Thrifty Homemaking Without Deprivation (Live Beautifully on Less)

Inside: 27 frugal ways to add beauty and comfort to your life. Discover how to stop focusing on what you’re cutting out, and start loving what you’re adding in.

To be super clear, this is not a list of ways to make your life miserable to save a few dollars. We aren’t going to talk about washing out Ziplock bags or programming your thermostat.

But if you’re like most people, when you hear the words “thrifty” or “frugal,” that’s where your mind goes. To a life that feels small and cold and restrictive. To be a homemaker, you assume you have to make cuts

And in a sense you do, but you’ll also gain access to a specific kind of wealth that money actually cannot buy. The ability to control the atmosphere of your home, the pace of your day, the quality of the food you’re eating.

So instead of going to work to make money to build a life you love, let’s cut out the middleman and just do it ourselves

Creating a Sanctuary at Home

When you’re the cleaning lady, the personal decorator, and the organizer, you work hard but you get it done exactly how you want.

1. Line-dried sheets: There is no luxury candle in the world that smells as good as cotton dried in the sunshine.
2. Foraged decor: Clipped branches, wildflowers, or even interesting leaves in a simple jar change with the seasons and cost absolutely nothing.
3. A tidy corner: Keeping just one room (or even just the kitchen island) perpetually tidy gives your eyes a place to rest when the rest of the house is chaotic.
4. Simmer pots: Instead of expensive plug-ins, simmer orange peels, cloves, and a cinnamon stick on the stove.
5. Lighting warfare: Open the curtains wide during the day; turn off the “big light” and use lamps in the evening. Good lighting is the best filter for a home.
6. The evening turndown: Pulling back the covers and fluffing the pillows an hour before bed makes you feel like you are staying in a hotel.
7. Quiet or music: A home without a TV blaring in the background is a rare luxury. You don’t need a fancy sound system to upgrade your atmosphere; you just need to turn off the noise and put on something that doesn’t stress you out.

Simple Kitchen Luxuries

So much of a two-income household’s income goes to food. You can cut that way down and eat way better. Promise.

8. A coffeeshop without the coffeeshop: Once a week, put some whipped cream on your coffee and go drink it in a different location than you usually do. If you’re always in your living room, try your front porch. You can save a lot of money and get 95% of the coffee shop experience right at home.
9. Artisan bread: Would you believe me if I told you that all those beautiful, rustic loaves of bread you buy at the fancy grocery store would cost you about 50 cents to make? They’re truly just flour, salt, yeast, and water, and they don’t really require any skill. Learn to make bread and give yourself a luxury that lasts a lifetime.
10. Delicious spreads, sauces, and dressings: A simple homemade vinaigrette or a spicy mayo takes 30 seconds to whisk together but makes a turkey sandwich taste like a $14 bistro lunch.
11. Cloth napkins: They feel nicer than paper towels, look lovely on the table, and you just throw them in the wash.
12. Redo pizza night: When you work full-time, you’re way too tired to make your own pizza. Make the dough and the sauce, and let everybody assemble their own. It’s fun and better than that overpriced greasy box pizza you’ve been suffering through.
13. Fresh herbs on the cheap: Those plastic clamshells of herbs at the grocery store are a budget-killer—usually $4 for a handful that goes slimy in the fridge before you can use it all. Growing your own is better and cheaper.
14. The “Emergency” Freezer Meal: Having a stash of frozen soup or a casserole offers the convenience of takeout without the $50 price tag.

Priceless Time & Rest

You have something that even the highest-paid law partner will never have: the ability to set your own schedule, manage your time, and do things when you want.

15. Afternoon rest: Even just 20 minutes of downtime to close your eyes or read is a luxury that no amount of money can replace.
16. Library trips: Going to the library is fun, free, educational, and productive. It keeps your house clutter-free and doesn’t cost a penny. It is one of the absolute best things in life that just requires a little time.
17. Walking: Not for “steps” or fitness, but just to be outside. It clears the head better than almost anything else.
18. Silence: Turning off the TV, the podcasts, and the background noise. A quiet house is a calm house.
19. Slow-made dinners: Letting a sauce simmer or a roast braise for three hours on a Tuesday is a luxury that busy professionals often can’t afford.
20. Bedroom resets for everyone: We often try to buy our kids happiness with new toys or gadgets, but what they often crave is calm. Taking ten minutes to tidy a child’s room, open the window for fresh air, and make the bed while they are at school costs nothing. 
21. Well-kept things: Depilling a sweater, oiling a wooden cutting board, or polishing boots creates a sense of newness without the price tag.

Connection & Community

Because at the end of your life, these are the things that will have made all the difference.

22. Handwritten letters: It costs a stamp, but sending a thoughtful note is a lost art that feels incredibly special to both the sender and receiver.
23. Meeting for coffee, but at home: Invite a friend over for coffee and homemade cookies instead of meeting at a loud cafe. It’s more intimate and saves you both money.
24. The luxury of Availability: Being the person who can say “yes” when a neighbor needs help or a friend needs a ride because your schedule isn’t packed to the brim.
25. Bartering: Swapping babysitting hours, sourdough starter, or garden surplus with a neighbor builds community, which is a true form of wealth.
26. Educational support: Having the time to sit and help your children with homework or teach them a new skill without rushing is a massive privilege.
27. Radical contentment: The biggest drain on a family budget isn’t groceries or utilities; it is the constant desire for more. When you have the time and space to rest, create, serve, connect, and enjoy, the urge to upgrade or replace things simply disappears. And that is the biggest financial hack of all.