Big purchases this year though: Apple Watch, treadmill, and 2 AC units (not shown here because it was in July).
this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2026
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Frugal
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Discuss how to save money.
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Depending on your living situation and your utility rates you maybe be able to save some more there.
My utility offers time of use rates, so between 7pm and 7am is nearly half the price as mid day peak use. I do most of my energy intensive stuff during that time such as laundry, using the oven, and even my hot water tank. I live alone so i am easily able to micromanage the demand for hot water. Its not major savings but the more you do the more it adds up. An hour or two of running the tank in the evening is enough for a shower that evening and ill still have some hot water for dishes in the morning. I turn off the tank before showering.
If you want to be more conservative with water some things you could try include -letting the toilet mellow, especially when urine isn't particularly stinky (you can save more by using grey water like mop water to flush, some people go as far as to collect dish water in buckets) -navy showers where water is off for lathering shampoo, shaving etc -using rain barrels if you have outside irrigation or water needs. You could even refill the toilet tank with rain barrels if things line up conveniently for that. I'll admit i don't always do these things as my water rate and use is already fairly cheap but i do some when feeling especially frugal. I've also routed my sump pit to irrigate some cedars I planted.
For gas/heating/cooling I keep my house as cold as my furnace will let me (in my case my furnace recomends no colder than 60 F for incoming air). Currently i cool at night with windows and fans but will be installing a heat pump soon as the noise pollution from a nearby road is a little too much sometimes. I will likely only be cooling after 7pm as i am rarely home before 5 pm anyway. I can also crunch the numbers and see if a smart thermostat is worth it to micromanage when a heat pump should heat and when the furnace should.
For grocceries I'm sure you're already shopping sales but don't be afraid to overbuy some stuff. I like a good quality cheese brand and when its on a good sale I will buy a lot and fill my freezer with it as it freezes very well. The same is true for many essentials. I drink a litre of milk a day so even if its a dollar off I will buy several jugs of it, as much as i can reasonably fit in my fridge, as it has a relatively long expiration date and will be consumed before it. I will also freeze 40% off discounted meats and cheese if they still seem fresh enough, especially higher quality cheeses which really just get better past the best before dates.
Turns out I’m not THAT frugal lol. Some good tips here though. Thankfully I don’t pay for water.
I’m not sure about utility rates changing depending on the time of day where I live. But my showers are only 5 minutes long anyway. And laundry / cooking / dishwashing is almost always done after 7pm anyway. I have 2 roommates so I can’t control what they do though. Unfortunately I do have AC running when I’m at work for my cat. And my roommate insists on heating the house warmer than I’d like. I feel like 65 during the day and 60 at night is fine though.
I don’t shop sales cuz I almost exclusively shop at Aldi (they don’t do sales). But I should still look into stocking up on stuff that freezes well if I ever go anywhere else.
You're still doing really well. You have about a 24% income surplus. I would recommend adding an expense under the "savings" category and make regular contributions as if they were bills if you feel you have enough surplus spending money still. Part of being frugal for me is acting more poor than I am which frees up money for savings or big expenses. I try to prioritize saving cause i do okay in stocks on average and make meaningful profits, certainly enough to outpace current inflation.
I did that for a little bit, but i prefer to see my actual expenses at a glance. My savings is just income minus expenses.
Unfortunately the income includes $3K tax return. So I’m really only saving like $190/month. But at the end of the year I get a profit sharing bonus. 100% of that is saved.
do people really keep the shower on while lathering and cleaning? Is that not default?
Most people keep the shower on the whole time they are in there. I have a friend who will run the shower 10-15 minutes before getting in just to steam up the bathroom a bit.
If im showering in cooler water in the summer I'll often stop the water to lather but in the winter i keep it on the whole time. This is partially due to the cold temperature in my house during the winter.
Letting the water run when ur not even in the shower is insane. I would have a problem with that. In fact if they were my friend, finding that out about them would be the beginning of a declining friendship.
They rent all inclusivly. I doubt they would keep it up once paying for the water themselves. I'll let it run until warm enough to hop in, but typically in the winter. I'll start cold if its hot out.
TIL there are companies that offer sensible off peak periods. I usually see shit like 3AM to 6AM.
My utility does also offer ultra low 7pm-7am, like 1/10 the price of avg use. But the on and mid peak use is significantly inflated on that plan. They also offer a tiered use where the first 600 KW are a lower rate then the rest is a higher rate. Theres a few options but standard time of use tends to be the most cost effective for most residences. We have a lot of hydro power so a lot of it is about evening out the demand over 24 hours.