Latest news with #frugalliving
The Sun
20-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I'm a frugal mum – there are 5 things that you won't see me buy & the common household product that's a waste of money
WHEN it comes to stretching your family's budget, every penny counts. And for one savvy mum, her simple approach to saving has struck a chord with thousands online. 3 Forget complicated financial spreadsheets or extreme couponing - this TikToker is revealing the surprising everyday items she never buys, and her reasons why might just change your shopping habits for good. The mum, known as Octoberonabudget on TikTok, shared a candid video revealing five common household items and food products she simply refuses to spend her cash on. And it turns out, saving money can be surprisingly simple once you know where to cut back. First up her number one hate is buying kitchen rolls. 'What an epic waste of money, just use a cloth,' she says. This seemingly small swap is a common thread among those looking to reduce both waste and spending, highlighting how daily habits can truly add up. Next on her hit list are familiar names from the supermarket aisles. She recommends that people opt for non branded sauces and soups, as she thinks the cheaper ones 'are just as nice'. Her third point is to avoid ready-made cake mixes. I'm a mum-of-2 and was a broke teaching assistant on £840 a month - now I've made 46k doing a side hustle anyone can do "The only one I'll use is a ready-made pastry mix because pastry is a pain in the a**e to make," she admits. "But if I can bake something myself, I'll bake it rather than buy a ready made mix." Her fourth no-go item follows a similar logic: ready meals. "So much cheaper to just make your own and portion it up. Plus you know what's going in it," she explains. 3 3 Finally, Octoberonabudget calls out a common snack that's often seen as convenient. "Lastly, these single use jelly pots. What a waste of plastic for starters," she says. 'But also, buy a block of jelly, get some ramekins and make your own jelly pots for much cheaper." Her video gained 15.1k views and 18 comments after just one day of it being shared, and many people's opinions were mixed. One asked: 'What do you drain fried foods on?' To which the frugal mum replied: 'A clean tea towel if I need to get grease off.' Then someone else asked: 'How do you clean it off a tea towel? Do you have a frugal hack?' And Octoberonabudget replied: 'Put it in the washing machine?' Money saving challenges Here's some of our favourite money saving challenges. Weather saving challenge - Save the amount equal to whatever the highest temperature was that week. £1 = 1C. 1p challenge - save 1p a day for everyday of the year, but it increase the amount by 1p each day. So day one you save 1p, 2p on day two and 3p on day three. When you reach 100 days you start adding a £1 coin each day too, while this increases to a £2 coin each day plus pennies at 200 days, and £3 each day on top of pennies at day 300. 20p a day challenge - Start by putting 20p in savings, then increase the amount by 20p every day. For example, the first week will look like this: 20p, 40p, 60p, 80p, £1, £1.20, £1.40. £5 a week challenge - Like the 20p challenge, put aside £5 a week and increase it by a fiver each week. Eg £5, £10, £15, £20 Round-up challenge - Every time you buy something, round up the purchase to the nearest £1 and put the difference in a savings account. Eg. You pay £2.60, so you put 40p in savings. You can use an app such as Monzo or Starling to do this. Bingo challenge - Here you have a bingo card with different numbers on it and you tick them off when you've put that amount in your savings account. It can be ad hoc but you have to tick them all off by the end of the month. Monday to Sunday challenge - With this challenge, you simply save £1 on Monday, £2 on Tuesday and so on until the weekend where you don't save on Saturday or Sunday. 365 day challenge - Every Sunday you put aside £1, followed by £2 on Monday, £3 on Wednesday and so on. On Saturday you'll put away £7, and then the process repeats and you'll put aside £1 on Sunday as the new week begins
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Truth about how 'frugal' 24-year-old junior sales executive who wants to retire at 40 REALLY saved £95,000
She is seen as a twenty-something graduate who by living frugally has saved £95,000 towards being able to retire by the age of 40. Mia McGrath says she has saved her sizable nest egg by cutting back on life's luxuries like takeaways and boasts of eating pasta meals for as little as £1 a time while living at home with her parents. But despite urging followers to cut back on luxury spending, Mia is also cultivating a parallel brand as a model and lifestyle influencer. Mia, who is signed to both Memesis Models and W Model Management, runs a second Instagram account under her full name, showcasing a far glossier life - with shots from holidays in Paris, Barcelona and Corfu, nights out in Chelsea, and shopping sprees at Prada. The junior sales executive is also facing claims she is in fact paid thousands of pounds by big brands like the BBC, American Express, British Airways and Marshmallow car insurance to promote them. Quite how much she receives is unclear as Mia Rose McGrath - her username across multiple platforms - doesn't declare this publicly. So adept is Mia at offering her services as a way for corporations to 'reach' young people that she even provides a breakdown of her influencer profile in the style of a media sales executive. She details her audience reach by age (85% of those following her posts are aged 18-34, for example), by country and by audience numbers reached: an astonishing 3.1million at last count. She even pitches direct to potential sponsors: 'I'm a 24-year-old London-based creator who has grown a TikTok account to over 125k followers, specialising in personal finance and investing content. 'While my niche focuses on finance, I've also worked on creating UGC [user generated content - ie her posts] for skincare and lifestyle brands, blending creativity with authenticity to connect with audiences.' All this seems distinctly at odds with the tone of her main output to TikTok viewers, describing herself as a 'fashion girly' and 'your financially literate bestie'. And her USP on social media comes from that professed financial literacy: she routinely lectures young people on how to achieve wealth young and offers tips on how to emulate her savings success. And she provides links that go straight to online trading platforms to assist. Of course influencers being paid to produce or promote content for commercial organisations is nothing new - and there's no suggestion that Mia is flouting any of the rules around this practice. But when your whole personal brand is about being relatable on a financial level as you're just the same as other struggling 24 year olds, then perhaps there are issues with this. Social media marketing expert Hannah O'Donoghue Hobbs told MailOnline: 'Mia should be more transparent about how much money she is getting from these affiliated brands. 'I know she does admit to having some privileges, due to her being an influencer, which means she's been able to find things more affordable. But I believe she needs to be more loud and proud about it. 'If you're going to make a living out of posting on Instagram, shout about - literally explains every perk you're getting so you are being super real with your followers and be as open as you can be as a creator.' Mia has repeatedly spoken in videos about her plan to 'soft retire' in just 16-years time - when she turns 40 in 2041. By this, she apparently means that she will still do part time work or things she's 'passionate' about, but won't need to work full time to 'stay alive'. She added: 'I'm not underestimating the work that goes into content creating, it can be an absolute graft and to build the TikTok following she has is no joke but her income stream from paid promos etc should be made clear. 'A lot of these brands look at the numbers, rather than the actual content, and jump on board. 'It's called 'vanity metrics', it will appease board members but they sometimes don't necessarily give too much thought into what these influencers are actually posting.' WIth this underpinning goal, she tells how she has already accrued £80,000 in savings - and regularly shares insights on her frugal lifestyle which involves shunning treats like takeaways, daily coffees and croissants as well as boozy trips to the pub. She has also says that a significant part of her accrued savings had come from saving money on rent by living at home with her parents. On one of her TikTok videos she told how living at home for a year and a half after graduating from university helped her save ''50 to 70' percent of her income at the time- or £22,500. Of course, to be able to do this, it helps if the family home is a £900,000 house in a pleasant corner of Lewisham, South East London. For someone who lives her life so apparently openly online, Mia has been relatively guarded about her family but those parents are Danny McGrath, an actor and drama teacher, and mum Louise Balmain, who adopted her after she was born in China. She also has a sister, Emily. Apart from saving money from avoiding rent she also rails against wasting income on fripperies like food treats and throwaway fashion. 'These are the things I just don't spend money as a financially responsible 24-year-old who wants to retire early,' she said in one TikTok video, which has racked up more than 500,000 views. She then cites ordering food via her phone as a waste of money and says she doesn't even have the Deliveroo app on her phone: 'I won't get a takeaway if I can't be bothered to cook. If you can cook really good food, you just don't need to get a takeaway.' In a similar vein, she also says she won't treat herself to a daily coffee or a pastry: ''I don't see the point of buying one every single day. They're four or five pounds sometimes. That really adds up,' she says. She also appears to be unwilling to splash the cash on trinkets, referencing the viral 'labubu' trend - 'monster toys' that have grown popular on social media - and said she would never be caught buying one. She also doesn't buy 'extra' make-up and skincare beyond the 'capsule' collection she sticks to. She said: 'I couldn't tell you the last time I tried out a new product. I really just stick to the same routine of the same essential products and I just top up when they run out.' And when it comes to nights out, again abstemiousness is the rule, she says: 'I'm just not a big drinker. If I'm out with friends, I'll probably just have one or two.' Despite all this frugality, she is apparently now making enough money from her day job - her LinkedIn says she is a Junior Sales Account Manager for a fashion company - combined with what she calls her 'side hustles' that she can now contemplate spending £15,000 a year on rent. Because Mia has recently moved in with boyfriend Archie Steves a few months ago to a two-bedroom flat in Clapham, South London. She and Archie now pay £1250 each a month for the attractive property in London's Zone two. She says despite this big new monthly outgoing, she can still invest £1,300 in shares every month and has a dividend stock portfolio- with links so that fans can emulate her in this. She has also said she's hoping to increase her savings to £100,000 by the end of this year. Her commercial interests will certainly help.
The Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I was chuffed to feed myself for a day for FREE with an overlooked app – trolls call me ‘sad' & ask if I ‘reuse condoms'
AN EXTREME cheapskate has revealed how she fed herself for an entire day without forking out a single penny, thanks to an underrated food app. The thrifty content creator behind the page Diary of a Cheapskate set herself a no-spend food challenge and says she was 'chuffed' with the result, but it seems not everyone was impressed. 3 Mortgage-free at just 32, the savvy TikToker regularly shares frugal living tips and money-saving tricks with her growing audience online. From reusing items to bagging freebies, she's not shy about her cost-cutting habits. In a recent video, she documented a full day of free eating, covering breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, all sourced using the Olio app, a platform where neighbours and shops give away unwanted food. She told followers: 'This was such a fun challenge. I love getting creative with what I've got rather than spending cash. It means I end up eating some odd combos, but I don't care, it's part of the fun.' Her freebie -filled day started with a Belgian waffle, chopped apples and yoghurt, all collected that morning via Olio, just past their best-before dates but still perfectly fine, she said. Skipping a morning snack, she moved onto lunch with two chocolate croissants and a browning banana, again all free. By the afternoon, she tucked into more yoghurt with chopped banana before whipping up a dinner of roasted sweet potato and cauliflower, plus some new potatoes gifted by a colleague. She claimed her tea was "a bit weird" but "it worked". To finish off the day, she snacked on fresh raspberries picked straight from her mum's garden and stuck to tap water for drinks – all completely cost-free. But while some fans praised her creativity and thanked her for introducing them to the Olio app, others weren't so kind. I'm a super-saver who pockets £600 a MONTH with easy cost-cutting hacks… it's amazing what people will give you for free One troll cruelly commented: 'Do you reuse condoms too?'. Another slammed her for taking food that could have gone to someone 'more in need.' A third accused her of wasting time and money on travel just to pick up food she could've bought 'cheaply from Lidl.' Still, her loyal followers rushed to defend her, with one writing: 'Just picked up my first haul thanks to your video, can't believe the food people give away. Ignore the haters, your tips are brilliant!' Despite the backlash, the TikToker stood her ground, insisting that her extreme budgeting isn't about greed but about being resourceful, conscious, and proud of not wasting food or money. And judging by her clean plate and satisfied smile, it looks as if the hate doesn't seem to bother her. She's not the only cheapskate taking dire measures to save her pennies. A mum has shared her extreme money-saving tips, and her water hack really turned heads. Becky Giles, who's all about being frugal, revealed that she loves it when it snows because it gives her free water for her family to wash in She also bragged about how her money-saving methods helped her renovate her bathroom for just £49. Since becoming a stay-at-home mum, Becky has found creative ways to save money as she works to renovate her family's 100 year old house. She now prides herself in being 'the most frugal mum in America.' Talking in a TLC documentary, she revealed that she fills up buckets 'with snow to melt and use for water' as 'water from the sink actually costs money.' Elsewhere, a self-proclaimed frugal freak, who previously confessed to re-using bin bags and claimed to only own one plate, has now shared more of his savvy money saving methods. Bradley, 32, who steals loo rolls and re-uses snotty tissues, claimed that some of his tricks might be controversial. Despite earning over £16,000 in just one month alone, the content creator, who has enough money to live lavishly, instead opts for an incredibly frugal lifestyle. But like this frugal food hunter, not everyone was impressed with Bradley's tricks. How to save money on your food shop Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year: Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price. Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30. Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash. Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public. Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio. Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount. Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses. Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap. But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here. Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds. "Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands. The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop. 3
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A Couple Share How They Went From Living In Their Car To A $1 Million Net Worth: 'I Managed To Find A Low-Paying But Stable Job'
You don't have to stay where you are for the rest of your life, and a couple that went from living in their car to a $1 million net worth embodies this idea. The couple got into a bad financial situation when they were both laid off a few weeks apart in 2008. Then, with no salaries and student loan payments to make, they had to live in a car. The situation looked grim, but the couple recovered and put themselves in a good financial position. They recently shared how they did it in the Dave Ramsey subreddit. "I managed to find a low-paying but stable job," the husband explained. Don't Miss: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Here's how you can apply the couple's lessons to your financial situation so you can achieve long-term goals. The husband doesn't work at the same job he took during the Great Recession, but it gave the couple a start. That job allowed them to rent out a garage and get back on their feet little by little. There wasn't a quick and dramatic rise to the top. The couple learned about Ramsey's baby steps financial formula for getting out of debt and building wealth during this time. They took advantage of coupons and discounts wherever they could find them while living "insanely frugal." The first job you get probably won't be your dream job. It may take a few years before you earn a six-figure salary, and even that's not guaranteed. Taking a low-paying job lets you get your foot in the door. You might be chosen for internal promotions if you overachieve at your company, but job hopping is another alternative that can introduce you to a higher salary after you've built some work experience. Trending: GoSun's Breakthrough Rooftop EV Charger Already Has 2,000+ Units Reserved — The Redditor mentions that he climbed the corporate ladder for more than a decade to boost his salary. Growing your salary makes it easier to cover various costs, like student loans, mortgage payments, cars, and credit card debt. The couple is debt-free because of their commitment to climbing the corporate ladder. It's easier to play it safe and stay at a stable job, but this mentality can significantly limit your earnings. You may find better opportunities at another company, but before you consider that route, it's worth asking for a raise and seeing if you can get promoted within the company. You will have to build your network, regularly apply for new jobs, and get good at negotiating to ascend the corporate ladder over time. This couple stayed the course for more than a decade to reach their current below your means requires making some sacrifices. You may not be able to go on luxurious vacations, and buying used cars may be the norm. However, it was a key component for the couple's long-term success and happiness. Being frugal can also reduce your financial stress since you are letting fewer expenses into your life. The husband summed up the long-term benefits of his frugal lifestyle in one of the comments. "Being frugal paved the way to an amazing life with an amazing wife and two great kiddos. We spent on what we considered value add for our future and our lifestyle, and really have enjoyed life to its fullest and intend to do so. We are a family who loves to travel, be on the road, and explore new things. We are constantly on the road, doing what we love. I was able to afford this lifestyle because we are frugal and smart with money." Read Next: The average American couple has saved this much money for retirement —? Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article A Couple Share How They Went From Living In Their Car To A $1 Million Net Worth: 'I Managed To Find A Low-Paying But Stable Job' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Sun
25-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I was in £100k debt but now have £183k saved thanks to my cheapskate hacks – but trolls say my frugal life is depressing
A SELF-PROCLAIMED ' frugal freak' was once in over £100,000 of debt, but now has more than £183,000 saved in the bank, thanks to his cheapskate hacks. Bradley, 32, now earns cash through a number of different side hustles and while he has enough money to live lavishly, instead, he opts for an incredibly basic lifestyle. 2 The content creator lives in a 'cute' and 'cosy' studio home in Connecticut, USA and not only does he only own one plate and never turns the heating on, but he also claimed that he is 'too busy to spend money.' For Bradley, who has chosen not to share his last name, keeping tight control over his finances is incredibly important. Over a decade ago, at the age of just 21, he found himself in more than £100,000 worth of debt, and thought his 'life was over.' After studying at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York and receiving his £104,150 debt bill, 'everything changed'. Upon hearing about his £1,120-a-month debt, Bradley, who has 'never once bought trash bags' and instead asks friends for their old bin bags, told Metro: 'That was the birth of the frugal lifestyle.' Now, Bradley has candidly opened up on how he turned his life around thanks to money-saving hacks, leaving social media users stunned. Posting online, Bradley shared behind-the-scenes clips of a typical day in his life, as he said: 'Spend a no spend day with me as someone who's frugal and has $250,000 [£183,846] saved in the bank, but would rather save my money than give into consumerism and over consumption. 'And let me just say, before you say my life 'seems depressing' and 'may this life never find me' - shut up. You probably have credit card debt that you're paying the minimum balance on and I would never wanna be you.' Bradley started his day by making a 'frugal breakfast burrito' which costs him less than $1 [74p] - and instead of oiling his saucepan with a silicone brush, he instead just used his hand. Not only this, but rather than using three or even four eggs, he then added water to 'water them down.' I've lived outside permanently for five years and eat roadkill, people are disgusted but it's saved me £65k Later in the clip, Bradley, who earns at least £8,000 per month through multiple jobs - including TikTok content creation, dog sitting, answering calls on a crisis hotline, cleaning houses and mowing lawns - confirmed: 'I do have a new side hustle, which is cleaning up someone's driveway when it snows.' But rather than forking out cash on the equipment, he borrowed some from his parents, as he added: 'I hate the cold and I hate the snow but I'll do anything for money so whatever, I just suck it up and deal with it.' Following this, after getting home and cooking dinner, Bradley sat down to watch some YouTube, but confirmed: 'I don't have any subscriptions, I've never paid for subscriptions, I think it's stupid.' Money saving challenges Here's some of our favourite money saving challenges. Weather saving challenge - Save the amount equal to whatever the highest temperature was that week. £1 = 1C. 1p challenge - save 1p a day for everyday of the year, but it increase the amount by 1p each day. So day one you save 1p, 2p on day two and 3p on day three. When you reach 100 days you start adding a £1 coin each day too, while this increases to a £2 coin each day plus pennies at 200 days, and £3 each day on top of pennies at day 300. 20p a day challenge - Start by putting 20p in savings, then increase the amount by 20p every day. For example, the first week will look like this: 20p, 40p, 60p, 80p, £1, £1.20, £1.40. £5 a week challenge - Like the 20p challenge, put aside £5 a week and increase it by a fiver each week. Eg £5, £10, £15, £20 Round-up challenge - Every time you buy something, round up the purchase to the nearest £1 and put the difference in a savings account. Eg. You pay £2.60, so you put 40p in savings. You can use an app such as Monzo or Starling to do this. Bingo challenge - Here you have a bingo card with different numbers on it and you tick them off when you've put that amount in your savings account. It can be ad hoc but you have to tick them all off by the end of the month. Monday to Sunday challenge - With this challenge, you simply save £1 on Monday, £2 on Tuesday and so on until the weekend where you don't save on Saturday or Sunday. 365 day challenge - Every Sunday you put aside £1, followed by £2 on Monday, £3 on Wednesday and so on. On Saturday you'll put away £7, and then the process repeats and you'll put aside £1 on Sunday as the new week begins Social media users react The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly gone viral and amassed 5.8 million views, 652,200 likes and 5,595 comments. But social media users were stunned by his 'crazy' way of living and eagerly raced to the comments to express this. Let me just say, before you say my life 'seems depressing' and 'may this life never find me' - shut up Bradley One person said: 'Water in the eggs is crazy.' Another added: 'May this life NEVER find me.' A third commented: 'My dude I'm great at saving money but this ain't it... I'm all for saving as much money as possible but you also need to enjoy your life.' Meanwhile, someone else begged: 'Please just buy a silicone brush, you can use everyday for the rest of your life. It is not expensive.'
