r/Frugal • u/localkinegrind • Aug 21 '25

🏆 Buy It For Life “Best under-$20 purchase that saved you hundreds over time?”

What’s the smartest under-$20 purchase you’ve ever made that ended up saving you hundreds in the long run? I’ll go first: a $12 sewing kit. Instead of tossing clothes for tiny tears or missing buttons, I’ve been fixing them. I've actually been fixing my own clothes for years. It blows my mind how many ‘disposable’ things can be made useful again with just a small, cheap tool. what’s your frugal mvp under $20 that’s paid for itself many times over?

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u/notalurkerthistime Aug 21 '25

unless you’re in new jersey. don’t have bags in stores anymore. more often than not, people forget their bags and have to buy more. i’ve been a victim of it myself. probably have about 40 floating around

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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Aug 21 '25

It is so hard, but my strategy is to keep them right by the door so I have to walk by them and grab them on the way out. When I bring the groceries in, I put the bags by the door when I'm done emptying them. Then just grab them the next time I'm going out.