How do you cut down on personal spending?

[Pandaren]

Here are a few things I do to reduce personal spending - add your list & discuss!

(1) Whenever I go out to eat, I don't get any drinks except water. 99 cents to up to $1.50 for a glass of soda is outrageous when one could buy 2 liters for roughly the same amount at the supermarket. Beer & other alcohol also tends to creap up the tab if it's not on special. Same thing with movies - the concession stand is a ripoff.

(2) I dont' subscribe to magazines or newspapers. They would just create piles of paper and annoy me. Who the heck needs PC Magazine anyways when there's AnandTech and AT Forums?

(3) I never buy trashbags. Using plastic bags from trips to the supermarket works just fine.

(4) Never ever do I buy the fastest, latest, & greatest when I get a new computer system. Midrange stuff can generally deliver 80-90% the utility of the fastest stuff, at less than half the cost. I do buy quality components though. Purchasing a cheap case or PSU to save a bit of cash can bite one in the rear later by making things hard to install or necessitating the purchase of a new PSU when the old one didn't live up to its wattage rating.

(5) Microwavable meals are banned from my fridge. Same thing with donuts and other pre-cooked pastries. Stir frying or steaming vegetables with chicken or beef, and making some pasta doesn't take all that long if you are experienced. Scrambled eggs, toast, and a bannana is cheaper than Starbucks coffee & scones.

(6) AT Hot Deals.

Live Long & Profit!

 

[yukichigai]

I cook my own food, mostly from scratch. If I need something quick I have Top Ramen. That works for me.

 

[gistech1978]

i spend too much money on things i have nothing to show for.

beer, cigs and things of that nature.


as far as food budget goes. I live in a small town, so my eating out choices are essentially nil, unless you want pizza hut or subway all the time.

i eat alot of potatoes, either microwaved or i make french fries.
Im pretty good about being thrifty with food, if nothing else.

 

[biostud]

I have a surplus in my saving, so I don't need to change anything TY. And I even pay $350 a year for my newspaper

 

[AccruedExpenditure]

I heard being dead is pretty affordable.

 

[ugopk]

I don't buy anything for myself except food. I also go home to eat more now since i'm broke, and bring lunch from home to work .

 

[PrinceofWands]

I buy nothing that's 'popular' or 'in'. Not clothes, not cars, not anything. I keep no credit card balance nor do I buy anything on credit (except cars and houses). I do not smoke or do other drugs (except for drinking rarely). I use the library instead of a video store. Drink water (filtered at the house) instead of other beverages.

 

[Titan]

I've been considering moving into a van...it seems if you live in a city you'd save tons on housing, keep your stuff in a storgae place, and shower at your local gym. If you work a lot of hours an apartment is just an expensive place to keep your stuff.

 

[CPA]

don't subscribe to newspaper (liberal rag, anyways)

use grocerygame.com and coupons for groceries.

shop insurance every year.


But, I also get almost all sports packages on Directv.

Have cell phones & local phone service

Have nice, new vehicles.


Money saved is money soon spent in my house.

 

[edro]

I try to do the "Do you really need this?" thing when I am out shopping around.

It has been working lately...

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
I buy nothing that's 'popular' or 'in'. Not clothes, not cars, not anything. I keep no credit card balance nor do I buy anything on credit (except cars and houses). I do not smoke or do other drugs (except for drinking rarely). I use the library instead of a video store. Drink water (filtered at the house) instead of other beverages.

You tell 'em, you party keg

 

[vi edit]

I cut out the "two for one lap dance" coupons in the weekly penny saver addsheet I get in the mail.

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: Pandaren
(1) Whenever I go out to eat, I don't get any drinks except water. 99 cents to up to $1.50 for a glass of soda is outrageous when one could buy 2 liters for roughly the same amount at the supermarket. Beer & other alcohol also tends to creap up the tab if it's not on special. Same thing with movies - the concession stand is a ripoff.

And buy store brand esp for soda, its half price or less. Also, the 99 cent menu is great, especially when you're buying salads... the fast food places actually lose money when it comes to the 99 cent caesar or side salads... confirmed here on ATOT.

 

[Pandaren]

Yeah I don't either. I don't own an iPod (or any MP3 player), PDA, or designer clothes from the mall. I buy most everything on my credit card, but I make sure to pay off everything each month. My CC bank must hate me for never carrying a balance they can charge me interest on

I buy nothing that's 'popular' or 'in'. Not clothes, not cars, not anything. I keep no credit card balance nor do I buy anything on credit (except cars and houses)

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: edro13
I try to do the "Do you really need this?" thing when I am out shopping around.

It has been working lately...

That's what I try to do also.

 

[JoeKing]

If you're single when you cook, cook a lot and put the leftovers in tupperware and throw them in the fridge. They make for easy cheap meals that you can quickly nuke to enjoy.

 

[yukichigai]

Of course all the money I save winds up going to my kitten. Ahh well, he's so cute I don't care. ^_^

 

[anxi80]

when i get paid, i log onto my bank's web site, pay my bills, then allocate myself a certain amount in my checking account for spending for the month. i also take money and transfer that to my savings accounts, and live off whats in my checking account. whatever's left over at the end of the month in my checking account, gets moved over to the savings, and the cycle starts again. with a limited restriction on how much i have for the month, it allows me to be more frugal and manage my money better.

 

[Bryophyte]

Originally posted by: yukichigai
Of course all the money I save winds up going to my kitten. Ahh well, he's so cute I don't care. ^_^

Yeah, pvssy usually ends up costing a bundle.

 

[Rainsford]

Do what now?

<-- Needs to follow the suggestions in this thread...badly.

 

[FuZoR]

i dont know i just bought a 2001FP lmao

 

[dullard]

(1) First of all newspapers are not a money loser. You can save dozens of dollars with a 50 cent newspaper (coupons). Many of us don't live where you can print coupons online.

(2) I eat out for lunch instead of dinner. Same restaurant, same food, but for ~40% less.

(3) I cook more than I eat out.

(4) I never have paid a penny in CC interest to a CC company. Pay on time and reap in the 1%+ benefits. (Contrary to what was said above, CC companies love this since they still earn ~3% on each purchase I make - and that is after the cash back).

(5) I don't pay for stamps/checks when paying bills. Virtually every company will let you pay for free online or by automatic withdrawl.

(6) Wait. You could go rush out and spend $8.50 per person at a theater to watch a movie. Or you could wait 2 months and see it at a $1.50 per person theater. Or you could wait 6 months and rent it for 49 cents at the local supermarket. Same movie - you don't miss out on anything - but you save a ton of money. Notice how I say supermarket instead of Blockbuster.

(6b) Wait. You could go rush and pay $59 for Doom 3 (or whatever it costs). Or you can get the game later for $10. Your choice. You get the same game, you have the same fun, you just waited a bit. On a related note the computer to run Doom 3 great now costs a fortune but by the time the game is on the sale rack, the computer is cheap. Yes this is tough for people here to do.

(6c) Wait. Instead of buying a car every X years, buy a car every 1.2*X years. A simple delay like that will save the average person thousands of dollars per year.

(7) Don't rush out on all the latest trends. Simply buy things you like and enjoy. Half the people I know buy a ton of things they don't like just to impress others.

Those things are relatively simple to do and you don't miss a thing. There are tons more similar examples. Or you can do the drastic things:

(1) Carpool instead of buying a car / insurance / gas.

(2) Cut back. Instead of the filet mignon, get the New York strip. Buy the Civic instead of the Accord. Etc.

(3) Reduce your addictions. Alcoholism and other drug uses (smoking included) is quite expensive. Do you really need 5 beers in a night, or will 4 be alright too?

(4) Have fun with what you have. A free night playing games with friends can be just as fun as a $100 night out on the town.

I could go on and on.

 

[DaWhim]

wipe your ass with the pile of paper you get in mail.

money make money, there are alot of offers from banks to open up bank accounts.

 

[homestarmy]

Drive a honda (or other non-domestic-trash car), it will save you money on repairs etc guaranteed, not to mention gas mileage.

Use VoIP instead of home phone (voice over IP). That's $20 a month for unlimited calling accross the US, just as much as a stripped down phone line with NOTHING.

If you are a young guy that doesn't live at home, and your parents aren't a-holes, do not insure the car in your name. Instead insure the car in the name of one of your parents at their residence. Insurance covers anyone who drives the car in the entire world UNLESS they legally live at the same address and are not on the policy. If you live at home, you can con your way around by just changing your address legally (your DL for example). I pay less than $75 a month for FULL COVERAGE, $250 deductible on THE MOST STOLEN CAR IN AMERICA per capita ever. I shudder to think what I would pay myself due to the sexist cops and statistics (men get more tickets because cops don't give women tickets and the stats then cause our insurance to be higher). I used to pay I believe at least double that when I was on my Mom's because she screwed up and named me as a driver, and this was on a POS car with minimum coverage, no comprehensive or collision etc. BTW, to my amazement, my father talked to a person in the insurance company (state farm) and they told him this plan was perfectly legit.

Don't be an idiot and run ac all the time full blast. Use fans.

Tell your girlfriend to get a job.

Don't put higher octane gas in your car than it requires, look in your manual. If you put in higher, then you are a COMPLETE IDIOT, ok that is really harsh, if you continue to do it after you read this, then you are one. A higher octane does not mean your engine will run cleaner or more efficient or have more power. Octane keeps fuel from combusting under pressure, the higher the compression (a higher performance engine) needs this to keep the fuel from combusting before the spark plug sends it spark (called detonation) which can destroy an engine. Lower compression cars (most) using high octane gas helps NOTHING, except sending you to the poor house.

Do simple mechanic work yourself, like oil changes etc.

I'll try and think of more...

 

[Pandaren]

That made me think of something else - as a general rule of thumb, cars loose the most value in their first two years. Therefore, it may be prudent to buy a used car that is off lease or something like that.

Just make sure it doesn't have a suspect history. I've seen re-certified Hondas and such. I think I will buy a re-certified Honda Accord in a few years when I need a car.

(6c) Wait. Instead of buying a car every X years, buy a car every 1.2*X years. A simple delay like that will save the average person thousands of dollars per year.