Tell me something you do to save money

[Carson Dyle]

lol 1000 in an emergency account? Whats that for emergency liquor? You need like 5 or 6 months of bills plus living in a savings account.

Really? Are all of your investments that illiquid? Got all your money tied up in shopping centers or something?

 

[Ken g6]

I eat pretty healthy, but not cheap.

Sadly, I'm the perfect consumer. Lazy and short sighted with a decent income.

I take this as a challenge.

Ken's list of cheap, easy meals:

Main dishes:

1. OnCor frozen lasagna. Usually under $3.50 at Kroger; sometimes goes on sale for $2.50. Serves 2-4. Bakes in the oven or the microwave.

2. Knorr Chicken Fried Rice ($1 packet) + ~8oz canned salmon ($1 at a dollar store). Prepare the rice using the packet, 2 cups of water, and a little butter or olive oil. Microwave 6 minutes, stir, and microwave another 6 minutes. Drain the canned salmon, mix it in with the rice, and microwave another 2 minutes. Serves 2-4.

3. Great Value Frozen Popcorn Chicken. $6, but makes more than 6 meals. Serve with a side of any Knorr rice side and any of these...

Veggies! Use these to stretch your main dishes, or to add variety.

Canned green beans, peas, or carrots. $0.50 (Wal-Mart) - $0.79 (Dollar Tree). Kroger Extra Green Green Beans are the best tasting, but YMMV. Drain the can of water, and dump it in a microwave-safe bowl. (A cereal bowl is good.) Add butter, (optionally) olive oil, and pepper to taste. Microwave 2 minutes, or until butter melts.

I do more meals than this, but these are the cheap ones.

 

[JSt0rm]

Really? Are all of your investments that illiquid? Got all your money tied up in shopping centers or something?

Why would you want to put yourself in a potential position to sell investments off time?

 

[MrSquished]

I take this as a challenge.

Ken's list of cheap, easy meals:

Main dishes:

1. OnCor frozen lasagna. Usually under $3.50 at Kroger; sometimes goes on sale for $2.50. Serves 2-4. Bakes in the oven or the microwave.

2. Knorr Chicken Fried Rice ($1 packet) + ~8oz canned salmon ($1 at a dollar store). Prepare the rice using the packet, 2 cups of water, and a little butter or olive oil. Microwave 6 minutes, stir, and microwave another 6 minutes. Drain the canned salmon, mix it in with the rice, and microwave another 2 minutes. Serves 2-4.

3. Great Value Frozen Popcorn Chicken. $6, but makes more than 6 meals. Serve with a side of any Knorr rice side and any of these...

Veggies! Use these to stretch your main dishes, or to add variety.

Canned green beans, peas, or carrots. $0.50 (Wal-Mart) - $0.79 (Dollar Tree). Kroger Extra Green Green Beans are the best tasting, but YMMV. Drain the can of water, and dump it in a microwave-safe bowl. (A cereal bowl is good.) Add butter, (optionally) olive oil, and pepper to taste. Microwave 2 minutes, or until butter melts.

I do more meals than this, but these are the cheap ones.

you may save more money but you are killing your body with all that processed crap. So you'll have money and be sick or fat or both. Sweet deal.

Better off being a perimeter shopper for the most part and save money somewhere else

 

[Carson Dyle]

Why would you want to put yourself in a potential position to sell investments off time?

If it's the difference between keeping six months of cash (or whatever you feel is actually necessary for an "emergency") vs having it in a money market fund or other liquid investment, I'm going with the best return.

 

[Ken g6]

you may save more money but you are killing your body with all that processed crap. So you'll have money and be sick or fat or both. Sweet deal.

Better off being a perimeter shopper for the most part and save money somewhere else

What's so bad about what I listed? It's mostly rice and canned veggies.

And I'd like to see you come up with better meals for lazy people. I, for one, am no good at cutting up vegetables, and I don't like handling raw meat, so I consider this pretty good.

 

[lxskllr]

What's so bad about what I listed? It's mostly rice and canned veggies.

And I'd like to see you come up with better meals for lazy people. I, for one, am no good at cutting up vegetables, and I don't like handling raw meat, so I consider this pretty good.

It could be said it's high in salt(overrated concern for healthy people imo), and has preservatives and other "stuff". Ideally, I think food as close to natural as possible is best. It's been field tested since humans have existed, and what we run best on, but I'm cool with what you posted. Pretty similar to what I get to eat. I don't enjoy cooking, and it seems like every time I get fresh food, it ends up in the compost pile. Beats Tastykakes.

 

[MrSquished]

What's so bad about what I listed? It's mostly rice and canned veggies.

And I'd like to see you come up with better meals for lazy people. I, for one, am no good at cutting up vegetables, and I don't like handling raw meat, so I consider this pretty good.

There are no other options besides eating out, but only at healthy joints, or by buying fresh foods and cooking them, or by trying a recipe delivery service - or finding an SO that likes to cook. Cooking doesn't have to be complex, but you have to learn a few basic skills.

 

[Carson Dyle]

What's so bad about what I listed? It's mostly rice and canned veggies.

Why would anyone in their right minds eat canned vegetables, unless maybe they're stored for Armageddon in your bomb shelter? Frozen vegetables are comparable in cost, better tasting, and more nutritious.

 

[Exterous]

lol 1000 in an emergency account? Whats that for emergency liquor? You need like 5 or 6 months of bills plus living in a savings account.

If it's the difference between keeping six months of cash (or whatever you feel is actually necessary for an "emergency") vs having it in a money market fund or other liquid investment, I'm going with the best return.

For me neither of those extremes fits well. I ladder progressively more illiquid options from physical cash to savings account to money market up through tax deferred accounts. This allows a fair bit of flexibility to deal with unforeseen expenses, leverage the 'cash discount' or 'pay in full discount' many service providers offer, snatch up stocks that have suffered illogical drops in value etc. In the past large areas have lost the ability to process credit cards (power\internet), atms run out of cash or can lose power, money markets have been frozen. Cash\Pay in full discounts run 3-10% making for a decent ROI. Taking money from stock investments can cost 15+% in taxes on any gains. Needing to refill cash\bank\mm accounts quickly towards the end of a calendar year could cost tax deferred space increasing income subjected to my effective tax rate.

Even if I don't end up using the cash\bank account\mm funds in a single beneficial way again in the next 20 years the loss of investment gain is small in the overall picture and, for me, would amount to a few months of delaying retirement.

 

[JSt0rm]

barclays will get you 1.5%. Not bad for a "savings account"

 

[bbhaag]

Last year my wife and I paid off the mortgage on our home. Instead of just having the mortgage payment accumulate in our regular savings account we opened a secondary savings account and automatically withdraw our mortgage payment every month from our primary savings and deposit it into the secondary savings.
So far we have close to $5000 in the secondary savings account.

 

[JSt0rm]

Last year my wife and I paid off the mortgage on our home. Instead of just having the mortgage payment accumulate in our regular savings account we opened a secondary savings account and automatically withdraw our mortgage payment every month from our primary savings and deposit it into the secondary savings.
So far we have close to $5000 in the secondary savings account.

hope thats a high interest savings account.

 

[bbhaag]

hope thats a high interest savings account.

No, we do have $10k in a money market that has a little better interest rate but the $5k is just in a traditional savings account.

 

[JSt0rm]

whats your interest rate on the money market accounts?

 

[sourceninja]

I'm meeting with a financial planner next week to work on reducing my taxable income. That will probably mean more money in the HSA and maxing out my 401k every year.

 

[ultimatebob]

Here's a cool savings tip for college students... take the Riflery course at your local college. The NRA will basically pay for your textbooks and ammo for the class.

Nice cheap way to learn how to shoot.

 

[Stopsignhank]

I'm meeting with a financial planner next week to work on reducing my taxable income. That will probably mean more money in the HSA and maxing out my 401k every year.

Also if you are 50 or over, like me, you can contribute an extra 6K to your 401K as catch up payments.

 

[Billb2]

4 cartons of cigarettes per month @ $74 each, down to one per month, online @ $35 each = $267 savings/month.

Started shopping at discount food store, Valli Produce, saving about $150/month.

Ali Express instead of eBay. Random savings, but significant.

Salvation Army, Goodwill (and Goodwill online). For example:
I have 125 or so shirts on hangers, half are from GW/SA @ $4-8 each.
New condition Electrolux vacuum cleaner $8 instead of $450 new.
Bosch 12v cordless drill, $11 instead of $100.
Blood pressure tester, $13.25 on Ali Express, same one $40 on eBay and $65 at Walgreens.

Brakes. for car. Cross drilled and vented rotors, ceramic pads, $300 from Rock Auto, $800 At Midas.

"The longer you shop for price the less you pay."

 

[Fritzo]

lol 1000 in an emergency account? Whats that for emergency liquor? You need like 5 or 6 months of bills plus living in a savings account.

Yep. Again, separate from your savings. It covers most emergency expenses and keeps you on budget.

 

[Perknose]

Here's a cool savings tip for college students... take the Riflery course at your local college. The NRA will basically pay for your textbooks and ammo for the class.

Nice cheap way to learn how to shoot.

U-Bob, yhpm.

 

[IronWing]

I post on ATOT instead of going on dates.

 

[Kaido]

I post on ATOT instead of going on dates.

I dunno, maybe a decade or two ago, my buddy whipped up some numbers to track data costs. At the time, active dating was around $300 a month. That might sound like a lot (or maybe, not enough?), but at the time, movie tickets were $10 a pop, so $20 to the movies (plus if you bought popcorn & drinks & snacks - at least another $10, so we'll say $30 for a night at the movies), and then dinner (Olive Garden is going to be at least $20 for two people), so that's easily $50 on movies & dinner. If that's all you do, then that's 6 dates a month. Price varies by matinee pricing, sneaking your own snacks in, going for the Dollar Menu, gas costs for your car (or subway/cab/Uber fare), etc. Doesn't include if you're socially outgoing & go to clubs, drink, shows or concerts, etc. Or you could go the cheap way and go hiking (just cover gas) and a picnic (buy your own food & bring it). Everything dependent upon weather, day of the week (weekday vs. weekend), how high-maintenance your date is, how much you want to impress your date, etc.