Tell me something you do to save money

[Zeze]

Almost everyone at my income level buy a fancy 30 to 50k on cars. I paid cash for a year old hyundai Tucson for 16k. (Pretty much brand new with new car smell)

But we do eat out a lot though.

 

[purbeast0]

Play the credit card game. I have probably saved like $10k in flights in the past 3 years.

 

[nakedfrog]

I stopped paying for TV service a couple years back, and pretty much never order a beverage when we go out to eat. Buy most things used, and repair things when feasible.

 

[IronWing]

I stopped paying for TV service a couple years back, and pretty much never order a beverage when we go out to eat. Buy most things used, and repair things when feasible.

Drink prices have gotten ridiculous. $3 is becoming common for pop. When it gets above $2, I order water.

 

[Nashemon]

Ok, I read that wrong. Does anyone else get this, when your eyes read a line and you accidently hop down a line halfway through and back up again?

OMG. I read the same thing, I even scrolled back up and still read "eat my own hair" and was going to ask you what you thought it said. I see now that it's "cut" and feel like an idiot of course.


I only drink water. That includes no coffee or alcohol, but to be honest, I wouldn't touch that stuff even if it were free. I research things on the Internet and do my own repairs when possible. Replaced my water heater a couple years ago after Home Depot offered to do it for double the price of the water heater. Delayed purchases as Dullard mentioned, too.

I also married a woman who doesn't want kids. This alone is supposed to save a quarter million per kid I'm not having.

 

[Muse]

I have no debt and I don't spend much.

Ditto. Of course, that's cursory.

You want examples, yes? I have a sewing machine, can and do use a needle and thread, duct etc. tape sometimes. Also a washer and dryer. But unless it's raining, I hang my laundry outside to dry.

Have no kids, no wife, no GF ATM, but I want to change that. They say "two can live as cheaply as one!"

I roller skate or bicycle unless I absolutely need to drive. Except for only one time in my life (about 3 years ago), I've done all repairs personally on the bicycles I've owned. I change my own oil. Fix my own skates.

I fix things instead of buying new ones if possible.

I fix things instead of calling a repair man or company whenever possible. I have a lot of tools, hand tools, power tools, and a lot of hardware. I've accumulated it all gradually over many decades. I use my imagination. Fixing things can be fun!

I'm a gourmet cook when I care to be, with mostly simple tastes, rarely eat out. I buy food (often in bulk) from cost effective sources.

I get my movies from the library, usually, i.e. cost = zero.

No subscription TV, Netflix etc. Get TV from rooftop antenna, HDTV with PC card + it's free software = timeshifting, no commercials.

I take a shower once a week.
I reuse floss.
I eat almost entirely off the dollar menu.
I dress like a hobo.
I use slickdeals and coupons.
I bought the entry level McLaren.
I flush the toilet sparingly.
I shop at the $0.99 store.
I use a swamp cooler instead of air conditioning.
I put on more clothes rather than use a heater.

I do almost all that stuff, don't know what a McLaren is. A car?

No dollar menu for me, I don't eat there at all.
I have an air conditioner in my bedroom only but rarely turn it on. Instead I turn on a switch which activates a couple of 200ml silent computer fans that blow air in from outside at night in the warm weather months. Cools the room by least 5 degrees usually.

I waste almost no food, cook from scratch. Grow my own tomatoes, winter squash, some herbs. I can food. I make my own coffee, never at a coffee shop.

I buy my glasses online.

Generally, I use my car rarely and piggyback errands. I pretty much stick to my shopping lists rigorously. I use the credit card that gives me the biggest discount for a particular purchase. I use credit cards for all purchases possible. I never carry credit card debt.

My gym (24hour fitness) had a special on some years ago where I paid out about $750 for 3 years IIRC, the kicker being I got unlimited membership for the indefinite future for $100/year. Still going there several times/week. I use the machines and weight room, but have access to free classes there and have used that a lot (yoga, pilates, there are others).

The easiest way to save money (to me) is just to delay purchases. A simple example is with haircuts. I could get a $12 haircut every 3 weeks. That would cost me $208.56/year.

Dude, I cut my own hair yesterday. I bought a hair cutting kit some years ago, haven't looked back. I do have a hand held mirror so I can see the back of my head to check for imperfections at the end of the process. I think I do a pretty good job.

 

[Muse]

I don't drive much so I switched to per-mile car insurance. I pay about $20/month flat rate plus 1.3 cents per mile. My total bill is always under $25/month.

I'm going to look into that. I get letters from metromile all the time, haven't contacted them yet. Every time I have checked out offers for low car insurance I've found that they wanted more than what I'm paying. I drive 1000-1500 miles/year and am paying around $550/year currently. Mercury, my insurance co. is also handling my home insurance, so switching might have some complications.

 

[pete6032]

I'm going to look into that. I get letters from metromile all the time, haven't contacted them yet. Every time I have checked out offers for low car insurance I've found that they wanted more than what I'm paying. I drive 1000-1500 miles/year and am paying around $550/year currently. Mercury, my insurance co. is also handling my home insurance, so switching might have some complications.

I have metromile. It has saved me a ton of money. I would recommend it. I have never used any of their services, but billing has always been smooth and no surprises.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Own ultra reliable car.
Live 2 miles from work.
Block commercials.
Mental exercise: Picture the item you want in one hand. Picture the money it takes to buy that item in the opposite hand. Decide which you'd rather have.

 

[Muse]

I have metromile. It has saved me a ton of money. I would recommend it. I have never used any of their services, but billing has always been smooth and no surprises.

Yeah, that's a biggie. Many times Mercury has suddenly increased my bill and I have to call my agent and go WTH is going on here? Several times he's had me go out and get my odometer reading and email it to him and I get an adjusted bill. Sucks, really. I'm going to contact Metromile and see what transpires.

 

[Muse]

Own ultra reliable car.
Live 2 miles from work.
Block commercials.
Mental exercise: Picture the item you want in one hand. Picture the money it takes to buy that item in the opposite hand. Decide which you'd rather have.

Hate to say it but I got a lot of my frugal ways from having a ton of horrible jobs. I knew that there were people all over the place with "disposable income." But I didn't regard my money that way. I found making a buck so onerous I decided deep down inside to not waste it.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Drink prices have gotten ridiculous. $3 is becoming common for pop. When it gets above $2, I order water.

Oh yeah, the reason they do this is because they can then advertise the same food prices since almost nobody looks at the drink prices.

 

[Muse]

Oh yeah, the reason they do this is because they can then advertise the same food prices since almost nobody looks at the drink prices.

I usually don't bother to look, just ask for water. If I'm with company that orders coffee, I sometimes follow suit, yeah.

There are people around who don't bother to look at prices when they shop (so I heard!), but that's not me!

 

[nakedfrog]

The changes they've made to menu boards recently has definitely made it more difficult overall to find out prices for items outside of combos.

 

[DietDrThunder]

I usually don't bother to look, just ask for water. If I'm with company that orders coffee, I sometimes follow suit, yeah.

There are people around who don't bother to look at prices when they shop (so I heard!), but that's not me!

Ferengi Rules of Acquistion # 141 - "Only fools pay retail."

 

[thedarkwolf]

My cell service is from Tracfone and cost me $60 a year including the phone. Only works if you don't use your phone much. I'm on wifi most of the time anyway and the heaviest data app I use on any kind of regular bases is pandora while driving.

 

[Oyeve]

The last year I have been walking to and from work instead of taking the subway. Save $5.50 a day. Its only 1.5 miles each way.

 

[Thebobo]

Never buy new cars.

 

[lxskllr]

There are people around who don't bother to look at prices when they shop (so I heard!), but that's not me!

My time is worth something too. I'm generally frugal, but if I need something, I'm not gonna hunt around to save a couple bucks. Had to buy a new chainsaw recently. Went to Husqvarna shop, but they were closed. Went to the next closest Stihl shop, told them I needed something with a ~24" bar. $811, and I was out the door. I could have gone home, researched, checked craigslist, and /maybe/ saved a few dollars, but I had work to do. Any possible savings would have been eaten up by the time I spent sitting on my ass not getting wood cut.

 

[madoka]

Never buy new cars.

I only buy new cars.

Don't like the idea of someone else having farted in my seat.

 

[DietDrThunder]

I only buy new cars.

Don't like the idea of someone else having farted in my seat.

That has happened well before your new car has ever left the factory.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Dropped my TV service and land line. That only saved me like $40/mo but it's something. Then my taxes just went up by that much. Everything else is bills I don't really have control over.

After bills, I just try my best to watch my spending. I also have a custom hvac control system so I can fine tune my house temperature. I let it drop to like 12C when I'm sleeping, or at work. So I save on gas that way.

Oh and I echo never buying a new car. I see a car as a tool, to get me to work, grocery store, family etc. The difference between new and used is so high it just makes no sense to buy new. Let someone else pay that tax. I have a 2004 Alero I paid around 5k for and had for at least 5 years. I've put maybe 2-3k into it so far, that's still way cheaper than if I bought a new car.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Hate to say it but I got a lot of my frugal ways from having a ton of horrible jobs. I knew that there were people all over the place with "disposable income." But I didn't regard my money that way. I found making a buck so onerous I decided deep down inside to not waste it.

I guess that's one way - despise the earning process. Whatever works. Everyone's got a different perspective. At the core it's about valuing what you have. My mental approach is more effective if money is tight.

 

[dullard]

I take a shower once a week.
I reuse floss.
I eat almost entirely off the dollar menu.
I dress like a hobo.
I use slickdeals and coupons.
I bought the entry level McLaren.
I flush the toilet sparingly.
I shop at the $0.99 store.
I use a swamp cooler instead of air conditioning.
I put on more clothes rather than use a heater.

The phrase that best fits you is penny wise and pound foolish. It is a great concept to save money where you can. But doing it to extremes is actually a bad idea. Take your floss example. Reusing is a great idea in general while reusing floss is a bad idea. The maximum amount of money that you can save by reusing Reach dental floss is $2.43/year if you reused floss indefinitely (assuming 1' floss and flossing once per day). Less if you occasionally get new floss or use cheaper floss brands. But, the added cost/hassle of storing used floss or the added disease spread by reusing floss might destroy the entire lifetime savings from reusing floss. http://fox17.com/news/local/man-almost-dies-after-using-floss-picks

Same goes with spending $0.99 for deodorant at a dollar store instead of $1.59 at any other store. With only going through a stick or two of deodorant a year, you are only saving $1.20 at most. If the dollar store is out of your way at all, then the added fuel cost in your McLaren destroys any savings you might think you are getting.

Take all the time and effort that you spend in saving pennies. Then aim that time and effort towards the pounds (dollars). Instead of trying to save $0.60 at a dollar store, buy the dollar store. Instead of eating off the dollar menu, buy the restaurant. If that worries you, then just buy the land under the dollar store/restaurant. You'll come out far, far ahead if you think about the pounds (dollars) and less about the pennies.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Another thing, it may seem counter intuitive now, but I pay $200 extra biweekly on my mortgage. The way I see it, that is money that would probably end up getting spent anyway, and the faster I pay off my mortgage the more money I'll have in the end, and the faster I will increase the amount of extra money I have per month, by having it paid off. Since a big chunk of the payment goes towards interest. I hit the 100k mark this year, I'm down to like 98k now. Feels good!