Saving Money – Tips for a Frugal Everyday Life
A lesser-known advantage of real estate is that it strongly motivates owners to save money. Paying off one’s property—or buying one at all—is a highly motivating savings goal. With this goal in mind, living frugally is no longer just about sacrifice but becomes a means of systematic wealth building.
Below are some tips on how to save money in everyday life without overly restricting yourself. The savings potential of each measure varies, but considering both financial savings and environmental protection, even small savings can make sense.
If school-age children are part of your household, we recommend not taking (voluntary) saving to the point where the children might face ridicule. Hardcore frugality is better suited for singles, childless couples, or families whose children have already left home.
Saving in the Kitchen
Always cook with a lid on.
For pasta, rice, etc., use only as much water as necessary.
Heating water in a kettle is worthwhile for small amounts for tea and coffee. For large quantities, the kettle itself gets heated, and energy is lost when transferring the water to the pot.
For large amounts of water that need to boil for a long time, a kettle is not necessarily better than an induction hob. A gas hob, at previous gas prices, was an excellent option for heating water and is becoming so again as gas prices drop.
Learn how to use a pressure cooker, e.g., for goulash and stews. These dishes are also great for using leftovers the following days.
Turn off stove burners early to use residual heat.
Use leftovers from the previous day, e.g., fry up dumplings (northern German: Klöße) or noodles in a pan.
Warm Wiener sausages and other boiled sausages in the microwave instead of hot water.
Browse supermarket brochures for special offers; cut out interesting ones and stick them on the fridge.
Get the last bit out of ketchup bottles: dilute with a bit of water and shake or cut the bottle open.
Bring lunch in a Tupperware container and heat it in the office microwave.
Coffee: Use a French press instead of a capsule machine. Capsules are expensive, even those from discount stores.
Vegetables and fruits might be cheaper at markets than at discount stores.
Don’t go shopping when hungry.
Take food that will soon be heated out of the refrigerator early.
Let warm food cool before placing it in the refrigerator.
Set the refrigerator slightly warmer, e.g., 6°C instead of 5°C.
Don’t refrigerate items that don’t need it: anything not refrigerated at the store.
Eggs in the USA need refrigeration because they are washed before sale. In Germany, the protective coating remains intact, so eggs don’t need to be refrigerated for 18 days from the laying date.
Regularly defrost the freezer to remove large ice blocks and save up to 15% on electricity.
Saving in the Bathroom
Collect water from the shower and dryer with a bucket for cleaning or watering plants.
Collect cold shower water that runs before it gets warm and reuse it.
Use a washcloth instead of showering on cooler days.
Shower at the gym.
Don’t flush after every minor use.
Roll up toothpaste tubes with a pencil or similar to get the last bit out.
Take cold showers. Gradually lower the temperature and start colder each time. Cold showers boost the immune system and circulation.
Add some water to shampoo bottles and shake to use the last drops.
Cut hair yourself with a hair clipper, e.g., Braun brand, for about €30-50.
Reuse bathwater: Two close people bathe consecutively, then use the water for flushing the toilet.
Saving on Mobility
Keep driving your old car as long as it passes the vehicle inspection.
Refuel in the evening between 6 and 10 PM. Avoid later hours as prices rise again.
In high summer, mornings can be better for refueling as the gasoline is cooler, denser, and provides higher energy content.
Become an all-weather cyclist (“always pedaler”) and learn to repair your bike yourself.
Save money and strengthen social ties with carpooling.
Use car-sharing services instead of owning a car. Look for affordable regional providers like Stattauto in Munich. These often don’t require a credit card.
Saving Fuel
Use “Eco” mode for automatic transmissions if available.
Drive anticipatively. Braking wastes energy. When approaching a red light, don’t shift to neutral but use engine braking.
Turn off the engine during idle times, such as at railroad crossings.
Driving in a truck’s slipstream is theoretically efficient but unsafe as it quickly violates the minimum following distance.
Open windows instead of air conditioning is only efficient in city traffic. At high speeds, disturbed aerodynamics increase fuel consumption.
Inflate tires to the maximum allowable pressure. Underinflated tires consume extra fuel.
Consider energy-saving tires if a new purchase is needed. Low rolling resistance tires can save 0.5 liters per 100 kilometers.
Don’t use your car as a rolling storage unit. Empty the trunk.
Avoid short trips. While gasoline engines handle short trips better than diesel, they consume more fuel when cold.
Drive moderately and steadily. For small cars, speeds just under 100 km/h are recommended for optimal fuel consumption; for more powerful cars, around 110 to 130 km/h.
Saving at Home and in General
Use old clothes as cleaning rags. This is common in commercial settings.
Replace the gym with bodyweight exercises (squats, push-ups).
Run dishwashers and washing machines at night if on a night-rate electricity plan or during the day if you have solar panels.
Experiment with lower washing machine temperatures. “40 is the new 60.”
Shake out and hang laundry to dry without wrinkles to save ironing and dryer use.
Reuse gift wrapping annually. Collect wrapping paper from opened presents for future use.
Unplug internet routers and other standby devices when not in use, including overnight.
Change providers regularly for discounts and better prices on utilities, internet, and mobile plans.
Cancel unnecessary subscriptions (e.g., Netflix). Platforms like YouTube and public broadcaster libraries offer plenty of free content.
Saving with Humor
Attention, the following tips are not serious:
Take longer strides to save shoe soles.
Live with your parents as long as possible, and then move in with your children.
Use a mirror so you only need two candles for the 4th Advent.
“Swabian spritzer”: 30% mineral water and 70% tap water.
“Scottish tomato soup”: A bright red plate with hot water.
Sell your dog and bark yourself.
Turn off the doorbell and put up a “Please Knock” sign to save electricity.
Change your last name to save ink when signing.
Only give technical books as gifts; read them yourself beforehand and write them off on your taxes.
Watch videos at 1.5x speed to save electricity and time.
Leave the TV off while watching — it’s always the same anyway.
Swap the sender and recipient on letters to avoid postage fees.
Use torn stockings as coffee filters.
Read the neighbor’s newspaper with binoculars.
Use the back of incoming mail as printer paper.
Get gifts wrapped for free at drugstores with your own items.
Marry during a pandemic to save on guest lists and venues, best combined with the next tip:
Marry, start a relationship, or have a baby (or be born) on February 29.
Write on calendars with a pencil to reuse them when the year repeats. For example, 2024 can be reused in 2052, but 2025 repeats as early as 2031.
Name your children after yourself to share admission tickets.
Use homeopathic sugar globules as regular sugar.
Collect your hair clippings at the hairdresser’s to use as dental floss or pillow stuffing.
Order each scoop of ice cream in its own cone.
Use “Swabian cloud”: Send yourself an email with attachments.
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