If you’ve ever reused a coffee filter or skipped laundry day when frugality outweighed hygiene, you might have gotten some side eye from a friend or two. But beyond puzzlement and a couple of nervous smiles, you know you can make some repurposed lemonade out of financial lemons.
Here are the top five frugal hacks that make sense to those who know how to save, but tend to confuse or even frighten other folks who just willingly pay full price for ketchup.
No. 5: Turn Another Person’s Trash Into Your Treasure
Sure, the cardboard box under the folding table at a yard sale might not seem like a pot of gold — but rather where Happy Meal toys go to die — but you can also find jackpots like cast-iron skillets, wooden coat racks or food storage containers. Sometimes, the exact thing someone no longer has use for and just wants to get rid of is your new “Kiss the Cook” apron.
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No. 4: Hang Laundry Out To Dry, Not Your Budget
A bed made with sheets dried outdoors makes for wonderful slumber, or something else Martha Stewart would say. This will make garments last a lot longer when not subjected to the heat of a dryer. The utility bills are lower, too.
Allergic to the outside? Dry your linen indoors, draped over wooden drying racks, the shower curtain rod or even the tops of door frames.
No. 3: Extend Your Library Credit
Sometimes there are titles that your local library is jettisoning, and sometimes they’re donations left over from the library’s used-book sales. Either way, the library likely has a giveaway shelf where everything is $0, so well worth the investment.
Some people might think such behaviors are eccentric. Let them think whatever they like. You’re the one with the new, free books and a great way to spend a weekend.
No. 2: Get Lost in the Free Sauce
Pour some vinegar into an “empty” mustard jar and you’ve got a new condiment. Add a little milk to the “empty” ranch dressing bottle and use the liquid to make potato salad. When all the pickles are gone, add a sliced cucumber (or any other vegetable you like) to the liquid; in a few days, you’ll have more pickles.
It’s not being cheap if it’s still delicious. Also, don’t throw away all of your soy, ketchup or hot sauce packets, as you never know when you’ll need to add some flavor on a budget.
No. 1: Embrace the Financial Elegance of Dumpster Diving
And now, the no. 1 thing frugal people do that scares the common financial folk is … take a little peek into the trash, George Costanza style. Some people are dumpster divers, but frugal people prefer the term “dumpster wader,” which means retrieving things you can easily reach and that aren’t soiled by wet garbage. It’s called class — you should try it.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Top 5 Things Frugal People Do That Scare the Normies
