Not everything in this world costs an arm and a leg. And while most people believe that their quality of life is largely governed by the amount of money they have, this illuminating thread proves us wrong.

Shared on the Frugal community on Reddit, the thread has people sharing the cheapest buys and even things that cost nothing they use to improve their life quality and overall wellbeing.

From small things like incense sticks to amazing things that are free of charge like long sleeps and walks in nature, there are many ways to get ourselves together without breaking the bank!

#1

The library. Free. So much joy and entertainment and learning right there.

Image credits: shiplesp

#2

Long walks as often as you can. Preferably in nature.

Image credits: bUrNtKoOlAiD

#3

I received a microwave splatter cover as a Christmas present. I heard it was bought at a dollar store. It's my most valued, most often used gift of the past many years.

Image credits: Seeking_Balance101

#4

Getting a good, long sleep.

Image credits: 1714alpha

#5

Sobriety

#6

Blackout curtains for your bedroom window

Image credits: turfinite

#7

We never had fresh flowers in the house growing up, but now that I’m almost 30 and married, I love getting the little $5 flower bunches at Kroger every week! I know $5 adds up over the year, but it makes me so happy seeing pretty little blooms on our dining room table. Sometimes little joys are worth the expense :)

Image credits: jlladd16

#8

$1 bamboo back scratcher (is this an age thing, I never needed one when I was young?)

Image credits: dogsRgr8too

#9

Drinking water lol no sodas or carbonated beverages. My teeth, gut and overall health are a bit grateful.

Image credits: WatercressSubject717

#10

Growing my own vegetables. Getting out in fresh air and working in it. Frees my mind and helps me relax. Plus is fresh vegetables.

Image credits: darkwitch1306

#11

Homemade bread!

Image credits: MsRachelGroupie

#12

A hot shower.
And the little metal hair catcher I put in the drain so it doesn’t clog.

Image credits: KemptHeveled

#13

Not always cheap (vary in price) but houseplants.

Image credits: crazycatlady331

#14

Walking my daughter to school.

We literally live across the street and I would drive her. The amount of time it would take for us to get from our apartment to the van, get buckled, and down to the exit of the parking garage, around the block and wait at the light, I could already be across the street.

Now we walk to and from, round trip is 20 mins, twice per day, so roughly 40 mins of low-impact cardio per day five days per week.

We have more energy and diminished pain (she has scoliosis and some fused vertebrae and I have fibromyalgia). Bonus: my pants are now too big.

#15

Condoms

Image credits: Slow-Doctor9227

#16

Yoga With Adriene on YouTube. I love her relaxed vibe and variety of offerings. So much better than having to go somewhere and pay for a class, and I always feel so good afterwards.

Image credits: hillycake

#17

I'm going to go with... Buying duplicates to cut down on the barrier to chores.

For example, cleaning the toilet. I could buy just one bottle of toilet bowl cleaner and carry it to each bathroom when I'm cleaning. But instead, I buy one for each bathroom and leave one by each toilet. This doesn't cost more than buying just one in the long run, since the cleaner is consumed at about through the same rate (although it's a little faster because I'm actually using it), but it means that it's that much easier to clean a toilet when I need to do it. And because it's easier to clean the toilet, they stay cleaner, which means it takes barely a few minutes to clean a toilet and I don't have to deal with the extra nasty level of grime that's hard to clean.

Another example would be having broom for each floor of the house. I'm more likely to sweep if I don't have to bring a broom from upstairs or something. Or buying extra rolls of trash bags and leaving the rolls near each trash can.

Image credits: aja_c

#18

A hot cup of tea with a little honey.

A day spent hiking or biking.

Free YouTube yoga classes.

Exercise in general - no expensive gym needed. Work out at home or outside.

An afternoon on the sofa with a good book and a blanket.

Image credits: sauvignonyum

#19

Binder clips. Handy for closing chip bags. Handy for anchoring picnic tablecloths to the table. Handy for posting things prominently so you remember to do them.

I keep some in multiple rooms of my house and in my vehicles.

Image credits: excoriator

#20

Dental floss

Image credits: burnz1

#21

A microwavable heat pack. Helps me feel relaxed and ease aches and pains

Image credits: wiredandtired1980

#22

Taking walks or hiking in the woods. So rejuvenating!

Or simply birdwatching and listening to birds in the backyard.

#23

A walk beside the ocean. A cup of tea and a blanket and a book.

Image credits: the_wet_coast

#24

A second vote for some dollar store bins.

Having ADHD causes me to forget to do morning routine things constantly. So I finally put everything in a basket - hair brush, hair ties, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, tongue scraper, ear cleaner. Basket comes out and everything is right there.

Also a pill organizer. I got two huge unopened ones from the thrift store and since I take several daily meds to keep me alive, it's kind of important to remember to take them. So on Sundays I refill and I have two so I only have to do it twice a month. It sits out on my counter as a reminder.

Image credits: Chester730

#25

SLIPPERS

Image credits: Fletcher_Munson

#26

Buying treats for my pet, and showing him love through them. Quite rewarding

#27

All of these suggestions are so good. Scrolling through I had that "these are my people" feeling. I love this sub ?

Lemon or cucumber water!
A crystal suncatcher prism in a sunny window (rainbows everywhere!)
A clean, organized home
Exercise in nature (hikes, yoga, wild swimming, etc)
Line dried bedding (the freshness makes me so happy)
Deep breathing
Tea and a book
Fresh flowers (bought or foraged)
Gardening
Volunteering

#28

Really good food, not expensive either. Today I'm cooking mahi mahi over cheesy grits with asparagus . Less than $4 a serving. Everything was bought on sale. Last week was Mongolian pork with ramen noodles. Pork loin on sale for $1.48 a pound, ramen $.39 per packet.

Image credits: lilithONE

#29

Water bottle

Image credits: Professional-Pace-43

#30

Cheap organizational containers- I tend to misplace things a lot, so having my items (office supplies, makeup, food, etc) allocated to different boxes saves me so much time and frustration. Also, it allows me to save space by vertically organizing my desk/cabinets via stacking boxes.

Used/resold books - I’ve gotten some classics for $2-3 at Half Price Books and at other great sales to add to my mini library and preoccupy me. Taking advantage of the library for free books/movies is also a great idea, and the library (or mine, at least) used to have a program where they were selling older books for $0.25-0.50.

Humidifier/diffuser/air purifier - The diffuser I got was from Five Below and had a low capacity, so it could only humidify a very small space, but all you do is put essential oils into the small sponge provided and it makes the room smell amazing. My tiny, drab dorm smelled like roses and was beautified by the changing rainbow light built in, which made my time in there less miserable lol. If you live in a cold, dry midwestern state like me, then a humidifier is a great investment and you can find a pretty good one under $20 on Amazon.

Image credits: The_Sanity_Diaries