40 Easy Frugal Swaps That Save You Money With No Extra Work!

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: 40 Easy Frugal Swaps That Save You Money With No Extra Work!
Podcast: Frugal Friends Podcast
Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Date: September 9, 2025

In this episode, Jen and Jill present 40 practical “frugal swaps”—easy, low-effort changes you can make to your daily habits to save money without sacrificing comfort or convenience. The swaps are structured by category, including kitchen and food, beauty and fashion, tech and subscriptions, household, and financial behavior. The tone is approachable and humorous, emphasizing sustainability and intentional savings while acknowledging that progress isn’t always perfect.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction & Frugal Philosophy ([01:25])

• The episode isn’t about deprivation, but about simple, sustainable, “no work required” swaps that enhance comfort and savings.
• Jill: “The goal isn't to give up comfort, but to be able to make some of these sustainable swaps in a way that are going to work for you both now and for the long term.” (01:42)

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Kitchen & Food Swaps ([05:03])

1. Frozen vs. Fresh Fruit:

   • Use frozen fruit for longevity and reduced waste, especially in smoothies and baking.
   • Jen: “Using frozen has really helped. It’s pre-chopped, which gets over the barrier to entry to me actually meal prepping.” (05:03)

2. Lower-Cost Protein Options:

   • Swap chicken thighs for breasts, ground turkey for beef—recipe-friendly and less expensive.

3. Premium vs. Cheap Kitchen Tools:

   • Invest in durable items like hardwood cutting boards for long-term savings.

4. Make Coffee at Home:

   • Can save you up to $1,200/year; make it enjoyable with a “special cup” or favorite syrup.
   • Jen: “Get a special cup and it makes it even more delightful… I get my favorite cold brew for my favorite coffee shop on the weekends.” (08:04)

5. Generic Brands over Name Brands:

   • Try generics for most groceries; switch back if the taste/quality isn’t there for specific items.

6. Meal Planning Over Dining Out:

   • Planning ahead curbs impulse takeout and lowers grocery costs.

7. Permanent Coffee Filters:

   • Swap disposables for reusable ones—though Jen admits it’s “messy” for her personally.

8. Silicone Storage Bags:

   • Swap out plastic sandwich bags for reusable silicone—dishwasher safe, eco-friendly.

9. Glass Containers over Plastic:

   • Longer-lasting, microwave/bake safe.

10. Reusable Utensils:

    • Carry your own to reduce waste.

11. Beeswax Wraps vs. Plastic Wrap:

    • Durable, reusable, environmentally friendlier—but only switch if you’re a frequent plastic wrap user.

12. Bulk Foods & Refillable Containers:

    • Buy shelf-stable foods in bulk for savings.

13. Loose Leaf Tea Instead of Tea Bags:

    • Higher quality, less plastic.

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Beauty & Fashion Swaps ([16:53])

14. Durable Fabrics over Plastics:

    • Switch to wool, linen, hemp, or raw denim; be wary of misleading online listings.

15. Drugstore & Generic Skin Care and Makeup:

    • Jen: “All of my skincare, all of my makeup is drugstore brand… and it’s so good.” (18:22)

16. Secondhand or Buy Nothing Groups:

    • Seek secondhand items first, especially furniture and wardrobe staples.

17. Repair Instead of Replace:

    • Learn basic mending or repurpose damaged or thrifted textiles.

18. Capsule Wardrobe over Trend-Chasing:

    • Build intentional, versatile wardrobes that feel “complete,” minimizing shopping temptations.

19. Reusable Beauty Products:

    • Menstrual cups or razors—although both hosts humorously admit this swap hasn’t worked for them personally.
    • Jill: “Tried both. Didn’t work. Sorry.” (23:11)

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Tech & Subscription Swaps ([23:41])

20. Library Apps (Libby/Hoopla) for Books/Audiobooks:

    • Free, wide selection, with options to request new titles.

21. Library Apps for Albums:

    • Hoopla offers full, new-release albums ad-free.

22. Single Streaming Service at a Time:

    • Rotate subscriptions to avoid piling monthly fees.

23. Buy Refurbished Tech:

    • Get reliable devices with warranties at lower prices; prefer reputable sellers over unknowns.

24. Low-Cost Phone Carriers:

    • Highlight: Mint Mobile, Visible—can save $20-$50/month.

25. Print at Library/Office vs. Home:

    • Save on costly ink and printer maintenance.

26. Free Project Management Tools:

    • Businesses can thrive without paid SaaS tools.

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Household Swaps ([29:43])

27. LED Bulbs vs. Incandescent:

    • Long-lasting, significant energy savings.

28. Reusable Water Bottles:

    • Ditch disposable plastic; if taste is an issue, use water filters or flavor enhancers.

29. Cloth Towels/Old T-Shirts for Cleaning:

    • Creative, eco-friendly replacements for paper towels.

30. Dryer Balls vs. Dryer Sheets:

    • Reduces static, eco-friendly, and can infuse essential oils for freshness.

31. Cloth Napkins Over Paper:

    • Easy to DIY from old T-shirts; thrift store finds are great too.

32. Borrow Tools/Books/Equipment:

    • Leverage libraries and tool banks before buying.

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Financial Behavior & Habit Swaps ([34:00])

33. Cancel Unused Gym Memberships:

    • Look for free, online, or at-home workouts before committing to pricey memberships.

34. Grocery Pickup Over In-Store:

    • Reduces impulse buys and can surface cheaper options.

35. Remove Saved Payment Autofill:

    • Add friction to impulse shopping by deleting stored card information.

36. Delete Tempting Apps:

    • Cut apps (think DoorDash, shopping platforms) that over-notify or encourage unnecessary purchases.

37. Always Shop With a List:

    • “Let Trader Joe tell you what to buy once a quarter, not weekly,” jokes Jen. Planning = savings.

38. Stock Up Strategically:

    • Only for essentials you consistently use; loyalty/cashback apps can help.

39. Automate Savings First:

    • Set automatic transfers so you save before spending, not the other way around.

• Jen: “You can always move the money back out, but we want to automate saving first.” (42:22)

40. Unsubscribe from Promotional Emails:
    • Out of inbox, out of mind; use services like Unroll.me to manage offers.

• Jill: “It is better to get emails like the ones from us… rather than people trying to tell you you need this now.” (42:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jen, on effortless swaps: “We will never tell you not to get your daily latte… but I get my favorite cold brew for my favorite coffee shop on the weekends.” (08:04)
• Jill, on sustainable clothing: “People are out here lying…” [about fabric labels on Amazon] (17:57)
• On menstrual cups & reusables:
  • Jill: “Tried both, didn’t work. Sorry.” (23:11)
  • Jen: “We do need more women to use menstrual cups.” (51:10)
  • Jill: “No, the weight of the world is not on our shoulders during our most annoying time of the month.” (51:17)
• Jen, on progress over perfection: “Stop trying to be somebody that you are not in this season. Just… be happy with who you are and say I can't get to a gym right now, but I'm not going to let that stop me from moving.” (34:28)
• On the importance of automating savings:
  • Jen: “That habit has to stop. We have to swap it for automation for first. Take the effort out of it. Because you can spend—your spending will grow to the size you allow. Will always. It's like a goldfish.” (42:22)
• Listener Debra’s “Bill of the Week” ([44:57]):
  • Got a free $70 voucher from Levi’s after a zipper broke on jeans purchased on Amazon:
  • “I looked up online that Levi's has a policy… so I did that and they just approved my claim. So I got a free voucher of $70 value to get a replacement new pair of jeans.” (44:57)
  • Jen: “Amazon, Temu, Shein. They're not gonna stand by their product. Levi's. They do.” (46:18)

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Lightning Round: Frugal Swap Fails ([49:32])

• Jen: “Currently using a lot of paper plates in disposable containers… the dishes were just, like, overwhelming me. That’s a swap that I’m failing right now in this season.” (50:22)
• Jill: “Menstrual cup. Tried it, I don't… it did not work for me.” (50:59)
• Supports the idea that these swaps are not absolutes; life happens, and not every swap will work for everyone.

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Personal News ([53:51])

• Jill announces a major (secret) frugal swap:
  • “We sold our house. We are no longer homeowners. And no, we did not buy another house… We swapped home ownership for renting… It was so far the best financial decision we've made.” (53:51–56:11)
  • Both hosts highlight the emotional and financial relief, with touches of humor about third-floor apartments and not having to worry about hurricanes.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:25 – Introduction & philosophy of frugal swapping
• 05:03 – Kitchen and food swaps
• 16:53 – Beauty and fashion swaps
• 23:41 – Tech & subscription tips
• 29:43 – Household swaps
• 34:00 – Financial behaviors & habit swaps
• 44:57 – Listener “Bill of the Week” (Levi’s voucher story)
• 49:32 – Lightning round: Frugal swap fails
• 53:51 – Jill’s big announcement: selling her home and becoming a renter

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Tone and Take-Away

Jen and Jill keep it conversational, supportive, and real. They stress that the swaps are a menu, not a mandate, and encourage the audience to “pick and choose” what works for them. They also acknowledge that sometimes convenience and mental bandwidth have a place in frugality (paper plates for sanity!). Above all, the episode is about aligning spending with values, making frugality enjoyable—and giving yourself grace along the way.

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Resources Mentioned

• Frugal Friends Annual Finance Planner: frugalfriendspodcast.com/planner
• Library Apps: Libby, Hoopla
• Unroll.Me: unroll.me

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For more swaps and regrets to learn from, check out the episode, “50 Things We Regret Buying,” referenced in the lightning round.

Hosts encourage listeners to submit their own “Bill of the Week” at frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill

Transcript

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[Jill]

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[Jen]

Audible.Com wondery 40 easy frugal swaps that'll save you money with no extra work.

[Podcast Announcer]

Welcome to the Frugal Friends podcast where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity, and live a richer life. Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.

[Jen]

Welcome, Frugal Friends. I'm Jen.

[Jill]

I'm Jill.

[Jen]

And today we are talking about talking about swaps that you can make that are not going to deprive you, that are not going to be super arduous. They are easy, simple, no work required, and they will save you money.

[Jill]

Yeah. The goal isn't to give up comfort, but to be able to make some of these sustainable swaps in a way that are going to work for you both now and for the long term. And we've got some really great ideas.

[Jen]

And there's a lot of them. 40. So buckle up. But first, this episode is brought to you by the first day of school. The second day of school. My bad. We just had our second day of school. And if you were with us last year, you remember when my son who was in kindergarten, he cried and screamed every morning for the first three weeks of school when I dropped him one. Yes. And today on the second week of school, I went through the car line and had to push my son out of the car with my bad arm. This, the shoulders actually injured.

[Jill]

It was gentle, right?

[Jen]

It was actually because it hurts. And as I'm pushing him out the door and the magnet coordinator is asking, can I hold his hand? I'm like, yeah, take him. I'm like trying to shut the door and I'm like, see you tomorrow. I mean, later today. And he, I can't look him in the face after I say that because I don't want to know what he thinks.

[Jill]

It's so confusing. Are you coming tonight? Are you coming tomorrow?

[Jen]

It was something that was very hard to watch, hard to experience, but something that's not hard to look at is our annual finance planner. It is beautiful. And if you're tired of juggling all of your notes in your notes app, pricey app subscriptions, if you're using one of those apps or half filled planners, if you're a former planner, girly like me, I made Goldie and I made, I don't want to say it was just me. Goldie and I made the annual finance planner for, for you. So whether it is tracking home maintenance, car maintenance, planning your next trip with credit card reward points, you know, trying to remember the last time your tires were rotated or oil was changed, all of your benefits for your health insurance, all of those things in one spreadsheet. And we, we think it's great. It goes really well with our budget planner, which is also available. So head to frugalfriendspodcast.com planner to check out our annual finance planner. It's something you pay for once and you can just copy every year if you want to. Or actually you could just use the same one the whole time. You don't have to get a fresh one every year, which is really nice. And if you're on YouTube watching this, check the description below for a code for 30% off.

[Jill]

So we're going to get into our 40 swaps and similar to your consumption influencers, we don't expect you to do all of them. We just think that there's some good ideas here that you can pick and choose from that are going to work for you. And we've broken them down into different categories and the first category is kitchen and food swaps.

[Jen]

This is the biggest one because I feel like this is the one where people seek us out the most is how to save money on food. And it's great because there are so many things you can do between eating and then just what's in your kitchen to save a little bit of money here and there. So the first one that I love to do is I have swapped fresh fruit for frozen fruit and this reduces a lot of waste because it's either I'm using it all and I can't keep it fast enough or it's the same fruit the next week and we don't use any of it and it all goes bad. And so using frozen has really helped. Obviously, if it's something that I'm just eating plain like cherries or banana, I'm using those fresh. But in my overnight oats and you know, obviously smoothies and anything where I'm baking, I will use frozen because it just lasts so much longer and it's pre chopped, which gets over the barrier to entry to me actually meal prepping.

[Jill]

2 lower cost protein swaps. So think chicken thighs instead of breasts, ground turkey instead of beef. These types of swaps usually work with even your typical recipe. So whether you're doing tacos or burgers or lasagna, whatever you're using kind of your ground beef for, you could use turkey instead and it's going to be less expensive.

[Jen]

Next is replacing cheap plastic kitchen tools. So chopping boards, colanders, getting away from those cheap things you have to replace every year and going to longer lasting premium versions. So a premium hardwood or rubber cutting board for instance, will cost you like 60 to 200, but those last, with proper maintenance, five to 10 years. And with a plastic cutting board, it doesn't matter how expensive or nice it is, you have to replace those every one to three years. And so over, you know, 10 years, you're spending at minimum as much, usually more than if you just gotten it and taken care of one nice cutting board or two nice cutting boards.

[Jill]

Yeah, I just made that switch. It's a great one. Number four is, and hear us out, make coffee at home daily. That's not to say that you can't have your occasional buying a latte or a cappuccino out. But if you are able to swap a daily coffee run for doing it at home, it could save you up to $1,200 per year because most coffees are gonna cost at least $6. And if you're doing that five days a week, that's $30 per week. Whereas kind of a typical coffee that you might buy even with a syrup or is usually around $30 a month. So that's where the potential $1,200 a year in savings could be.

[Jen]

We will never tell you not to get your daily latte or daily cold brew. We will never tell you not to do that. But and personally, this summer I have switched from buying out to making at home. And I use the stoke cold brew. Sometimes I use a regular brew, sometimes I'll use like the extra bold and I get a salted caramel syrup Little splash of whole milk because I have the whole milk in there anyway and it has been so delightful and I get to have it in my special cup. So get a special cup and it makes it even more delightful. And yeah, it is that dopamine hit that we all want in the afternoon whether you need the caffeine or not. And it can be had more affordably. And then I get my, my favorite cold brew for my favorite coffee coffee shop on the weekends. Yeah, I do that.

[Jill]

Yeah. So make the swap enjoyable.

[Jen]

Yes. Next is obviously choosing the generic store brand groceries over the name brands. You know, we don't have to harp on it. Most of them are going to be the same. If there is something that you have tried the generic brand and you've tried several because generic brands at different, you know, places hit different. Aldi, I think has the best generics. But if you don't shop at Aldi or you know, your grocery store, generic isn't as good as your name brand. Switch back. I did that with ranch dressing, but that's because I wanted to go with like they have the specialty ranch dressings that I like and you couldn't, they didn't make the generic brand in that. So try the generic and then you can always switch back if you, if you really don't like it.

[Jill]

Number six is swap dining out for eating at home. And this is made more possible by meal planning if this is been an area of struggle for you. We're actually coming out with a whole meal planning digital download that you can purchase. So stay tuned. Actually subscribe to our friend letter which we'll have a link for that in the description and the show notes to be able to hear about when that comes out. We're going to run a sale when we launch it, so you're not going to want to miss it. But being able to know ahead of time what you're going to make day to day, week to week really cuts down on decision fatigue. It helps us to shop very minimally. And then when we're buying and we're cooking at home, it's just obviously going to be less expensive than going out, paying the upcharge on the food and even the tip.

[Jen]

Yeah, something I have done is when I am cooking a meal, I cook two meals at the same time. So I'm using dirty dishes twice and I'm getting, you know, a meal will have four servings. So I'm cooking two meals at a time. I'm getting eight servings and so I have some meals pre prepped to go. And I only do dishes once. So. Next is replacing disposable coffee filters with permanent ones. I'll tell you, I don't do this because I. It's messy and I don't like the mess. But I used to, so I did try it. You might find that your, you know, significant other doesn't chastise you for having coffee grounds all over the sink and in every place. Weird places around the garbage can and you're fine. Or maybe you're cleaner than I am and you don't do that. But.

[Jill]

Yes, but coffee grounds can be composted too, so it doesn't even have to be around the trash can.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

It could be around the garden.

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jill]

Okay. Number eight, swap plastic storage bags for the silicone kind. This is a swap you talked about.

[Jen]

I do. I have one. One. This is so nice. I have one silicone bag for my son's lunch sandwich and I will reuse that silicone bag. Same every week. I don't wash it. It's the same sandwich.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And then I wash it on the weekends.

[Jill]

I love that.

[Jen]

Yeah. And it's better than a bento box, I think. I, I'm not going to clean the, the bento boxes can get dirty. You do need to wash those like after every use. But I found the silicone bag for a sandwich that's much better.

[Jill]

And are they dishwasher safe?

[Jen]

Absolutely. Yep.

[Jill]

Love that.

[Jen]

Yes. Next is use glass containers instead of cheap plastic containers. And again, this comes down to longevity. So you can, if you're getting your free plastic Tupperware from your mom's leftovers and you're reusing those, more power to you. But when you are buying reusable like containers, spend a little bit more. Go with glass. They're much friendlier in the microwave. You can even bake them to meal prep stuff in so it's less mess and they just last so much longer.

[Jill]

And if you're a person who's worried about plastics, you don't gotta worry about that anymore because it's, it's glass. All right. Number 10, swap single use travel utensils and cutlery for durable multi use. So rather than getting all the plastic cutlery at all the takeout space spots or even purchasing it, buying reusable cutlery that you're going to keep in the car or you keep in your lunch box or backpack or whatever it is that you take to work and just keep reusing those things or just, I mean, even extra metal, like whatever you want to choose, rather than all the plastics and the disposables.

[Jen]

Next is using beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap. So I don't use plastic wrap a lot, but if you're somebody who does like to cover things with plastic wrap than beeswax wraps, super like durable and reusable.

[Jill]

That's a swap I want to make. I haven't made it yet, but I haven't.

[Jen]

I don't ever use plastic wrap, so I just haven't made the jump.

[Jill]

Yeah, well, that's good.

[Jen]

And then there's no reason.

[Jill]

Eliminating is also great.

[Jen]

If you don't use something, no need to get it as a swap. Just keep doing what you're doing.

[Jill]

Yep. Number 12, buying bulk shelf stable items and using refillable containers. So this is going to absolutely save a lot of money when the cost per unit is lower, typically when we buy in bulk. So if you've got the storage for it, then this is a great idea for your grains and maybe your baking supplies, plies, your dried fruits, your granola, your oats, whatever, whatever it is that you're eating pretty often but are more shelf stable.

[Jen]

The containers don't all have to match either.

[Jill]

Just does that have to look pretty? It's in a cabinet.

[Jen]

It's in a cabinet. Yeah, it's fine. Then our last for kitchen and food is to choose loose leaf tea over plastic packed tea bags.

[Jill]

It's just environmentally friendly too.

[Jen]

Yeah. And it's, I think, better quality. I'm not a big tea drinker, but I do love a loose leaf every once in a while.

[Jill]

Oh, I've gotten into tea recently and if you find a cool local tea shop. Yeah, you can usually find some incredible flavors and really just enjoy your life. Have a little bit of simple luxury.

[Jen]

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[Jen]

All right, next we are on to beauty and fashion swaps.

[Jill]

So number 14 is swap out plastic clothes for durable fabric. So this is where you want to think. Wool, hemp, linen, raw denim. These are the types of materials that are going to last longer. So we're not being caught up in the fast fashion world of polyester blends that are going to unravel or shrink and not be useful to us anymore, but instead spending a little bit more money on some of these higher quality fabrics that we love, we're actually going to wear are going to last a long time.

[Jen]

Yeah. And be wary when you're purchasing 100% cotton on Amazon. Read the reviews because I have seen so many times where I'm looking for durable fabrics and then I get to the reviews and they have taken pictures of the tag and it's 90% polyester.

[Jill]

No way.

[Jen]

Oh, yeah.

[Jill]

People are out here lying.

[Jen]

Yeah. So get, get rid of that fast fashion that's gonna rip and just be bad quality. Next is generic brand skincare and makeup. All of my skincare, all of. All of my makeup is drugstore brand. So not even like necessarily generic, like store brands. I don't know if Walmart has store brand makeup.

[Jill]

Equate right eyelash.

[Jen]

But like Sarah, Sarah vay, Sarah V. Love their skincare. I'm not like promoting any of these, but just what I use. And then covergirl, Maybelline. That's all my. That's all I own.

[Jill]

Same girl.

[Jen]

And it's so good.

[Jill]

We're doing video.

[Jen]

So I bought something from Ulta that was like $30. It was like a moisturizer foundation thing for my face. And I told the woman I had oily complexion. And yeah, it just like, it wasn't working for me. Made me shiny. And so I get this BB cream from Target initially, but they also sell it at Walmart and it has been wonderful. It's matte, it's light, it's not cakey. Yeah, it's so fantastic. I love it.

[Jill]

Or just don't do makeup. I have actually stopped doing foundation. I used to do it because it had the SPF in it. And then I realized I'm not in the sun every day, so I'm going to put SPF on when I go out in the sun. And otherwise I'm just going to like keep going all natural. So you can also eliminate.

[Jen]

I have to hide the bags under my eyes.

[Jill]

Oh, I didn't say I let go of a cover up, just foundation.

[Jen]

Yeah, I don't even know know the difference.

[Jill]

I'm not putting it all over my face. I'm just putting it right here. That's the difference. All right, number 16, secondhand store or buy nothing groups instead of retail shopping. So if you are needing to purchase something or you're just kind of wanting to do a little shoppy shopping, do it at a thrift store. Scroll your buy nothing group and see if that thing that you're looking for is available secondhand. Previously owned. And honestly, it's great too, especially if you're looking for furniture. Because a lot of times the furniture we buy these days, you've got to build it yourself. If you're buying it secondhand, that stuff's already pre built.

[Jen]

I love it.

[Jill]

It's less money. So there's a hack for you.

[Jen]

Yeah. And so I'm not talking about replacing your online scroll with like a in person scroll at a thrift store. But this is actually things that you think go to Amazon first, go to Target first. These are things that you would normally go first to retail shopping. Pause and just see if you can find it secondhand first. That's the kind of swap that we want to make. That's what we're talking about on this one. Next is repair clothes instead of replacing them. And this comes. This can happen if you have those really durable, nice fabrics, you can repair them in moderation. Right. If it's just a little hem or maybe a little strengthening that you can pull up a YouTube video and. And fix it yourself, then do that. Like, obviously, if it's really irreparably damaged, you can try to fix it. A lot of people love to diy. I just had a friend who turned a blanket she found at a thrift store into a jumper. Oh, so cute. So you can do that, but you don't have to if you don't want to go that extreme.

[Jill]

Yeah. But if it's a skill set you want to build, then that's an opportunity to be able to practice as well. All right, number 18. Go capsule wardrobe. Instead of trend chasing and capsule wardrobe, there's probably a variety of ways that we can describe this. We've done a lot of different episodes on this. You can go back in our archive to, to find that. But this is a really great opportunity to buy some of those quality over quantity pieces that you can mix and match well that you know are in a good color scheme for you and wear those things and wear them well and feel confident rather than, oh, that looks good on that person. I'm gonna buy that. Oh, that's only $15. Oh, that's only $8. And then you just have a hodgepodge of stuff that doesn't actually look that good on you. You don't like. It's unraveling, it's broken. You don't actually have time to fix it. And now you just have a massively full closet and then you've got the nothing to wear syndrome.

[Jen]

Yeah. For capsule, for me means it feels complete. Like that's. That's all. It's not a open ended book of I'm just always looking to acquire. It's okay. I'm on a mission to complete my wardrobe. And then once it feels complete, it's encapsulated and we can replace things as we need. So yeah. Yeah.

[Jill]

Beautiful.

[Jen]

Next. And this is our last for beauty and fashion is reusable beauty products like menstrual cups or razors.

[Jill]

Tried both, didn't work. Yeah, sorry.

[Jen]

This is not for us, but it.

[Jill]

Could be for you.

[Jen]

We do love. And if you had a great experience with these and you use reusable beauty products, we'd love to hear about it in the comments, let people know that these. You are out there.

[Jill]

It does exist. And the kinds that have worked for you.

[Jen]

Yes, yes. And maybe even the kinds that haven't. Maybe it's right. Maybe we've been using bad stuff, but you know, we need you.

[Jill]

Yes, we need you. It's all people. Okay, the next category is tech and subscription swaps. So number 20 on the full list we're halfway through, folks, is library apps. So Libby or Hoopla, instead of purchasing for Audible or Kindle your books and different things, you can find so much through Libby and Hoopla. And guess what? If they don't have what you want, you can request it from your local library.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Including our book buy what you love without going broke, we actually tell you how to be able to request it from your local library.

[Jen]

Why would you love books? And there are instructions on that page, links to buy it if you want to support us, but also instructions on how to request it at your library if your Library doesn't already carry it. Next is another hoopla. Listen to albums on hoopla instead of Spotify. Hoopla carries new release full albums. So if you're a full album girly, then you can listen to those things on hoopla instead of paying for a Spotify subscription.

[Jill]

You still won't have the ads because it's Library, right? And we love Library.

[Jen]

You could obviously listen to Spotify free version. But like, why would you do that when you could just listen ad free at hoopla?

[Jill]

Number 22. Swap out your streaming services every so often. So only pay for one at a time. We do not need to have a collection of three to five different streaming services. It's the whole reason we kind of all started to get away from cable in the first place was because it was getting so expensive. And now when we've got a handful of streaming services, you're Talking about paying 80 to 100 bucks a month for all these different ones. Slice and dice it, go down to one, pick the shows you want to watch, run through those and then end that, go on to the next one.

[Jen]

And if you're like, I'm out of shows to watch, I need to get another streaming service. Read a book, listen to a book.

[Jill]

Go out, cancel the streaming service and go to the next streaming service.

[Jen]

Stand in grass or that.

[Jill]

Right?

[Jen]

I don't know. Like, just wait, be patient, take a.

[Jill]

Bath, Take a bath, clean yourself.

[Jen]

Something we talk about in our, one of our upcoming episodes about how frugal people are seen as unhygienic just to save money on like soaps and stuff. So don't let them think that about us. Go take a bath. Next is buy refurbished tech instead of new so you can get basically the same warranty but much cheaper. And I'm not talking about like buying it from Larry off the street, but like at the actual places, you know, the Apple, Dell, whatever.

[Jill]

Yeah, Best Buy, even Amazon sells refurbished tech as well.

[Jen]

And so, and I would also throw in pawn shops for the larger tech items that you can't easily knock off or dupe. Then you can be sure that those are going to be actual authentic pieces, small things like air pods. I would even say like phones and headphones in general. Those can be easily duped. So I wouldn't get those at a pawn shop. I would, I would do refurbished at Apple, what have you. But yeah, like I bought a laptop at a pawn shop and it's been, it was great.

[Jill]

So number 24, switch to a low cost phone carrier. So we talk a lot about Mint Mobile. We're not currently sponsored by them, but we do recommend them. Visible is another one. This could save you 20 to $50 a month. And that's no small thing when you consider what 20 to $50 extra a month could do for a savings goal or debt payoff or just more money towards the things that you really value.

[Jen]

Next is print at the library or office instead of like Office Depot or Staples. Or if you have an office with free printing, don't take advantage of it.

[Jill]

Having a printer. Printers are so expensive. Printer.

[Jen]

No, printer ink is so expensive.

[Jill]

That's. Yeah, so sorry. So sorry. I got a printer can be expensive because of the ink. And if you actually think about how often am I printing things, it could be so much less expensive to go to one of these other places. Honestly, even Staples where it costs like 10 cents for black and white paper, whereas it's going to cost you who knows how much, at least $50 every time you're getting new ink. And even if you don't use it that often, then the ink dries out and you got more ink and it's just not worth it. And if you are printing a ton and you think you need your own printer, pause and ask, does this need to be printed out or is it okay to just live digitally on my computer? There's a couple of things that we can be questioning here. Okay, I really went off on the printing.

[Jen]

Here we go.

[Jill]

Number 26. Use free project management apps instead of paid ones. There are plenty of them. There's so many.

[Jen]

And that you can get by. We run our entire business with multiple contractors on the free version of a project management software. We do not pay for it. So if we can run an entire business on the free version of a project management software, I think we all can run our lives on the free versions of project management apps.

[Jill]

Or radical middle. Get a one time spreadsheet sheet that will help you with some of the different things that you're working on. Like our annual finance planner. Again, frugalfriendspodcast.com planner. It keeps you from needing to keep paying monthly for these apps if you can kind of have it one time all in one place. Okay, next category is household swaps.

[Jen]

Yes. All right, so we've got our first one. It's a given LED bulbs instead of incandescent. So even if you're getting. If you're finding free incandescent, which I don't know why you would anymore, but using the LED bulbs is going to save you, honestly, more I think than unplugging your appliances every day. So if you have a counter, if you have your counter argument to that, let me know in the comments.

[Jill]

Number 28. I think we're all already doing this, but it's still worth saying switching to a reusable water bottle instead of the plastic ones.

[Jen]

Cheers. Cheers.

[Jill]

We have no business in 2025 and beyond being out here buying plastic water bottles. No business.

[Jen]

No business. And if it's because the taste of the water, then you could just buy like larger gallons and refill your water bottle.

[Jill]

That's true. Or get a water filter.

[Jen]

I use these like zero calorie electrolyte drinks for whenever I'm. Because I have good water at home. But if I have to refill outside of the home, I'll put in that so it tastes better and so that I get in my electrolytes.

[Jill]

Oh, good idea. Wow, full of good ideas. It's like you do this for a.

[Jen]

Living, so so many. All right, next is to swap paper towels for cloth towels or Swedish dish cloths. I think using old shirts is such an underrated. Like because the, the fabric is just perfect for like getting into a lot of crevices and stuff and towels for like the really heavy duty stuff. But you can get into, you can polish things really well with a T shirt. I. If you have not. If you've got a T shirt in your drawer that you haven't worn in the last year, cut the, cut that up and use the back of it. The one without all the printing on it. Use it as just like a little wipey rag. Like a, like a face, like a paper towel.

[Jill]

You don't have to do the whole aesthetic reusable paper towels either. Just make your own. Cut up the T shirt. Roll it all up.

[Jen]

Just don't roll it up, just stick it in the drawer. Just crumpled.

[Jill]

All right, number 30 dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. Or just eliminate it all together. I don't even know what they do. But yeah, if you, if you want this, you want to like infuse a dryer ball with an essential oil and have it like roll around in there. They are helpful in drying the clothes and making them wrinkle free. Not a dryer sheet. So yeah, a dryer ball over that. But you can also just throw in a dry hand towel into your dryer and it will help your clothes to dry faster. So also that reduces the level of energy and a dryer is a big energy suck.

[Jen]

So yeah. And I.

[Jill]

There you go.

[Jen]

That's a two for One tip I just a lot. Next is transition from paper napkins to repurposed cloth ones. Again, old T shirts, great for this. You can get white ones or whatever color you want. Dye them all the same color if you want them to be aesthetic. But they are really good for.

[Jill]

It's also an easy thing to find at a thrift store too. That's where mine are from. Okay. Number 32, borrow whatever it is that you need. Tools, books, equipment via friends and the library. There are tool libraries where you can borrow, rent from. There are tons of resources online to be able to find the things that you want to borrow. The library has more than books to borrow from.

[Jen]

Amen.

[Jill]

Your friends, your neighbors. You've got a wealth of resources around you. Use them.

[Jen]

We got like a tree identifying kit over the summer from our library. It was like an activity where you can measure and identify trees. Libraries. Support your local library. Keep a book out and pay fines on it. I'm just kidding. Don't do that. But like support your local library.

[Jill]

Go, go Visit Final Countdown.

[Jen]

Final category this and I believe this. If you have tuned out, come back in for this last category because this category of swaps is going to change stuff for you. It's financial behavior and habit. Swaps. Yeah. So our first one is cancel your underused gym membership or switch and swap it for home workouts. So and this is only if you don't use your gym membership. Stop trying to be somebody that you are not in this season. Just and, and just live with who you are, be happy with who you are and say I can't get to a gym right now, but I'm not going to let that stop me from moving. I'm going to do some stuff at home.

[Jill]

We are in a world where there is the most resources ever of people online giving you really quality workouts that you can do just body weight or the types of things that you have at home including water bottles, cans of soup, whatever it is. So yeah, don't let that stop you. Number 34, shop online. Do the grocery order and pick up so all of your food groceries for the week. And that will help you avoid impulse buys in store. It has also helped me to even find the less expensive, expensive items that I might not have even known because I'm just so accustomed to shopping in a certain way. Like there was a time that I got onions and I didn't realize that the bagged onions were actually less expensive than getting the singular onions and getting a couple of them and bagging them myself. So you just never know what you might learn about shopping too. The swaps that can happen when you're looking online and then you're just. You're not walking every aisle and throwing things in the cart that you don't need.

[Jen]

Yeah. Next is to remove saved card payment autofill and that will. So swap out your saved autofill information for no information so that you're discouraged to make impulse purchases. Don't make it as easy for yourself. Make yourself really have to work. And most of us carry our cards in our phones. So like if the work is literally just taking your card out from the back and looking at it, that's enough. Just there's no excuse for keeping your card info in there if it's making you impulse spend more easily.

[Jill]

Number 36, delete the apps that encourage or reward all of your browsing. So wherever it is that you are finding yourself spending the most time, the most money, these are the things we want to cut out. Maybe not for forever, but certainly if you've got brand like apps for certain brands that are constantly sending you notifications. I know DoorDash is that one just loves to notify and offer all sorts of. You get $5 off do this. If you do this now, you can get this extra bonus and it's just, just it's too much. But even if it's social media apps that are causing you to scroll and then purchase based off of insecurity or trying to fill some sort of gap that other things could fill better, that is playing into insecurity. It is good and right and okay to take a break and recalibrate, reset ourselves, find other things that we really enjoy that boost our confidence or we can learn more about ourselves. Just step away.

[Jen]

Yeah. And when we say reward browsing, we mean when you spend a certain time looking at something, the app recognizes that and will show you more of that. So it is rewarding what you're paying attention to and it makes you. It puts you in this bubble where you think everything on social media is the same or everybody's doing the same thing, but that's not it. It's only showing you. It's reinforcing biases and desires you have whether or not there's any truth or reality to them. So that's why we say rewarding. And if you are finding that you are buying things based on the thought like everybody's wearing this or everybody has this or whatever, that may not actually be true. It may just be an app that's rewarding you for Looking at a product because they make money when you are buying, you know, through ads. When, when brands are spending on their platform they have an incentive to keep you browsing and scrolling. So stay, stay away if that is something that you are prone to do. Next is swap the free spirit shopping for always shopping with a list and sticking to it. So it is fun sometimes to just go into Trader Joe's and let Joe tell you what to buy for dinner. Right?

[Jill]

Once a quarter.

[Jen]

Yes, it is fun. It's not that we can never do that but regularly, on a weekly basis we gotta be planning our meals. 80% you don't have to plan it 100% 80% creating the meal plan, creating the shopping list and sticking to the list.

[Jill]

Number 38. And I've, I've got a, I've got an interesting relationship with this one, but I'm going to say it anyway. Stock up on items when they are on sale or use loyalty rewards programs and cash back apps. So this is only for the things that you are absolutely going to use. If you know that, you know the type of shampoo that you use, you know that you know the dish detergent, the, the toilet paper, whatever it is not that. Don't, don't go crazy. Okay. Recognize we have limited space to be storing these things but the shelf stable items, the stuff that you're not gonna get tired of and not end up using. But if these things go on sale, you know that it's a good price then it's a good time to be able to stock up on that little save you in the long run. And definitely we are not coupon clipping girlies but we do recognize that loyalty programs, cash back apps can really help us kind of slice and dice and they will find the deals for you so you don't have to spend all the time doing it. So. So that can be worth having those types of apps on your phone.

[Jen]

Yeah, I like the ones that automatically connect to like between apps or something so it can tell when you've purchased the thing and it will do it for you. Because I don't like to spend time doing it is the thing. I went into Walgreens and got a eye drops for Travis and he needed them. I wasn't clipping a coupon for him because we just need it. But I put in my number for the loyalty rewards program and got $4 off and I didn't have to do anything. I didn't even know I was going to get $4 off.

[Jill]

It's significant on a singular Item, Right.

[Jen]

So yeah, participate in them. They don't have to take up your life or dictate how you move your life. But yeah, utilize them when you can. Next, swap effort for automation. Automate transfers to savings before spending funds hit your checking account. So I think I was saying just automate those transfers so that you save first instead of spend first. Because so often we'll say I don't know how much I can save this month. So we'll just wait until the end of the month and then whatever's left over then that is what I will invest or save. No, that habit has to stop. We have to swap it for automation for first. Take the effort out of it. Because you can spend, your spending will grow to the size you allow. Will always. It's like a goldfish. So we have to limit that if push comes to shove. And like you can't make rent, you can always move the money back out. You can transfer money out of a Roth IRA that you have put in there without penalty or fee. You can always move stuff back from a high yield savings account. That stuff is safe. But we want to automate saving first.

[Jill]

Yes. And last but not least, number 40. Audit and unsubscribe from promotional email list to reduce temptation to buy. It is great to be able to sign up for an email from your favorite store, to be able to get the discount or to know about certain sales when you are looking for a specific item. But we don't want to keep these things constantly bombarding us, especially if we're in our emails a lot. It is better to get emails like the ones from us. Frugalfriendspodcast.com to sign up for the friend letter or click the link in the show notes. But tips are being given to you on how to save money, spend less, purchase the things that you value rather than people trying to tell you you need this. Now here's what everybody has. So if you are afraid to entirely unsubscribe because you just, you want to know when a good deal is going to happen, you can always utilize things like Unroll me. I think it's unroll me.com Yes, I use it.

[Jen]

I love it keeps things.

[Jill]

So it kind of compiles all of these promotional emails into one email. So if you are looking for okay, now I'm ready to buy this pair of linen pants, then go in and look. Are they having any sort of sale?

[Jen]

And it still keeps it in your inbox. It just kind of filters it out so you can still check in Your inbox or on roll me for the email and you can find the latest sale. It just doesn't pop it up like so it's right there in your face.

[Jill]

Do you know what is right there in your face? And it is a pop up and we are here for it.

[Jen]

We would never ask you to swap this. This is the OG, the 1 and only the bill of the week.

[Podcast Announcer]

That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William. Maybe you paid off your mortgage. Maybe your car died and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore. Duck Bills. Buffalo Bills, Bill Clinton. This is the bill of the week.

[Deborah (Listener Caller)]

Hi Jen and Jill, this is Deborah. So you guys actually read one of my reviews on your, on your podcast, one of your episodes. I was very excited about to hear it and it was a good episode too and it made my day. I am the user name of dbravaz90 and today this time I have a bill of a week for you guys. It is a fashion bill of the week. So I purchased a pair of jeans from Amazon about two months ago back in December and it was on sale and I bought it for like maybe $38. That was original price purchase for it and it got damaged sadly. And these were my favorite pairs and it, the, the zipper like broke on it. So I looked up online that Levi's has a policy of the two years time frame that you can report a claim of a damaged product that is, you know, either damaged or defective. So I did that and they just approved my claim. So I got a free voucher of $70 value to get a replacement new pair of jeans. So I'm very excited about that. And yeah, that's my bill of the week. Thanks guys.

[Jill]

Yes, Debra, well done.

[Jen]

And this is why we say like go, go with the companies not just with the like good quality materials but like that will stand by their product. Amazon, Temu, Shein. They're not gonna stand by their product. Levi's. They do.

[Jill]

Yeah. Buying quality and buying from reputable brands that are going to have some of these warranties that you can go back to them. This is a reason to kind of save some of those receipts. Like if you are buying something that is of higher value than like clothing or even small appliances, a lot of times you're going to need that proof of purchase. But this is a great, a great tip and well done looking into this and actually taking advantage of it. Yeah, if you all listening, have a bill you want to share if it has to do with getting money back or a replacement item on something that was damaged or a bill that you don't have to pay anymore, A bill you don't mind paying. Your name is Bill frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill we can't wait to hear it. When it comes to clothing, you know we love quality over quantity. And since getting our colors done, Jen and I have both been on a mission to find closets staples, the kind that are polished, timeless and affordable without compromising quality.

[Jen]

And that's exactly why we're loving quints.

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[Jill]

I've been on the hunt for a classic linen dress that I can style in a variety of ways that fits with my minimalist wardrobe. And Quince had just the one I wanted in the European linen scoop neck midi dress. It feels like such a luxury piece, but the prices don't absolutely destroy my spending plan.

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[Jen]

If you have to, why not make it worth something? That's what we love about Bilt.

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[Jill]

By paying rent through Bilt, you earn points that can be redeemed toward things you actually want, like hotels, flights, a future rent payment, or your next Lyft ride.

[Quince/Bilt Advertiser]

And it's not just about rent. Bilt makes your whole neighborhood more rewarding. You can earn points when you dine out at local spots, hit up a fitness class, or even get access to special experiences just for members.

[Jill]

So if you're already paying rent, make it work harder for you. Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to joinbilt.com frugal that's J-O-I N B I L T.com frugal use our link so they know we sent you. And now it's time for the lightning round.

[Jen]

All right, do you Have a frugal swap fail. So it's not a fail. But I will admit to everyone that we are currently using a lot of paper plates in disposable containers. Paper, like wise. Because just because the season of life, when we cook at home a lot, we maybe eat out every other week. And that's not even just to save money. That's just like a time thing. And like, our toddler is insane and very hard. You got to actually experience that last week. You saw how he was when we ate at. Where do we go?

[Jill]

Oh, yeah, Zaxby's. Zaxby's.

[Jen]

We were the only people there and we had to sit in the corner.

[Jill]

Oh. I mean, yeah. I'm not his 247 parent. I did really enjoy it. He is rock and roll.

[Jen]

Oh, yeah. All the way up. Climbing all the way up and getting all the way down. He lives in the extremes. And so we just. We are eating at home a lot and the dishes were just, like, overwhelming me. Overwhelming even with a dishwasher. So, yeah, that is a swap that I'm failing right now in this season.

[Jill]

I already mentioned it, but the first one that comes to mind for me is the menstrual cup. I tried it and I don't. It did not work for me.

[Jen]

No. Freaks me out. But it's. We do need more women to use menstrual cups.

[Jill]

You know what, though? Like, I'm a little. That a little bit ticks me off because. No, the weight of the world is not on our shoulders during our most annoying time of the month. Like, that's not the reason that the world is in the state that it's in.

[Jen]

You're so right.

[Jill]

If you need to do what you got to do to just get buy, then we can make swaps in other areas. Do not put the pressure on yourself to hurt your body during this time of the month. It is okay. And you are a queen. I don't know if it's that intense, but wow. Wow.

[Jen]

I mean, thank you for coming to our TED Talk.

[Jill]

If you love these lists, if you just want this whole list that you can pick and choose what works for you, we did another video that you can watch or listen to. 50 Things We Regret buying. So we can help you. It's kind of like the Berenstain Bears what not to do.

[Jen]

Yeah. So it's kind of. Yeah. It's the opposite list. This is the things like swap for and then the things. But the menstrual cup is on there too, and it's a regret.

[Jill]

So you're going to hear a lot about it. We are not done hearing about it.

[Jen]

Not a lot about it. We rarely talk about it. I don't know why we've been talking about it so much lately recently.

[Jill]

All right, well thanks everyone for listening for watching. Thank you for your kind reviews, especially the ones on our book like this one from Diana Wright. Five stars. I went into listening to this audiobook with pretty low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Thanks for the honesty, Diana.

[Jen]

I love that. That's my favorite.

[Jill]

I've never listened to the Frugal Friends podcast, but really enjoyed their theory of values based spending. There are some great practical tips here that I will be using. Hey listen, if you want to be pleasantly surprised, we under promise and over deliver. It's just what we do. Buy what you love book.com and if you did like it, if you were pleasantly pleased by us, hit the subscribe button on YouTube, comment on one of our videos, review our podcast, review our book. We're here for it. It's all free. It is all free. Free ways to support us and we'll be so grateful. Thank you.

[Jen]

Bye bye. Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Siriani.

[Jill]

Okay, Jen, I did the biggest swap. The biggest swap, and I haven't talked about it on this podcast, is a swap I have been working on this entire year. It is 2025 since, well, February of 2025 until now. We're recording this mid August. We, Eric and I have been working on a swap and I feel so bad for keeping this secret from all of our listeners, but I just didn't want to talk about it until it was a done deal. We sold our house. We are no longer homeowners. And no, we did not buy another house.

[Jen]

They're renters.

[Jill]

They're renters. We swapped home ownership for renting.

[Jen]

But she's not leaving me. She's not leaving. No.

[Jill]

We're still living in Florida because we.

[Jen]

Still got a lease.

[Jill]

We moved to a rental about two miles away from where our house was.

[Jen]

On the third floor.

[Jill]

I mean the house is still there. We're just not there anymore.

[Jen]

Yeah, on the third floor. So definitely not getting flooded.

[Jill]

Definitely not getting hurt by no hurricane. No trees nearby.

[Jen]

Not getting any of those impaled in your house. On your roof.

[Jill]

Through the roof. Yeah.

[Jen]

Damaging all your stuff.

[Jill]

It was so far the best financial decision we've made so far. And I'm loving it. It's a brand new life. Today is the first day our house sold Yesterday.

[Jen]

Closed. Yeah, like, yep.

[Jill]

Done.

[Jen]

So money in the bank. Done.

[Jill]

The wire transfer went through, and that's that. And it's wild. Wow.

[Jen]

And now we have two pools between.

[Jill]

The two of us. Because the apartment complex we're in has two pools.

[Jen]

I have zero. So now we have.

[Jill]

Between the two of us, we have two pools. Yep. So there you go. I'm probably gonna talk about it more. So, I don't know, just, you know, buckle up. But that was wild. It was a little secret. When you heard me talking about doing renovations this past year, and you're like, wait, Jill, I thought you were done. Well, no, we weren't. And it was all the final things to be able to sell our house. And we sold it at full asking price, my friends. And that felt good.

[Jen]

I'm happy for you.

[Jill]

Thank you. Me too.

[Jen]

I'm happy for me.

[Jill]

But, yeah, I literally feel like I've stepped into a new life. It is yet to be discovered. Open up the dirty window. Let the sun illuminate the work.

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