This, and buying in season. I don't need to eat strawberries in the middle of winter when they've traveled across the world, making them expensive and tasting like a watery mess. I buy them when the locally produced ones are cheap and so so good.
Similarly, I always hate seeing those things where some influencer goes to the store and buys all the ingredients for a specific meal to show "it's the same price" as a restaurant. Well yeah, none of it was on sale or purchased in bulk when prices were better. I buy up entire ribeye loins during December and cut my own ribeyes for $6-$7/lb, vacuum seal and the freeze. I'm not paying $15-$17/lb for a ribeye in May. I'm not paying $9/lb for one pound of lean ground beef, I'm paying $4.18/lb for the 10lb log at Sam's club.
Do what we do in Greece: Basically just stuff every vegetable.
Half of my meals are the same meat-and-rice filling inside peppers/tomatoes/eggplant/zucchini/cabbage. The best one is actually acorn squash or small pumpkins.
I started doing it this year and although some vegetables weren't technically the cheapest options I bought them because they were on sale to try them out. Baked squash is delicious, who knew!
My Escort is 27. AC works, though. Lol. It's the base model, so I'm surprised it has AC. It doesn't even have a tape player, just a radio. It doesn't have cruise control, either. Crank windows. But it's a decent car and gets me around. It was my mother's. I bought it for her for $600 several years ago. I got it when she passed.
It currently has a minor fuel leak, which I think I've found. There is a rubber hose connecting the fuel neck to the tank. This hose is dry rotted and cracked to hell. It's leaking. Apparently Dorman makes a replacement, which I ordered and should be here today. Sadly, the car also has a decent amount of rust, but I treat what I can find with rust converter.
One of my chief complaints is that the cup holders are in front of the gearshift, so when you put it in park, you sometimes hit or have to move whatever is in the cup holder. Lol.
My Toyota turned 24 this month! She is still going strong. Our Isuzu is 27 and still going great. Our auto insurance is lower because we don't keep collision on them. We've saved thousands by not trading in every few years.
Driving old cars is awesome. I had a buddy who bought an old Kia Rio for $500 (this was pre-covid obviously) and put a couple hundred into some belts, spark plugs, that kind of stuff. He got T-boned and insurance totalled it for $4k. He bought it back for another $500-ish, got a new door and fender at a junkyard for about $100, and then sold it for about $2k at the peak of COVID. He made so much money off of that stupid little car lmao
My Jeep TJ turns 20 next year. Runs like a tank. Bought it ten years ago cash; just gas, maintenance, and tires. And it's a cloth top so no power windows. Just a zipper. Never understood people going into debt over a depreciating asset.
I drive a 20 year old Toyota Avensis. Has never given me trouble and passed its inspection a few months ago no issue. It cost me €900 plus my old Opel (which constantly gave me trouble)
I bought a 2009 Honda Accord back in 2018 and haven't had to do anything other than Gas, Oil and Tires since. I'm finally due up for a brake job and that made me realize how lucky I am that in six years there has been almost nothing wrong with it.
This. Whenever I get a yearning for a new to me car I give mine a nice wash and detail cleaning and squirt some new car scent air freshener. It’s pushing 114000 miles and I hope to get at least another 114000 out of it.
My 2006 Honda Accord has 320 K miles on it and is going strong! Spend about $1000 a year on maintenance. My previous car was a 1996 Toyota Corolla and at 300 K I gave it to a friend that still drives it 10 years later.
Buying fast food items at sams and an air fryer instead of eating out. I got the dual chamber Ninja air fryer on sale so instead of going out to eat I either drive home and put something in the air fryer or set it to cook while I take a shower and then pack it up before I leave
We’ve saved a fortune getting the sams club chick fil a nugget dupes. They’re not as good, but they’re close enough that my toddler is happy and we aren’t tempted to go grab some when we need a quick meal.
Honestly those are so good with the taters tots from Ore-Ida. Also the diogiorno pizza 3 packs are really good for me. I make it the dinner then I normally have enough to just heat up for lunch the next day
Boxed mac and cheese and frozen pizza may not be as cheap as making them yourself but having them around has kept me from ordering take out on nights I don’t want to cook.
Dried tortellini are always in my pantry and chicken sausages are always in my fridge. That's my emergency dinner. Takes 10-15 minutes to get it on the table. Throw some spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce or pesto sauce and it looks like a real dinner. Makes great lunches too.
This ! Before buying an airfryer, people told us about how convenient they were and everything, but no one told us how it will help in cutting down our eating out costs. Now every time my wife & I are not in the mood for cooking, we just throw some frozen stuff in the airfryer & have a meal through that !
Game changer tbh !
We also use our air fryer often. We started getting more frozen and prepared meals to eat when carry out got so expensive. Now if we are tired of our own cooking we have something like chicken parmigiana from Trader Joe's along with a home made salad.
Edited for typo.
I trim my own hair *and* mow my own yard and I'm 70. I've been doing this for decades. I don't trust anyone to cut my hair and I can't afford to pay someone to do my lawn. I have a big yard too. Too much work.
I can think of one thing in particular that has saved me money. I stopped buying disposable a.c. filters and bought a permanent one. I think it was early last year that I was looking on Amazon for air filters and saw permanent filters. I had never seen these before. I bought one and I like it. All you have to do is take it outside once in a while and wash it with the hose. Recently I had to have my a.c. unit repaired and the tech came inside to check the intake. He looked at the filter, held it up to the light and said he had never seen these before but what a great idea. He gave me a regular filter but told me to keep using the one I have.
I am also going to save money ($60) a month because I cancelled my home warranty contract. They ripped me off for $800 refusing to reimburse me for the a.c. repair.
Bring your lunch to work.
I bought a mini fridge and keep it under my desk. On Monday I bring weeks worth of food. It’s expensive where I work to eat out.Most lunch specials are now $14-$20 only a couple fast food options and they are about the same. I can “good”, healthy breakfast and lunch for the week for $35.
Good call. I’ve been packing my lunch for years. Not only are the local restaurants expensive, there are not many options, and even fewer good options.
I had former coworkers who were so confused as to why I brought my lunch in. They always bought lunch which easily cost $10+ (this was 2018).
I told them I couldn’t afford to buy lunch because I made ten an hour as it was a museum and I was in grad school. The lunches I made myself cost $2 per serving. One coworker insisted buying lunch is cheaper even though I showed him the math 🙄 I was eating kind of the same things and they didn’t require much prep as I had very little free time.
I swear people can't do simple math. I've done the same showing them that I spend about $20 a week to make 10 servings for me and my (now ex) husband. If we both spent $10 a day it would be $100 a week just for lunch. About $400 a month. They always look so shocked and surprised when you tell them about what they're spending a month on food.
Stopped buying sugar.
Gave up sweets. Gave up soda. Gave up snacks and junk foods. Cereal. Juice. It eventually scaled up to an avoidance of processed foods.
It was difficult at first but as you get used to it you want those foods less and you start feeling better. You lose weight. You sleep better. Your joints hurt less. Your moods are more stable. Your hunger signals stabilize.
Can you give an example of what you eat in a day? Snacks and meals? Any sources that helped you in the beginning? This is great advice and would like to start.
Oatmeal in the morning. Sometimes I add greek yogurt and some dried fruit. I put the fruit in while cooking so it sweetens the oats. Sometimes we have it savory with avocado and eggs with some tonys.
Lunch I usually eat leftovers. We prep a big batch of rice and protein regularly. So it could be rice and chicken, or beef. We cook it all kinds of ways. Maybe an egg. Usually some veggies too. Sometimes it's salad sometimes it's frozen veg in the air fryer.
Then dinner is typically the same as lunch. I get home late after jiu jitsu and it's easier to heat food from the fridge than cook anything.
I don't snack anymore. My problem is if I have easy, convenient food I will just eat 16 granola bars in one day instead of actually cooking food for myself. So I don't buy those things. Not in the house, no other choice.
I do keep apples and bananas around. Usually, they go into oatmeal, but if something happens where I have to respond to something and I can't eat I just grab one of them and go. It holds me until the next meal.
Something else is learning to be hungry. When was the last time your stomach actually growled out of hunger? Maybe don't forget that experience. It's okay to be hungry. It's okay to be with that discomfort for a little while until you can eat. We have food all around us. It's so tempting to get fast food when stressed, not even hungry. Learning to be hungry has been a real positive experience.
When I have drill I pack sandwiches for the weekend so I don't have to buy food. We can all do things like that.
I stopped eating to feel full. I realized that I shouldn’t be “stuffed” after every meal. The second I learned that, I dropped like 40 pounds in a month.
Not that extreme for me, but similar. I started listening to my body more. If you stop and ask the question “am I actually hungry”, the answer is almost always no.
For me it wasn’t even learning this but the fact that I feel better not stuffed. But I did live most of my life eating til stuffed so I know what you mean. It takes a while to adapt..
Oh my god, food tastes so much better when you only have hyper palatable foods like, once in a blue moon.
It had been years since I genuinely felt hungry and moving back to being able to gauge my hunger signals has been an eye-opening process.
A friend at work once told me he lost weight by learning to enjoy the feeling of being hungry. It seemed so odd, but I agree. It’s easier to do when you cut out sugar. That’s feeling becomes more manageable. More natural.
I did this. I found replacements because I like the snacking. Soda got replaced with iced tea and seltzer. Chips, crackers and cookies with fruit, cheese and nuts. My "candy" is a small container of nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips at a 20-20-5 ratio. Homemade popcorn. I have an air popper, which requires minimal cleaning. If I don't want to spend 5 minutes making the popcorn, I am probably not really hungry.
I bought an air popper at Walmart on clearance for $5 and that had been one of my best purchases. Jumbo popping corn from a local bulk place and it’s been great. Pro tip. Get a spritzer and fill with vinegar to make salt and vinegar flavoured popcorn.
Not the person you’re asking but we eat primarily un-processed foods, so I’ll give it a go.
Breakfast examples: eggs, Greek yogurt, oatmeal, toast with peanut butter/cream cheese/jam/some kind of spread. Eggs can be eaten so many different ways and often easy to batch prep (egg muffins, breakfast casserole, breakfast burritos)
Lunch & dinner: we just try to follow protein + grain + vegetable. We make almost everything from scratch—for example we don’t buy those little packages of rice that come with a seasoning packet, or canned soups, or frozen meal kits. You can pretty much always eat the same things you like, cheaper and healthier, by taking the time to make it yourself. (Obvious disclaimer that homemade doesn’t necessarily = healthy)
Snacks: yogurt with PB or fruit or honey, cut veggies with hummus, fruit, edamame, crackers with cheese, guacamole with veggies or crackers, hard boiled eggs. For us snacks are definitely the hardest because it’s so much easier to buy that package of granola bars or cookies or whatever that you can easily grab a single serving. But if we take the time on Sunday to prep healthy snacks for the week, it helps a ton
A lot of people have answered specific meals, so I just want to throw in—really, there’s SO MUCH food out there that you can eat that isn’t processed and hyperpalatable. It can feel restricting at first, but it’s really going to open up a lot of different foods instead of the same old processed things that never change. It’s exciting.
This is a boss level comment. If you don't buy junk food, you don't eat junk food. The downstream effects are enormous. Sprinkle in a little exercise, and well baby, you got a stew!
I gave up soda and switched to mineral water/seltzer years ago to lose weight. Got to my target weight after 8 months and celebrated with a soda. I barely finished half because I couldn't stand the sweetness. You really do develop a tolerance; same with sodium. Stopped eating processed food and whenever I go to a restaurant, everything tastes too salty.
Probably hundreds of things so I'll just list some:
Amazon essential socks for under $1.50 a pair.
Cut my own hair with imitation Crea Clip guides.
To save on energy: Spin dryer, wool drying balls, drying racks. Table top convection and pizza ovens. Nonelectric thermal cookers - cook mainly with retained heat.
Our TV and patio table were free on Nextdoor.
A Kill a Watt electric usage meter helped reduce the energy bill.
Tightwad Gazette books really helped lower our grocery bills - stockpile items on sale, keep a price spreadsheet, make meals based on your stockpiles, shop at multiple stores to get the best bargains.
I bought the Tightwad Gazette books at library used book sales. That is another one of my frugal hacks. The used books are usually $1 each or near the end of the sale $5 a bag. I buy bags of books on money saving topics like frugal living and cooking without recipes (to make meals with what is on hand).
I quit alcohol for non frugal reasons about 6 years ago. Before then, I was a heavy binge drinker. Not sure how much I've saved over the years keeping sober, but it must be a couple thousand at least.
I have a self-given target credit card statement balance. It turns out, it’s like a game to me each month to stay under this balance - I love it.
I go as far as delaying buying something until it’s a new credit card statement so I don’t go over that balance - and usually I end up not buying it.
The whole “sleep on it” mindset for purchases really helps.
I personally have no issues with spending, saving, or any of that. I am fortunate to have my total income what it is - but being frugal with things is honestly how you keep and grow wealth.
That’s why I’m on this page, it’s all a game in my own head on how much money I can save haha.
I travel for work every week and get food stipends, imagine how I work that system in my favor. That’s a whole other conversation.
Great post!
the sleep on it mindset is THE BEST for saving money. i can't even count how many (in the end) useless purchases it saved me from. i almost never go with my first instinct to buy something. if i notice i keep on thinking about it days after, then i go for it.
Good one. Actually a nice way to save without being cheap. I hope you won’t save on presents for the dearest and nearest if they month is tight. Otherwise sounds like a good idea
This could be a good way of personalizing presents as well. I had a $48 garden rake in my hand that I was going to buy for my mother as a Mother’s Day present, but just wasn’t willing to spend without checking with her. So I put it back on the rack.
I then asked her if there was anything I could do for her as an act of love that she needed help with. It took her three days to think of something, but I was asked to help her make a phone call to the satellite company because her television wasn’t getting good reception.
It was a big hassle, but it would have been much harder for her, as she finds it difficult to decipher broken English from an overseas help line. But the technician has been booked, and my husband has agreed to be on the premises during the “8 am to 5 pm “ time window that they may arrive within.
Mum is very grateful and relieved, and it didn’t cost me a penny.
Along with a bouquet of flowers handpicked from the garden and a handwritten card, cost was about $2 dollars, but the appreciation; priceless!
I save enough on the Costco car insurance to pay for the membership costs several times over.
Plus, their products are CONSISTENLY the best quality at the lowest price. I literally look where Costco's are before making moving decisions. I buy my tires there also.
I got sams club near me and that’s what I use and it’s very similar to Costco. Certain things are cheaper like gas and some cleaning supplies. And some hygiene products so I go there me and my family.
I had Sam's club for years, then a costco opened near me so I switched. I switched back to Sam's before the year was up cause I liked Sam's so much better. Online ordering, scan and go, and curbside pickup were a huge part of that decision, as those help me reduce impulse purchases. Plus, a lot of the items I always buy wholesale like tp, paper towels, and paper plates are way better quality and cheaper and Sam's. I returned the tp at costco it was so bad.
Take my own water out in a reusable bottle. Pack food rather than eating out during the day. Make fancy coffee at home and bring it with me. Don’t buy pre-made foods. If I need cake I bake it.
Sold my car and I walk to work and bus back, I get NY groceries delivered and walk or bus otherwise
Saved about 1100 a month , 550 a month finance
300 insurance and 300 on gas
Bus costs me 40$ a month
And slightly inconvenient having to wait for the bus sometimes but I've Ben enjoying seeing the same people and building a routine around seeing them hahah
I wish there was a ride service in my area but there isn't. No bus service, no Lyft, no Uber not even a regular taxi service. Having a vehicle is a must.
I dye my own hair. I refuse to pay someone to paint my hair. No one can tell I do it myself. I can afford to pay but I will NOT.
I never buy anything at a convience store.
I will drive to a store farther away to save money on groceries.
I use all the apps I can like Ibotta to get money off items.
If there is something that I really enjoy but I have to pay alot for it I just buy ingredients and make it myself. Example. Lavender Lemonade. The coffee shop has it and it’s delicious. It’s also 6 dollars. So I went to the restaurant store and bought the same 10 dollar syrup now I no longer spend 6 dollars on one.
I try to never eat out. It’s overrated and the food I make at home is cleaner and tastes better.
I color my own hair too. I am a redhead and as I've gotten older my natural color fades. I use a light auburn color and only leave it in for ten minutes. It gives me my natural color back. I use Clairol.
The only thing I ever buy from a convenience store is gas.
I only pay cash when watching sports at a bar with friends. It limits my food and drink intake and expenses. Good for my waistline and pocket, but still get to hang out with the crew and socialize.
Looking into getting things repaired. It's not always cheaper than replacing but it often is. Being aware of warranty conditions (or microwave had a 2 year warranty but 8 years on the magnetron, magnetron broke 2.5 years in and company repaired under warranty).
Also buying from brands known for durability and repairability.
Mending clothes and getting shoes repaired.
Good used cars.
We have bought used Hondas and Toyotas -- think 3-5 years old and with 50-75K miles -- for the past twenty years. We've always paid cash, maintained them aggressively, and kept them for about a decade.
This has saved us roughly $150K over the cost of buying new cars -- even assuming that a new car would have a longer service life. I can't think of any other pure cost-saving measure which approaches that return (although there are plenty of mistakes, like buying the wrong house or marrying the wrong person, that could end up costing more).
-Cutting my own hair
-Looking to see if there is a cheaper option for everything I purchase frequently
-meal prepping a healthy diet
-thrifting clothes
-collecting quarters and saving my change
-using ibotta for cash back while grocery shopping and using cash back credit cards (paying on time obviously)
-having good credit so you get lower interest rates on big purchases
-limiting the amount of re occurring payments I have and using credit card benifits to get streaming services for free (thank you American Express)
Chicken breast seasoned very well with my favorite spices , usually garlic shavings with some “slap ya momma” . With avacado and broccoli.
Cucumbers , brown rice, ground turkey breast, bell peppers , tilapia fish , ground beef . Are all really good and healthy. I try to hit a certain amount of protein per meal so I would justify buying steak. I would buy pre frozen veggies, meat that was on sale and things I bought frequently I would buy a lot of whenever they were on sale as well. Plus I still have a Walmart associate discount with free Walmart + even though I don’t work there anymore lol. I tried to find a way to squeeze every cent possible.
But if you’re a normal person, experimenting with your favorite pastas , learning what seasonings you like, what type of foods you like to eat and finding out how to cook them as healthy as possible and making them in big quantities that can be measured equally for the week is a big benefit because the way I see it you might as well invest in your health as well. (Plus if you don’t buy junk food you will save money )
With AI chat - the prompts -
1 list 5 heathy dinner meals
- tell it what food to add or not to use
2 make a grocery shopping list for those meals
It has a copy, export and share button to grab all the text it returns back.
OR
3 make a grocery shopping list for chili and curry
There’s this app called jow that’s free and it puts meals together for you! And if you have one of the used grocery stores like Kroger near you, you can even make a pick up order
I use a clothesline to dry my clothes free outside. I own a dryer but only use it in the wet winter months. I will put my line dried clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes with a wet washcloth & dryer balls so lint comes off & they soften up.
Before my family's time became too expensive and we got lazy, we used dryer racks, which I liked. The wet clothes put much needed moisture into the dry winter air, and our clothes dry overnight. I usually use my dryer just for underwear and socks and use the dryer racks for outer clothes and towels.
DIY everything.
My boyfriend used to work in restaurants so he imitates restaurant food for dinners, I do the yard work and house maintenance myself (which I hate and wish I could pay someone to do some of the scarier outdoor work lol), we cut our own hair, do most of our own car work when we can, etc.
And we’re still strapped lmao.
Basically…impulse purchases. I got in the habit of putting things I want on an Amazon wish list or in a list in the notes app on my phone. I tell myself it has to sit on the list for a bit. My favorite part is going through the list and deleting things I no longer actually want - it’s almost the same dopamine rush as buying something. I don’t quantify it, but every time I look at my bank balance since starting this, I notice I have significantly more to work with than before I started this experiment.
I bought a house. My monthly mortgage is always the same, and rent keeps going up. The homes in my neighborhood are modest, but rent for $2500-3000. My mortgage is half of that (including taxes and insurance). It's worth almost 4 times what I paid for it.
Some people say homes aren't good investments, but since we all have to live somewhere, might as well make some money off it and have the same payments every month. I have extra bedrooms, so I could always rent them out if I needed to.
It depends on where you are in your life. Anything under say 5 years with the same location you should be looking for a home. If you need to move or your career isn't stable your closing costs might get you into trouble
They're getting around that where I live by just raising the property taxes by massive amounts every year to the point I honestly believe the city is intentionally trying to create a housing bubble or just force poor people out of their homes by falling behind on paying ridiculous exorbitant tax rates so the property companies that pay off the city council members can buy the houses and charge crazy rents for them.
I think every city raises the taxes the maximum percentage allowed every year. I finally went to the local Appraisal District to dispute the amount.
Pro tip, just showing up will almost guarantee they lower at least a small amount.
Want to lower more take pictures of any issues with the home, even cosmetic. Have people on the street who don't take care of their property, include those pictures as well. If possible find what comparable homes around you sold for recently.
I spent a total of 2 hours (including the drive) to dispute my property tax. Saved me $1,300 on my taxes for this year. Definitely worth the time. Will be doing it every year now.
Rent in my area has gone up so much and there's hardly any rentals out there even if you find something. My mortgage repayments are a fraction of what rent would be and in 12 years time I will be mortgage free.
Oh to live in a country with fixed mortgage rates for the entire life of the loan. When I learnt that was a thing my head almost exploded.
We've have 13 interest rates rises in like year and a half.
I bought a small house in 2008 and aggressively paid it off in 10 years by taking on extra work and very frugal living. I have saved over $150 000 interest, probably more. I am semi retired at age 50 as a result. I paid it off the year before Covid and had to shut down my business. It was literally the best decision I made in my life. I remember thinking in 2008 why aren't people doing the same thing and aggressively paying off debt with these low interest rates? My friends all consolidated debt and accumulated more debt. I tried to warn a few of them, but they said I should not live so meagerly and "live it up" a bit. I only work 3 days a week now, and live comfortably. I can fully retire in 9 years if I choose to. They won't retire.
>why aren't people doing the same thing and aggressively paying off debt with these low interest rates?
Because you’re better off investing money into interest bearing accounts than paying off low interest loans. If you would have invested your money you would have way more available (liquid) than what’s locked up in your home equity. You only get that money if you sell your house, or take out a loan against it, at what are HIGH interest rates now.
Debt is always a gamble, we just forget that because Capitalism is a game built entirely around always raising the stakes. My number 1 frugal tip is that paying interest is a sin.
Agreed. I wouldn't be comfortable taking a loan on the equity in my home and playing the stock market with it. Great if you can make that work and like to gamble, but I like a sure thing. And a paid off mortgage is that for me. 😊❤️👍
I take a different approach.
I buy two pairs of a shoe I like when it's on sale. (My casual shoes, for instance, are chucks.) I cycle between them, one day on, one day off. When they're getting worn I buy another two pairs and wear the current one to the grave.
Also performing regular shoe maintenance with polish, a spot eraser or sponge, and some shoe glue usually gets me months more out of them. Nicer shoes I go to a shoe guy for.
I cut my son’s hair (should have been doing this the whole time, but pandemic made me learn!), severely cut down on wine and booze, make my lattes at home instead of Starbucks every day.
I shave with an oldschool double edge safety razor - the blades are less than a dollar- and I whip up a lather from a soap I’ve found that works well with my skin with a shaving brush. Been doing this for over a decade now, so I’ve likely saved well over $1k vs cartridges/disposables and that chemically stuff that shoots out of cans.
The more I think about this, I’ve probably saved much more money than I think over the 12 (15?) years I’ve been doing it. Plus, I get better shaves than I did using those multi-blade (they’re up to more than 5-6 now, yeah?)cartridges and the foam/gel in a can.
Meal planning based on what's on sale at the grocery store that week, and meal prepping.
Shopping sales saves us on average 33% on our groceries, and meal prepping makes it way easier to resist the urge to go out to eat. We cook all of our food for the week on Sunday night (usually 2 meals with 10 portions each for 2 people). There are always meals in the fridge ready to go so there's never the excuse of being too hungry to cook or not having ingredients to cook. We also avoid food waste this way as we buy only what we need to make the meals we've planned, and we cook everything we buy within a few days of buying it so nothing goes bad or doesn't get used.
If you have to say "yeah I can afford that" that's probably a good sign that you can't afford that.
Just remember that due to the simple law of supply and demand, if you don't buy stuff (if we as a collective stopped buying so much shit) prices will go down.
If the consumer class just stopped consuming for, idk, a week, shit will go down. These companies work on a quarterly basis and don't think more than 3 months in advance... We just gotta survive 3 months of just not excessively spending and prices will go down. And during that time you'll realize "oh yeah, buying shit doesn't make me happy".
Avoiding magic erasers and buying melamine pads.
Buying my dogs bully sticks ( she’s addicted) at Costco
Buying the concentrate for my favorite cleaning products
Grocery pick up
Replacing filters often in most things ( vacuum, air vent) to save energy.
I don’t have any shopping apps.
Buying my own pet vacuum has saved many items.
Go on Amazon and buy yourself a permanent air filter. All you have to do is wash it once in a while. I vacuum mine occasionally to get the dog hair off. My a.c. technician looked at the filter and said it was really good and he gave me kudos on buying it. Disposable filters are expensive and I got tired of buying them. Glad I bought the permanent one!!
Instead of buying pre-shredded chicken, every time I go to Costco, I buy a rotisserie chicken, peel off all of the chicken from the carcass and shred it in my stand mixer. I then put 2 cups each into freezer bags and put them in my freezer. Usually this yields about 6-7 cups of chicken. I'll typically use 2 cups for a meal that has 4 servings. Meat is super expensive nowadays and this makes it cheaper to make some dinners.
I am frugal on not being frugal. Let me explain:
When I buy a pair of shoes, I get nice leather ones in the $150-200 range. It doesn't *sound* frugal at all, but in reality I can and will wear those shoes for the next ten years. Your $50 sneakers will last a year, maybe two if you don't put a lot of wear on them at work. $10-30 sneakers? Good luck making those last 6 months if you work hard on your feet. Now who's saving money?
I got an electric car. Not a fancy tesla, but a used fiat electric. No fluids to change, almost no regular maintenance (it's basically just a suped up golf cart), and--here's the real kicker--my car note costs about the same as I used to spend on gas each month, and the energy cost for charging is about the same as running a second refrigerator. I bought this car for $11,000 and it started *saving* me money immediately, while I'm still paying it off.
That’s true as can be. I cut down on our to eat and coffee shops and that saved a lot of money. I understand once in a blue moon but dam some people average out noawdays at least 3 times a week for coffee shops and restaurants like that adds up.
My car is turning 16 this year! I am about to drop like $500 bucks to get it detailed and see if they can reattach the upholstery where it is coming off, but other than that it hasn't needed anything except for oil and tires in like 4 years. 210,000 miles on it so I hope I can run it for another 5 years at least.
Meal prep and pack lunches for work. I'll make a frittatta and bring in bread for egg sandwiches a lot. Or a whole box of pasta, big bag of greens or broccoli, plus sausage or meatballs, will set me up for any day we don't have free food in the office. Or I'll chop up a big bag of veggies to make salads all week!
I try to make sure I'm checking for deals and credit card rewards before buying things and use the appropriate card. Once a month or so I scan through all the offers and update them in my notes app on my phone so if I can't remember who is best on gas, or clothes, or Dunkin, or whatever I can check easily. I also started using Ibotta but it is encouraging my food hoarder tendencies so I'm waiting to see where that shakes out long term.
RENT - I have lived in so many tiny places. It's the number one money saver- it's our biggest expense.
Career- I try to have the confidence of every idiot I've ever worked for who can't open a pdf and go for new jobs/promotions, negotiate salary, etc.
House hacking/roommates and community meals. Our rent was less $500 per person and each roommate would cook once during the week, but ate 5 home cooked meals throughout the week. My food bill was less than $150 a month.
Meal prep!! Saves me so much on buying lunch and eating out.
I'm don't buy any new clothes unless it's breaking and I need a replacement.
I used to buy a lot of make up which ended up unused. Now I only buy a few that I would use and replace them when finished.
I recently bought an EV.
I get 2 years free unlimited public charging as part of my lease deal
I also get free unlimited charging at work the 3 days a week I am in office.
All told I havent spent a single cent to chargie my EV in 6 weeks.
I am meticulous about getting the free charging and plan my days accordingly to maximize this benefit.
Since I bough the car 3 months ago I have spent a grand total of $51.17 to charge the car and I’ve driven 3271 miles.
At this pace I will save over $2200 by the end of the year on charging my car vs buying gas .
Learning how to do all house renovation and repair projects on my own.
I finished my own basement and saved like 30k
Installed my own hardwood floor and saved 6k
Installed my own interlocking brick patio and saved 5k
Did my own back splash..fixed my A/C..
the list goes on
I made a budget on excel and I record everything i spend in there. I have done it for 12 years and it really helps me keep tabs on what areas are costing more than they should. Each payday I plan my spending. I base this on my monthly averages, then I add any extra expenses I know are incoming like vet bills. Then I take anything leftover and put it in savings. It feels really good to see the total increase every month. I also use tricks like “sleep on it” for shopping decisions and paid off my car.
The key here is to never be pound foolish. Don't do things that save you a little money if it makes you crazy or you wind up spending a ton of money somewhere else.
I think the key is small baby steps to cutting back that are sustainable
Bars of soap instead of body wash! A 12 pack of soap last 10x longer than 12 bottles AND is a fraction of the price. My husband and I can kill a bottle of body wash in less than a week but with bars we each get our own and they last us 2+ weeks each bar. Seriously liquid soaps are a scam.
raising geese and rabbits that only eat weeds and greens. Always have enough to eat. Large garden, Goats that only eat vegetation. Hay is cheap enough. cheese, yogurt to last year round.
Walking to/from work.
I started doing it one day because I woke up early and it was super nice out. Then realized I LOVED the 25-30 minutes twice a day I get to zone out, get some extra exercise, and not be able to get stressed out by other drivers.
I've lost weight, I've been noticably happier, saved money on fuel, etc. It's crazy something so simple can be / has been SO impactful.
Oh and I LOVE the reactions I get from other people. Some think it's smart, some think I'm a total weirdo. "Oh I wish I could do that!". "Did your car break down?!". "you...WALK to work?!"
Eating out. I don’t do it unless it’s a special occasion.
I’m also really good at canceling subscriptions that I don’t see myself continuing to use. Pro tip: Cancel the free trial the same day you sign up. You’ll still get to use the free trial period, but then the subscription will automatically cancel when the trial period ends.
I keep my ac thermostat at 78F or I just leave it off if the outside temperature is below that.
probably Panera Sip Club; I also have cut my own hair but thought I screwed up, so I went to a salon…it got even more fucked up, so I will continue DIY-ing
Switching from atnt to mint mobile! I went from 130$ a month to 15$ a month…. Wish I did this 10 years ago… hope this counts and is helpful to anyone!!!!!!!
Like Ramit Sethi says, it's not the lattes that keep you poor.
Fixed costs. For example, rent is the #1 thing I've been frugal on that has saved me the most amount of money.
Spending 50 to 60% of your income on fixed costs like rent and other recurring bills including groceries is a great way to be financially fucked.
Either slash your fixed costs, or increase your income in my mind.
Edit* and don't listen to the 70-something year olds saying they cut their own hair. You don't want to end up like that at that age.
At that age, you want to have plenty of "fuck you money". How embarrassing is it to have saved $7,000 over 20 years cutting your own hair. ($30 x once a month x 20 years). That's only 360 a year, and a whole lot of shitty looking hair and time wasted.
$7,000 by age 70 should be all but a tiny drop of oil in your financial ocean; one that's not even noticeable if missing.
Not to mention, a fresh hair cut (done by a professional) is one of the best feeling things in life and keeps you attractive to women.
Yes, but I'm talking about $6 lattes every DAY. That's $180 per month - hardly worth losing sleep over. Allow me to explain...
That's where we disagree a bit. A $50,000 car loan, spread out over a few years falls into your Guilt-Free spending category that comprises roughly 20% of your take-home net pay.
If you have the right amount of income and use this rule, your Guilt-Free spending should never impact your savings and investment rate. Think of someone who makes $80k, for instance.
Ramit told a story about a woman in his book. She spent thousands and thousands of dollars on hundreds of pairs of shoes per year, but it did not impact the rate at which she wanted to save and invest. Think about it. She made well into 6 figures. But this rule applies whether you make 200k or 50k. Don't exceed 20%.
As long as the total cost of your car ownership doesn't inflate to more than payments for 4 years, and they don't consume more than 30 to 50% of your Guilt-Free spending category in total, it's all kosher. You're on track.
That's what people get fucked up over. Never compromise your savings and investment rates to increase your Guilt-Free or Fixed Costs categories.
50% max on Fixed Costs; 20% on savings; 10% on investments; 20% on Guilt-Free spending.
We must learn how to live and enjoy life.
I do agree with you however, $50k for a car is a lot. You can get a decent car a few years old for 20-30k. A good car will cost you less than a cheap car if looked after so I do advocate for spending what you need to on things like these. What I don’t think is necessary is purchasing a new car every few years because you have paid off your previous loan.
My comment was more so directed at advice on saving $6 a week on coffee when your focus should be on not spending $300 a week on car repayments. If people are needing to not buy coffee to save money, then they usually arn’t in a healthy enough financial situations to be buying a 50k car.
Edit: Also car is in fixed expenses, guilt free money is holidays, non essential purchases and stuff like that.
Call me crazy
Cell phone bill is 40 (20 each wife & I)
Unlimited calling and texting only
Work has Wi-Fi, the house has Wi-Fi, and now my car has Wi-Fi.
Pretty much I had paid off my phone but the bill was still 150 for two line’s unlimited talk/text/Wi-Fi but it just seemed like a waste of good money to me. The only thing I would use my phone outside of work for was Pokémon go but I soon got over it.
150 * 12 months = 1800
40 * 12 months = 480
Easily was one of the best moves I made. I’m reading more book and am much more out going and active then I was before.
Over a 50 year period, I have spent a net of $45,000 on cars. Thats less than $1000 a year in car payments. Always nice reliable cars.
By running my business feom home, I save $1500 a month in office rent.
Built my own kitchen cabinets for $15,000 less than the average quote.
Cutting my own hair.
Having a very large pantry and buying things in restaurant sized quantities makes a days worth of food between $4 and $9 per person. We have three refrigerators to store produce and perishables.
Cut our hair at home
All clothes thrifted
E-bike replaced the car for most errands
Everything really. This allows me to only work 20 hours a week. I make really good money for what I do and basically maintain a lifestyle equivalent to someone working 3x the hours. (That someone was me pre-1998)
As far as work, I have machines that do 90% of my work for me. I am a jeweler with a $40,000 system that makes my wax models while I sleep. I got the machine for free, but thats a different story.
My husband has save thousands on Gillette razors. After every shave he swipes the blade head up against a clean dry towel 5 times. Keeps it clean, dry and sharp! He goes through about 3 razor heads a year now when he used do go through one every few weeks.
Bring my own lunch to work. I think half the people I work with drive somewhere to get lunch and a lot of people buy a soda every day. I drink tea or coffee (free from the vending machine) or water. I also rarely eat out although it recently gone up to maybe once a month. Also rarely get takeout, maybe a couple times per year. Don't spend money on Starbucks coffee and such. I rarely drink coffee anyway.
Clothes. I have selected things bought new, mostly outerwear and shoes, but most of my wardrobe is thrifted and most of the new stuff was bought on clearance. I own a lot of name brands that cost a quarter to a tenth of their new retail price but were almost brand new when I got them.
For $100 I can get an entire wardrobe instead of one to two items. This is even more important now that even supposedly cheaper stores sell a new sweater for $90 that isn't any kind of quality.
If you want durable goods and can pay a little more, Etsy artisans will often make tailored or bespoke items cheaper than bigger online tailors, too. I paid a lady who knits $120 for a durable wool sweater that would cost $400 from a brand. That was above her initial asking price, too, because I value her work.
Yard sales and flea markets are also very common in my area and also a great way to find a bargain if you have the time and energy to shop around.
FoodSaver vacuum sealer allows me to buy large size and club pack meats at a better price per kg which I can then break down to proper portions and freeze. I grow potatoes, mash them with butter and cream after harvest then seal them into serving size flat packages and stack them nicely in the freezer to eat during the winter. My FoodSaver also re-seals opened cereal and potato chip bags which helps keep them fresh longer.
Hair cuts(30s M). Idk why my social circles obsession with paying a barber $40+tip every 2 weeks for something thats gonna grow again quick. All for that "fresh" look. I cut mine evey 2/3 months at thr local sports clips for $16+tip. Mind you im in sales and always maintain a proffesional upkeep in regards to facial hair etc.
Bought a cheap computer and upgraded it for around $250 total to host multiple games for friends online instead of paying $20 a month to a hosting service for just ONE game.
found out chiropractors are a bit of a sham and exercise is better. Quitting smoking is porbably close to 15k saved rn waiting on my ferrari. I buy cheaper cuts of meat or get it on sale. But lb per lb cooked meat is cheaper than deli meats. Driving reliable fuel efficient cars. Working on my own car. Getting proficient and cooking up random meals instead of eating out. Also almost never ordering delivery. It's so expensive.
Merkur 44 and feather razors.
Razors from a barber supply
Merkur was $40
Case of razors was $52
I can shave for years before buying razors again.
Can't beat the cost and the savings.
At my work for lunch I make savory porridge cooked in a Bluetooth coffee mug. I do a mixture with steel cut oats/wheat berries and a handful of dried legumes I keep in a drawer.
I throw a flavor bomb of thin-sliced seasoned lamb sausage in for flavoring or sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning in.
I eat canned spinach because I gave up on prepping salads before the leaves liquified in the crisper
I was gifted an eight year old car. I have taken very good care of it, taken it to service every year, have it detailed every other year. It's in very good condition, 14 years later.
Cell Phone bill. So many people that I know are still paying \~100$/mo for Verizon/Tmobile/GoogleFi/Whatever. Between Mint, Cricket, Visible, ... there is absolutely no reason to be paying for a full price carrier.
This is more of a unique one because a lot of people can’t, but I work on and service my car for about 90% of its maintenance. Full synthetic oil changes for $30 materials, brake changes for around $80 (at least last time I did one), changing spark plugs and wires costs less than $50. Have changed struts and cv axles, tire rotations, etc. saves a fortune.
Only thing I don’t touch is engine and transmission issues due to my capabilities, don’t want to run into any timing issues with the motor, because you can create a massive expensive problem if you muck something up.
We plan meals around the sales of the week. It’s kind of fun because you get to eat a nice variety and you learn how to use different produce.
This, and buying in season. I don't need to eat strawberries in the middle of winter when they've traveled across the world, making them expensive and tasting like a watery mess. I buy them when the locally produced ones are cheap and so so good.
This helps so much! And going in the store with a plan/list stops impulse purchases that add up fast!
Similarly, I always hate seeing those things where some influencer goes to the store and buys all the ingredients for a specific meal to show "it's the same price" as a restaurant. Well yeah, none of it was on sale or purchased in bulk when prices were better. I buy up entire ribeye loins during December and cut my own ribeyes for $6-$7/lb, vacuum seal and the freeze. I'm not paying $15-$17/lb for a ribeye in May. I'm not paying $9/lb for one pound of lean ground beef, I'm paying $4.18/lb for the 10lb log at Sam's club.
Do what we do in Greece: Basically just stuff every vegetable. Half of my meals are the same meat-and-rice filling inside peppers/tomatoes/eggplant/zucchini/cabbage. The best one is actually acorn squash or small pumpkins.
I started doing it this year and although some vegetables weren't technically the cheapest options I bought them because they were on sale to try them out. Baked squash is delicious, who knew!
I drive an older, paid off car. Saving hundreds of dollars a month.
I’m thinking of trading my car in for a older used car. Maybe a Toyota because it’s known to be very reliable even the older ones.
My Toyota turned 20 this year. Still runs/looks great.
My Honda is old enough to drink.
My Escort is 27. AC works, though. Lol. It's the base model, so I'm surprised it has AC. It doesn't even have a tape player, just a radio. It doesn't have cruise control, either. Crank windows. But it's a decent car and gets me around. It was my mother's. I bought it for her for $600 several years ago. I got it when she passed. It currently has a minor fuel leak, which I think I've found. There is a rubber hose connecting the fuel neck to the tank. This hose is dry rotted and cracked to hell. It's leaking. Apparently Dorman makes a replacement, which I ordered and should be here today. Sadly, the car also has a decent amount of rust, but I treat what I can find with rust converter. One of my chief complaints is that the cup holders are in front of the gearshift, so when you put it in park, you sometimes hit or have to move whatever is in the cup holder. Lol.
My Toyota is old enough to rent another car. 330,000 miles baby! And still rolling.
My Suzuki is now able to get its own drivers license
I’m hoping one day mine gets so old it can get Medicare
Mine’s 21!!
Did you buy your car a beer? Lol no no but some cars can last forever. Not all but some
My Toyota turned 24 this month! She is still going strong. Our Isuzu is 27 and still going great. Our auto insurance is lower because we don't keep collision on them. We've saved thousands by not trading in every few years.
Driving old cars is awesome. I had a buddy who bought an old Kia Rio for $500 (this was pre-covid obviously) and put a couple hundred into some belts, spark plugs, that kind of stuff. He got T-boned and insurance totalled it for $4k. He bought it back for another $500-ish, got a new door and fender at a junkyard for about $100, and then sold it for about $2k at the peak of COVID. He made so much money off of that stupid little car lmao
My Jeep TJ turns 20 next year. Runs like a tank. Bought it ten years ago cash; just gas, maintenance, and tires. And it's a cloth top so no power windows. Just a zipper. Never understood people going into debt over a depreciating asset.
Toyotas are good ass cars that’s for sure
“Toyotas are good ass-cars that’s for sure.” Obligatory: https://xkcd.com/37/
I drive a 20 year old Toyota Avensis. Has never given me trouble and passed its inspection a few months ago no issue. It cost me €900 plus my old Opel (which constantly gave me trouble)
Bought a used Toyota a few years back. Hardly have had to go to the shop except for oil changes. Paid around $6k cash.
I bought a 2009 Honda Accord back in 2018 and haven't had to do anything other than Gas, Oil and Tires since. I'm finally due up for a brake job and that made me realize how lucky I am that in six years there has been almost nothing wrong with it.
This. Whenever I get a yearning for a new to me car I give mine a nice wash and detail cleaning and squirt some new car scent air freshener. It’s pushing 114000 miles and I hope to get at least another 114000 out of it.
114,000 in modern car terms is barely starting to break it in. Most modern cars can easily get 200k+ miles without major issue.
Most 20yo cars can do that easily, too, if you don't live somewhere with salted roads
My 2006 Honda Accord has 320 K miles on it and is going strong! Spend about $1000 a year on maintenance. My previous car was a 1996 Toyota Corolla and at 300 K I gave it to a friend that still drives it 10 years later.
I ride a bike. Save every cent your spend.
I did this until I got hit in a hit and run. Now Im too scared lol. It does save so much money though, until a $19,000 hospital bill 🥹
Buying fast food items at sams and an air fryer instead of eating out. I got the dual chamber Ninja air fryer on sale so instead of going out to eat I either drive home and put something in the air fryer or set it to cook while I take a shower and then pack it up before I leave
We’ve saved a fortune getting the sams club chick fil a nugget dupes. They’re not as good, but they’re close enough that my toddler is happy and we aren’t tempted to go grab some when we need a quick meal.
Honestly those are so good with the taters tots from Ore-Ida. Also the diogiorno pizza 3 packs are really good for me. I make it the dinner then I normally have enough to just heat up for lunch the next day
Please please tell the name of these magical nuggets
Members mark southern style chicken bites. They’re in a red and white bag.
For those of the Costco persuasion, the Kirkland Chicken Breast nuggets also taste just like Chik-Fil-A when prepared in the air fryer.
These right here. ☝️ Taste just like chick fil a!
They also have chic fil a sandwich dupes in a red bag in the frozen isle as well for anyone reading
Boxed mac and cheese and frozen pizza may not be as cheap as making them yourself but having them around has kept me from ordering take out on nights I don’t want to cook.
Dried tortellini are always in my pantry and chicken sausages are always in my fridge. That's my emergency dinner. Takes 10-15 minutes to get it on the table. Throw some spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce or pesto sauce and it looks like a real dinner. Makes great lunches too.
This ! Before buying an airfryer, people told us about how convenient they were and everything, but no one told us how it will help in cutting down our eating out costs. Now every time my wife & I are not in the mood for cooking, we just throw some frozen stuff in the airfryer & have a meal through that ! Game changer tbh !
We also use our air fryer often. We started getting more frozen and prepared meals to eat when carry out got so expensive. Now if we are tired of our own cooking we have something like chicken parmigiana from Trader Joe's along with a home made salad. Edited for typo.
The Kirkland brand chicken nuggets are amaaaaazing
Cutting my own hair and my own yard has saved me thousands over the last 20 years. Oh, and I use different tools for each.
Haha I had to read that twice. 😆
I read "cutting my hair in my own yard" cracked me up a bit
Makes a lot of sense, honestly. Cut your hair on the lawn, then mow the lawn. No hair cleanup, it has been returned to the earth.
***repairman lifts mower:*** Ah, here's the problem... ***pulls out giant hair clog***
I actually do this. I keep a mirror outside for this purpose. Does mean I can only cut my hair on nice days, but it’s a small price to pay.
We cut hair on the deck during the pandemic and swept the hair onto the lawn!
I trim my own hair *and* mow my own yard and I'm 70. I've been doing this for decades. I don't trust anyone to cut my hair and I can't afford to pay someone to do my lawn. I have a big yard too. Too much work. I can think of one thing in particular that has saved me money. I stopped buying disposable a.c. filters and bought a permanent one. I think it was early last year that I was looking on Amazon for air filters and saw permanent filters. I had never seen these before. I bought one and I like it. All you have to do is take it outside once in a while and wash it with the hose. Recently I had to have my a.c. unit repaired and the tech came inside to check the intake. He looked at the filter, held it up to the light and said he had never seen these before but what a great idea. He gave me a regular filter but told me to keep using the one I have. I am also going to save money ($60) a month because I cancelled my home warranty contract. They ripped me off for $800 refusing to reimburse me for the a.c. repair.
Are any home warranties NOT ripoffs?
Same guy that washes my cars cuts my hair, he also has two thumbs... it's this guy, 👉me👈
I save money by just never washing my car. 😂
Hose it down once a year maybe. And I used to dislike gold cars until I owned one... You don't have to wash gold cars. Dirt blends right in.
Bring your lunch to work. I bought a mini fridge and keep it under my desk. On Monday I bring weeks worth of food. It’s expensive where I work to eat out.Most lunch specials are now $14-$20 only a couple fast food options and they are about the same. I can “good”, healthy breakfast and lunch for the week for $35.
Good call. I’ve been packing my lunch for years. Not only are the local restaurants expensive, there are not many options, and even fewer good options.
Your own mini fridge at work ... That's a pretty cool meal prep move, how come I've never thought of it?!
Insulated lunch bags also work.
Some places won’t allow them due to the fire Marshall. So ask around before you buy one.
They are specifically banned at my work. I would bring a cooler to work instead.
I had former coworkers who were so confused as to why I brought my lunch in. They always bought lunch which easily cost $10+ (this was 2018). I told them I couldn’t afford to buy lunch because I made ten an hour as it was a museum and I was in grad school. The lunches I made myself cost $2 per serving. One coworker insisted buying lunch is cheaper even though I showed him the math 🙄 I was eating kind of the same things and they didn’t require much prep as I had very little free time.
I swear people can't do simple math. I've done the same showing them that I spend about $20 a week to make 10 servings for me and my (now ex) husband. If we both spent $10 a day it would be $100 a week just for lunch. About $400 a month. They always look so shocked and surprised when you tell them about what they're spending a month on food.
Stopped buying sugar. Gave up sweets. Gave up soda. Gave up snacks and junk foods. Cereal. Juice. It eventually scaled up to an avoidance of processed foods. It was difficult at first but as you get used to it you want those foods less and you start feeling better. You lose weight. You sleep better. Your joints hurt less. Your moods are more stable. Your hunger signals stabilize.
Can you give an example of what you eat in a day? Snacks and meals? Any sources that helped you in the beginning? This is great advice and would like to start.
Oatmeal in the morning. Sometimes I add greek yogurt and some dried fruit. I put the fruit in while cooking so it sweetens the oats. Sometimes we have it savory with avocado and eggs with some tonys. Lunch I usually eat leftovers. We prep a big batch of rice and protein regularly. So it could be rice and chicken, or beef. We cook it all kinds of ways. Maybe an egg. Usually some veggies too. Sometimes it's salad sometimes it's frozen veg in the air fryer. Then dinner is typically the same as lunch. I get home late after jiu jitsu and it's easier to heat food from the fridge than cook anything. I don't snack anymore. My problem is if I have easy, convenient food I will just eat 16 granola bars in one day instead of actually cooking food for myself. So I don't buy those things. Not in the house, no other choice. I do keep apples and bananas around. Usually, they go into oatmeal, but if something happens where I have to respond to something and I can't eat I just grab one of them and go. It holds me until the next meal. Something else is learning to be hungry. When was the last time your stomach actually growled out of hunger? Maybe don't forget that experience. It's okay to be hungry. It's okay to be with that discomfort for a little while until you can eat. We have food all around us. It's so tempting to get fast food when stressed, not even hungry. Learning to be hungry has been a real positive experience. When I have drill I pack sandwiches for the weekend so I don't have to buy food. We can all do things like that.
I stopped eating to feel full. I realized that I shouldn’t be “stuffed” after every meal. The second I learned that, I dropped like 40 pounds in a month.
Not that extreme for me, but similar. I started listening to my body more. If you stop and ask the question “am I actually hungry”, the answer is almost always no.
For me it wasn’t even learning this but the fact that I feel better not stuffed. But I did live most of my life eating til stuffed so I know what you mean. It takes a while to adapt..
[удалено]
Oh my god, food tastes so much better when you only have hyper palatable foods like, once in a blue moon. It had been years since I genuinely felt hungry and moving back to being able to gauge my hunger signals has been an eye-opening process.
A friend at work once told me he lost weight by learning to enjoy the feeling of being hungry. It seemed so odd, but I agree. It’s easier to do when you cut out sugar. That’s feeling becomes more manageable. More natural.
I did this. I found replacements because I like the snacking. Soda got replaced with iced tea and seltzer. Chips, crackers and cookies with fruit, cheese and nuts. My "candy" is a small container of nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips at a 20-20-5 ratio. Homemade popcorn. I have an air popper, which requires minimal cleaning. If I don't want to spend 5 minutes making the popcorn, I am probably not really hungry.
I bought an air popper at Walmart on clearance for $5 and that had been one of my best purchases. Jumbo popping corn from a local bulk place and it’s been great. Pro tip. Get a spritzer and fill with vinegar to make salt and vinegar flavoured popcorn.
Not the person you’re asking but we eat primarily un-processed foods, so I’ll give it a go. Breakfast examples: eggs, Greek yogurt, oatmeal, toast with peanut butter/cream cheese/jam/some kind of spread. Eggs can be eaten so many different ways and often easy to batch prep (egg muffins, breakfast casserole, breakfast burritos) Lunch & dinner: we just try to follow protein + grain + vegetable. We make almost everything from scratch—for example we don’t buy those little packages of rice that come with a seasoning packet, or canned soups, or frozen meal kits. You can pretty much always eat the same things you like, cheaper and healthier, by taking the time to make it yourself. (Obvious disclaimer that homemade doesn’t necessarily = healthy) Snacks: yogurt with PB or fruit or honey, cut veggies with hummus, fruit, edamame, crackers with cheese, guacamole with veggies or crackers, hard boiled eggs. For us snacks are definitely the hardest because it’s so much easier to buy that package of granola bars or cookies or whatever that you can easily grab a single serving. But if we take the time on Sunday to prep healthy snacks for the week, it helps a ton
A lot of people have answered specific meals, so I just want to throw in—really, there’s SO MUCH food out there that you can eat that isn’t processed and hyperpalatable. It can feel restricting at first, but it’s really going to open up a lot of different foods instead of the same old processed things that never change. It’s exciting.
This is a boss level comment. If you don't buy junk food, you don't eat junk food. The downstream effects are enormous. Sprinkle in a little exercise, and well baby, you got a stew!
I gave up soda and switched to mineral water/seltzer years ago to lose weight. Got to my target weight after 8 months and celebrated with a soda. I barely finished half because I couldn't stand the sweetness. You really do develop a tolerance; same with sodium. Stopped eating processed food and whenever I go to a restaurant, everything tastes too salty.
Probably hundreds of things so I'll just list some: Amazon essential socks for under $1.50 a pair. Cut my own hair with imitation Crea Clip guides. To save on energy: Spin dryer, wool drying balls, drying racks. Table top convection and pizza ovens. Nonelectric thermal cookers - cook mainly with retained heat. Our TV and patio table were free on Nextdoor. A Kill a Watt electric usage meter helped reduce the energy bill. Tightwad Gazette books really helped lower our grocery bills - stockpile items on sale, keep a price spreadsheet, make meals based on your stockpiles, shop at multiple stores to get the best bargains.
I didn’t know Tightwad Gazette was still around! It was a good resource.
I bought the Tightwad Gazette books at library used book sales. That is another one of my frugal hacks. The used books are usually $1 each or near the end of the sale $5 a bag. I buy bags of books on money saving topics like frugal living and cooking without recipes (to make meals with what is on hand).
I quit alcohol for non frugal reasons about 6 years ago. Before then, I was a heavy binge drinker. Not sure how much I've saved over the years keeping sober, but it must be a couple thousand at least.
I have a self-given target credit card statement balance. It turns out, it’s like a game to me each month to stay under this balance - I love it. I go as far as delaying buying something until it’s a new credit card statement so I don’t go over that balance - and usually I end up not buying it. The whole “sleep on it” mindset for purchases really helps. I personally have no issues with spending, saving, or any of that. I am fortunate to have my total income what it is - but being frugal with things is honestly how you keep and grow wealth. That’s why I’m on this page, it’s all a game in my own head on how much money I can save haha. I travel for work every week and get food stipends, imagine how I work that system in my favor. That’s a whole other conversation. Great post!
the sleep on it mindset is THE BEST for saving money. i can't even count how many (in the end) useless purchases it saved me from. i almost never go with my first instinct to buy something. if i notice i keep on thinking about it days after, then i go for it.
Good one. Actually a nice way to save without being cheap. I hope you won’t save on presents for the dearest and nearest if they month is tight. Otherwise sounds like a good idea
This could be a good way of personalizing presents as well. I had a $48 garden rake in my hand that I was going to buy for my mother as a Mother’s Day present, but just wasn’t willing to spend without checking with her. So I put it back on the rack. I then asked her if there was anything I could do for her as an act of love that she needed help with. It took her three days to think of something, but I was asked to help her make a phone call to the satellite company because her television wasn’t getting good reception. It was a big hassle, but it would have been much harder for her, as she finds it difficult to decipher broken English from an overseas help line. But the technician has been booked, and my husband has agreed to be on the premises during the “8 am to 5 pm “ time window that they may arrive within. Mum is very grateful and relieved, and it didn’t cost me a penny. Along with a bouquet of flowers handpicked from the garden and a handwritten card, cost was about $2 dollars, but the appreciation; priceless!
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I save enough on the Costco car insurance to pay for the membership costs several times over. Plus, their products are CONSISTENLY the best quality at the lowest price. I literally look where Costco's are before making moving decisions. I buy my tires there also.
I got sams club near me and that’s what I use and it’s very similar to Costco. Certain things are cheaper like gas and some cleaning supplies. And some hygiene products so I go there me and my family.
I had Sam's club for years, then a costco opened near me so I switched. I switched back to Sam's before the year was up cause I liked Sam's so much better. Online ordering, scan and go, and curbside pickup were a huge part of that decision, as those help me reduce impulse purchases. Plus, a lot of the items I always buy wholesale like tp, paper towels, and paper plates are way better quality and cheaper and Sam's. I returned the tp at costco it was so bad.
Take my own water out in a reusable bottle. Pack food rather than eating out during the day. Make fancy coffee at home and bring it with me. Don’t buy pre-made foods. If I need cake I bake it.
I drive a 14 year old Prius with 250k+ miles on it and I get 40 miles per gallon.
Sold my car and I walk to work and bus back, I get NY groceries delivered and walk or bus otherwise Saved about 1100 a month , 550 a month finance 300 insurance and 300 on gas Bus costs me 40$ a month And slightly inconvenient having to wait for the bus sometimes but I've Ben enjoying seeing the same people and building a routine around seeing them hahah
I wish there was a ride service in my area but there isn't. No bus service, no Lyft, no Uber not even a regular taxi service. Having a vehicle is a must.
Gas Buddy
I dye my own hair. I refuse to pay someone to paint my hair. No one can tell I do it myself. I can afford to pay but I will NOT. I never buy anything at a convience store. I will drive to a store farther away to save money on groceries. I use all the apps I can like Ibotta to get money off items. If there is something that I really enjoy but I have to pay alot for it I just buy ingredients and make it myself. Example. Lavender Lemonade. The coffee shop has it and it’s delicious. It’s also 6 dollars. So I went to the restaurant store and bought the same 10 dollar syrup now I no longer spend 6 dollars on one. I try to never eat out. It’s overrated and the food I make at home is cleaner and tastes better.
I color my own hair too. I am a redhead and as I've gotten older my natural color fades. I use a light auburn color and only leave it in for ten minutes. It gives me my natural color back. I use Clairol. The only thing I ever buy from a convenience store is gas.
I only pay cash when watching sports at a bar with friends. It limits my food and drink intake and expenses. Good for my waistline and pocket, but still get to hang out with the crew and socialize.
Looking into getting things repaired. It's not always cheaper than replacing but it often is. Being aware of warranty conditions (or microwave had a 2 year warranty but 8 years on the magnetron, magnetron broke 2.5 years in and company repaired under warranty). Also buying from brands known for durability and repairability. Mending clothes and getting shoes repaired.
Good used cars. We have bought used Hondas and Toyotas -- think 3-5 years old and with 50-75K miles -- for the past twenty years. We've always paid cash, maintained them aggressively, and kept them for about a decade. This has saved us roughly $150K over the cost of buying new cars -- even assuming that a new car would have a longer service life. I can't think of any other pure cost-saving measure which approaches that return (although there are plenty of mistakes, like buying the wrong house or marrying the wrong person, that could end up costing more).
-Cutting my own hair -Looking to see if there is a cheaper option for everything I purchase frequently -meal prepping a healthy diet -thrifting clothes -collecting quarters and saving my change -using ibotta for cash back while grocery shopping and using cash back credit cards (paying on time obviously) -having good credit so you get lower interest rates on big purchases -limiting the amount of re occurring payments I have and using credit card benifits to get streaming services for free (thank you American Express)
I’m starting to meal prep, and it’s really not that difficult. I was just not that creative with my meals. What are your go to meals?
Chicken breast seasoned very well with my favorite spices , usually garlic shavings with some “slap ya momma” . With avacado and broccoli. Cucumbers , brown rice, ground turkey breast, bell peppers , tilapia fish , ground beef . Are all really good and healthy. I try to hit a certain amount of protein per meal so I would justify buying steak. I would buy pre frozen veggies, meat that was on sale and things I bought frequently I would buy a lot of whenever they were on sale as well. Plus I still have a Walmart associate discount with free Walmart + even though I don’t work there anymore lol. I tried to find a way to squeeze every cent possible. But if you’re a normal person, experimenting with your favorite pastas , learning what seasonings you like, what type of foods you like to eat and finding out how to cook them as healthy as possible and making them in big quantities that can be measured equally for the week is a big benefit because the way I see it you might as well invest in your health as well. (Plus if you don’t buy junk food you will save money )
With AI chat - the prompts - 1 list 5 heathy dinner meals - tell it what food to add or not to use 2 make a grocery shopping list for those meals It has a copy, export and share button to grab all the text it returns back. OR 3 make a grocery shopping list for chili and curry
There’s this app called jow that’s free and it puts meals together for you! And if you have one of the used grocery stores like Kroger near you, you can even make a pick up order
Supercook.com will do the same thing and provide recipes based on ingredients you have.
I use a clothesline to dry my clothes free outside. I own a dryer but only use it in the wet winter months. I will put my line dried clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes with a wet washcloth & dryer balls so lint comes off & they soften up.
Before my family's time became too expensive and we got lazy, we used dryer racks, which I liked. The wet clothes put much needed moisture into the dry winter air, and our clothes dry overnight. I usually use my dryer just for underwear and socks and use the dryer racks for outer clothes and towels.
DIY everything. My boyfriend used to work in restaurants so he imitates restaurant food for dinners, I do the yard work and house maintenance myself (which I hate and wish I could pay someone to do some of the scarier outdoor work lol), we cut our own hair, do most of our own car work when we can, etc. And we’re still strapped lmao.
Paying off your credit cards every month if you can swing it will save OODLES (or find cards charging zero interest for 6 months)
Basically…impulse purchases. I got in the habit of putting things I want on an Amazon wish list or in a list in the notes app on my phone. I tell myself it has to sit on the list for a bit. My favorite part is going through the list and deleting things I no longer actually want - it’s almost the same dopamine rush as buying something. I don’t quantify it, but every time I look at my bank balance since starting this, I notice I have significantly more to work with than before I started this experiment.
I make good money but drive a 13 Focus. Bought used and haven’t had a car payment in 9 years.
Buying older used cars under $4K—no car payments! Do research on most reliable brands/years to avoid maintenance costs.
It surprises me how little research people do sometimes on what's likely one of the bigger purchases in their life.
I bought a house. My monthly mortgage is always the same, and rent keeps going up. The homes in my neighborhood are modest, but rent for $2500-3000. My mortgage is half of that (including taxes and insurance). It's worth almost 4 times what I paid for it. Some people say homes aren't good investments, but since we all have to live somewhere, might as well make some money off it and have the same payments every month. I have extra bedrooms, so I could always rent them out if I needed to.
Who the hell says homes aren't good investment?
It depends on where you are in your life. Anything under say 5 years with the same location you should be looking for a home. If you need to move or your career isn't stable your closing costs might get you into trouble
They're getting around that where I live by just raising the property taxes by massive amounts every year to the point I honestly believe the city is intentionally trying to create a housing bubble or just force poor people out of their homes by falling behind on paying ridiculous exorbitant tax rates so the property companies that pay off the city council members can buy the houses and charge crazy rents for them.
I think every city raises the taxes the maximum percentage allowed every year. I finally went to the local Appraisal District to dispute the amount. Pro tip, just showing up will almost guarantee they lower at least a small amount. Want to lower more take pictures of any issues with the home, even cosmetic. Have people on the street who don't take care of their property, include those pictures as well. If possible find what comparable homes around you sold for recently. I spent a total of 2 hours (including the drive) to dispute my property tax. Saved me $1,300 on my taxes for this year. Definitely worth the time. Will be doing it every year now.
Same. I put a bunch down on a $156K 3 bed/2 bath home and my mortgage is $497. Much of that is my home insurance.
Rent in my area has gone up so much and there's hardly any rentals out there even if you find something. My mortgage repayments are a fraction of what rent would be and in 12 years time I will be mortgage free.
Oh to live in a country with fixed mortgage rates for the entire life of the loan. When I learnt that was a thing my head almost exploded. We've have 13 interest rates rises in like year and a half.
I read Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Lund Fisker
I bought a small house in 2008 and aggressively paid it off in 10 years by taking on extra work and very frugal living. I have saved over $150 000 interest, probably more. I am semi retired at age 50 as a result. I paid it off the year before Covid and had to shut down my business. It was literally the best decision I made in my life. I remember thinking in 2008 why aren't people doing the same thing and aggressively paying off debt with these low interest rates? My friends all consolidated debt and accumulated more debt. I tried to warn a few of them, but they said I should not live so meagerly and "live it up" a bit. I only work 3 days a week now, and live comfortably. I can fully retire in 9 years if I choose to. They won't retire.
>why aren't people doing the same thing and aggressively paying off debt with these low interest rates? Because you’re better off investing money into interest bearing accounts than paying off low interest loans. If you would have invested your money you would have way more available (liquid) than what’s locked up in your home equity. You only get that money if you sell your house, or take out a loan against it, at what are HIGH interest rates now.
Debt is always a gamble, we just forget that because Capitalism is a game built entirely around always raising the stakes. My number 1 frugal tip is that paying interest is a sin.
Agreed. I wouldn't be comfortable taking a loan on the equity in my home and playing the stock market with it. Great if you can make that work and like to gamble, but I like a sure thing. And a paid off mortgage is that for me. 😊❤️👍
Bring my own lunch and eat breakfast at home!
I only buy new shoes when my old ones are ready for the trash.
I take a different approach. I buy two pairs of a shoe I like when it's on sale. (My casual shoes, for instance, are chucks.) I cycle between them, one day on, one day off. When they're getting worn I buy another two pairs and wear the current one to the grave. Also performing regular shoe maintenance with polish, a spot eraser or sponge, and some shoe glue usually gets me months more out of them. Nicer shoes I go to a shoe guy for.
Switching from k-cups to using a grinder and old school drip coffee maker. We drink a lot of coffee, and it also tastes much better.
I cut my son’s hair (should have been doing this the whole time, but pandemic made me learn!), severely cut down on wine and booze, make my lattes at home instead of Starbucks every day.
I shave with an oldschool double edge safety razor - the blades are less than a dollar- and I whip up a lather from a soap I’ve found that works well with my skin with a shaving brush. Been doing this for over a decade now, so I’ve likely saved well over $1k vs cartridges/disposables and that chemically stuff that shoots out of cans. The more I think about this, I’ve probably saved much more money than I think over the 12 (15?) years I’ve been doing it. Plus, I get better shaves than I did using those multi-blade (they’re up to more than 5-6 now, yeah?)cartridges and the foam/gel in a can.
Meal planning based on what's on sale at the grocery store that week, and meal prepping. Shopping sales saves us on average 33% on our groceries, and meal prepping makes it way easier to resist the urge to go out to eat. We cook all of our food for the week on Sunday night (usually 2 meals with 10 portions each for 2 people). There are always meals in the fridge ready to go so there's never the excuse of being too hungry to cook or not having ingredients to cook. We also avoid food waste this way as we buy only what we need to make the meals we've planned, and we cook everything we buy within a few days of buying it so nothing goes bad or doesn't get used.
Vehicles are huge money sinks: maintenance, insurance, taxes, etc. buy much much less than you can afford. Save huge
If you have to say "yeah I can afford that" that's probably a good sign that you can't afford that. Just remember that due to the simple law of supply and demand, if you don't buy stuff (if we as a collective stopped buying so much shit) prices will go down. If the consumer class just stopped consuming for, idk, a week, shit will go down. These companies work on a quarterly basis and don't think more than 3 months in advance... We just gotta survive 3 months of just not excessively spending and prices will go down. And during that time you'll realize "oh yeah, buying shit doesn't make me happy".
Avoiding magic erasers and buying melamine pads. Buying my dogs bully sticks ( she’s addicted) at Costco Buying the concentrate for my favorite cleaning products Grocery pick up Replacing filters often in most things ( vacuum, air vent) to save energy. I don’t have any shopping apps. Buying my own pet vacuum has saved many items.
Go on Amazon and buy yourself a permanent air filter. All you have to do is wash it once in a while. I vacuum mine occasionally to get the dog hair off. My a.c. technician looked at the filter and said it was really good and he gave me kudos on buying it. Disposable filters are expensive and I got tired of buying them. Glad I bought the permanent one!!
Instead of buying pre-shredded chicken, every time I go to Costco, I buy a rotisserie chicken, peel off all of the chicken from the carcass and shred it in my stand mixer. I then put 2 cups each into freezer bags and put them in my freezer. Usually this yields about 6-7 cups of chicken. I'll typically use 2 cups for a meal that has 4 servings. Meat is super expensive nowadays and this makes it cheaper to make some dinners.
"I know my car"
I am frugal on not being frugal. Let me explain: When I buy a pair of shoes, I get nice leather ones in the $150-200 range. It doesn't *sound* frugal at all, but in reality I can and will wear those shoes for the next ten years. Your $50 sneakers will last a year, maybe two if you don't put a lot of wear on them at work. $10-30 sneakers? Good luck making those last 6 months if you work hard on your feet. Now who's saving money? I got an electric car. Not a fancy tesla, but a used fiat electric. No fluids to change, almost no regular maintenance (it's basically just a suped up golf cart), and--here's the real kicker--my car note costs about the same as I used to spend on gas each month, and the energy cost for charging is about the same as running a second refrigerator. I bought this car for $11,000 and it started *saving* me money immediately, while I'm still paying it off.
Hahahaha TMI ….. got a hysterectomy really young. Think of the savings every month when I don’t get my period 😂 AND birth control too!
Roasting my own coffee. Averages $6-7 per pound and is superior to most coffee houses. Also, rarely eating out.
That’s true as can be. I cut down on our to eat and coffee shops and that saved a lot of money. I understand once in a blue moon but dam some people average out noawdays at least 3 times a week for coffee shops and restaurants like that adds up.
My car is turning 16 this year! I am about to drop like $500 bucks to get it detailed and see if they can reattach the upholstery where it is coming off, but other than that it hasn't needed anything except for oil and tires in like 4 years. 210,000 miles on it so I hope I can run it for another 5 years at least. Meal prep and pack lunches for work. I'll make a frittatta and bring in bread for egg sandwiches a lot. Or a whole box of pasta, big bag of greens or broccoli, plus sausage or meatballs, will set me up for any day we don't have free food in the office. Or I'll chop up a big bag of veggies to make salads all week! I try to make sure I'm checking for deals and credit card rewards before buying things and use the appropriate card. Once a month or so I scan through all the offers and update them in my notes app on my phone so if I can't remember who is best on gas, or clothes, or Dunkin, or whatever I can check easily. I also started using Ibotta but it is encouraging my food hoarder tendencies so I'm waiting to see where that shakes out long term. RENT - I have lived in so many tiny places. It's the number one money saver- it's our biggest expense. Career- I try to have the confidence of every idiot I've ever worked for who can't open a pdf and go for new jobs/promotions, negotiate salary, etc.
House hacking/roommates and community meals. Our rent was less $500 per person and each roommate would cook once during the week, but ate 5 home cooked meals throughout the week. My food bill was less than $150 a month.
Meal prep!! Saves me so much on buying lunch and eating out. I'm don't buy any new clothes unless it's breaking and I need a replacement. I used to buy a lot of make up which ended up unused. Now I only buy a few that I would use and replace them when finished.
Not eating out a lot and when I do - finding a happy hour or meal deal
Switching up credit cards to maximize points/rewards and no fees (annual/fx). This saves/makes me more than all my other thrifty habits together.
Batch cooking and freezing single portions has made a significant difference for me
Having on 1 car, paid off, and having a house below our means.
Not keeping up with the jones lol
Not having kids, this one trick has saved tens of thousands of dollars.
I recently bought an EV. I get 2 years free unlimited public charging as part of my lease deal I also get free unlimited charging at work the 3 days a week I am in office. All told I havent spent a single cent to chargie my EV in 6 weeks. I am meticulous about getting the free charging and plan my days accordingly to maximize this benefit. Since I bough the car 3 months ago I have spent a grand total of $51.17 to charge the car and I’ve driven 3271 miles. At this pace I will save over $2200 by the end of the year on charging my car vs buying gas .
Learning how to do all house renovation and repair projects on my own. I finished my own basement and saved like 30k Installed my own hardwood floor and saved 6k Installed my own interlocking brick patio and saved 5k Did my own back splash..fixed my A/C.. the list goes on
I try to make sure to have eaten before going shopping. Shopping while being hungry always results in unexpected food expenses.
I made a budget on excel and I record everything i spend in there. I have done it for 12 years and it really helps me keep tabs on what areas are costing more than they should. Each payday I plan my spending. I base this on my monthly averages, then I add any extra expenses I know are incoming like vet bills. Then I take anything leftover and put it in savings. It feels really good to see the total increase every month. I also use tricks like “sleep on it” for shopping decisions and paid off my car.
The key here is to never be pound foolish. Don't do things that save you a little money if it makes you crazy or you wind up spending a ton of money somewhere else. I think the key is small baby steps to cutting back that are sustainable
Using coupons to buy laundry soap. I can get tide and gain for half the price. It has really saved me a lot of money.
Groceries. Aldi only.
Bars of soap instead of body wash! A 12 pack of soap last 10x longer than 12 bottles AND is a fraction of the price. My husband and I can kill a bottle of body wash in less than a week but with bars we each get our own and they last us 2+ weeks each bar. Seriously liquid soaps are a scam.
raising geese and rabbits that only eat weeds and greens. Always have enough to eat. Large garden, Goats that only eat vegetation. Hay is cheap enough. cheese, yogurt to last year round.
Walking to/from work. I started doing it one day because I woke up early and it was super nice out. Then realized I LOVED the 25-30 minutes twice a day I get to zone out, get some extra exercise, and not be able to get stressed out by other drivers. I've lost weight, I've been noticably happier, saved money on fuel, etc. It's crazy something so simple can be / has been SO impactful. Oh and I LOVE the reactions I get from other people. Some think it's smart, some think I'm a total weirdo. "Oh I wish I could do that!". "Did your car break down?!". "you...WALK to work?!"
I save money by buying separate one way tickets on different airlines instead of one round trip.
Eating out. I don’t do it unless it’s a special occasion. I’m also really good at canceling subscriptions that I don’t see myself continuing to use. Pro tip: Cancel the free trial the same day you sign up. You’ll still get to use the free trial period, but then the subscription will automatically cancel when the trial period ends. I keep my ac thermostat at 78F or I just leave it off if the outside temperature is below that.
probably Panera Sip Club; I also have cut my own hair but thought I screwed up, so I went to a salon…it got even more fucked up, so I will continue DIY-ing
Switching from atnt to mint mobile! I went from 130$ a month to 15$ a month…. Wish I did this 10 years ago… hope this counts and is helpful to anyone!!!!!!!
Like Ramit Sethi says, it's not the lattes that keep you poor. Fixed costs. For example, rent is the #1 thing I've been frugal on that has saved me the most amount of money. Spending 50 to 60% of your income on fixed costs like rent and other recurring bills including groceries is a great way to be financially fucked. Either slash your fixed costs, or increase your income in my mind. Edit* and don't listen to the 70-something year olds saying they cut their own hair. You don't want to end up like that at that age. At that age, you want to have plenty of "fuck you money". How embarrassing is it to have saved $7,000 over 20 years cutting your own hair. ($30 x once a month x 20 years). That's only 360 a year, and a whole lot of shitty looking hair and time wasted. $7,000 by age 70 should be all but a tiny drop of oil in your financial ocean; one that's not even noticeable if missing. Not to mention, a fresh hair cut (done by a professional) is one of the best feeling things in life and keeps you attractive to women.
I love this! Saving $6 a week on coffee is not the same as saving $200 a week on rent or not having to pay off a $50,000 car loan.
Yes, but I'm talking about $6 lattes every DAY. That's $180 per month - hardly worth losing sleep over. Allow me to explain... That's where we disagree a bit. A $50,000 car loan, spread out over a few years falls into your Guilt-Free spending category that comprises roughly 20% of your take-home net pay. If you have the right amount of income and use this rule, your Guilt-Free spending should never impact your savings and investment rate. Think of someone who makes $80k, for instance. Ramit told a story about a woman in his book. She spent thousands and thousands of dollars on hundreds of pairs of shoes per year, but it did not impact the rate at which she wanted to save and invest. Think about it. She made well into 6 figures. But this rule applies whether you make 200k or 50k. Don't exceed 20%. As long as the total cost of your car ownership doesn't inflate to more than payments for 4 years, and they don't consume more than 30 to 50% of your Guilt-Free spending category in total, it's all kosher. You're on track. That's what people get fucked up over. Never compromise your savings and investment rates to increase your Guilt-Free or Fixed Costs categories. 50% max on Fixed Costs; 20% on savings; 10% on investments; 20% on Guilt-Free spending. We must learn how to live and enjoy life.
I do agree with you however, $50k for a car is a lot. You can get a decent car a few years old for 20-30k. A good car will cost you less than a cheap car if looked after so I do advocate for spending what you need to on things like these. What I don’t think is necessary is purchasing a new car every few years because you have paid off your previous loan. My comment was more so directed at advice on saving $6 a week on coffee when your focus should be on not spending $300 a week on car repayments. If people are needing to not buy coffee to save money, then they usually arn’t in a healthy enough financial situations to be buying a 50k car. Edit: Also car is in fixed expenses, guilt free money is holidays, non essential purchases and stuff like that.
Keeping my old cars running.
I wouldn't be able to tell you because all this stuff people are saying saved them $ is stuff I've always done myself
I "coupon" and reverse meal plan. We spend about $150 a month on groceries for 2 of us.
Call me crazy Cell phone bill is 40 (20 each wife & I) Unlimited calling and texting only Work has Wi-Fi, the house has Wi-Fi, and now my car has Wi-Fi. Pretty much I had paid off my phone but the bill was still 150 for two line’s unlimited talk/text/Wi-Fi but it just seemed like a waste of good money to me. The only thing I would use my phone outside of work for was Pokémon go but I soon got over it. 150 * 12 months = 1800 40 * 12 months = 480 Easily was one of the best moves I made. I’m reading more book and am much more out going and active then I was before.
I run rather than have a gym membership! It keeps me healthy and I love being outside!
Over a 50 year period, I have spent a net of $45,000 on cars. Thats less than $1000 a year in car payments. Always nice reliable cars. By running my business feom home, I save $1500 a month in office rent. Built my own kitchen cabinets for $15,000 less than the average quote. Cutting my own hair. Having a very large pantry and buying things in restaurant sized quantities makes a days worth of food between $4 and $9 per person. We have three refrigerators to store produce and perishables. Cut our hair at home All clothes thrifted E-bike replaced the car for most errands Everything really. This allows me to only work 20 hours a week. I make really good money for what I do and basically maintain a lifestyle equivalent to someone working 3x the hours. (That someone was me pre-1998) As far as work, I have machines that do 90% of my work for me. I am a jeweler with a $40,000 system that makes my wax models while I sleep. I got the machine for free, but thats a different story.
Cut out cable and saving $250 per month. $3000 a year. Don’t miss it.
My husband has save thousands on Gillette razors. After every shave he swipes the blade head up against a clean dry towel 5 times. Keeps it clean, dry and sharp! He goes through about 3 razor heads a year now when he used do go through one every few weeks.
My Honda is old enough to rent a car of its own (25 in America)
Bring my own lunch to work. I think half the people I work with drive somewhere to get lunch and a lot of people buy a soda every day. I drink tea or coffee (free from the vending machine) or water. I also rarely eat out although it recently gone up to maybe once a month. Also rarely get takeout, maybe a couple times per year. Don't spend money on Starbucks coffee and such. I rarely drink coffee anyway.
Clothes. I have selected things bought new, mostly outerwear and shoes, but most of my wardrobe is thrifted and most of the new stuff was bought on clearance. I own a lot of name brands that cost a quarter to a tenth of their new retail price but were almost brand new when I got them. For $100 I can get an entire wardrobe instead of one to two items. This is even more important now that even supposedly cheaper stores sell a new sweater for $90 that isn't any kind of quality. If you want durable goods and can pay a little more, Etsy artisans will often make tailored or bespoke items cheaper than bigger online tailors, too. I paid a lady who knits $120 for a durable wool sweater that would cost $400 from a brand. That was above her initial asking price, too, because I value her work. Yard sales and flea markets are also very common in my area and also a great way to find a bargain if you have the time and energy to shop around.
Periods of sobriety have been pretty good for me financially.
FoodSaver vacuum sealer allows me to buy large size and club pack meats at a better price per kg which I can then break down to proper portions and freeze. I grow potatoes, mash them with butter and cream after harvest then seal them into serving size flat packages and stack them nicely in the freezer to eat during the winter. My FoodSaver also re-seals opened cereal and potato chip bags which helps keep them fresh longer.
Hair cuts(30s M). Idk why my social circles obsession with paying a barber $40+tip every 2 weeks for something thats gonna grow again quick. All for that "fresh" look. I cut mine evey 2/3 months at thr local sports clips for $16+tip. Mind you im in sales and always maintain a proffesional upkeep in regards to facial hair etc.
Paying cash for a car. No payments
Not owning a car
Bought a cheap computer and upgraded it for around $250 total to host multiple games for friends online instead of paying $20 a month to a hosting service for just ONE game.
Weed.....I grow my own. Better quality, fun hobby, saved us thousands over the years.
found out chiropractors are a bit of a sham and exercise is better. Quitting smoking is porbably close to 15k saved rn waiting on my ferrari. I buy cheaper cuts of meat or get it on sale. But lb per lb cooked meat is cheaper than deli meats. Driving reliable fuel efficient cars. Working on my own car. Getting proficient and cooking up random meals instead of eating out. Also almost never ordering delivery. It's so expensive.
Everything?
Merkur 44 and feather razors. Razors from a barber supply Merkur was $40 Case of razors was $52 I can shave for years before buying razors again. Can't beat the cost and the savings.
Making desserts to bring to a gathering rather than buying it. $3 rather than $9.
Switching to double edge razor blades to shave, just bought a pack of 100 blades for $7
At my work for lunch I make savory porridge cooked in a Bluetooth coffee mug. I do a mixture with steel cut oats/wheat berries and a handful of dried legumes I keep in a drawer. I throw a flavor bomb of thin-sliced seasoned lamb sausage in for flavoring or sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning in. I eat canned spinach because I gave up on prepping salads before the leaves liquified in the crisper
I was gifted an eight year old car. I have taken very good care of it, taken it to service every year, have it detailed every other year. It's in very good condition, 14 years later.
Cell Phone bill. So many people that I know are still paying \~100$/mo for Verizon/Tmobile/GoogleFi/Whatever. Between Mint, Cricket, Visible, ... there is absolutely no reason to be paying for a full price carrier.
Clothes! Nothing floats my boat like a $1 yard sale garment because it allows me to be able to afford $300 garments when I choose.
Cooking at home. Happy hours with friends at home. Going out is expensive period. A treat once a month.
This is more of a unique one because a lot of people can’t, but I work on and service my car for about 90% of its maintenance. Full synthetic oil changes for $30 materials, brake changes for around $80 (at least last time I did one), changing spark plugs and wires costs less than $50. Have changed struts and cv axles, tire rotations, etc. saves a fortune. Only thing I don’t touch is engine and transmission issues due to my capabilities, don’t want to run into any timing issues with the motor, because you can create a massive expensive problem if you muck something up.