These are some frugal things I do that others think are weird. They don’t really save much money but I like to do them anyway. If you are a frugal person though they probably seem pretty normal.
Reusing paper towels-If I use a paper towel to cover something in the microwave or as a plate for a sandwich I use it again if it didn’t get dirty. I know I shouldn’t be using them at all and I could save even more money. I read somewhere about using newspaper for covering your dishes. I might try that.
Unplugging the microwave-I keep the microwave unplugged when I’m not using it. It doesn’t save much money but it is easy to do so why not.
Using grocery bags for trash bags-I don’t see any reason to buy trash bags when plastic grocery bags work just fine. Of course I should be using a reusable bag at the grocery store. I’m trying to do that now but I still seem to be accumulating plastic bags.
Cut my own hair-Since I keep my hair buzzed it doesn’t really take any skill. Why should I pay to get it done?
Walk places-If I need to go somewhere close by I’ll walk. This seems logical but lots of people drive everywhere even if it is close. A few years ago I was with my sister and we were going to eat at a restaurant that was at the other end of a parking lot from the store where we were at. She wanted to drive there. Granted it was a big parking lot but I thought she was crazy for wanting to drive there. Of course she thought I was crazy for wanting to walk there.
The next one I don’t do but I just want to show there are limits to my frugality.
Reusing Kleenex-I read somewhere online about a frugal tip of saving your used Kleenex to use as TP later. That tip is a little too disgusting for me and it seems unhygienic as well.
OMG, I sure hope the reused Kleenex thing was a joke. Yuck!
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with reusing a paper towel you just used to cover something in the microwave. So long as it’s clean, why not?
If it is a nice day and you don’t have heavy packages to carry, walking is great exercise.
I usually microwave things in bowls and I use a plate for the cover.
If you used cloth napkins instead of paper towels, that would probably also work for microwave duty (assuming there are no metallic threads!).
(Note: you can make napkins from favorite old clothes by cutting out a square and hemming the edges.)
Boy, I used to save all my grocery bags and use them as trash bags, but I had to stop because I found out that spending a few dollars on trash bags is worth not having the wife nagging at you 🙂
Regarding paper towels, do you do the same as me and don’t take a whole sheet if you don’t need? Some time I just need a tiny piece to wipe something off, so I just tear a small piece instead of the normal sheet, which is huge.