11 Brilliant Things Frugal Women Always Keep In Their Kitchen Cabinets
Frugal women store a lot of their secrets in their kitchen cabinets.
My Ocean Production | Shutterstock Frugal people are, admittedly, pretty brilliant. They're always coming up with new ways to save money that are outside of the obvious. For example, there are brilliant things frugal women always keep in their kitchen cabinets that set them apart from everyone else. These women don't just shop at thrift stores for new-to-them clothes — they know how to take that frugality into all areas of their lives, including the food they eat in their kitchens.
According to financial writer René Bennett, there are major benefits to saving up whatever you can, wherever you can. Not only does it help you work towards goals you have and put something towards your retirement, it also benefits you in more immediate ways by helping you build an emergency fund and remove any financial stress you may be feeling. The great thing is to become a little more frugal, all you need to do is make some changes to what you keep in your kitchen cabinets.
Here are 11 brilliant things frugal women always keep in their kitchen cabinets
1. Reusable dish cloths and towels
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According to conservation education expert Amanda Curton, the average person uses about 80 rolls of paper towels each year. That's an insane amount of paper towels, and with a mega-roll of Bounty retailing for almost $5 at Walmart, that's a whole lot of money to spend, too.
Frugal women know not to use paper towels so liberally, but instead to put reusable dish cloths and towels to use. These cloths and towels can be washed after each use instead of just being thrown away and never used for anything else ever again. That's a good thing, because Statista reported that most American households spent $114.41 on products like paper towels, napkins and toilet paper alone in 2022. That's money that could easily be saved or put toward something more useful.
Frugal women know how to save money, and they know one of the best ways to do that is to use reusable and washable towels instead of paper products. Not only can this save a ton of money, but it's also so much better for the environment. Really, by implementing reusable dish cloths and towels, everyone wins.
2. Tupperware for leftovers
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Some people scoff at the idea of leftovers. Food that was cooked a few days ago, that you have to warm up? No way! But frugal women know there is great power in not just throwing out leftovers when they could still be eaten.
That's where Tupperware containers come in. They can safely store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. If you're into meal planning, they can also help out with that. Their uses are endless.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 30 to 40% of the food supply in the U.S. is wasted each year by people just throwing it away. In 2010, that was 133 billion pounds of food that cost $161 billion. If you were to do the math and think about how much each individual American or family unit loses on wasted food, it would be astounding.
Most frugal women would feel sick if they knew $161 billion in food was wasted. They would never contribute to that. Instead, they have Tupperware containers in their kitchen cabinets so they can save anything they don't eat.
Sure, you have to ensure you're doing so safely, and you can't just save things indefinitely, but even holding onto things for a few days longer is better than just throwing food away. Not only does that waste money, but it also does a disservice to all of the people out there who are food insecure and don't know where their next meal is coming from. You're essentially throwing away perfectly good food they could have eaten themselves.
3. Non-perishable food
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Non-perishable food is one of the most brilliant things frugal women always keep in their kitchen cabinets, as foods that never go bad (or at least don't go bad for a very long time) are beloved for a reason. They're usually pretty easy to cook, sometimes only requiring a microwave, and there's hardly ever any need to throw them out. Even if you plan your meals and make the most of the fresh food you buy, we've all been in a situation where we've had to throw out something fresh because we didn't eat it in time.
As previously mentioned, frugal women do not like throwing food out. To them, it would be horrible to throw away fresh food because they missed the expiration date. So, they keep plenty of non-perishable foods on hand. Not only is there not a need to throw it away when it could have been eaten, but it's also much less expensive.
The average person spends between $249 and $313 on groceries each month. For a family of four, that adds up to $985. Frugal women would never spend close to $1,000 on groceries each month, even if they have a bigger family. They can easily save money by purchasing less expensive items like non-perishable food and keeping them in their kitchen cabinets for whenever they want to use them.
4. Pots and pans to cook at home
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Takeout? It's a no from frugal women. While it may be super convenient to just show up at a drive-thru window or curbside to-go parking spot and let a restaurant employee hand your food to you, it's costly. Some people rationalize it by saying that groceries cost money too, and they do. But it generally costs less money to cook at home than it does to eat out, and if you know how to save money on groceries then you're already at an advantage.
That's why frugal women always have pots, pans and other necessary utensils on hand. Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary told the Motley Fool Money podcast that people who give up eating out usually save $500 to $600 per month — and that's just for one person. Saving several hundred dollars a month sounds nice, and the several thousand dollars it would add up to in a year is even better.
Frugal women are all about cooking at home so they can get the most bang for their buck. It's fine to go out every once in a while as a treat, but doing so regularly can really take a chunk out of your bank account. You'll never catch frugal women without pots and pans in their kitchen cabinets. They may even invest in a nice set that's a bit pricier because they know how much money they'll be saving by eating at home.
5. Reusable water bottles
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Another staple in frugal women's kitchen cabinets is reusable water bottles. Sure, you can buy cases of plastic water bottles from the grocery store, or even plastic jugs of water, but they can get expensive. Depending on how much water you drink (and we should all probably be drinking more than we are), it could run pretty high.
Boston University reported that one million water bottles are bought each minute. That's not only an awful lot of plastic that is getting thrown away and making its way to landfills, but also a lot of money that could be saved. In fact, Boston University said using reusable water bottles can save you $1,350 each year.
That's over $1,000 that frugal women are not willing to part with. And why would they, when they can easily use reusable bottles instead? You don't have to buy a ton of reusable bottles or get the most expensive ones available to make this effective.
Frugal women know that a reusable water bottle will save them money, but they're also probably not going to shell out $50 for one either. There's a happy medium you can achieve.
6. Food from their garden
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Did you know that you can save money by growing a garden? Frugal women do. While fresh flowers are nice, and much cheaper when you grow them yourself, you can also grow fresh produce and herbs. It's easy to assume that it doesn't have a big impact on someone's savings as you still have to invest money into starting the garden, but it can actually be worth it.
Finance writer and consultant Linsey Knerl revealed, "Longer-term it's cheaper to grow select fruits and vegetables, as the cost of seeds relative to the output is a better deal than buying already grown produce." For example, Knerl cited a pound of tomatoes from Whole Foods that cost $3.29. Meanwhile, you could get 10 to 30 pounds of tomatoes from one $4.99 package of seeds.
Frugal women always keep food grown fresh in their very own garden on hand in their kitchen cabinets. While it takes some time to get a garden up and running, they know that it is worth it to invest time, effort and a little bit of money into the endeavor. Plus, since they're already cooking at home, having that food on hand to use in meals works out perfectly.
7. Homemade cleaning solutions
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Kitchen cabinets aren't just a place for food, of course. Many people also store cleaning products under their sink. But homemade cleaning products are one of the very brilliant things frugal women always keep in their kitchen cabinets in, of course, reusable bottles.
High-quality cleaning products can be costly, and there's nothing about them that can be reused when they're empty. Quite honestly, some cleaning products can also be dangerous, with harsh chemicals on the ingredients list.
None of those things are an issue for people who make their own cleaners. Chemicals that could pose a safety hazard are completely avoided, and solutions can easily be mixed up in reusable bottles that can be rinsed and cleaned. Really, only a few ingredients are needed to make your own effective cleaning solution, and you probably have them around your house already.
Rhonda Wilson, quality lead cleaner at FreshSpace Cleaning, said that making your own cleaning products will save you money since they are made from regular household items that can be bought in bulk. Just like with gardening, she noted that it can cost you more at first as you gather all of the supplies you need, and it will take some time. While it's not really feasible for professionals like her, if you're just taking care of your own home, it should be fine. It's a great tip frugal women use to save a little extra money.
8. Spices to cook at home
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Just like frugal women are prepared with the necessary tools to cook a good meal at home, they also have ingredients like spices on hand and ready to go. It's easy to let your spice cabinet go and never really know when anything in there was originally purchased, or when it goes bad, but frugal women keep an eye on their spices and make sure they are fresh and in date. While other ingredients, like meats and dairy products, have to be purchased from week to week, spices can go longer, and it's good to have them on hand to add to homemade meals.
Food and travel writer Pamela Vachon calculated just how much it would cost to order popular to-go meals versus making your own version at home. A deluxe cheeseburger combo costs $13.69 for takeout and $23.79 for delivery. Meanwhile, making your own at home is just $4.63. A pepperoni pizza costs $15.49 for takeout and $24.25 for delivery, but just $9.90 to make your own.
Those are some pretty big savings you can get by making your own meal at home. And, of course, to do that, you need ingredients like spices. Frugal women know this and are always prepared. Some people might be missing out on making meals at home because they don't even keep things like spices on hand, thinking they're not necessary. But it would be a pretty boring meal without them, and there are so many benefits to cooking at home.
9. Coffee mugs
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We all know that person, or maybe are that person, with an over-abundance of mugs in kitchen cabinets. While mugs can be fun to collect, they're also pretty useful. They mitigate waste, which is helpful for the environment and your wallet. They can also hold you back from buying a coffee out at a coffee shop. It may seem like a few dollars here and there isn't a big deal, but those purchases can add up.
In a separate report from Vachon, she said a medium latte costs $3.65 at Starbucks, $3.19 at Dunkin and $3.59 at Caribou Coffee. Picking one up every now and then won't make too much of a dent in your bank account, but if you're the kind of person who likes to drink coffee daily, or even more than once a day, that really adds up if you don't have a backup plan to make your own at home.
Of course, making coffee at home isn't free. You have to purchase the coffeemaker of your choice and stay stocked up on your favorite brew, but it will save you money over time and pay off in the long run. So, it's good to have those mugs on hand, like any frugal woman would, so you can save your money and make your own coffee.
10. Baking ingredients to make their favorite recipes
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If you've been out for a fancy dinner or stopped by a nice bakery, you know just how much a good dessert can cost. So do women who want to save money, and that's why baking ingredients are one of the brilliant things frugal women always keep in their kitchen cabinets, so they can make sweet treats at home.
Baking ingredients are a must in their kitchen cabinets so they can enjoy their favorite baked goods without breaking the bank. Of course, baking at home does take a little bit of talent and knowledge, but it's nothing you can't pick up with time and determination.
A half sheet cake can cost anywhere up to $40 depending on the bakery, and if you want to add any special flavors or frostings, it costs even more. That could be made at home pretty simply — you could even use a boxed mix with directions on the back if you wanted to. That would save you a good bit of money, and is one of frugal women's favorite tricks.
11. Foods bought in bulk
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Buying foods in bulk is a tricky balancing act because you don't want to buy more than you need and end up wasting some. However, if you're working with non-perishables and you know you and your family will eat the food, it's a pretty safe bet. Frugal women know this and buy in bulk whenever possible to save some money.
Finance writer Maggie Davis reported that buying in bulk can save consumers 27% more than traditional amounts. That means almost one-third of your money saved, which can make quite a difference, especially if you have a lot of people to buy for. And, of course, buying in bulk goes beyond just food and extends to other common household items and kitchen supplies too.
It may seem inconvenient to buy in bulk because it takes up so much more space, but it really can save you a good amount of money. Frugal women are willing to give up their space for the way it helps them stretch their budget even further. It's an inconvenience that is really worth it.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor's degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
