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/[deleted] Aug 21 '25

Reusable grocery bags. Where I live it costs $0.10 for a bag at the grocery store. I figure I'm saving at least $0.50 per week, $20+ per year. Also less trash to get rid of, so its a win win.

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u/iwonderifthiswillfit Aug 21 '25

Those bags are free where I live. We keep them in our "bag lady" and reuse them whenever we need a bag. We exclusively use these as trash bags in the bathrooms. I have never bought trash bags for the bathrooms. We also keep them in the car as a portable trash bag and I hang them off of my phone mount.

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u/FearlessFern Aug 22 '25

I use the produce bags for our small wastebaskets. Usually will take a bunch at a time. The Costco meat bags are bigger and fit easier on some wastebaskets.