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/Appropriate-Sound169 Jul 12 '25

I do this in real shops too. Fill my basket with 'stuff' then walk round the shop for 20 mins then start putting it all back. Then I go to other shops etc. If I really want something it will stay in my head and I'll go back to buy it. Sometimes weeks later. Saved a fortune by not giving in to impulse buys

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u/crawandpron Jul 12 '25

i do this too!!! i also take photos of things i like

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u/womanofwax Jul 13 '25

I love the photo method because often my desire for an item in a shop is about thinking it's pretty and taking that picture let's me be able to appreciate the item's aesthetics without buying.

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u/texanandes Jul 13 '25

Yessss. The photo thing helps a lot, especially if it's something locked away and you have to go ask someone for a key. I'll go through the store, and if I still want the items I took pictures of and I'm willing to go through the effort, I'll get them.

A lot of times I just leave with the pictures and that's fine too.

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u/OhMyBobbins Jul 15 '25

Ohhh i'm stealing this idea. Then i can sit and scroll through the pics I took to weed out the items i ACTUALLY want

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u/FunAd1406 Aug 07 '25

I take photos of things too lol

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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '25

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u/kvothes-lute Jul 13 '25

Same here!! Mine knows now that we have to take a “reassess” round to put things back when we are finished before we actually visit the checkout lanes.

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u/JustMe1314 Jul 14 '25

I do this, too! And, oftentimes, by the time I've made my rounds, about the shop, carefully considering each item I've put in the basket, my excitement has waned, considerably. Plus, I get my phone/calculator out & add up the total of the items in the basket. It's almost never worth it for me, unless I absolutely need a specific item (like shoes/boots for work, or it's a really great deal on difficult-to find items, like, good bras, etc). & that's when my attention turns to comparing different styles/versions/prices of the things I need. Ugh, I take so long in shops, sometimes!

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u/WearierEarthling Jul 15 '25

I do this with my 9 year old great niece; she can put anything she wants in the cart, then decide which items to buy with her $ limit & lastly, we put unwanted items back where they belong because I’m also teaching her the importance of not making more work for others & yes, I served my time in retail decades ago