A few weeks ago, I shared 15 frugal habits that have become part of our everyday life. After making that video, I started noticing all the other little things we do around our home without really thinking about them.

That's the funny thing about habits. Once something becomes part of your routine, you don't always recognize that you're doing it!

For me, frugal living isn't about never spending money or going without. It's about paying attention. It's using what we already have, avoiding unnecessary waste, and thinking before we automatically spend money.

Some of these habits save only a little at a time. Others can save considerably more. But when you repeat small habits week after week and year after year, those savings can add up.

Free 10 More Frugal Habits Printable

Want to keep the list handy? I've put all 10 habits onto a simple one-page printable.

1. Maintain Drains Before There's a Problem

I try to take care of small household maintenance before it becomes a bigger-and potentially more expensive-problem.

About once a week, particularly in the kitchen sink and showers, I put a few tablespoons of baking soda down the drain, follow it with about ½ cup of vinegar, let it sit briefly, and then flush it with the hottest tap water.

I use this as routine maintenance, not as a solution for a seriously clogged drain.

For our shower drain, I also have a simple drain tool that helps remove hair and buildup.

Shower Drain Tool I Use:
https://amzn.to/4xaYoWN

2. Learn What the Settings on Your Appliances Actually Do

I recently discovered something that made me laugh at myself: my dishwasher has an Energy Saver cycle, and I hadn't even been using it!

On my dishwasher, that cycle takes about 88 minutes compared with approximately 165 minutes for the cycle I had been using. It also doesn't rely as heavily on heated drying.

When it's finished, I simply open the dishwasher and let the dishes finish air-drying.

It reminded me that sometimes saving money doesn't require buying anything new. We may just need to learn how to use what we already own.

3. Run Full Loads and Air-Dry When Possible

I try not to run the washing machine or dishwasher until I have a full load.

I've also been air-drying more laundry instead of automatically putting everything into the dryer.

A few weeks ago, I bought a new indoor clothes-drying rack, and I've been very pleased with it. It's sturdy, holds quite a bit, and gives me an easy place to dry towels and clothing indoors.

Indoor Clothes Drying Rack I Use:
https://amzn.to/4ck799u

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. There is no additional cost to you. I only share products I personally use and find helpful.

4. Keep Summer Heat Out of the House

When it's extremely hot outside, we close the curtains to keep as much direct sunlight and heat out as possible.

Do I like sitting in a dark house? No!

But when temperatures are over 100 degrees, I'd rather have the house a little darker than make the air conditioner work harder than necessary.

We also use fans to help keep ourselves comfortable.

5. Change How You Cook With the Seasons

Sometimes being frugal simply means being flexible about what's for dinner.

During very hot weather, I'm perfectly happy serving sandwiches, salads and other simple meals that don't require heating up the kitchen.

That's also when freezer meals and my Instant Pot become especially useful.

When the weather turns cooler, I'll happily put soup into the slow cooker and serve it with a hearty homemade bread or sandwich.

Instead of fighting the weather, I change the way I cook according to the season.

6. Use or Freeze Food Before You Lose It

One of the easiest ways to save money on groceries is to actually use the food we've already bought.

As I was filming this video, I had half of a roasted chicken sitting in my refrigerator that needed to be used. Someone in our family was starting to come down with a cold, so I pulled a jar of egg noodles out of the pantry and set it where I would see it.

That chicken was going to become chicken noodle soup.

Instead of allowing perfectly good chicken to sit in the refrigerator until it had to be thrown away, I could turn it into another meal using ingredients I already had.

I do the same thing with leftovers, broth, bread, vegetables and other foods. If I know we're not going to use something in time, I'll freeze it before we lose it.

Sometimes saving money on groceries isn't about finding a better sale. It's simply about using the food we've already paid for.

7. Bring Your Own Coffee When Traveling

If we're staying somewhere that doesn't provide coffee, I don't necessarily want to go out and buy coffee every morning.

A small coffee maker or simple pour-over setup takes very little room to pack and can save quite a bit over the course of a trip.

It's a small thing, but small expenses repeated every day have a way of becoming bigger expenses.

8. Decide Which Personal-Care Expenses Matter to You

I'm a pretty low-maintenance person.

I usually wash my hair every two or three days, I no longer color it, I don't have it professionally cut very often, and I even trim my own bangs.

But I'm certainly not suggesting that everyone should stop coloring their hair or going to the salon!

That's not the lesson.

Being frugal doesn't mean we all have to give up the same things.

Having your hair done may be something you love and something that's absolutely worth spending money on. For me, it isn't particularly important, so personal hair care happens to be an easy place for me to spend less.

Spend your money according to your priorities-not someone else's.

9. Don't Overlook Floor Models and Discounted Items

I mentioned buying secondhand in my original Frugal Habits video, but afterward I remembered another example.

Our dryer was a floor model.

I bought it about 12 years ago and saved approximately $150 because it had been displayed in the store.

Twelve years later, that dryer is still working.

I have no problem buying a floor model, open-box item or something with a small cosmetic imperfection if it works properly and the savings make sense.

Of course, check the condition, warranty and return policy before buying.

I don't necessarily need the box to be perfect. I need what's inside the box to work.

10. Pay Attention to Your Money

This may be the most important habit on my list.

Once a week, usually over breakfast, my husband and I sit down and go through our bills, savings accounts and investment accounts.

Then, on the last day of every month, we look ahead and plan our spending for the coming month.

I wish we had started doing this many years ago.

I really do think our finances would look different today-in a good way-if we had paid this much attention when we were younger.

But we can't go back and change financial decisions we made 20 or 30 years ago.

We can pay attention to the decisions we're making today.

And that's really what frugal living has come to mean to me.

It isn't about being cheap. It isn't about never enjoying your money. And it certainly isn't about making yourself miserable just so you can say you saved a few dollars.

It's about being intentional.

One More Thing That Doesn't Cost Anything

At the end of my video, I shared a story that really has nothing-and yet everything-to do with frugal living.

I was recently talking with a customer service representative about our internet service. It would have been very easy for me to become frustrated and be rude to her.

But she wasn't responsible for the problem.

During our conversation, I told her something very simple:

"It never hurts to be kind. It's free."

She became emotional and told me how much she appreciated hearing that. She even wrote it down.

I've thought about that conversation ever since.

We spend so much time talking about the things that cost money and the things we can do to save money.

But some of the most valuable things we can give another person don't cost us anything at all.

A little patience. A little grace. A kind word.

Those are free.

What Frugal Habit Would You Add?

Want a Little Help With Meal Planning?

One of the ways I save both money and stress in our home is by planning ahead for meals. If you'd like a simple way to get started, I've put together my FREE Family Favorites Meal Planning Bundle.

It includes the printable pages I use to help organize family favorites and make meal planning a little easier.

I'd love to hear from you.

What's one little frugal habit you do almost automatically that saves your household money?

Some of the best ideas come from simply learning what works in someone else's home.

And remember:

Frugal living is about paying attention-not going without.