This Internet Group Is Dedicated To Saving Money, Here Are 28 Of The Best “Frugal Wins”

While “living large” has its perks, in this day and age, finding clever ways to save here and there carries a good feeling that can’t really be replicated. But being frugal is more than just pinching pennies, it’s also a way to limit one’s impact on the environment and save a little at the same time.

We’ve gathered some of the best “frugal wins” shared by people online. We also got in touch with Keren Charles Duclosel, a thrift shopping expert. So get comfortable as you scroll through, prepare to take some notes, upvote the best posts and be sure to comment your own thoughts and experiences below.

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As a former Sears appliance technician, I take phenomenal care of my appliances and I’ll never have to buy brand new. Here’s why...
I worked for Sears appliance repair and have troubleshot most appliances around the house. I cannot count how many times I have heard customers complain about buying a pair of brand new washing machine/dryer sets and wishing they had their old set back. Not only this, but I’ve picked up the tricks to making appliances last. After having worked on the newer ones vs older, used appliances, this is what I’ve learned:

DON’T USE TOO MUCH SOAP!! People make this mistake all the time. Especially with washing your clothes, brands will sell you a detergent with the cap that has measurements on it. Never use these measurements. Even the lowest measurement is too much. If you are washing a normal sized load of laundry, all you need is 1 tablespoon of detergent. Yes, you read that correctly. Towels/blankets can use maybe 2 tablespoons. The reason for this is because most marketed detergents will have a little sticker on it that says “HE”. This means it is high efficiency, or in other words really really really really concentrated soap. 1 tablespoon of HE detergent is equal to about 1/4-1/2 cup of soap. If you were to add 1/2 cup of HE soap, it creates an over abundant amount of suds for your washer. Too many suds can cause balance displacement and mess up your suspension. If you have a washer that senses the moisture content of the clothes, the extra suds can cause your washer to work overtime to get rid of them. This causes the motor/shaft to wear out faster. The extra oil in the suds can also trickle down easier into the shaft and cause rust. Lastly, too much detergent will cause more mildew build up between the tub and basket of the washer.

That being said, never ever ever buy Tide Pods. They are expensive and will wreck your washer/dishwasher. Too much detergent.

Never use dryer sheets. They will coat your lint trap with wax and ultimately cause house fires. Also, get your dryer cleaned often! Lint doesn’t always stick to the lint trap. It can escape and get into the heating element, causing it to light up into flames. Open up the dryer and vacuum out the lint, or use a wet rag to wipe it up.

The salesman is quick to sell you on all the new gadgets, functions, and color of the appliance. DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM/HER! Say you are on the market for a washer/dryer. The big boy sets will have any function you want. It’ll have crazy settings specifically for bedding, towels, whites, delicates, self cleaning. Looks awesome... but in fact this is pointless. If you go this route, you’ll end up buying a brand new washer with 20 settings that you NEVER touch. Most people only use the Normal and Heavy setting on their washer, and trust me these 2 settings will wash your clothes just fine. Same with a dryer: most people only use sensing dry or timed dry. There is almost no practical use for any of the other settings when they do the exact same function as your most normal setting.

The newer appliances combine plastic and metal moving parts, which cause the need for more repairs. The older appliances are made mostly of metal and last forever if you take care of them. I find that older people hang on to their appliances for longer and it always seems to have gone in their favor. I have worked on their 20+ year old washers and dryers they’ve had since the 90s, and in my experience they wash/dry better than any new appliance on the market. Plus, over the duration of their life, they have had little to no repair needed on them. If you can get your hands on an old washer/dryer, I highly recommend it!

Older appliances still have replacement parts on the market, and they are cheap. You can buy mostly anything you need to repair the machine with the exception of cosmetics (the outer shell, sometimes handles, main display and buttons).

Take care of your appliance. Once a month you should be running a cleaner in your washer/

Mr-Ravi0li , Austin Kirk Report

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This Internet Group Is Dedicated To Saving Money, Here Are 28 Of The Best “Frugal Wins”

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