Five years ago I published a post inspired by the TV show Extreme Cheapskates called 8 Ways To Be An Extreme Cheapskate. Some of those ideas were too extreme even for me, but the article sparked my curiosity about what others do to save money.
I asked readers to share their most unusual frugal strategies and compiled a follow-up list of 60+ Extreme Things People Have Done To Save Money. The responses were so entertaining and inventive that I asked my Facebook group, Making Sense of Cents Facebook Group, for more real-life frugal tips—many unexpected and memorable.
Some examples may seem embarrassing or extreme, but saving money often requires creativity and compromise. Sharing these stories helps normalize unusual choices and may inspire better financial decisions—so long as everything stays legal!
These are true frugal living tips from real people—actions they took to save money, pay off debt, and improve their financial lives. Below are some of the best, funniest, and most awkward ways people cut expenses.
Related money-saving posts:
- The Ultimate Guide Of Over 50 Money Saving Tips
- How To Save Money – My Best Money Saving Tips
- The $20 Savings Challenge
- 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money
- Real Life Frugality – 20+ Ways Our Family Of 5 Is Frugal
- 16 Alternatives To Cable TV That Will Save You Money
- 15 Awesome Ways To Get Free Stuff
Extreme ways to save money on clothing
If you want to change your look while sticking to a tight budget, here are frank and sometimes extreme ways people cut clothing expenses.
Wear a garbage bag for a costume. One reader’s mother fashioned a Halloween costume from a garbage bag—cheap and effective, if a little embarrassing in retrospect. – Whitney at triedandtruemomjobs.com
No new clothes for a year. To save for college, one reader stopped buying any clothing, shoes, or accessories for a year. It felt awkward re-wearing outfits, but she saved a significant sum. – Eden from Mint Notion
Free haircut from a student stylist. A grad student found a free haircut on Craigslist. It didn’t go well—she paid later to fix it—though the haircut itself was free. – Julia from The Traveling Traveler
Hand-me-down weave. One writer accepted a sister’s unwanted weave instead of buying new—saving hundreds. – Aja from Principles of Increase
The Kohl’s drive-through trick. A reader connects to a store’s Wi‑Fi from her car, completes an in-app purchase, and gets in-store free shipping without paying for delivery—her “Kohl’s Drive Through” workaround for avoiding shipping fees. – Stephanie from Wynning in Life
No-spend clothing challenge saved $4,000. By avoiding clothing purchases for a year, another reader saved nearly $4,000 and gained time not spent shopping. – Michelle from Michelle Is Money Hungry
Dumpster diving for bargains. During an area clearance, a pregnant reader salvaged discarded store items from dumpsters. It was extreme but saved money. – Darla Lee from Famlee of Four
Related tip: Sign up for a cashback site like Rakuten to earn cash back shopping online—an easy way to save when you buy what you already planned to purchase.
Find ways to save money at home
Home expenses add up fast, but many people find creative and sometimes extreme ways to reduce costs at home.
Copied an entire textbook. A college student borrowed a classmate’s textbook and made copies at work to avoid buying an expensive book, saving about $120. – Athena from Money Smart Latina
Made cloth diapers from secondhand fabric. Instead of buying new cloth diapers, a parent used free patterns and thrifted blankets to sew reusable diapers, spending about $0.50 per diaper. The reuse across children increased savings. – Ariel Gardner
Potty-trained the cat. One reader trained a cat to use a toilet to eliminate the ongoing cost of kitty litter. It’s quirky but reduced recurring expenses. – Dustyn from Dime Will Tell
We went without diapers. Facing a sudden loss of income, a family stopped buying diapers for a period, allowing their toddlers to be diaper-free at home and saving roughly $100 a month. – Stormy from Pregnant Mama Baby Life
Rented a single room for the whole family. To save for a house, one family lived in a single rented room for a year, paying just $350 per month—an extreme but effective short-term strategy. – Divine from Ladies Make Money
Taking office toilet paper home. A reader collected partly used rolls discarded by cleaners and avoided buying toilet paper for years. – Mary from MoCashForYou.com
Stretching job perks, clipping coupons, and cooking cheaply. One single mom washed laundry by hand, saved restaurant freebies and coupons, and kept a small but steady emergency fund by having a portion of each paycheck automatically saved. – Donna at Surviving and Thriving
Flip toys and clothes for profit. A parent bought used toys and clothes cheaply, resold them on eBay, and often recovered full cost or made a profit—turning necessary purchases into a zero-cost or profitable system. – Jen from Hairs Out of Place
Haircuts at home, washing a huge comforter by hand, DIY sandals. Several readers shared embarrassing but effective frugal hacks: cutting each other’s hair, washing oversized bedding in a bathtub to avoid laundromat fees, and turning flip-flops into dress shoes with beads. – Mary from The Creative Saver
Go without a cell phone. One person lived for a year without a cell phone to eliminate that monthly bill, feeling like they’d stepped back to the 1990s—but the savings were real. – Sa from Simply Insurance
Cold showers to save hot water and energy. Taking very cold, quick showers reduces hot-water costs and shortens shower time. It’s a brisk but money-saving habit for some. – Robert from Real Money Robert
Turn off the heat and use a space heater. On days alone at home, one reader turns down central heat and heats only the room they occupy with a space heater—sometimes forgetting to reset it for the rest of the family. – R.J. from The Ways To Wealth
Scavenge curbside finds and regift. Readers report finding furniture and toys on curbs, cleaning them up, and even regifting items to family members. One curbside train table later sold for a profit. – Val from The Common Cents Club
Give up a car. Sharing a vehicle or returning a leased car saved one person more than $400 per month on payments, insurance, and gas—an inconvenience at times but a major saving. – Eden from edenfried
DIY isn’t always cheaper. A DIY furniture attempt ended up costing more in tools and time than buying an inexpensive ready-made chest of drawers. Lessons learned: calculate true costs before starting. – Peter from Seller at Heart
Sleep with ice packs instead of running AC. When air conditioning was unaffordable, a couple slept on ice packs to stay cool and keep the electric bill down. – McKinzie from Moms Make Cents
Live with many housemates. One student lived in a house with over 30 people to drastically reduce rent, choosing low personal comfort in exchange for very low housing costs. – Drew from Drew DuBoff
Smuggle snacks into the movies and buy only refill popcorn. A parent packed in low-cost candy and juice in a large bag and bought only a refill popcorn to avoid expensive concessions—an effective family strategy for cheap movie nights. – Belinda from Down This Life Road
Play into the low-income assumption. A contractor offered a discount when he assumed a young family was low income; the family accepted the savings even though they actually had a much higher income. – Cassie from Living Low Key
Collect bottles for deposit refunds. Collecting discarded beverage bottles and returning them for deposit adds small but steady income while reducing litter. – Darwin Ayson
Downsize drastically: no car, no cell phone, live with family. Facing large debt, one reader eliminated a car lease, went without a phone for years using Google Voice instead, and moved in with a family member to rebuild finances. – Lisa Pfeffer
Rent rooms to cover the mortgage (with caution). Renting rooms saved mortgage costs for one family but also led to a dangerous situation with an unvetted tenant. When renting out space, thorough screening is crucial. – Russell from Unconventional Prosperity
Kids use coupons to maximize savings. One parent used each child as a separate customer so they could each redeem a coupon at checkout when store policy limited one coupon per customer. – Thena from Hodge Podge Hippie
Turn trash into toys and sell later. A discarded plastic playhouse was rescued, cleaned, and later sold for profit—another example of curbside upcycling. – Cindy from Smart Family Money
Ask stores to honor expired coupons politely. Occasionally brands will accept recently expired coupons or offer a substitute promotion if you ask—good manners and persistence can pay off. – Ben from Dollar Sprout
Sleeps on couches and shares studio apartments to cut rent. One reader moved into a studio and slept on the couch for months to save on housing costs until the finances improved. – Pearl from Certified Hustler
Frugal weddings and a cheap honeymoon. A budget wedding used paper plates, thrifted decor, and inexpensive food to host 250 guests, while a honeymoon was booked through a discounted timeshare offer—both extreme examples of prioritizing savings. – Virginia from Just Life and Coffee
Rent an unfinished apartment and finish it yourself. A landlord allowed tenants to rent a partially finished apartment for a fraction of the cost in exchange for completing improvements, yielding significant rent savings for the year. – Yandra from Meraadi
Buy quality used furniture on Craigslist. Hunting higher-end furniture used can lead to major savings—one reader found Ethan Allen pieces for a fraction of retail price. – Jamie Ann from Like A Bubbling Brook
Freebirth to avoid midwife costs. One mother chose to give birth at home with only her husband present to avoid the expense of a midwife. It’s a personal decision and was the right choice for her family. – Amanda from Crunchy Hippie Life
Live on an air mattress during renovations. While remodeling an apartment, a couple slept on an air mattress and stored clothes in bags to avoid temporary rental costs—saving thousands but enduring significant discomfort. – Sara from Gathering Dreams
Bundle up instead of heating the home. One household chose to wear heavy layers indoors rather than run heat constantly during winter months, saving hundreds on utilities. – Amira from A Self Guru
Regift and reuse gift bags. Regifting a received gas card or reusing gift bags are small but recurring ways to reduce spending on presents. – Tia from Financially Fit and Fab
No car for years, walk everywhere. One reader has gone five years without a vehicle, walking for daily errands and renting cars only for specific trips, freeing up thousands for debt repayment and investments. – Scott from Making Momentum
Cut TV subscriptions entirely. The average cable bill is high and rising. Many readers recommend ditching paid TV and using a digital antenna or lower-cost streaming options to save substantially on monthly entertainment costs.
Grocery money saving tips
Food is a basic need, but groceries are a major budget item. Here are real strategies readers use to lower their food costs.
Reuse items, dress up cheap food, and wait in lines for service credits. From reusing tea bags and zip-lock bags, to enhancing inexpensive store pizzas, to waiting in long service lines to negotiate lower bills, small habits add up. – Suzi from Start A Mom Blog
Take extra cafeteria food in college. A student packed Tupperware to take extra dining-hall food home for weekends and attended free-food campus events to supplement meals. – Natasha from The Artisan Life
In-home product tests for free food items. By participating in product-testing surveys, one reader received free cake mix and frosting just in time for a birthday—simple, legal savings. – Tana from Debt Free Forties
Take online surveys for small cash rewards. Signing up for survey sites can generate modest monthly income—often $25–$100 or more—by testing products and answering questionnaires. Popular platforms include Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, and Harris Poll Online.
Attend free events and grab leftovers. Students and budget-conscious people frequently attend campus events, seminars, and club meetings to take advantage of free meals and leftover food. – Dale from Blogging Her Way
Pick and freeze surplus fruit. In areas with abundant summertime fruit, picking and freezing berries like blackberries stretches produce into winter at no cost. – Tawnya from Money Saved Money Earned
Work at a restaurant just for the take-home food. One reader took a second job in a pub to bring home extra food, cutting grocery bills despite the unpleasant hours and smells. – Kristal from Money Dot Calm
Extreme frugal grocery budgets: $40/week. To aggressively pay down debt, one couple limited groceries to about $40 per week, eating inexpensive staples like pasta, rice, eggs, and bananas until debts were cleared. – Ashley from Unveiled Tales
Follow giveaways on social media. An alert for Twitter giveaways resulted in a large coffee prize that lasted months—another small way to reduce grocery and household spending. – Chhavi from Mrs. Daaku Studio
Vacation money saving tips
You can still travel while saving money; some readers took extreme but memorable approaches to keep travel costs down.
Slept in the car for a week on a budget trip. To travel New Zealand cheaply, one couple slept in a compact car and ate inexpensive food for a week, keeping total costs under $300. – Cody from Fly to FI
Sleep in Walmart parking lots on road trips. A couple brought an air mattress and slept in their Jeep at Walmart lots or rest areas to avoid accommodation costs during road trips. – Tim from Life For The Better
Honeymoon on $40 for food. After an unexpected rental upgrade ruined their budget, one couple survived a Hawaiian honeymoon on $40 for food by eating very frugally—an extreme but memorable choice. – Nikayla from Budgeting Couple
Camp and eat PB&J for a week. A group of friends tent-camped and ate peanut-butter sandwiches on a beach trip to save money while still enjoying the experience. – Cara Palmer
Use hotels to store luggage even when not staying there. Budget travelers sometimes ask hotels to hold luggage for a day without booking a room—many do so without question—allowing visitors to sightsee without carrying bags. – Michelle from Frugality and Freedom
Try to avoid baggage fees (and learn the lesson). One traveler attempted to sneak an oversized carry-on through security to avoid a checked-bag fee, was ultimately asked to check it, and saved a fee once but learned not to risk it again. – Kelan & Brittany Kline from The Savvy Couple
Sleep in dorms or airports when appropriate. Students have slept in dorm rooms during off breaks, and budget travelers sometimes overnight in airports with eye masks and earplugs to save accommodation costs. – Physician on FIRE
Avoid wild camping hazards—sometimes pay for comfort. College camping trips taught one reader that sleeping in questionable spots (snake-prone areas) isn’t worth the risk—later they chose hotels instead for safety and peace of mind. – Brandon Renfro
What frugal tips have you tried? Which of these strategies would you consider, and what other creative or embarrassing money-saving tactics have worked for you?