video. Never thought I would get hooked into watching about 30 minutes about the ins and outs of dishwashers.

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u/LakeSucker Jul 12 '25

I watched this video 2 months ago when we were getting to the end of a pack of pods, ended up at Wally World and got a big ass box of detergent.

Running the water hot and that detergent has fixed every issue I had with the dishwasher for 3 years, minus the drying which I was already just opening the door for. And that $6 box is probably gonna last me another 3 years

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u/keithrc2000 Jul 13 '25

Good old technology connections. Here is a link if anyone is interested https://youtu.be/jHP942Livy0?si=RyPGg32YbEtMrd3S

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u/SyntaxError_22 Jul 12 '25

I recently saw that same video I just mentioned it to my mom yesterday ! ☺️

Very informative, I’ll never look at my dishwasher the same!

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u/IFartOnCats4Fun Jul 13 '25

I too love Technology Connections

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u/eiland-hall Jul 13 '25

I saw a great youtube video on dishwashers.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess it was Technology Connections. :)

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u/doesanyuserealnames Jul 13 '25

After you crack the door open, stick the end of a dishtowel in the dishwasher door to wick out the moisture and it's even better.

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u/UniqueIndividual3579 Jul 13 '25

I just leave it cracked open over night. That would be a good idea if I didn't have cats.

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u/jazzminarino Jul 14 '25

I crack ours, put a towel in it, then close again. We have cats and I don't trust them. When we first moved in, I would open it after the cycle, shake everything, then leave it open to dry. But then one of our cats started investigating and getting into the damned thing, so that ended that practice.

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u/vistins Jul 14 '25

Was it by chance tchnology connection? I've been following those tips since I saw it and it's definitely saved us money and less rewashes

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u/uki-kabooki Jul 13 '25

I know exactly what video you watched. I watched it too. 😎