{"id":93174,"date":"2025-08-24T21:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T21:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/93174\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T21:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T21:35:09","slug":"9-frugal-moves-that-actually-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/93174\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Frugal Moves That Actually Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the current economic landscape is any indication, 2026 may find many Americans tightening their belts<\/a> even more. High prices don\u2019t appear to be on a downward trend, and tariffs and other market volatility could bring that same energy into next year.<\/p>\n

Read Next: 25 Places To Buy a Home If You Want It To Gain Value<\/a><\/p>\n

Find Out: 8 Frugal Habits You Should Never Quit, According to Frugal Living Expert Austin Williams<\/a><\/p>\n

For people living paycheck to paycheck or who are generally feeling strapped, every dollar counts. Experts explained how you can stretch $100 even further with some frugal moves that really work<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bulk Buy Nonperishables<\/p>\n

With tariffs driving up costs, focus on bulk-buying nonperishables before price increases hit, suggested Ilir Salihi, founder and senior editor at IncomeInsider.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Just switching to store brands or generics, which are usually made by the same manufacturer as name brands, can save around 10% on grocery prices.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also recommend buying frozen vegetables, since they\u2019re nutritionally equivalent, last way longer and aren\u2019t subject to seasonal price swings,\u201d Salihi said.<\/p>\n

Check Out: 8 Frugal Habits Americans Are Ridiculed for \u2014 and Why You Shouldn\u2019t Care<\/a><\/p>\n

Negotiate Insurance<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for immediate savings, Salihi recommended calling up your insurance companies and asking for a rate review<\/a>, to bundle policies or to raise deductibles if you have emergency savings. These may help you to instantly shave off a few hundred dollars per year or more.<\/p>\n

Electricity Hacks<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t jumped on the LED bandwagon yet, you\u2019ll save a lot of money<\/a> just by making the switch from incandescent bulbs to LED. Salihi said in addition to the home improvement stores, LED bulbs can often be sourced from thrift or dollar stores.<\/p>\n

Additionally, consider installing a programmable thermostat that can help you keep your thermostat set to lower temperatures when you\u2019re not home to keep your electricity bill lower month to month.<\/p>\n

Rethink Memberships<\/p>\n

While you should not aim for spending cuts that can negatively impact your health, it\u2019s worth rethinking your health club membership, according to Austin Kilgore, analyst with the Achieve Center for Consumer Insights<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you use it consistently, great. But could you make that monthly fee go further if you exercised outside, at home (online classes) or at a local rec center for significantly less?\u201d<\/p>\n

Winnow Down the Subscriptions<\/p>\n

Subscription creep is a real problem because it\u2019s very easy to sign up for something and a lot harder to cancel. Kilgore recommended gathering recent credit card statements to identify all your subscriptions or use an app that helps you find and cancel with ease.<\/p>\n

\u201cStreaming service subscriptions can quickly add up. Winnow down to what you really watch,\u201d Kilgore said. If you\u2019re worried about replacing what\u2019s lost, don\u2019t forget that local library systems now frequently offer a wealth of digital and streaming services.<\/p>\n

Inventory What You Have To Eliminate Duplicate Purchases<\/p>\n

Who hasn\u2019t been guilty of buying something you already have on hand because they didn\u2019t check? Just taking the step to inventory what you have can help eliminate duplicate purchases.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommit to a thorough cleaning out and organization of cabinets, pantries, drawers, refrigerator and freezer,\u201d Kilgore urged. \u201cGet rid of anything that\u2019s long past its expiration and anything you know you won\u2019t eat. Organize what\u2019s left so you can see what you have, and you\u2019ll eliminate purchases of duplicate items.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adopt Grocery Hacks<\/p>\n

There are lots of little ways to bring down the cost of groceries<\/a>, Kilgore assured. These include:<\/p>\n

Membership club: Join a membership warehouse club where bulk buying often means big discounts.<\/p>\n

Local produce: Shop at farms, orchards and farmers\u2019 markets while you can for in-season produce and try planning menus around that. Look for \u201cB\u201d or \u201cNumber 2\u201d produce. It\u2019s half off (or more); it just doesn\u2019t look perfect.<\/p>\n

Check unit prices: Frequently, mid-size packages will offer better value than larger sizes. Some stores display unit pricing on the shelf, but it\u2019s often just as easy (and accurate) to check yourself using your phone\u2019s calculator.<\/p>\n

Digital coupons: Learn how to use the digital coupons many supermarkets offer.<\/p>\n

Cash In Credit Card Points<\/p>\n

If you have a credit card account that offers rewards points, check your statements (or online accounts) to see how many you have, Kilgore said. Then visit the rewards website to convert the rewards into gifts, gift cards or cash. Some rewards providers may even double the value of rewards at specific retailers.<\/p>\n

Manage Debt<\/p>\n

Paying down high-interest debt instantly saves you money on further accumulated interest fees. If you can\u2019t pay it off all at once, there are other methods, such as:<\/p>\n

Personal loan: If you can get a loan with a lower interest rate, it saves you money.<\/p>\n

Balance transfer: Some credit cards have promotional cards with 0% interest for a set period.<\/p>\n

Debt management: If you absolutely can\u2019t pay it off, consider debt consolidation or settlement<\/p>\n

By combining small, strategic changes with mindful spending habits, you can stretch each dollar further and stay financially resilient even when economic pressures mount.<\/p>\n

More From GOBankingRates<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com<\/a>: Stretching $100 Further in 2026: 9 Frugal Moves That Actually Work<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If the current economic landscape is any indication, 2026 may find many Americans tightening their belts even more.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93175,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,68951,63,68950,99,186,23479,68949,30011,184,185,34310],"class_list":{"0":"post-93174","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-austin-kilgore","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-bulk-buy","12":"tag-business","13":"tag-finance","14":"tag-frugal-living","15":"tag-ilir-salihi","16":"tag-market-volatility","17":"tag-personal-finance","18":"tag-personalfinance","19":"tag-price-increases"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}