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“Don’t Use Credit Cards, Use Cash For Everything”: 30 People Debunk Frugal Hacks That Just Don’t Work
Many folks are looking for additional ways to save money. And in times like this, the easiest thing to do is to fall back on the advice you’ve been hearing all of your life. However, those frugality tips might save you a tiny sliver of cash, at the expense of massive chunks of your time and energy. Which isn’t all that great of a bargain now, is it?
Redditor u/LtCommanderCarter started an interesting and useful discussion on r/Frugal, asking people to share all the savings hacks that they personally think are either totally outdated or just plain wrong. And some of them might make you see how you budget things and spend your (very limited) time in a fresh new light. Check them out below.
Meanwhile, Bored Panda reached out to personal finance expert and best-selling author Rick Orford who was kind enough to shed some light on what someone could do if they find that their expenses are outweighing their income. You'll find our interview with him as you read on.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I'm in a high cost of living area and the "thrift stores" sell noticably worn t-shirts for $13.99.
They haven't been thrifty for more than 8 years in my area.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
A new t-shirt here, probably made by slaves, unfortunately, is about $1.50.
Blondie23 2 years ago
With thrifting you have to be careful what you buy. My middle daughter and I love to go look through thrift stores as something fun to do. If we find stuff then cool but only if it's a reasonable price. It's more of an activity than anything else. Unfortunately we live in a fast fashion world and you can usually find better deals on clothing at regular stores.
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Learn the difference between for-profit second hand stores and actual thrift stores?
Fatér Dezső 2 years ago
And some idiots buy everything with a brandname and put it on vinted/depop for 3-4x the thrift store price and too lazy to even remove the thrift store price tag.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Really depends where you live. Op shops (thrift stores) in Australia are still selling for decent prices (t-shirts often between $3-7). There is still some variance based on who the store manager is (some haven't kept up to date on current standards) or what suburb you are in (inner city/trendy/upscale suburbs will generally have higher priced brands donated, therefore will charge more for them).
Pyla 2 years ago
But you are keeping something out of land fill. The expectation that a $10 tee is somehow good for the environment (polyester is plastic and cotton is farmed so dangerously that populations of workers in India suffer terribly in that labor pool, American farmers are prone to cancers from the pesticides) is a joke. I buy from Shopgoodwill and their sister site Goodwillfinds.
Joan Dobbert 2 years ago
Thrift stores have always sold crappy stuff mixed with good. If you want to dress well from the thrift store you go for frequent visits expecting one thing most trips. Most of my clothes ate thrifted and most are very nice.
RELATED:
#2
“Don’t use credit cards, use cash for everything.” - easy way to not have a great credit score when you need a loan. Use the cards and pay it off monthly.
Linden 2 years ago
Credit card use being basically necessary for financial existence is not a thing in every country.
ADJ 2 years ago
Exactly, of the people I know personally not even half have a credit card.
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Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Pay off my credit card every month, so there is never any interest charge. Plus got a card with a small percentage cash back reward. So using the card is actually less expensive than cash.
Kare Deter 2 years ago
This is what I do. I use that card for EVERYTHING, pay it off in full every month and let that cash back bonus keep adding up till it pays for Christmas presents or something I don't budget for
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marcelo D. 2 years ago
I know this might seem crazy to whoever wrote this comment, but sometimes, so people don’t like in the US. I know, it’s crazy. So if you get advice on the internet, you might get it from of those dozen or more people that live outside the US and don’t know about your credit score thing that doesn’t exist anywhere else (yes, there are other places, who knew)
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago (edited)
Only in the US though. Or at least I know of no other country that has this system. We don‘t have do go into debt to build up any score. You will only get a bad record if you go into debt and can‘t pay it back. Then you won‘t be able to get sny loans. In my country cash is king, for lots of reasons. 1. you cannot go into debt if you only spent what you have in your wallet and normally people don‘t withdraw more money than what they have in their bank account. 2. no one can track what you are buying.
Sue User 2 years ago
In us, having a credit score wasnt always the norm. These three companies decided to track your information ( who gave them the right ?) .Then they sell your credit score to other companies. They refuse to fisclose how they calculate your "score". And now the bihgest one is selling a service thst eill help you boost your score. The score they have created.
Load More Replies... Boris Long-Johnson 2 years ago (edited)
Certainly in the UK (credit scores are less of a thing than it seems in the US) Credit cards are a great way to manage money if you’ve the skills and crucially the income to do it. We get all sorts of stuff “free” via Amex air miles but if you’re on a very tight budget it can be easier to just spend what you’ve got cash wise.
Vix Spiderthrust 2 years ago (edited)
Also, under the terms of the Consumer Credit Act 1977, liability for any item over £100 in value lies with the credit card company, not the purchaser. So if, say, you buy a package holiday and then the holiday company goes belly-up, it's the credit card company that takes the hit.
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Khall Khall 2 years ago
Good luck getting a rental car or hotel room without a credit card in the US.
#3
"it's cheaper to buy in bulk"
then half of the item goes to waste because of spoilage or freshness.
D. Pitbull 2 years ago
It depends **WHAT** you buy in bulk. Toilet paper in bulk? That's awesome. That's why my spouse and I weren't panicking like everyone else during "The great TP crisis of 2020". We were/are regular Costco shoppers.
cogadh 2 years ago
Exactly. Only buy non-perishable or shelf stable stuff in bulk. Anything that could go bad, only buy as needed, but never more than you can consume before it goes bad.
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David 2 years ago
The DUH here is you bulk buy things that don't spoil or at the very least have a very long shelf life. A 'bale' of Costco TP or tissue boxes or their big box of trash bags all last me a long time. None of them have every spoiled. TLDR: Common sense is still a thing.
imgonaarickrollyousohard 2 years ago
Ironically you put the TLDR "common sense is still a thing" at the bottom instead of the top
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N Miller 2 years ago
Curiously, some supermarkets have twigged to this and will put offers on the smaller units. For example - toilet paper 24 rolls for £10, or 2 packs of 12 rolls for £4.50 each. The reason for this is supermarkets will run out of the bulk option, leaving them with a surplus of the smaller units. Supply and demand rules then mean they need to lower the price of the smaller units to make them a more attractive purchase. (Or, more commonly, raising the price of the bulk unit to make them *less* attractive)
We probably all know that money won’t make you happy on its own—health, an active social life, and finding purpose in life will help you with that. However, a bigger income can boost your happiness as you find more and more financial stability… to a certain extent.
Research conducted by Daniel Kahneman and Matthew Killingsworth, arbitrated by Barbara Mellers found that happiness rises up to $100,000 per year, and then plateaus. Greater income increased the emotional well-being of those who were the unhappiest the most. However, those people who are already very happy with their lives saw their happiness grow even beyond earning $100,000 per year.
“In the simplest terms, this suggests that for most people larger incomes are associated with greater happiness. The exception is people who are financially well-off but unhappy. For instance, if you’re rich and miserable, more money won’t help. For everyone else, more money was associated with higher happiness to somewhat varying degrees,” Killingsworth, the lead paper author and a senior fellow at Wharton, said.
#4
Almost none of these comments are actually things that are blatantly wrong they may just not apply to some people. DIY, buying in bulk, Black Friday deals, finding quality items at thrift stores, are all things that tons and tons of people have had success with.
Sadie Parkes 2 years ago
Indeed! The poorest in society often do not have the immediate money to buy in bulk even though they are the ones who would benefit most from the discount.
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Terran 2 years ago (edited)
Ugh, I hate this sort of comment. Of course not every life advice is for everyone. Everything is situational and there are hardly any definite answers for anything. There are always exceptions to any rules. Being adamant to always say how things can be different for someone else is a lot less smart and inclusive then we all think. We all agree that it will end deadly, if we jump from the 5th floor onto the street or at least give you severe disabilities. There is no use in mentioning, that some people survived such a fall unharmed, because the general rule remains, that it is deadly. Edit: after reading all of the posts on this list, i want to mention that life advice un financial matters does not work at all in the internet, as to many different backgrounds, ideas and abilities clash into each other to generalise anything.
#5
Delivery services. I do Walmart delivery all the time. I save on impulse purchases, it’s free, and the $10 tip saves me so much time and energy. Plus I can examine the price/weight in more detail.
Oh, and my kids can’t beg for stuff or sneak things in the cart.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago (edited)
Nah in my country the delivery fee costs much more than the petrol to drive to the store. Furthermore, the store will always "substitute" items that aren't in stock with a hated alternative, or an utterly irrelevant alternative ("Oh you ordered a toothbrush, sorry no stock, but here's a toilet brush."). Lastly, the quality they ship is whatever they pull off the shelf, with perishables I like to study the goods and see which is the best one. Oh and I forgot: the worst part. They take a few hours to deliver and when they do eventually rock up, they yell outside your gate (because we have 6ft walls with razorwire), so you have to endure like five minutes of yelling and missed calls from random unknown numbers while you try find your keys and eventually realise what the ruckus is about. My god I hate it. Far rather just go to the store like an old fart. Newfangled delivery apps. In my day we had to go kill a bear to harvest our grain growin' in Apache territoreh. Them days was tough!
Lemon Beans 2 years ago
I'm sure you made a good point somewhere, but I can't get past the idea of buying a toothbrush and having them substitute it with a toilet brush 😭😂
Load More Replies... Robert T 2 years ago
I'll probably get downvoted for this, but if you buy stuff from Amazon, try and make your order up over the minimum for free delivery. In the UK this is £20. Free delivery is slightly slower, but usually only by about a day or so. I have been known to buy a £1 pack of sharpies to save £4 on delivery. Also works with sending gifts. Recipient can have a £5 more on the gift than if I have to pay to post it.
Alexandra Davis 2 years ago
Ordering groceries online to be delivered to your home has been around in the UK since the late 90's. I'm shocked it took so long to be a thing in the USA! I love it, pay £2 for delivery and I spend 20 minutes ordering my food (it remembers what I buy regularly too) and then the next day or whenever I pick, my food arrives. Means I stick to my list, can easily compare prices (especially price per kilo etc) and I don't impulse buy crusty bread as I smell it as I go by or something else I don't need as it's on offer. People think you'll get rubbish nearly out of date items or bashed food but I've never found that to be the issue ever. Yes sometimes you get a substitute but then the item would be missing if you were shopping too.
Dill 2 years ago
I'm with you. I love having my groceries delivered. I just put a previous order into my basket, might add/take off a few things, and it's done! I've got weekly slots booked all the way into June. Saves wear and tear on me, the car and my patience! Substitions are rare but usually okay and when I've had to quibble about anything I've had instant refunds. Love it! I might miss some in-store bargains but for the hassle-free aspect it's worth it.
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Redmagesyndrome 2 years ago
Curbside is a better option. It has all the same advantages but at a fraction of the price.
Sarah Goettge-Lunn 2 years ago
Unfortunately, in my area, the delivery fee and the tip to the driver costs more then taking a cab. I live 10 minutes away.
Tumbah Chamberlain 2 years ago
I"m adverse to delivery, as I don't like how the services take monetary advantage of the delivery person. I do like the pick up option, which keeps me from spontaneous purchases and saves me time.
Cynthia Wilkins 2 years ago
Delivery isn’t free - at the very least, it costs you the tip. More often, it also costs you a delivery fee.
Rosie 2 years ago
I've been doing grocery deliveries since COVID started. I'm addicted now. Still go to the store once in a while, but the big shopping is done every other month at Walmart or Amazon or Publix (supermarket) sometimes spread among all 3. It's expensive, especially Publix, but I can shop from my recliner & stuff comes to my door. No need to deal w/traffic, parking, or hauling things around. That's worth a lot w/my handicap. I pinch pennies all I can, but try to tip well. Walmart & Publix do item substitutions, but I can choose the replacement or just say don't replace. Great service.
#6
Latte factor!
It's like "okay I need to make my money go further somehow' and people are like "stop buying coffee!" It's like you really think that wasn't the first thing to go? Really? It's like when thin people tell me I could lose so much weight if I stopped drinking soda and are stunned or flat out don't believe me when I say I don't drink soda (and if I do it's usually coke zero which isn't great for you but isn't the calorie bomb they're imagining).
David 2 years ago (edited)
Okay, so you already took the advice before someone gave it. But many people DO buy coffees all the time. I grind my beans, make espresso, use half and half - and I used to use quality syrup but quit for the calories) for PENNIES. When my friend gets a 16 ounce mocha with hazelnut it is $6.50. So the advice is sound and some folks need to hear it even if that someone isn't you.
Marcos Valencia 2 years ago (edited)
I got a DeLonghi Magnifica coffee machine, and buy Pellini coffee beens (which is quite expensive: €25 at the supermarket). My DeLonghi makes me a perfect cappuccino (and all I have to do is pressing a button). Every cappuccino (milk included) costs me around €0.20. The DeLonghi Magnifica is a little expensive when you see it at the store, but it pays back.
Load More Replies... General Anaesthesia 2 years ago (edited)
So you've never heard, "to really save money, buy a house so you can refinance the mortgage and save tons of money!"?
Rishabh Jain 2 years ago
In my country you get instant coffee at very reasonable price. Just mix it in hot water and you are good to go.
Chris D'Asta 2 years ago
Buy and brew your own. A pound of coffee can be as low as 5 bucks (Aldi, Walmart). Coffee makers as low as 10.
Lena Flising 2 years ago
I don't drink coffee, I never have. We are lucky enough to have clean water in our taps, and I like that better than soda; I always have a jug of water in the fridge, to make it cold.
linda Lavin 2 years ago
Some coffee drinks at that "popular coffee place", have 6-7 hundred calories!
Kim Lorton 2 years ago
Coffee that tastes great and that I , do not have to make, falls under the heading of take care of yourself and treat yourself!
According to personal finance expert Rick, there are two main strategies for building a surplus of income. The first one is increasing our income, such as "by asking for a raise, getting a higher paying job, or even a side hustle." The second approach is decreasing our expenses.
"Increasing income could be as simple as approaching one's boss and explaining why you're valuable, the extra work you provide over and above what's expected, and the current going rate for an experienced role such as yours," the expert told Bored Panda.
"If that doesn't work, there are other options. Thanks to the strong jobs market, now is a great time to dust off the resume and start looking for a higher-paying job."
There are always good opportunities available if someone has the patience to search for them and the courage to act.
#7
Wash your dishes by hand. Yeah my dishwasher uses less power to heat the water and run a load than the hot water cylinder uses just to heat the water. It uses less water than a sink full and can do more dishes in that amount of water than I can. So saves me money there too as I have to pay for water.
Actual handy frugal tip incoming, scrape food off your dishes and then just load into the dishwasher. Do not rinse your dishes. Add dishwasher powder to the prerinse section as well as the normal wash section. Select a cycle with a prerinse start. Dishes come out perfectly clean. Use powder, not tablets. Powder is generally about the same price as tablets but will get you twice the amount of loads.
cogadh 2 years ago
Not really. Pretty much all household dishwashers use less water and energy per load than hand washing, sometimes excessively so. Unless the dishwasher is really old, like decades old, that is.
Load More Replies... Pickles, Pennies, & Ponies 2 years ago
I'm single and I would run out of dishes before I got a full load and the dishes would just sit in there getting really gross.
Dill 2 years ago
You can do a low cost rinse program so that doesn't happen. Plus the dishwasher will clean them far more effectively than most humans can.
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Edgar Rops 2 years ago
Dishwasher is a sizable upfront investment not everyone can afford. It's not bad advice, it's a case of poverty tax.
Dill 2 years ago
That's a fair point. The cheaper ones in the UK are about £200. Could probably find one second hand if you were that determined to have one.
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TheElderNom 2 years ago (edited)
In most apartments here cold and hot water is included in the rent, so since the dishwasher uses electricity it would save money to wash it by hand. But I do feel that I have better use for my time.
linda Lavin 2 years ago
I've been telling my husband for years. Dishwasher uses less water. He still cleans by hand, w/o his glasses. He uses more water and dishes still have food all over!
Joelle Jansen 2 years ago
This is true! Dishwashes, when properly used, are more efficient than washing by hand. Only problem for me, personally, is that I don't have space for a dishwasher. I have quite limited cabinet *and* counter space, so washing by hand it is.
Sapna Sarfare 2 years ago
Considering the electricity prices, i would not. i see this as a waste of money. In India, it is easier to wash dishes honestly. also we can have a maid do the work
#8
Clip grocery store name brand coupons to save money.
Except most of the things that have manufacturer's coupons are high markup processed foods. Often another brand was a better buy than the coupon item. Sometimes a different size of the same product by the same manufacturer that didn't qualify for the discount was a better buy.
Buying generic and cooking from scratch are usually cheaper.
Melissa Peck 2 years ago
A lot of coupons require you to buy two or more of an item, so you end up having to spend more to use the coupon.
Liz Clarke 2 years ago
I've seen clips of extreme couponers who seem to get stuff essentially for free. That's not a thing where I live but I was puzzled. They spend so much time doing this that it's like a full time job, they might as well just get a job as they'd have even more money than they'd be saving.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
And they end up with like 1200 bottles of mustard. But it was free!!! Yes- but you spent 26 hours procuring it and you're never going to use it.
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Robert T 2 years ago
Most of the supermarkets in the UK now have some kind of loyalty card which gets you access to cheaper prices. As I don't give a monkeys about them knowing what I buy (it is going to get real boring, real fast), I use them all the time. Biggest savings are with Sainsburys and Tesco. Sainsburys target the things you buy, and that usually amount to about 30% off things like milk, yoghurts and bread.
Dill 2 years ago
I do the same. Nor sure where you could 'clip' coupons anyway. I suppose there are online discount codes but I don't think I've seen those for groceries. I might not be looking in the right places of course!!
Load More Replies... Lyone Fein 2 years ago
I agree with this one. I never waste my time with coupons anymore, because I don't buy name brands. Getting the store brand or generic is an automatic discount of 20% every single time.
Rosie 2 years ago
Another advantage of delivery shopping is that the web page items that have coupons are listed together. You don't have to waste additional time searching for coupons, then for the matching items at the store, then convincing a cashier to take them. So many times I plain forgot & walked out of the store after paying full price!
Marcos Valencia 2 years ago
Neither in mine, and I really would like to know more, since I have seen it's a recurrent argument.
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K-Dawn Bennett 2 years ago
If an item is 2 for $10 or whatever, I always give the other one to my mom. My store has 5 items for $19.99 in the meat section, I use paper and digital coupons and my store's bonus card. I also look through the ads so I know how much I'll be spending at checkout.
Adam Leviness 2 years ago
Coupons really only work if you find one for something you were already going to buy, or if you go the extreme couponing route and plan out a whole strategy, meal plan around it, and pick up as much as you can and stock up. If you could just use coupons and save money, companies wouldn't offer them.
#9
Higher quality cost more. The cost tells you nothing about the quality, it’s better to look at the materials and how something was made.
Marleina Hershberg 2 years ago
Reviews by other people with experience with the products helps, as well.
Amanduh 2 years ago (edited)
My husband was just contacted by and paid a $30 credit on Amazon to change his review. They started at $15 and worked up by five dollar increments until my husband finally agreed. I don’t trust reviews at all anymore.
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ValdaDeDieu 2 years ago
Nowadays the cost is the cost. You'd better do your research if you truly want quality.
Lena Flising 2 years ago
Since I moved out of my parents home some 30-odd years ago, I have been subscribing to my country's Consumer Agency's magazine, which does extensive tests of almost everything, and the tests are searchable long after they are published. It has saved me lots of money, and the magazine is a nice read 10 times per year.
Adam Benson 2 years ago
Razors are one example where the higher the cost, the higher the quality. I would never, ever buy the cheapest one in the store unless I want to go to work with plasters on my face to stop the bleeding.
CHRIS DOMRES 2 years ago
I use Harry's razors. They last two months. I had to stop the subscription after three months because I had enough blades to last three years.
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Mike Loux 2 years ago
The problem is being able to afford said quality. If you can afford a good pair of boots, they will last you a lifetime. If not, then you will pay a pittance for a cheap pair of boots, and then replace them every year, and they will ultimately cost you more over said lifetime. But what choice do you have? It's EXPENSIVE to be poor.
Redmagesyndrome 2 years ago
A lot of the generic brands of things are actually owned and made by the same companies as the name brand stuff and are often the exact same thing in a different package
Rachel Reynolds 2 years ago
I have sports bras I bought a Five Below that have outlasted (and are more comfortable) my Nike bras. And I treat them both with the same causal disregard when I wash them.
At the same time, knowing how to control your expenses can be an invaluable skill, too. Rick pointed out that part of making ends meet also means cutting expenses as well as creating and sticking to a budget.
"To start a budget, divide expenses between needs and wants. Needs are necessities that you need to live, like rent, insurance, food, etc. Wants are things that are nice to have, e.g. subscriptions, restaurants, shopping, etc.," the personal finance expert said.
"For many Americans, interest payments are also a big portion of one's budget. As a result, prioritizing paying down debt will result in instant savings (less interest to pay monthly), thereby increasing one's monthly surplus of income," he explained.
"Putting it all together, cutting back means reducing expenses and increasing income at the same time so that you can spend less than you earn and save the rest." For some more great personal finance advice, feel free to check out Rick's blog, as well as his book, 'The Financially Independent Millennial.'
#10
People don’t account for quality or time at all. Yes I can clean my own house, mow my own lawn, fix whatever is broken, but all of that takes time to do it and it won’t be as good as some who does it for a living. You can always make more money so be frugal with time than money.
JB 2 years ago
I built things for a living. I can do all the things listed above as well or better than anyone I'd pay, and I'd likely be paying a company more for their time than I'd make in the same time. Nice thought if you make a ton of money, but for the rest of us...
BlackestDawn 2 years ago
But that is the point. It's not an "always" any longer so base it on what your own capabilities, means, and values are on whether to do it for yourself or not.
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Barbara Kayton 2 years ago
I agree there are times it is less expensive in the long run to buy quality, hire those who know what they are doing, etc. But don’t count on the phrase “you can always make more money.” That is often not true.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago (edited)
Yep. It depends on your hourly rate. I can earn more doing consulting work in my spare time than doing housework. The housework I can pay to someone earning 1/8 what I do (yes, I pay above minimum wage even if there is a minimum).
Sue User 2 years ago
I would gladly hire a housekeeper. Unfortunately I would have to make $320 an hour to get the same deal as you. I live very rural ( sheep farm on one side, onion/ sugar beets on the other side and cleaners want 5 times the minimun wage.
Load More Replies... Mike Loux 2 years ago
We learned this one about 20 years ago when we lived in a very snow-heavy area. I could shovel the driveway in 2 hours, or pay much less than the salary I would offset by not working to have a company plow it in 5m. Especially when they could come plow it at 4am, thus allowing me to actually make it to work on time vs me being late and having my pay docked. Is it cheap? No. Is it cheaper than me doing it? Yes.
Kathie Mihindukulasuriya 2 years ago
Doing some things yourself can double as exercise (mowing the lawn, weeding, scrubbing etc). So another way to look at it is as exercise time
Max Fox 2 years ago
A professional cleaner can get your house done in less than 1/2 of the time that you can. If what you pay them is less than what you can make during the time that it would take you to clean the house, than pay for cleaners. So, if you're getting $20 an hour, and it takes you 6 hours to fully clean your house, than it's worth your while to pay $120 to somebody else, etc.
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
There are people I pay to do certain things though. Or my husband can do some car repair, like he replaced my truck’s front brakes this week, but sometimes he’s too busy or stressed at work, or the weather’s not so good to work outside, so it makes more sense to pay a mechanic.
#11
"tell the dealership you have cash in hand. They'll give you an amazing out-the-door price!" Haven't seen this to be true for the past 10 years. Dealerships make their money off of loans and the APR they can rake you over the coals for. They don't care if you have cash in hand. The point is to sell a loan, warranties, and future service
The Scout 2 years ago
Some dealerships by now even refuse the sale if you are not financing with them...
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
In SA we have a kind of tiered market; second or twentieth hand vehicles which have stabilised in price between $500 and $3000 or so, and new vehicles which start around $6700 for a s****y small car with a 1L engine. However, because prices are stable at the moment, we can get good resell prices on cars, so I traded in two oldies for what I bought them for, twice, in the last year. IE I got what I paid (slightly more in fact). This depends on the availability of imports, ZAR/USD rate, etc.
David H 2 years ago
Depends when you go. You go right before the new model comes out and they want to get rid of last years stuff they have on the lot (meaning you take one of their stock, with no extra additions), come cash in hand, they will give you a very good deal to unload it. It's based on when you go to purchase
Deborah Rubin 2 years ago
I paid cash on the barrelhead for my car. And that was only 25 years ago.
Rosie 2 years ago
Be careful w/loans you plan on paying early. Most have penalties if you don't take the full time, even if you don't ask for a discount on interest. It's highway robbery, but legal (somehow). Other plans have a bad effect on your credit score. I bought my last phone on the no-interest, installment pay in Samsung & my score took a dip. It would have been better just charging it to a credit card as I planned to pay it off in 6-8 months anyway. Never again! BTW, I have really good credit & no other debt.
Shelby Moonheart 2 years ago
We bought our last car like that. It was great not to have monthly car payments.
Susan Widomski 2 years ago
Cannot give this enough up votes. They really try to take advantage when you are female as well.
#12
Going cheap on everything. You are not doing yourselves any favors by buying cheap appliances. Cheap appliances break easy and need to be replaced. When you buy something, make sure it lasts and your not throwing money away to replace it every couple of months.
N Miller 2 years ago
I love that it's now just its own shorthand! The original was just "buy cheap, buy twice" but Sam Vimes gave us a more eloquent and relatable version.
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Tiny Fox 2 years ago
I decided to try this, I spent $350 on a pair of leather ankle boots last winter; they lasted me less than a year. The heel split and couldn't be repaired because of the way it was constructed. I've returned to paying $25 for shoes that I can get two years out of. Sigh.
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Jill Rhodry 2 years ago
Yep, false economy's a big one - but for some people if you need it now it's easier to find $20 for a kettle and replace it in a year instead of paying $80 now for a five year one.
Sadie Parkes 2 years ago
This is so true and how the poorest in society end up continuously poor.
Load More Replies... Tumbah Chamberlain 2 years ago
Unfortunately, this is not achievable for people on minimum wage. It's one of the many things that make it impossible for people to 'pull themselves up'. You end up spending much more money over time because things are breaking, need to be replaced, wear out. It's expensive to be poor.
Sadie Parkes 2 years ago
Absolutely, and it's not just about a lower-priced appliance not lasting as long; lower-price usually means less energy efficient as well.
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Nick Journey 2 years ago
My washer and dryer were both bought as cheap as possible. Washer lasted eight years, dryer going on ten. Dont assume cheap is trash. Eight years to save for a washer is pretty damn good.
Sue User 2 years ago
My cheap washer is 17 and still going. Sister bought a fancy one for twice the money and the motor burned out in 3 years ( two year warranty).
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago (edited)
Yep you have to identify which affordable brands are good. In SA we have DEFY. They are reasonably cheap and last for decades. Their prices have gone up but when I bought my first one it was about $500. It now goes for $300 (but our currency has devalued a lot!).
Adam Leviness 2 years ago
It's very expensive to be poor. Sure you might "save money" now by buying the $1 2-pack of tp but buying the $.60 per roll 12-pack saves much more. Buying the $100+ appliance now saves you from buying 5-10 more of the $25 ones you picked up to "save money." For me, it's shoes. I could buy the $20 sneakers, but they won't last 3 months. The $70 Adidas will last me over a year and feel much better.
Joan Dobbert 2 years ago
But sometimes you don't need the expensive appliance because you aren't going to keep using it.
HARRY KOPPERS 2 years ago
If you want to be a skinflint, get the 2nd or 3rd cheapest. Usually better quality with more options, but not so many 'useless' features. But...check ratings.
It makes sense for anyone and everyone to manage their finances well. Ideally, you want to have an income that’s greater than your monthly expenses. That way, you can pay for everything that you need, slowly get rid of any debt that you might have, and even have money left over to drop into your savings account or invest where you see fit.
A good approach to managing your expenses is to sit down and create a detailed list of all of your monthly expenses. Then, be honest with yourself about where you can cut back. For instance, you might be paying for a few streaming services but never find the time or energy to actually use them. It’d be a no-brainer to (temporarily) suspend those accounts.
Or you might realize that you’re spending an incredible amount of money on sneakers you never wear or on video games you don’t even enjoy anymore. This will look different for everyone. If money is tight, you need to get rid of all the superfluous expenses first before moving on to the stuff that will really feel bad to sacrifice.
#13
My pet peeve is "you need to save 3 months of expenses in an emergency fund." You actually need way more than that. Eight months to a year is recommended to sustain yourself during a recession. And anytime I look for a new job, it takes two months at least before I find something. I wouldn't want to lie awake at night worrying that the last month is going to escape me before my paycheck arrives.
Liz Clarke 2 years ago
No, this is counter productive, at least in some countries. Say you lose your job in the UK, you'd be entitled to help from the government until you get back on your feet. You've paid into this system so it's fair that you get help when you need it. It might be essential if you have children too. But if you have lots in savings you get nothing.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
yeah but the original posts are from Reddit which is dominated by american views. As I said in another post, South Africa is really similar so yeah, you best save up here as well. Our social grants are pathetic, like around £15
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John Dilligaf 2 years ago
This always ticked me off. Like me, a working stiff, is supposed to have 3, 6 , 8 or 12 months worth of cash on hand "for emergencies" ; yet billion dollar corporations start screaming for a bailout everytime their quarterly profits dip a little.
Stacy Madl 2 years ago
I wouldn't last a week. Sadly you gotta have money to save money. And when every bill eats up everything you're kinda screwed either way.
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Yeah, every time I got laid off from a job in my “career” over the past, goddamn, I can say 30+ years now of working, there went all my savings, so I had to start over again and again.
#14
It's cheaper to diy/if you want something done right, do it yourself. My family always said this. I was in my 30s when i finally realized how wrong they were. While trying to plumb in a new bath tub. It took me a week to fail at it. It took a plumber an hour to do it right.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I never DIY plumbing or electrical if I can avoid it, rather get a professional. After leaks in a wall and unexplained shocks from light switches, you go "f**k it" and call the guy.
Bunzilla 2 years ago
My Dad knows a decent amount of plumbing and electrical. He can do minor stuff, but for more major stuff (like rewiring the kitchen and fixing the plumbing, and wiring and plumbing a basement bathroom), we still call in the experts. That means if we have to sell the house, we can actually charge a little more by proving that work was done by a pro. Switching a light fixture / outlet / light switch, Dad can handle that. Know your limits.
Load More Replies... David 2 years ago
You pick and choose, even if you have the know how. I paid to have my roof replaced last year. I seriously considered doing it myself. I have done composition roofs and underlay and have also laid wood shingles. But I got a hole in my roof that I patched myself (quite well) and doing that relatively small area told me my knees and back (and everything else) were NOT going to want me doing a whole roof. SOOO much easier to have the guy and his team knock it off in a few days.
Iblowsheep_V3.2 2 years ago (edited)
i ended up doing a roof myself that we got a quote of $60K and one other of $45K. it cost me $12K to do it myself. sure It took me about 2 weeks to do it, but the savings was pretty close to my annual salary at the time.
Load More Replies... GadgetGirl 2 years ago (edited)
If you want something done right, do it yourself applies to everyday things like putting the dishes away, stocking the fridge or folding laundry. Not things you need a technical degree to do.
Mike Loux 2 years ago
Another case of time vs money. If you take a day off of work to try and fix something, and you make (say) $20 an hour, you are down $160 (plus the cost of parts, plus gas to drive to and from the store, etc), whereas you could have paid a plumber $100 to have it done in an hour.
Susan Reid Smith 2 years ago
For his experience and expertise he deserves it!
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#15
DIY. Not everyone has thousands of dollars worth of equipment around and the skills to build something cheap.
People reusing plastic containers for food. No, that is not designed to be reused for ten years
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Many communities have tool lending programs. Like a library, but for power tools. If not, rental is extremely affordable.
Beck 2 years ago
Places like auto zone have expensive tools to rent. Say you pay $40 to borrow it but you get the $40 back when you return it. My husband does it all the time.
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Sarcastic Jock 2 years ago
When I was a SAH dad, I used my skills in repairing stuff to save us money. Hoover broke, harvest button from old joystick, solder it on. £300 saved. It all adds up.
Alan Morgan 2 years ago
You don't need thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Hand tools are generally very cheap and anyone can learn to use them, as I did sixty years ago when power tools were a rarity.
WednesdayAddams'HashbrownOrder 2 years ago
I love to do carpentry, but it's so time consuming, it's only worth it if I can't buy the thing I need.
Tim Nicebutdim 2 years ago
It's my hobby, I spend far too much on tools. I had a new neighbour recently who started borrowing and systematically destroying my tools. I no longer lend him anything and he's behaving like a scolded toddler and sulking because of it.
Sheila Carty 2 years ago
My mother used the same Cool Whip containers for leftovers for decades! Some of those may be older than my youngest sibling!
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
If you wish to reuse plastic for food, you need HDPE with a '2' inside the recycling logo. They're food safe and you can use them indefinitely.
Jods 2 years ago
I haven’t bought any containers for left over food stuffs for years. Those plastic soup cartons? They are fantastically robust and can be shoved in a microwave time after time. I’d rather do this than put them in the recycling bin in the hope that my local council accepts this type of plastic.
Dill 2 years ago
Like many things it depends on the plastics being used. Some are not reusable or microwavable - can end up with chemicals leaching into the food. It's knowing which ones are which.
Load More Replies...One major area where you can really cut back is food. For instance, if you’re a big fan of dining out, eating fast food, ordering takeaway, or buying tons of snacks every single day, you can save a ton by choosing to cook at home. You can make inexpensive, nutritious meals very quickly by shopping around for good deals and planning ahead.
You could, for instance, buy certain ingredients at a discount and then freeze them for future use. Meanwhile, when you’re cooking, you can make bigger batches of chili or stir-fry or chicken and broccoli with rice, and then freeze the portions for the rest of the week. This way, you’re saving your time, energy, and money.
So long as you’re focusing on nutrition, you should be perfectly fine. And it’s no sin to dine out somewhere fancy from time to time—good food is good for the soul. But it really does have to be ‘from time to time,’ not daily.
#16
Eating out is just as expensive as grocery shopping these days. It varies , but the price per meal of cooking at home is much cheaper
N Miller 2 years ago
Wait, which option was the frugal hack? Eating out has always been more expensive than home cooking. Unless you're talking a £3 Maccy's every night?
Kobe (she) 2 years ago
3 pounds for a dinner at McDonalds? Where are you from? Here you spend for one meal easily 10 - 15 euros. ( 1 pound = 1,15 euro)
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Vasana Phong 2 years ago
When buying food ready made or eating out, you’re really paying for the convenience and time saved cooking, for me it will depend on my day
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Home cooking is always less expensive. Cook at home more and you can afford higher quality ingredients.
ValdaDeDieu 2 years ago (edited)
NOPE. Just NOPE. The other day using what was in my fridge -- I had a package of meatballs that cost maybe $6.00. Then I had some stuffed pasta that cost $6.25. Had some cheese from a bag that had cost $6.75. Some fresh jalepeno 40 cents; salsa (had been used; original cost $ 3.95 ) and a new bottle of pasta sauce $5,20. I made a meal that served 2 of us 2 servings from 1/3 of the meatballs, 1/2 pasta 1/5 of the salsa and 1/2 of the bottle of pasta sauce. The cheese was down to about 1/12. The only thing "new" was the pasta sauce. So for about $12 dollars I made something that we'd have easily paid $20 each for, plus tip. If you can cook, HOME is much cheaper. Eating out is never, ever less expensive. Anything that you pay $1 to a restaurant for is actually worth 1 cent. But they have to have this mark-up to turn a profit. And this isn't even the best I can do. I want a garden. I just happen to live in Bumfuck -- for now.
The Scout 2 years ago
That depends on the ingredients. If I plan on treating myself to a nice veal scallop with white asparagus, new potatoes and homemade hollandaise, I easily spend twenty bucks for ingredients. I can get a lot of burgers for that...
David 2 years ago
I think they meant for like food? You can make a lot more burgers at home for $20 than you can get eating out.
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K-Dawn Bennett 2 years ago
I always cook and love it. I grow my own fruit and veggies, freeze it for later or share. I don't eat out much.
Rishabh Jain 2 years ago
Eatries will charge you 3x of material cost on menu. One part coveres cost of material, one cost of labor and 1 is profit. If you cook on your own you save ateast 2/3 of cost. It can vary as per items on menu but in country with low wages for chefs (like mine) its a great frugal hack.
#17
Driving for miles to save 2-5 cents on gas. I still see this done today and I don't think it helps at all. But to each their own.
Thanks to another reddit user, I will add and point out that the saving 2-5 cents is meant for those who use unleaded or diesel. There are those who use other forms of gas that I was not meaning for this to apply to because they may not have that option. My apologies.
David 2 years ago
Ironic they pictured a Shell station. One of the most over priced stations in my area. I pass a shell station on my way home and it is typically 45 to 65 cents more a gallon than what I had just paid in town. It's become a game to check on the days I fill up. But really, who drives "miles" to save "2 cents"? I save a LOT more than that on my Costco gas and I drive (effectively 0 miles to get there because I wait until I am there anyway for shopping.
Mike Loux 2 years ago
This. Even with their Fuel Rewards, they are still more expensive than the other stations around. But when you swipe your rewards card and see "You get 5 cents off per gallon" it just hits different. Even if it's still more expensive.
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Ryan-James O'Driscoll 2 years ago
I feel like anyone with basic comprehension would not have needed that clarification
Robert T 2 years ago
Prices here vary by a lot more than that - 10 pence per litre is not unusual - that's something like 50 pence (or cents) a gallon. I don't drive out of my way to fill up, but I will fill up if I am driving past a cheaper filling station, or change my route slightly if I am going somewhere near. We often combine a trip to the supermarket with filling up my other half's car, as the supermarket is normally the cheapest for standard unleaded.
Liz Clarke 2 years ago
My mum would do that so often that I had to point out that she was using far more petrol that she could ever save.
Tim Douglass 2 years ago
I've driven my car for 2 1/2 years and haven't had to gas it up yet! Incredible mileage! Of course I do have to plug it in every couple of days, but still.... And it's really easy to figure how much farther you can drive to save 10 cents.
GadgetGirl 2 years ago
I got a hybrid vehicle a while ago. I fill up once a year if I don't go on long trips.
White Sauce Hot Sauce 2 years ago
Depending on the distance, the price difference, and how much gas you actually buy, this can save enough money to be worth it.
Anna Drever 2 years ago
Get one of those apps that tell you the cheapest fuel closest to you. I have ‘Gaspy’ but I’m guessing there’s others out there depending on where you live.
v 2 years ago
Another one tied to cars is related to people who have daily drive that gets good mileage while also having one or two other "weekend" cars. Run the numbers honestly and there's no way this good mileage daily driver is saving money. I've never seen anyone who champions this idea actually factor in purchase price, maintenance, insurance, registration and fuel costs when they talk about how much money they're saving each month on gas.
#18
People still parrot the “buy a cheap laser printer from Brother” talking point like it’s 2005. You don’t need a printer at all, just go to a copy shop and spend the 30 cents the one time in a decade you’ll actually need to print something.
David 2 years ago (edited)
LOL at only needing to print something once every 10 years. I have a Brother laser printer. About 10 years old now I think. Works great. Costs me nothing to have it around because powdered toner doesn't dry out. It is a printer / scanner / copier. I would have paid more at the copy store even not counting my gas and time to drive there. YMMV
Robin DJW 2 years ago
I have a xerox B&W laser printer. For what I need to print (which happens maybe once or twice a month)), color is not needed. I bought a nice dust cover for it, and don't keep it plugged in to my laptop. I don't know how many wet ink printers I gummed up over the years. I bought this one pre-Covid, and only just last week used up the tiny amount of toner that comes with it.
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Lyone Fein 2 years ago
This is wildly different from one person to the next. Some people don't have anything to print. Others, like artists, teachers, etc. Need to print out stuff all the time. So it really varies.
Eh-non-o-mous 2 years ago
I went to a well-known print store and paid $87 for 100 copies of a color 8 1/2 x 11 poster. Yikes.
Deborah Rubin 2 years ago
What century are you living in? Maybe YOU don't need a printer, but I do. This is so not frugal if you print once in a decade, and 30 cents per what? Page?
Cynthia Wilkins 2 years ago
Most people I know who only use a printer once in a decade don’t bother with a printer. Most people who buy printers actually use them.
Tumbah Chamberlain 2 years ago
When I moved, I never unpacked my printer as I didn't have the space. Best decision ever. When I need to print, I go to the library or copy shop. Also means much less unnecessary printing!
#19
That earning more money means you lose all the gains to taxes. Nope, you always will take home more money if you get a raise. Where a raise does adversely affect a person is if the extra income tips them out of a government benefit, such as below x income receive this tax credit or that assistance program. But you have to usually be pretty low income to get those anyway.
David 2 years ago
Related: NO, you do not need to spend extra on your small business because you "need the tax write off" (quoting a relative). Business expense tax write offs are only a win if you had to spend that money anyway. If you are inventing business expenses for the write off you are losing every time.
Mike Loux 2 years ago
Just like those sales where they say, "You can't afford not to go to this sale! You will save 75%!" Not if I wasn't gonna buy it in the first place.
Load More Replies... Susan Widomski 2 years ago
The problem with a raise (and it was never high enough) is that the joy of seeing the wage go up is ruined by the expectation that you will have more to do in the same amount of time. (Example: going from a position to one that requires you to supervise others). The aggravation and paperwork was not worth "raise".
David Gripon 2 years ago
Well, taxes are based on a tier formula. And if you work a week with crazy overtime, you may have had a higher percentage taken out that week, but it levels back out at the end of the year and you get most of that excess taxation back.
#20
People say that a plant based diet is too expensive. That's only true if you are constantly buying all the plant based substitutes. If you're just getting normal basic food like legumes and grains and veggies and stuff like that, it's a lot cheaper than buying meat.
Rose the Cook 2 years ago
Not true everywhere, an avacardo costs the same as a chicken at the moment where I am.
Auntriarch 2 years ago
In the carnivorous world, hyperprocessed food is the cheap option. In the plant based world, it isn't
Alexandra Davis 2 years ago
This is true. I see how expensive meat and dairy etc is and I'm shocked. My food bill is considerably lower than those I know who eat meat and diary and yet as I have a stomach condition that means I am sick after eating so eat more food than most to stay a healthy weight and buy some pre-made food as I'm disabled- I still spend less money but from the same supermarket. Yes buying expensive items like pre-made neat replacements is nearly the same as the meat items, but if you stick to fruit and veg and beans and pulses etc you save a lot of money, have a healthy diet and are fuller for longer
Esist Nosrep 2 years ago
If you buy basic and cook yourself it is not too expensive to buy some raw meat and eggs. If you eat "vegan" processed cr@p or other processed cr@p thats when bill starts to pile up, blood sugar skyrockets and health deteriorates
Annabelle 2 years ago (edited)
If you like that no problem. But I think OP means that if you want to buy plant based foods it isn’t necessarily more expensive than meat. But it depends where you live I guess. Near the Artic meat might be cheaper. Personally I don’t like to eat meat all the time, because of ethical and environmental reasons (which is my choice. I won’t force you to do anything).
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Amberlie Mikelsen 2 years ago
Right now, with the current grocery prices in my area, we're extremely lucky if we can afford meat or fresh ANYTHING! With gas cost, we usually have to pay between US$15-20 per person to cook at home, whereas eating out is only ~US$10-12 per person, and that's IF we happen to find meat on sale for less than US$5/pound!
David Gripon 2 years ago
Amen to that. I try and explain that to people all the time. Besides, many of those meat substitutes have more calories of meat, but lacking some nutrients. The big difference is cholesterol.
Alyssa Phillips 2 years ago
My daughter decided to go vegetarian and we support her (the rules being she stays healthy and isn't a b******e to the omnivores). The problem comes when she wants to eat something similar to us...chicken and gnocchi with garlic cream sauce, the meat is cook separately and she gets a chicken substitute that is 4x what my leg quarters cost. But we provide and adapt.
Kelly Kenrick 2 years ago
Not when the vegetables or fruits go bad two days after you buy them
#21
The people who insist credit and debit cards are bad. No, they aren’t. YOU lacked the self control to understand how to manage one efficiently. They are extremely useful if you use it responsibly. They warn everyone else because of their failures. it’s quite comical.
General Anaesthesia 2 years ago
Different strokes for different folks. Some people need to see the contents of their wallet shrink in order to control spending. There is nothing wrong with that. There is something wrong with needing to look down on someone, anyone who isn't like you, in order to feel good about yourself. It's quite pathetic.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
In fact if you keep the credit card in positive balance many of them offer good positive interest, better than a savings account ... so.
Pyla 2 years ago
As a former banker who has seen fraud, you are better carrying and paying with a credit card. Simple reason: if there is fraud it's THEIR money if it's a debit card it's YOUR money. Sure there's a provisional credit (read: temporary until they have determined that there is a reason to leave the credit on the account), but they have up to 10 days to give it to you and 90 days to research. CC companies are HIGHLY incentivized to make sure they don't lose THEIR money. If people learn to keep a zero balance on a card, not treat it like pretend money, and don't forget to pay on time, it's a very lucrative and secure tool in your wallet.
Mike Loux 2 years ago
If you can afford to use your card for everything and pay it off every month, then that is absolutely the way to go, especially if your card is one of the many that has some sort of reward system (points, air miles, cash back, etc). But if you can't afford to pay it off every month, then that is a bad idea, because now you're paying interest to offset those rewards and it might be a losing proposition.
Cynthia Wilkins 2 years ago
Yes! The problem is using the credit card irresponsibly. If you only spend what you were going to spend instead of treating it like a excuse to overspend, you’ll earn cashback, you won’t actually lose any money if it gets lost or stolen, and you can easily know exactly how much you have at a glance and exactly where it all went.
Shanae Schmucker 2 years ago
Its because of the Dave Ramsey personal finance course that everyone believes most of these.... (It's still being taught, I took it in highschool around 2016 and just had to go through the course again in college 2022)
Cynthia Wilkins 2 years ago
Yep. I don’t understand why people think that someone in an ivory tower who makes it clear with every other sentence that he doesn’t have any concept of what life is like for the average Joe is going to be a good source of advice.
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Maureen Greenaway 2 years ago
I agree about using credit cards, responsibly. Use them and get the benefits of points, etc. and then pay them off monthly. Find one that has no annual fee. They’re also useful in helping with monthly budgeting and accounting. Debit cards are just another form of cash.
#22
Making your own laundry detergent. It's performative frugality and a tremendous waste of time. Powdered detergent is cheap.
cogadh 2 years ago
This one is just wrong. I spend a grand total of maybe $25 on ingredients and can make over a year's worth of laundry detergent (plus have leftover soap for personal hygiene for the year as well). That detergent is dye free, fragrance free, unpronounceable chemical free and works better than most commercial products I've used. It only takes about 10 minutes to make a batch (it's just grating plain soap and mixing with 2 other ingredients in a blender) and each batch lasts 3-4 months. I don't see how 30-40 minutes out of an entire year is a "tremendous waste of time".
Clare La 2 years ago
What are the other ingredients? I would love to make this
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Cynthia Wilkins 2 years ago
Making your own is sooo much cheaper, not to mention it gives you more control over what you are using — no need for toxic chemicals to get your clothe
jdtimid123 2 years ago
This is where I'm lucky my hubby works at a packing plant and gets free laundry soap (among other staple items)
Otto Katz 2 years ago
I make my own detergent, for many reasons. I don't like the plastic waste from bottled laundry detergent. I don't like buying water in the detergent I get at home from my faucet. It's so much cheaper for me to make it than to pay the high prices of the bottles at the grocery store.
#23
My mother will drive around to 2 or 3 different grocery stores to take advantage of various deals, but I'm certain that the time and gas burnt driving around cancels out any savings on groceries. (This may be less true with grocery prices skyrocketing recently)
Snorkeldorf 2 years ago (edited)
I do this, but I'm very fortunate. The store that is the farthest from my home is only 2 miles away. The other stores are even closer. I check the sales and compare prices on line. In one day, going to three different stores, I've saved up to $15 only buying items I need and using the digital store coupons. That's the trick though. Only buying the items you need.
Krzysztof Gajda 2 years ago
I go shopping more often, and I use public transport. Since I have an annual ticket anyway (to get to work), individual trip is free for me. Granted, there is an issue of time, but this does save money if You already have "free" transport.
Tiny Fox 2 years ago
I can kind of understand it if you have a large family to feed, then a few $ off per kg (or lb) could offset the fuel costs. But for the average single person or small family I can't imagine on balance that it works out cheaper to do this. Plus, all the time spent researching and price comparing...blah.
Cynthia Wilkins 2 years ago
Yes. I plan different grocery lists based on which store I’m going to. Driving all over town to get the best at each one is a wast of time and gas.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
My grandmother did this. But she was super frugal. Planned all the groceries and errands in a way to get it all done at once and use the least gas and time.
Amberlie Mikelsen 2 years ago
There are 3 "grocery" stores in my town (Walmart, Save A Lot, and a local small chain). Each one has different items that are cheaper than at the other 2, as well as items that the other 2 don't have, so we always end up getting some stuff at all 3. The only reason this is viable for us is because Walmart is the furthest from our house (at roughly a mile and a half) and the other 2 are on the way there, so if we hit Walmart first, we're using the same amount of gas hitting all 3 and actually saving up to a dollar per item (not really saying much when meat is $5+/pound and fresh veggies and fruits are $3-4/pound, but it works for us). If my mom has an appointment in one of the bigger towns in the "local" area on payday, we'll do some shopping there, since the gas is already being spent, and we can actually afford to stock up on meats and get a few fresh veggies and fruits. It's honestly a bit surprising how much the COL has gone up in Small Town America...
Susan Widomski 2 years ago
Also depends on the size of your town. Two stores in town competing with each other or acting together to keep the prices too high makes a difference.
The Starsong Princess 2 years ago
It depends. I go to the cheap grocery store first and buy everything I can on my list. Then I go to the more expensive store on the way home where I buy meat, baked goods and the things they don’t have at the cheaper store. It is definitely worth my while.
Mary Kelly 2 years ago
you need to have time or money...your mom has time, so it probably is cheaper for her...if she's shopping sales at three stores, i am guessing she knows how much gas she is using when doing so...it works for her...when i had no money but had time, i shopped sales, made gifts, repaired things over and over again...now it is the opposite...when i retire it will swith back again...that's okay...i just feel sorry for people w/o time AND money...they are screwed
#24
A lot of people don't save the amounts of money they believe they are saving. Pointing this out to them, even using numbers and math, can even make them angry.
Linden 2 years ago
I have an older family member who won't believe they've spent thousands of dollars in lottery tickets over the course of their life. They insist it's only hundreds of dollars.
David Gripon 2 years ago
A thousand dollars across 10 years is a small price for some because it gives them a glimmer of hope. Of course hopes will likely be dashed, but it's renewed for each ticket.
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#25
Cleaning products. Sometimes baking soda and vinegar doesn’t cut it. Save your body soreness, frustration, and wasted time. Buy yourself some soft scrub!
cogadh 2 years ago
This is one of those"use when appropriate" situations. Vinegar is great for cleaning windows or mirrors; really any glass surface. That's about it. You can't scrub your stove with it, so don't try. Use the commercial products there and only there. You still save money because you probably already have vinegar on hand and your Soft Scrub lasts longer because you aren't using it where you don't need it.
The Scout 2 years ago
While essence of vinegar is one of my most used cleaning supplies, it simply is not suitable for lots of things. The strange thing is that by now I only have some everyday supplies for cleaning. Essence of vinegar is standing in my cleaning supply closet, not my kitchen. So is the regular toothpaste - I switched to tablet form long ago (less waste, and my gums seem to like that), but nothing beats old-fashioned toothpaste for polishing silver or copper. I am not exactly a fan of coke (avid tap water drinker), but usually keep a bottle of store brand handy in case I need to un-clogg a drain. But often enough, you need more specialized equipment.
Temporary Dork 2 years ago
Baking soda. Washing soda works just as well (just don't eat it) and it's much cheaper. Also: soda + vinegar = water. Maybe the bubbles will dislodge something but probably not and you'll have wasted two good products.
Susan Widomski 2 years ago
Or as my plumber recently said: I don't put anything down the drain. I clean out whatever is stuck that keeps the sink from draining properly. If it clogs in one spot, chances are that it will clog further down the line - and that will cause way more work and money.
Joshua David 2 years ago
One of my apartments in the 2000s had a filthy linoleum floor. I cleaned it and it looked brand new. I also love a good MagicEraser or equilivent. My 3 year old white Crocs still look brand new. I wear converse every day, the eraser keeps the rubber like its a brand new shoe. Some folks like the scuffed look so may not apply.
#26
The general idea that you should keep everything for as long as possible and only replace something when it breaks.
For older electric items, especially things like heaters and refrigerators, the energy consumption of an older appliance can be 4-5x higher or more than a new model. Depending on how much your energy costs the cost of that extra energy can be the equivalent of buying a new appliance every few years.
Same with cars. With the amount you spend on repairs/maintenance and the general poorer fuel consumption you're often better off financially buying a newer one sooner rather than "driving until the wheels fall off".
JB 2 years ago
We drove the first new car we ever bought for 15 years. 1999 VW Passat. No car payments for 10 years, changed the oil religiously, drove it for 180,000 miles, 30mpg at 70 mph with the air on, paid less than a total of 5k worth of repairs, tires, etc, after payments were done/warranty expired, sold it used while still running well. Way cheaper than buying anything new. Nothing necessarily or inherently bad about old or used cars, a bit of knowledge and maintenance pay big dividends.
The Scout 2 years ago
Driving a twenty year old car myself, I absolutely agree. But I am living in Germany after all, so the car gets a lot less use (I am a huge fan of public transport).
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Biofish23 2 years ago
Except modern appliances are mostly only built to last a few years. I have lived in my house 13 years. I have replaced my stove and refrigerator once, my washer and dryer twice and my dishwasher 6 times. Everything breaks quickly, and repairs cost as much as buying new.
Deborah Rubin 2 years ago
I lived for 40 years in the house where I grew up. Washer and dryer changed out once, both over 20 years old. And we replaced the fridge when we redecorated...that god-awful color - and put it in the basement where it lived happily as a backup for many, many years.
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Janet Wheat 2 years ago
I drove my van for twenty years. Every six years it needed a new battery. I replaced the tires once and the brakes once. The stainless steel exhaust system was replaced after 19 years. It still was getting the same gas mileage t year 21 that it got at year one. My current car just turned 10. One battery, one set of tires and only a one mph drop in average mpg. It’s possible to save money with an older car. The lack of car payments has made wonderful vacations possible.
SkekVi 2 years ago
This is not true across the board. For example fridges older than about 1960 are actually MORE energy efficient. And dishwashers have always been about the same level--older once from the 70s and back are actually better at their job. A good solid fridge is a workhorse worth its weight in gold. Modern appliances that are more 'energy efficieent' break in 3 years and make you spend more on a new one, so like... are you really saving money with that?
Jennifer Germain 2 years ago
Bought a new washer to replace the old one, at least 25 years old and finally gave up the ghost. New one lasted just past warranty and had to be repaired $$$, does not wash as well so need to do smaller loads so it runs longer than one big load. Newer is not always better.
JB 2 years ago
I have been fixing my washer, dryer, furnace (which is around 45 years old iirc) and just about anything else for over 25 years. I can still get parts, and the old appliances still require repair far less often than anything new would. I occasionally replaced 40 year old water heaters when I was a plumber. No water heater made today will ever last that long, or even half as long. If it can be fixed, I fix it and keep it.
Load More Replies... talliloo 2 years ago
i just had to get a "new" car because a deer took out my 2005 buick lasalle. since i am an old fart now i kind of intended to just keep it until i dropped over because it only had 58K original miles. i had taken good care of it so it was in pristine condition but because of its age i knew that i could'nt get more than a couple of thousand on a trade in. also, any part that needed to be replaced was due because it was 18 yrs old. fortunately, parts were still original but had something gone out it was time. enter bambi. it was a small deer so it only took out the grill and one light but insurance decided it was too old and deemed it totaled. but, they gave me way more than a couple of thousand. so i ended up with what i had been eyeing for a couple of years: a subaru outback. however, going from a 2005 vehicle to 2018, it felt like i was driving an airplane with all the gizmos on the dash as well as feelng like i was inside an arcade with all the safety features. but, i do love it
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
My 13 year old car is a Subaru. Love it!! They handle awesome in snow.
Load More Replies... Robert T 2 years ago
Particularly with cars, that depends very much on how much you drive it and how you look after it. My daily is now 24 years old, but has only done 104k miles. It is only recently that I have had to spend any serious money on it, and still less than buying a new car. However, it has been looked after and serviced regularly. It may be less fuel efficient than the claimed efficiency of newer cars, but in the real world, it isn't that different. That might be a different story if I were covering 20k miles a year, but I'm not.
CHRIS DOMRES 2 years ago
It depends on the model old car. My 2002 Camry still runs great. The only thing in the interior that has deteriorated are the floor mats. I put $1000 into repairs the last five years. Only did that because there is a major shortage of good used cars and they are so expensive. That 2002 Camry will sell now at the price I bought it 15 years ago.
#27
Dollar stores.
Usually not cheaper *per unit* —they’re just packaged in smaller quantities to price cheaper.
David 2 years ago
B******T. I have purchased exact same items at Dollar Tree I have seen in other stores for 2 or 3 X price. Obviously you have to pay attention and not all items are great deals. I do agree some things are smaller package. But not all and some smaller package is still a better deal. Just be aware and be a conscientious shopper - like you should be in any store.
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Totally agree, David. Lots of items are the exact same brands, yet less expensive at the dollar store. Other things, not so much. People need to be smart shoppers.
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Firstname Lastname 2 years ago
There are certain things I only want a small quantity of (mostly junk foods) so if I eat everything that I've paid for instead of paying more to get more at a lower unit price, only to let it expire, I'd prefer not to waste food space in my tiny cupboards.
Sue User 2 years ago
Cereal if you live alone. A big box would be a better deal per ounch. But then i am stuck eating the same thing day after day or it goes stale.
Load More Replies... luckypenny 2 years ago
my friends and i go to the dollar store next to the movie theater every time we see a movie, save like five dollars buying dollar candy instead of theater candy
Tiny Fox 2 years ago
Hit or miss in Australia. We have places like The Reject Shop where they have the regular unknown brand imported trash, but then they get in palettes of name brand products and sell them at 50% or less than the grocery shop. 99% of the time you're better off getting the grocery shop branded, no frills, products.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
I buy smaller quantities. So sounds good. Plus they sell great cheap toys. Kids break the nice ones anyway. May as well save a few bicks
Jods 2 years ago
B&M stores in the UK. If mine was anywhere near a car park I’d definitely do all my grocery shopping there. Then the cats would be able to have a tuna treat once a week. And Irn Bru 1901 at £2 a bottle - fantastic. The Irn Bru is my treat and not drunk every day unfortunately!
#28
Just because it didn't cost money, doesn't mean you saved. Your time is worth money. Professionals have insurance and offer warranties, you don't get those if you do it yourself. It's important to factor those in when you're trying to save
Neill Powell 2 years ago
I always consider this when doing "computer-tech" work for friends or families. My time at my primary job pays, by the hour at least 4x what I would be able to reasonably charge friends and family for my services.I work out my "hourly wage" to include my weekends, since I effectively get paid to have them. Call me (or horror, just show up at my house) to fix your PC over a weekend? nah. Can you afford me? No, you can't even afford to pay the bottom-basement PC repair store rates.
GadgetGirl 2 years ago
Once sold a woman a new printer and she asked for the installation. I told her it wasn't really necessary, it's just two cables. She said, "oh, I know! I work in IT for my company and I spend ALL DAY crawling around under desks hooking things up for people in the office. The last thing I want to do is go home and crawl around under a desk some more!".
jdtimid123 2 years ago
I made a comment in a picture above, but I think of things in terms of "how long do I have to work to buy this?" Most services cost a lot more in working-for-money hours than it would in DIY hours (like the house cleaning suggested earlier) But some things should be left to people who know what they are doing (like plumbing and electrical issues).
Redmagesyndrome 2 years ago
Go the "ethnic food" aisle when you go grocery shopping you'll often find a lot of things like spices marked at way lower prices.
#29
Thrift stores are cheaper for quality, if you enjoy the search as a hobby.
Black Friday has always been a performative consumption marketing ploy.
Wrong frugality is maybe just doing anything that is time consuming and unfulfilling to save a few dollars.
EDIT: And I feel like this will answer a bunch of downthread comments, Black Friday is a Q4 retail nonsense holiday that attempts to put books in the black for new year. SKUs are invented for it specifically. It's cool if you, individually, get nice deals for your family, however the entire idea is nonsense.
v 2 years ago
In retail fashion, black Friday also happens to line up quite nicely with the end of season rotation.
GadgetGirl 2 years ago
I worked in a mall anchor store one black Friday. Mall security had decided that no one would be allowed to camp out on the property overnight, so there was this huge crowd of people just past the parking lot. Over 500 people easily. At 5:00 am, security dropped the barriers and the crowd charged the store. People hit that big glass storefront window like bugs on a windshield in August. Scared management so badly they lowered the metal security windows.
Angie Falzarano 2 years ago
Most of the time I can get better deals thru out the year then you can on black friday
K-Dawn Bennett 2 years ago
No thanks. I never want to be trampled by some idiot who needs a "76 tv.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
I worked at Macy's. We had a major "sale" every other week. The "sale" price is the real price. If you pay full price your just getting ripped off. And the "sale" is not a savings, it's the actual price. This is double true at Kohl's. I imagine much of Black Friday is the same.
Amberlie Mikelsen 2 years ago
Black Friday Sale (in 99% of stores)="mark the "was" price at 50-75% higher and sell at regular price as the "sale" price".
#30
1) "Black Friday, Boxing day etc are all scams and spending to money is the frugal option." : There is some truth to this but people miss it entirely. using these kind of sales for big purchases if the price is better or comparable to the recent price history of the item. Last year alone i got a new microwave for %50/$150 off let alone cutting my cellphone and internet bills in half. In the past i got much needed furniture, other appliances and general house hold items i really needed on these sales
2) " When moving random boxes are free!" : This is my biggest gripe. I will maintain that buying proper moving boxes saves you money and time in the long run. Firstly Random boxes are difficult to stack and move, since you're now playing tetris with them to make it fit. Driving around trying to find boxes wastes time and money in gas, plus transporting the ever popular alcohol boxes means you are now transporting air since they are glued together. Buying flat moving boxes are fairly cheap and you can pick up a bunch at once and go home with them. Every time I've helped people move, when they used uniform moving boxes everything went so much faster.
3) "Costco is a waste of money": Simply put you just don't know how to Costco. People end up buying more then they can consume and throw it out, or they over consume because they buy in bulk. The other problem is people impulse shop. Find what you need and comparison shop, more often then not you'll save a ton of money. Recently I pick up an instant pot for $60 cheaper then anywhere else, that alone is the cost of a membership. In my last trip i picked up printer paper saving about $3-4 over staples, bath soap saving $3-4 over walmart, Shampoo saving $4, mens Deoderant saving about $10, womens deoderant saving $12-15, chicken legs/drumsticks saving about $1 a pound and so forth. Even big purchases like clothes is far better quality then other stores at the same price point.
4) "That costs too much that isn't frugal" This is a personal one. Some people think being frugal means being as cheap as possible. Recently I made a post of some containers i used to clean up my pantry, i spent less then $4 per container which is cheaper then any other option out there except re-using crappy plastic ones and a lot of people jumped on me for it. I also see a lot of frugal things people do and it's either a mess, an eyesore, takes way to much time for what you're saving or all 3. Spending a few extra dollars can alleviate these problems. Remember time is money and value your time as well.
D. Pitbull 2 years ago
The "costco is a waste of money" - I find are people who have **NO IDEA** what costco sells.. and only think of spoilable goods. "huh? You can get picnic tables there? What? workout clothes? batteries?"... and they also, when asked don't actually really 'know' how much the stuff they need normally costs - so they just freak out when they see something... like, yeah, you only spend $3 on a can of diced tomatoes ... and yes, go to costco and you spend $12... but that's for a flat of 12 cans of tomatoes. Cans. You have a while to use them. It's now $1 per can.
SageHare37 2 years ago
Agreed. I make homemade honey-fermented products for myself and my extended family (mostly jun and honey fermented spiced cranberries every autumn). I need organic raw honey to do so. Costco's price on organic raw honey is so much lower, the savings covers the membership costs in just a few months. And that *just* on honey. Costco is great.
Load More Replies... Angie Falzarano 2 years ago
I disagree on boxes. I have found the best boxes for moving that are free are liquor boxes. Most liquor stores have plenty if boxes for you. They are definitely sturdier than most boxes you pay for because they are meant to handle heavy glass bottles. Every time I move I use these boxes and never have had a problem. Grant most don't have lids but I have never had broken items if properly packed.
The Starsong Princess 2 years ago
So I did an analysis of my last Costco shop. I bought $250 of mostly non perishables. That same haul would have cost me $310 at the grocery store - I actually went through it line by line and looked at cost per unit. Biggest savings were toilet paper (I think that is a loss leader for them), body wash and aluminum foil. I saved nothing on brand name detergent. Works great if you have a place to store it and I spilt the membership with my mother. But I generally don’t buy food there because it’s too much. I recently go a vacuum sealer (less than half the current sale price at a local auction) and may start buying meat and dividing it to freeze.
Mary Kelly 2 years ago
love, love, love costco...but only two people in my tiny home...so, not useful for me...but, i would def. b/c a member again if the number of people in my home were larger...plus, they do glasses, travel packages, tire packages....their flowers are amazing...i also like supporting them bc they treat their workers amazingly
Rachel Reynolds 2 years ago
Costco is a waste of money...Sir, I have three boys. Costco is the only way.
Deborah Rubin 2 years ago
The nearest Costco requires an overnight stay at a hotel because I can't drive that far.
Many aspects of personal finance can be likened to the human curiosity discussed in our article, particularly how the drive for financial security prompts individuals to explore and experiment with saving tactics. In the same way, our minds are fueled by the thrill of learning and discovering new things, so too can a person explore different strategies for increasing their income or minimizing expenses. This quest for financial growth can sometimes lead one to try rather unusual or even risky methods.
For an illuminating comparison of curious behavior leading to unexpected outcomes, have a look at some intriguing stories of people who took risks and what they learned from playing around with life’s opportunities.
#31
"You'll never get ahead if you work for someone else"
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
No thank you. I was contemplating to take over the restaurant in our village. It makes good money but I don‘t want to work ever day till night and be responsible for everything myself, basically having no vacation unless I close the restaurant. I much rather work only 40 hours a week with two days off, 30 paid vacation days and paid sick leave. Thanks
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Not entirely true, depends on salary. I had a great salary working for a large organisation at a high level, which got me ahead. Never came close doing my own business.
#32
In this used car market, you might be better off buying a new car than trying to find a used one. (This only really applies to affordable sedans, though.) You get the warranty at, in some cases, the same price.
D. Pitbull 2 years ago
... unless you're a car mechanic and you know how to do the 'easy-fixes' that aren't easy for non-mechanics (you can get some amazingly nice vehicles this way...)
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
I don‘t know. I‘m no expert at cars or buying them, but from what I have seen cars loose half their value after only one year. So, from what I have seen, it is worthwhile to wait at least 1 year
Iblowsheep_V3.2 2 years ago
the price of used cars has skyrocketed in the last few years, and went into orbit after the COVID caused manufacturing lags of new cars. it started to level off a little but though i guess.
#33
To hoard something incase you’ll need it later. Sure, it saves money as long as you aren’t branching out to storage units. But the toll on your mental health when you push the tip to far has a high cost.
Neill Powell 2 years ago
Other than keepsakes or items we are collecting, clothing or even appliances must take a hike if not used for more than 18 Months. I don't need to own a waffle-maker that I use once a year, or a pressure-cooker that costs a fortune and has been used twice. The wife also has these thoughts: "it's nice to have, but will we ever really use it??" If you can't use something at once a month, or at least 4 times a year .. it is a waste of space. There are other things like a good pair of boots or a good generic-looking genuine leather winter jacket are obvious exceptions.
#34
**Eliminate monthly subscriptions/daily coffee/small expenses.** I'm so tired of seeing this advice.
Cutting $100/month on streaming and small expenses is gonna involve (a) negotiating with my wife and the kids and (b) some amount of disappointment ($100/month would be, like, all of our music and video streaming. So that's a lot of disappointment). In other words, a lot of time and effort for basically nobody to get what they want.
It is easier and quicker to find $100 in savings by refinancing a mortgage, student loans, or car loans, or working on other large expenses like car insurance or homeowner's insurance -- not just because those are larger spending categories, but because the wife and kids don't care who services our debt or insures our cars.
Jill Rhodry 2 years ago
Subscription entertainment is cheap entertainment - compare it to going to the movies.
Dave Hanel 2 years ago (edited)
Horrible advice. Refinancing loans costs you more if you extend the term of the loan, even with lower interest rates. This guy is refinancing to pay for Netflix. Cancel the subscriptions, and pay off the loans instead. Don't refinance to pay for the subscriptions. Also, it is definitely easier to cancel than to refinance loans. Unless this financial genius is taking out payday loans.
cogadh 2 years ago
Who spends $100 a month just on streaming services? If money is an issue, there is no "negotiating" involved, you cut the unnecessary expenses, period. The wife and kids can suck it up and make do with whatever free or low cost options are available. Seems like somebody needs to work on their priorities a bit.
Alex Boyd 2 years ago
Yeah, I think this guy is either misreading the advice or in a different financial situation than it's intended for. The point is to review subscriptions to make sure you aren't paying for things you don't use, and check whether your "small indulgences" are adding up to a lot of money --which they easily can if you're indulging every day--so you aren't mindlessly spending. If you review those expenses and decide they're reasonable for your budget and worth what you're paying, that's fine!
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#35
That penny pinching is always the best deal. Sometimes it’s a better deal to save time instead of some money. Or buy the expensive item now so you don’t have to replace it 50 times.
#36
Cheap paper towels. They're horrible.
Firstname Lastname 2 years ago
When your mate rips them off w***y nilly to pat his face dry instead of using a washcloth and refuses to stop, it's not so horrible. Don't need to absorb that much face sweat.
#37
Put a bucket in the shower to catch the water while it’s heating up and use that water for something else
Rose the Cook 2 years ago
People who live outside of cities and rely on tank water do this automatically.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Fortunately my boiler is near my shower head so the water takes a few seconds to reach it.
#38
The whole hyper-focussing on smaller issues while not caring about larger things.
I know people IRL, who, (despite being comfortable middle-class) will collect coupons for everything, or buy clothes on sales only, or buy gasoline only from costco.
However, if I ask them about their bigger finances, they just draw a blank. No investments, no passive income, most of their money in the bank or in the house in physical form (which is basically deprecating due to inflation). Many don't even know their approximate ball-park net worth or how much rate of interest their bank is giving, and they also don't know how to do taxes to get good returns (despite being educated and in a white-collar job).
But god forbid you buy a $4 milk carton, and they will talk about how you could have saved one dollar if you waited till Friday when they lower the price to $3.
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago (edited)
In theory my husband and Is net worth is roughly 1 million….. if you don‘t count that one half of it is a loan/ mortgage and the other half is not technically ours but his elderly mothers house. Still sounds cool to say you are worth one million lol
#39
Coupons. There are exceptions, obviously, but most of them require you to buy multiples of brand name items. You're often better off buying the generic and skipping the coupon.
Gene Perry 2 years ago
The only time I use coupons is when I was going to but that specific product anyway.
CHRIS DOMRES 2 years ago
Many generic foods come from China, made with inferior ingredients, and are loaded with sugar and probably were stored in a warehouse for years.
#40
Almost every frugal person I meet in real life has way too much stuff and is a borderline hoarder, if not a full on. Obviously this isn’t every frugal person, but I have noticed a pattern that they have a quantity vs quality mindset, and thus they think they don’t spend a lot of money because spending 5 or 10 dollars here and there doesn’t seem like much, but when you don’t buy anything in like 6 months and buy one quality item, it seems like you’re a big spender. For instance, all my mom friends scold me because I buy very high end baby gear and better quality baby clothes. I bet one of my mom friends that I still spend way less money than her. She laughed at me. Then I went to her house one day and noticed she had an entire dresser AND closet full of clothes for one tiny human, along with all the stupid s**t they want moms to think their babies actually need. I proceeded to explain to her that she has spent 1000s of dollars on cheap Walmart and carters baby clothes and yet I buy kyte baby but only buy 14 pieces for each kid. We want enough for 2 weeks and that’s it. It makes no sense to have drawers full of clothes when a laundry machine exists, and we both had one in our home. Both my kids clothes couldn’t even fill up a dresser, neither could mine. We are very minimal and we only buy what we enjoy using. I will never ever go to target and just pick up some cheap decor piece because it’s cute. I have no issues with bare walls until I can afford real art. Our garage is empty because a garage is for a car, not storage. Moving is a breeze and my kids are happier, and more creative for it. I would rather buy them few wooden toys that foster creativity than go to a store and buy every piece of junk I see ( Lego’s and magnatiles are an accretion to this rule of course ) yet these people think they are frugal, they are not.
Auntriarch 2 years ago
My boss' youngest is just growing out of the stuff she bought for his elder brother. And she got that second hand.
Glengoolie Blue 2 years ago
Keep having kids at one-year intervals indefinitely and soon you'll never have to buy kids clothes ever again.
Load More Replies... #41
Not exactly frugal, but buying a brand-new hybrid to get a few more mpgs. Maybe slightly better for the environment, but you just dropped 40k and have now put another car on the road when your old one was paid off.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
In SA we do not have electricity for our refrigerators, never mind electric cars, so we're going to be on ICE for a long time.
#42
That eggs are now too expensive to eat. Is everyone only eating ramen noodles now?
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
These days, we're paying about 25 cents an egg. It's more than in the past, but I think it's still a great price considering what an egg provides.
The Scout 2 years ago
If by ramen noodles you mean the cheap packages of instant ramen: They do not contain anything even remotely similar to a nutrient. Unfortunately I am guilty of having them on occasion myself, even am quite fond of them...
Josh 2 years ago
In our house, you can only have ramen if you add frozen vegetables. Ironically, if I'm going to have ramen, I almost always add an egg.
Load More Replies... Esist Nosrep 2 years ago
In my region For 4 packages of noodles i can get cheapest 10 eggs, eggs are more nutritious.
#43
Thrift stores are a great place for quality used clothing, if you’re willing to dig. If you’re in a hurry, it isn’t a good idea though.
Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
Trying to find plus-sized clothing at a thrift store is nigh impossible.
The Scout 2 years ago
I used to have some great thrift stores in my area and often found amazing things, like a used classic Harris tweet jacket or a really nice long cashmere coat for next to no money. But they all did have one thing in common: I would not have bought them otherwise, and I did not need them. So I saw that as a hobby, not as a way to save money. There is another element, though: Just for sustainability, it is a great idea to give used and discarded things a new life, reducing waste.
Dar Mal 2 years ago
^^^THIS. How many things do people buy because the item is cheap or on sale when in fact they don't need it at all?
Load More Replies... #44
anything that requires to spend like 20 cents to save a dollar.
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
This sounds like saving 80 cents to me. Or 80 dollars every couple of months.
#45
I'm genuinely interested in counterarguments on this one: I feel like the potential savings associated with a professional tax preparer (in the US) are over-stated by people who hire professional help for standard 1040 tax returns. Some members of my family are convinced that I must be missing deductions or credits and overpaying the IRS because I self-prepare with Intuit or HRB software every year.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I always have a very basic tax return BUT I loathe red tape and dealing with mentally challenged bureaucrats with every fibre of my being. If one thing could make me into a murderer it is red tape. I am *happy* to pay some guy like $100 to make it go away.
BookFanatic 2 years ago
The one time I tried to do my own simple taxes, I ended up with 28 dependents. I know. I have mad skills. The peace of mind that comes with having someone else do my taxes is worth it.
Michael Largey 2 years ago
You are not alone when it comes to mad tax returns. I had one couple who deducted the husband's mother as a dependent even though mom had a good job, lived in her own house, and received nothing from sonnie boy. I asked them "How is your mother your dependent?" The wife replied, ""Well, she's emotionally dependent on us."
Load More Replies... David 2 years ago (edited)
IMO professional tax prep is a rip off for people with very basic tax situations. Paper forms not hard if you qualify for 1040 or 1040EZ. I used to do my own including small business tax return associated extra forms. I've also done returns for several relatives many years. Next step is something like Turbotax. It holds your hand and does the math for $30-40. Where I DID benefit from a professional was the tax returns for the estate after my mom died. Property sales, capital gains, lots of heirs and K1s and a bunch of stuff I would never have thought of our known how to do.
Michael Largey 2 years ago
Basic rule of thumb: If the preparer's fee is not chump change to you, you probably don't make enough to need one.
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Bill McDowall 2 years ago
TBH, here in the good old UK, HMRC (the taxman) is rarely out to get you and and can mostly be trusted if you're a basic rate tax payer.
Esme Weatherwax 2 years ago
I agree with all of these. People, try it and you'll save money. Teach these to your children to engrain good money handling skills. Don't worry about what other people say or think - it's your money, your savings and your debt.
#46
New cars are better because you dont get repairs
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
It depends. Some brands are more reliable than others. Some brands are well-supported and others aren't . So here, SA, you are best served buying something like an old VW Golf or a Toyota of some sort, because they're well supported.
Neill Powell 2 years ago
A reliable car that may be a bit heavier on fuel, or have a small stain on a material seat is still a better deal to your pocket and the environment than buying the newest super-economical car is nothing better other than looking new.
Load More Replies... David 2 years ago
That's something you tell yourself to justify buying new cars. I'm driving a 2002 Chrysler. I currently need to replace the front shocks. But prior to that it was brakes and one time getting my AC recharged. (Also tires / oil changes - same as for a new car) You can save a ton of money buying a late model car and taking care of it. O at least that was true. Covid seems to have jacked up used car prices so I'm not sure now.
François Bouzigues 2 years ago
100% agree. I am 42, i love cars. And mine is the third i ever owned.
Load More Replies... Bill McDowall 2 years ago
Old cars CAN be better but only if you can either do your your own repairs or have a mechanic that you can really trust. I had the latter, Ned was a legend!
Karl 2 years ago
Nonsense. It’s getting to the stage where car manufacturers are making it nigh on impossible to take your car to be fixed anywhere but their hyper inflated garage or your warranty is invalid. I drive a small 12 year old hatchback with no bangs or whistles that is easy for me to work on myself or take to the local garage for more complex jobs.
CHRIS DOMRES 2 years ago
I almost bought a new Chevy minivan when they first came out. I looked at Consumer Reports and found that model had the highest number of problems the first year. I would have spent a lot of time taking it into the dealer for repairs.
#47
"Buying in bulk always saves money." It's not true, because you don't always need a 55 gallon drum of mayonnaise. You'll end up throwing out most of it. Plus, Aldi is most likely cheaper anyway. Price/cost per unit is really what matters.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Buying bulk saves money on petrol, toilet paper, generic shirts you can wear with anything, socks, underwear, and building materials. Anything else meh.
David H 2 years ago
I buy in bulk things like soap, detergent, undergarments, toilet paper, and even canned goods. Because they wont spoil until I am finished with them.
Load More Replies... Glengoolie Blue 2 years ago
I live alone and buy the smallest quantity of everything and it still expires before I finish it.
#48
“Never pay a credit card annual fee.” I used to use a 2% cash back no annual fee credit card (Citi Doublecash Mastercard). Now I pay $75 per year for a 3% cash back Visa with one year extended warranty, primary rental car CDW coverage, TSA Precheck/Global Entry, an 4x/year lounge access (for 2). If I use the rewards to book travel then it jumps to 4.5% cash back. Plus I can use it at Costco since it’s a Visa card. The $75 is recovered after $7500 per year in charges.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago (edited)
My country the fee is charged monthly and it's not that much, like $10 or so. It's' the interest fee that hammers you. They typically charge like 18% APR.
David 2 years ago
This is very much a YMMV item. It sounds like OP has done their homework and has a buying profile that fits. I have not paid a card fee in decades. I've only flown twice (round trips) in past roughly 20 years. My costco citi card gets me 1-4% cash back and no fee. I agree with OP about the "NEVER" part but most folks who get fee cards are getting suckered into a lot of other undesirable terms. Fee cards are mostly for those with bad credit. And my no fee cards have other benefits too. Like AMEX replaced a stolen camera because I purchased it on my AMEX.
#49
"Live within your means" is a load of c**p. Increase your income is much better advise.
D. Pitbull 2 years ago
You.. actually have to do a bit of both... and living outside your means is never really all that advisable...
David 2 years ago
BOTH. Many people who increase their income just increase their spending. I know someone who was making over $100K plus benefits who - for a lot of reasons I won't get into here - decided to quit. This is not NYC, cost of living is fairly okay here. They were thinking about quitting for a couple of years. BUT - they kept spending like they weren't and then panicked trying to live off their new, MUCH lower paycheck.
Karl 2 years ago
Once you’ve been seriously poor, the habits you learned to keep yourself solvent serve you well when you’re making more money. We started home brewing 30 years ago while skint but still do it now even though we’re doing OK. It’s saved us thousands of pounds - esp. as a bottle of wine works out at 10p for hedgerow plonk or £1 if using a decent kit. What’s not to like?
#50
Pretty much all of my (mostly designer) wardrobe has been throated or bought at yard sales/consignment shops, etc. So, that part isn’t accurate at all, it just depends on where you live/travel, and your eye for quality items. Just two days ago I got a bespoke embossed teal leather clutch for $2. Looked it up online and it retails for $160. Just before that, a Waverly duvet retailing at $250, for $5. You just gotta know where and how to look.
SkekVi 2 years ago
And be the right size to find stuff (if its clothes or shoes) that is gonna fit you. And not be picky about what things look like. And and and... lots of qualifiers.
Load More Replies... #51
One of my pet peeves is when people go to the grocery with a list and ONLY buy what’s on it, claiming it saves them money. I guess it’s called meal planning. We buy whatever we want with the basic rule that it gets used and not tossed because of age. My thoughts are keep a full pantry which then eliminates extra grocery store runs and buying when it’s not on sale. So how does that waste money?
Kristal 2 years ago
Okay but lists DO save money for most people because they aren't guessing on what to buy for certain ingredients. It also helps with keeping impulse spending down. I'm curious if this person ever tried list buying compared to their normal buying habits to see if the lists really don't make a difference for them?
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
My policy is to not buy fresh ingredients unless they are being eaten entirely that day. So, no fruits, but a small pre-cut fruit salad. No lettuces, but a small pre-cut salad. No soup veggies, but rather a packet of pre-blended ingredients, Etc.
Bill McDowall 2 years ago
You need to balance both options. Yes, make a list, but don't turn down a genuine bargain just because it's not on the list. Keep a good stock of long lasting basics - rice, pasta, tins and the like and then go with the flow. The first place I hit in every supermarket is the reduced produce spot. That's when menu planning should start. IMHO!
Michael Largey 2 years ago
To me shopping with a list is like taking the witness oath at a trial - I buy what's on the list, the whole list, and nothing but the list. My wife is more the hunter-gatherer type.
BookFanatic 2 years ago
I'm a list girl. If I see something I want that's not on that week's list...I add it to next week's. 90% of the time when next week comes around, I don't want it anymore.
What do you think ?
Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
A lot of these operate on the assumption that people have the time/energy/ability to do all of these tips. None of them are disability-friendly, which I hate.
talliloo 2 years ago
i went from earning a good income to being on permanent disability which was a big change in income as i had used most of my savings/small portfolio to pay off all my medical bills since didn't want them to haunt me after i stopped working and refused to declare bankruptcy. it took a while to adjust but i figured it out. had the county kind of hound me to file for food assistance but i didn't want or need it. i do buy in bulk and on sale. invested in a small freezer, put in a small garden that my disabilty allows me to tend, shop in summer at open market and learned how to can and dehydrate. it was a learning curve. once a month a mobile food pantry comes through and maybe if things are a bit tight i will go. it is not the same as SNAP but basically farmers getting rid of excess instead of destroying it. originally went there because when they did the pilot program they needed to find out if people would use so went to support the program.
Shanae Schmucker 2 years ago
A lot of these finance "tips" people believe only because of the Dave Ramsey personal finance course. Ive had to take his outdated course built mainly for the middle class 2 times (highschool and college)
Sharon Ammons 2 years ago
I have to disagree with the one about making your own laundry detergent. I can make 3 gallons of laundry detergent for less than $2. That's a lot cheaper than buying commercial products. And the detergent I make is better for the environment and works just as well. While it takes a few minutes to make because I have to boil water and dissolve a bar of Ivory soap, I can easily do that while I'm doing other stuff in the kitchen like unloading the diswasher. So it's a much better bet to make your own.
Paul Richards 2 years ago
Complete bullpucky. If you use a rewards card responsibly and pay it off fully ever month it basically functions as a sales discount
Livingwithcfs 2 years ago
So many people say it's cheaper to pay someone else to fix things and that is true, but everyone should learn to do the basics in maintenance. If I can do it and I'm stuck in a wheelchair and can do most jobs then the majority of others should be able to. Biggest thing I'd say to being frugal is to think carefully how you want to spend your money. Do you really need that? I found that 80% of the time it's want not need
Mat Hall 2 years ago
Calgon is a waste. Let's say you do four loads of laundry a week, your £300 washing machine will last 5 years without it, and generously say Calgon doubles its lifespan. After 10 years without it your total spend is £600 on two washing machines, after 10 years with it you've spent £300 on the original washing machine and £800 on Calgon...
Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
A lot of these operate on the assumption that people have the time/energy/ability to do all of these tips. None of them are disability-friendly, which I hate.
talliloo 2 years ago
i went from earning a good income to being on permanent disability which was a big change in income as i had used most of my savings/small portfolio to pay off all my medical bills since didn't want them to haunt me after i stopped working and refused to declare bankruptcy. it took a while to adjust but i figured it out. had the county kind of hound me to file for food assistance but i didn't want or need it. i do buy in bulk and on sale. invested in a small freezer, put in a small garden that my disabilty allows me to tend, shop in summer at open market and learned how to can and dehydrate. it was a learning curve. once a month a mobile food pantry comes through and maybe if things are a bit tight i will go. it is not the same as SNAP but basically farmers getting rid of excess instead of destroying it. originally went there because when they did the pilot program they needed to find out if people would use so went to support the program.
Shanae Schmucker 2 years ago
A lot of these finance "tips" people believe only because of the Dave Ramsey personal finance course. Ive had to take his outdated course built mainly for the middle class 2 times (highschool and college)
Sharon Ammons 2 years ago
I have to disagree with the one about making your own laundry detergent. I can make 3 gallons of laundry detergent for less than $2. That's a lot cheaper than buying commercial products. And the detergent I make is better for the environment and works just as well. While it takes a few minutes to make because I have to boil water and dissolve a bar of Ivory soap, I can easily do that while I'm doing other stuff in the kitchen like unloading the diswasher. So it's a much better bet to make your own.
Paul Richards 2 years ago
Complete bullpucky. If you use a rewards card responsibly and pay it off fully ever month it basically functions as a sales discount
Livingwithcfs 2 years ago
So many people say it's cheaper to pay someone else to fix things and that is true, but everyone should learn to do the basics in maintenance. If I can do it and I'm stuck in a wheelchair and can do most jobs then the majority of others should be able to. Biggest thing I'd say to being frugal is to think carefully how you want to spend your money. Do you really need that? I found that 80% of the time it's want not need
Mat Hall 2 years ago
Calgon is a waste. Let's say you do four loads of laundry a week, your £300 washing machine will last 5 years without it, and generously say Calgon doubles its lifespan. After 10 years without it your total spend is £600 on two washing machines, after 10 years with it you've spent £300 on the original washing machine and £800 on Calgon...
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