“False Frugalities”: 45 Examples Of People Trying To Save But Actually Losing Money

I spent about $100 once on soil, plants, lumber for a raised bed, etc. to wind up with about $10 worth of a few veges. No green thumb here.

It's healthier if you're in a region that has contaminated water, or parasites, like in Mexico, * for example, and other regions in countries around the world that are otherwise developed around the world.

lol, i love the last line

Yeah I might rent, but I know I'll never have to replace a roof for $20,000 or pay any maintenance. Notwithstanding, investors screwed way too many people out of affording a home. It truly is the American dream now because you have to be dreaming to think you can afford one.

And you generally end up with a middle finger in your bum after it pokes through the cheap paper

Actually, I've always wondered about that, but had no way of testing it out!

This is a hobby for some elderly folks. Perhaps reliving an old past time joy of finding coins on the ground. I once found a $20 bill on the sidewalk. I was just walking, going about my day. I wasn't straining to meet quotas and multi-tasking. A minimum wage job, for the amount of work that you end up doing with little downtime, other than your required breaks, does not lead a great quality of life and the pay does not equal the time and efforts. IF I could make the same amount just walking and looking at the ground as I do at my current job I'd choose coin hunting. And the coins aren't taxed.

When it’s done right, it’ll usually cost a lot less in the long term than when it’s done cheap.

It's really hard to keep up with self-care when you are deeply depressed.

That's not something people do out of frugality, they do it out of poverty.

This is the most classist thing.... we all know that wellness visits are important. However, if you are able-bodied but unemployed in the US, getting benefits can be impossible. Not to mention out of pocket costs without insurance are astronomical. WITH insurance, my D&C to remove a undeveloped fetus was almost 2k. Which, they wanted 40% up front.

Yes, but… as far as I know some people in some countries are too poor to pay the doctor, no matter how minor the issue

That's not an option (USA) if you don't have insurance.

That's exactly why we need universal health insurance that includes dental coverage

i pity you americans - you make life a lotterie with your healthcare

You may have to go without if you do not have enough money to pay for it, if you live in a country where it is not provided by state

It’s really hard to go to the doctor, dentist, optometrist, or audiologist if you can’t afford it.

I basically have ptsd from all the dental work that was done to me, and it's a lot, going is a challenge mentally, getting out of my own head is hard.

Going to the dentist less if ever. Definitely saves money. P.S. you're talking about America. Land of the free (has been a lie since day one in every way shape or form) FAR from the greatest country on earth. The land of opportunities was back when you could kill for land rather than pay. That horrible part of history is (mostly) in the passed. The present... Words can not describe

Crossed fingers had been my insurance for eight years on.

As we were taught in med school, "Can you afford the heart attack?"...

In my country, wellness checkups are not an option unless your work has a health plan for their employees. You're either sick or you aren't.

Dental care isnt covered in the US by most insurance policies. Definitely not medicare.

if you have the money to do it

So many people are commenting that they can’t afford preventative or routine visits. I get that and respect that but the OP is still correct. It’s much cheaper to catch something earlier than later.

Not going to the dentist regularly? I hope you enjoy root canals ;)

Overdiagnosis is a thing too. Definitely worth really understanding whether catching something early is helpful or whether or kills you at the same rate but you know about it earlier and start subjecting yourself to unpleasant interventions earlier. Each condition is different as to whether "catching it early" really is a thing. Some cancers not so much, you just know about the cancer that's going to have an identical prognosis with a longer lead time. Each to their own if they feel like they'd want to know, I guess, but there absolutely are harms to screening and everyone should go into the process informed

Drs aren't free and minimum wage doesn't cover the bills so def not gonna cover the drr

Agree, especially teeth 🙌🏼

Some of us don't have dental insurance. Dentists can be real crooks!

Some people are too poor to afford to pay the doctor or dentist.

bit difficult to visit the dentist when its so damn expensive

I’d go to the dentist if I could, but I can’t afford $150AUD for a clean and checkup on a government pension..

(3) Doctor wise.. until 2008, I'd been paying everything out of pocket. I'd suffered for 5 and half years with a dying gallbladder until I finally landed in the hospital. 2 of them, really, since I got transferred. Thankfully they were Catholic Charity hospitals. Total cost of my stay (13 days), procedures (4) and final surgery? $114, 746. My Mom got Medicare in 2012, which took a load off me, but didn't cover everything so I paid $230 a month for supplemental insurance for her. She was pissed, as I went without. But when she died, both paid everything, thankfully. Total? $257, 877. Without supplemental, her estate would've owed $56, 321. Her "estate" was worth a bare fraction of that. I don't know why I'm ranting like this. I guess I just want people to know that most of us are trying our best, around the world. That catching things early, while good, can create even more problems because decisions aren't always easy. Life is hard, complicated, and emotional. That you're not alone. xx

(1)...as for the dentist, I'm in the US but I know this isn't just a US issue. I'll never understand why "healthcare" doesn't include dental, hearing or vision. As if your teeth, ears or eyes aren't part of your body so they'll be "extra" on a policy, a separate policy, or just out of pocket entirely. Sure, there might be "income based" or "sliding scales", but honestly when it comes down to keeping the electricity, heating or water on or paying for medications or food versus taking care of that cavity or tooth break, the decision is pretty easy. At a low income clinic, on a sliding income scale, it cost me $32 per tooth for extraction and that didn't include x-rays, novocaine, or the appointment cost. This was 15 years ago. It was just my Mom and I, and despite working myself to the bone, the decisions I made were mine, and I knew what I was getting into. I'd do it again, because at that time, there was no "real" help in my area. Scheduling around work was hard too.

As I've posted before, I'm 36 and I have dentures. Upper and lower. BRUSH YOUR GODDAMN TEETH. At the very least, brush your teeth and floss. I'm not going to tell you to go to the dentist because even I couldn’t afford to go, when I needed to the most. The extraction of my dead teeth was covered by my province's healthcare system, but dental check ups cost money and aren't covered, and the dentures cost me over $4,000. Perfect smile? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely not. BRUSH YOUR TEETH.