Being economic with your money and resources isn’t something that you should be ashamed of. Quite the opposite! Throwing wastefulness in the bin and embracing frugality, thriftiness, and creativity are the way to go—especially if we want our wallets and our environment to reap the rewards.

The r/Frugal subreddit, a community housing nearly 1.9 million savings-minded members, encourages people to take a different approach to spending. Using our heads more instead of opening our wallets wider, lies at the core of their philosophy. We’ve collected some of the best life hacks that will help you budget better and help protect our lovely Planet Earth at the same time.

Waste not, want not, so let’s get scrolling. Upvote the hacks that you found to be the most useful and if you’re feeling generous, share some of your own frugal-living tips, dear Pandas.

#1 I Work At A Travel Agency, And When We Have To “Destroy” Our Outdated Maps, I Reuse Them As Wrapping Paper

Image credits: saxamaphone710

#2 Girlfriend And I Wanted A Large Mirror On Our Wall, But Didn't Want To Spend $$$ So We Found 6 Small Closet Door Mirrors On Sale For $4 Each

Image credits: KyZar0

#3 I Saw A Previous Post Which Used Old Maps As Wrapping Paper, So Here Is My Old Music Used As Wrapping Paper!

Image credits: Beanut_Putterr

The ‘Frugal’ online community lives by the motto, “Waste Less—Gain More!” And they’re absolutely right: there’s lots to gain from living less wasteful, more flexible lives.

“Frugality is the mental approach we each take when considering our resource allocations. It includes time, money, convenience, and many other factors,” the subreddit mods describe what their community is all about. Active since March of 2008, r/Frugal has since then entrenched itself in Reddit and formed a very sizeable niche for anyone and everyone who wants to embrace a more economic, less wasteful way of living life in the 21st century.

#4 Enjoying The Porch Of Our New Home, Where We Live Rent Free As Caretakers Of A Wildlife Sanctuary. Eight Hours Of Labor A Week In Exchange For What Would Be At Least $1300/Month

Image credits: harpo02

#5 Didn't Want To Waste The Failed Films So I Turned Them Into Little Paintings

Image credits: pastel_lamb

#6 Don't Pay For Scientific Journals

Image credits: _you_know_my_name__

In an interview for a previous Bored Panda article, I had a chat about saving on food costs if you’re a fast-food lover with Jake Butler from ‘Save the Student,’ a UK-based organization that advises students on how to make their money go further.

According to Jake, we have to talk about the obvious—you can save the most money on fast-food and takeaways by learning to say ‘no’ to tasty treats and cooking solely at home. However, not all hope is lost, dear Pandas!

You can make a lot of your fave fast-food meals at home. The best parts are that it’s way cheaper and that you have complete control over the nutritional value.

#7 Money Is A Bit Tight Right Now So I Made Some Homemade Halloween Decorations. Turned Out Pretty Good, I Think

Image credits: WilliamHarry

#8 I Made Shelves Using Recycled Thrift Store Speakers

Image credits: MuchoGrande

#9 My Wife’s Great Aunt Has Been Saving On A Birthday Card For 35 Years With Her Friend As They Just Send Each Other The Same Card Back And Forth To Each Other Every Year. How Cool Is The Card And The Story That It Has Created?

Image credits: iredditonthenet

“The good news is that you can easily recreate your favorites at home for a fraction of the price. It's much healthier this way too. Google is definitely your friend here as you can find fakeaway recipes from a number of sites. During the lockdown, McDonald’s even released instructions on how to make their famous breakfast egg McMuffin at home,” Jake from ‘Save the Student’ told Bored Panda that we don’t have to live without tasty food even if we’re saving money.

#10 Our Canning Haul For The Year, Still Have To Do Apples Yet. All Home Grown Veggies

Image credits: hippo_lives_matter

#11 Been Using My Great Grandfather's Razor For A While Now. Decided To Clean And Polish It This Morning. Most Frugal Way To Shave. Blades Are Dirt Cheap! Before/After

Image credits: joeyisnotmyname

#12 Both Of Our Children Used This Crib For The First 2.5 Years Of Their Lives. Trying To Get Another 5 Years Out Of It!

Image credits: thepixarlamplala

“The good news is that the ingredients for most of these recipes aren't too pricey and you can still hunt for bargains to make the dish cheaper. Buying in bulk is always a winner too when it comes to saving money so it's a great idea to get together with friends and maybe take it in turns to make your favorite fakeaways,” Jake said.

According to him, the essence of creating takeaways at home lies in the seasoning! “Salt and pepper won't break the bank, but they can make or break a meal. Don't forget that sugar can take a dish to the next level too.”

#13 Wedding For Under $3k USD. Dress For $15 USD. This Was Right For Us

Here's our cost breakdown. Only the daughters needed shoes. I did my own makeup, but purchased a few high quality items. Our marriage license cost includes the cost to have a mailed copy of the marriage certificate. Ring cost does not include the engagement ring. Thanks to Covid, we stayed well under budget. Full disclosure: we're having a destination wedding (vow renewal) in Oct 2021 with just immediate family, where we're paying for accommodations for all 25 people. I'd be happy with just our Covid wedding, but we are fortunate enough to be able to do both.

Venue (Park):$0.00- Justice of the Peace:$130.00- Marriage License:$70.00- Photographer:$200.00- Floral:$34.00- Attire: $258.53 (Bride $15.00, Groom $52.64, Son $52.64, Daughters (2) $138.25)- Makeup:$70.00- Rings:$1,986.88

Total $2,749.41

Image credits: fruitybuttons

#14 I Asked My Local Farm Stand If They Had Any Damaged Produce They Couldn't Sell. They Gave Me All Of This For Free!

Image credits: tbaumandsauce

#15 I Recently Lost A Lot Of Weight And Had To Replace My Whole Wardrobe. I Didn't Want To Throw Away Old Clothes That Still Had Some Kind Of Life, So Here We See 11 Leggings, 9 Tank Tops, 1 Top, And (Part Of) One Skirt Repurposed Into A Rug

Image credits: reddit.com

#16 Check The International Foods Aisle For Spices. Price Difference Of Two Aisles Over At My Local Grocery

Image credits: timopod5

#17 Built A Table Out Of Shipping Pallets Left For Trash Outside A Shipping Center! Total Cost: $23

Image credits: eugeneden2010

#18 I Built A Chicken Coop For Free Out Of Materials From Craigslist

Image credits: RealMoneyRobert

#19 To Whoever Shared Wine And Painting Date Night Idea - Thank You!

Image credits: fire_path

#20 Pet Tip (Oc): Save All Semi-Viable Parts Of "Dead" Dog Toys, Order Some Replacement Squeakers, And Make A New Super Fun Franken-Toy!

Image credits: jadeblanket

#21 Beaded And Appliqued This Rust-Stained Dress And Wore It To A Wedding

Image credits: isacookiep

#22 I Made A Two Piece Outfit Out Of This Men’s Shirt I Got For $2.50 At Salvation Army

Image credits: frankiishirey

#23 About 6 Years Ago I Ditched Paper Towels And Switched To Cotton Shop Towels. I Bought 150 Off Amazon For About $30. They Have Been Life Changing For Staying Frugal And Eco Conscious! I Keep A “Garbage Can” In My Kitchen To Separate These Out And Wash When Full With Hot Water, Detergent, And Bleach

Image credits: King-Anonymous

#24 Couple Years Back I Ripped Out A Deck For My (Now Passed) Great Uncle. My Grandpa And I Saved The Pieces For When Eventually I Could Have My Own Back Yard! We Just Built It Today! Free Wood And 5 Hours Of Work!

Image credits: Rogue_Mongoose

#25 My Husband Loves Berry Jam, But Berries Are Quite Expensive This Year, So I Decided To Forage Instead Of Buying, And Picked Over 4kg. Of Them

Image credits: golden_eyed_cat

#26 Some Cheap Rit Dye Made My Old Backpack Look New Again

Image credits: dogmetal

#27 The Tool Set Gift I Got My Dad For Father's Day Was Heavy And Awkward To Wrap Traditionally, So I Bought A Small Tarp And A Pack Of Colorful Bungee Cords To Act As Gift Wrap And Ribbon! Practical And Only Cost Me $10!

Image credits: Mercury90210

#28 Oh The Life Of An Electricians Wife, Forced To Strip For Extra Cash!

Image credits: albiet

#29 I Combined A Broken Hockey Stick And Rake Into A Much Stronger Rake. Is This A Win?

Image credits: wireframe88

#30 Spent $2 On 4 Heads Of Garlic Last Fall, Now I Have Over 70 Heads Of Garlic All Braided Together

1. Separate the heads into cloves

2. Plant in dirt 6ish inches apart in the fall

3. Wait until summer when the leaves start to die back

4. Harvest and braid into beautiful vampire necklaces

Image credits: kempmesilly

#31 Lowe's Employee Here: My Manager Told Me To Throw Away Bags Of Seeds Because We Needed Floor Space For Other Products. I Asked For A Deal And Got Each Back For 3-5 Cents. Regular Price Is $1.09-$2.49 269 Bags For Retail Price Of $646.59. I Payed $5.40

Image credits: Dwingledork

#32 Not Paying For Expensive Spices Shelf. Instead, My Boyfriend Made This From Old Bed Slats. Jars From Mustard, Jams Etc. To Keep Homemade Seasoning Blends

Image credits: emmabovary238

#33 Learned This From My Mom. Everytime You Buy Chives/Green Onion Just Cut Most Of It Off And Use Them Or Store Them In The Fridge. Then Put The Roots In A Cup With Half An Inch Of Water. Regrows Back To Full Size Or More Within A Few Days. Can Repeat Up To About 2-4 Times If You Have A Good Batch

Image credits: drderanged

#34 Whenever I Get A Dish Sponge That Is Past Its Lifetime For Washing Dishes, I Always Cut It In Half And Then Retire Those Sponges For Household Cleaning Around The Bathroom And Other Dirty Areas. Cutting In Half Make Sure That They Never Get Used For Dishes Again

Image credits: IAmAPhysicsGuy

#35 I Think You'll Like The Gift I Got From My Frugal Aunt

Image credits: iamthechiefhound

#36 A Little Cleaning And A $30 Leather Repair Kit, And It's Almost As Good As New!

Image credits: IAmAPhysicsGuy

#37 In An Effort To Make My Iced Tea Obsession Less Expensive And Also In Trying To Be Less Wasteful, I Took The Labels Off Of A Pack Of Snapple Bottles And I've Been Using Them To Make My Own Iced Tea For A While. It's Seriously Has Cut My Drink Cost Down By Like 90%

Image credits: paigeelizabeth3660

#38 Finally Figured Out How To Extend The Life Of My Fresh Spinach To Avoid Waste And Enjoy It Longer! Transferring To A Zip Lock Bag After Purchase And Inserting A Folded Paper Towel Reduces The Moisture That Collects In The Original Bag. Still Fresh Weeks Later Instead Of Spoiling Within A Week!

Image credits: Crohnies

#39 I Used To Throw Away All The Stuff My Kid Gets From Goody Bags At Other Birthday Parties. Now I Recycle Them And Put Them In A Piñata On Her Birthday

Image credits: uberchelle_CA

#40 Made Some Cinnamon Sugar Cookies From Leftover Pie Crust

Image credits: humbleaf

#41 My Local Supermarket Sells 'Miss-Shaped' Fruit And Veg For Several Dollars Cheaper Than Regular Produce - Easy Way To Save A Few Bucks, Plus The Packaging Is Super Cute!

Image credits: Kiloura

#42 Cloths Pins Are $1 For 100 And So Much Better Than Plastic Chip Clips

Image credits: cleverraptor2

#43 Made A Staircase With Rocks And Repurposed Cement Slabs

Image credits: Fusiontechnition

#44 I Got Bids From Tile Setters To Do A Backsplash For $2000. I Ended Up Doing It Myself For Under $200

Image credits: jwaltersweathermen

#45 Basically Getting Paid To Exercise, While Helping Clean Up The Neighborhood. Collecting Cans While Getting My Steps In. Frugal Af!

Image credits: rust_in_pieces

#46 My Frugal Friends, I Just Made My Bathroom Counter Look Like This With An $11.99 Roll Of Adhesive Paper. Now I Wanna Cover Everything With It

Image credits: SkippingLittleStones

#47 Never Buying Bread Again. I Realized I Can Bake About 50 Loaves Of Bread From 50 Lb Of Flour. Mega Savings

Image credits: Chops888

#48 Always Check The Weight

Image credits: j-j-j-j

#49 Psa: It's Time To Oil Your Leather Boots

Image credits: Starving_Poet

#50 May Be A No Brainer But, Never Buy Prepackaged Fruit. This Was A $2 Watermelon That Would Have Cost $20 Precut

Image credits: Pete_the_rawdog