30 Things People Started Doing That Accidentally Saved Them Money

I did the same with my ultra liberal, bigoted, toxic family members.

Are we related? Your family sounds like mine and I also went nc. Definitely saves as much sanity as money!

I've done the same. It is liberating.

Good for you! KARMA will get them!

When I think about the fact I have had no contact with my family for several decades, I feel guilty. But feeling guilty is so much easier than having contact with them.

I wish the U.S. would do like Australia and make cigs 40 dollars a pack. In my state, average cost of a pack is $6. Say someone smokes a pack a day, that's $42 a week, about $168 a month, $2000 a year, $20000 every ten years. I could do so, so much with 20k, cigs are not worth it.

Alternately you could stop drinking coffee and roll your own cigarettes at home

Congratulations on being tobacco free! I'm at 9 years (last one was 3/25/14) and it was the best thing I ever did!

I can buy higher quality coffee and brew it myself for less than a coffee chain drink.

That coffee seems a little bit too light...

It pays to be nice. The payment varies but it pays.

This is an exception to the rule. Most neighbors when they see you've given an inch want to take a mile and would expect you to babysit 5 days a week whenever they felt like dropping the kid off. The best advice I have is to maintain a very distanced relationship with your neighbors. Good enough to wave 'hi' to, but not good enough where they feel they can start dumping favors on you constantly. Familiarity breeds contempt and you have to live close to these people. Once it goes bad, it just makes living there awkward. Be friendly, but distant.

AnnaB

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My neighbor used to work as a Port inspector for local fishing vessels. Every week there would be a knock on my door with him giving me fresh salmon, scallops, crab legs, etc. until I finally had to tell him there was no more room in my freezer!

We share pet sitting duties with a neighbor.

So, she really wasn’t being nice, she was just Spring cleaning ?

I work in historic building conservation (in Europe). There's a saying here that a building will remain in good repair so long as it has a "good hat and a good pair of shoes". I think the same is true of people.

I get comments so often saying "wow you have new shoes" and they're shocked when I say no they're a few years old, because I'm a full time wheelchair user so they aren't walked on. Wasn't the money saving I was hoping for but does save me a fortune in shoes. I've got shoes 6-7 years old that I wear often that could pass as being brand new!

And quality not always mean more expensive, or better brand - that people tend to confuse.

Sounds nice, unless you wear a size 14 wide shoe, in which case you've only got so many options...

We thought that, bought the wife a pair of real leather walking shoes at £165 after the pair i paid £60 for only lasted her 6 months , these didn't last much longer, repaired them though which we couldn't do with the cheaper ones so they're still going right now, lord knows how much i'll need to spend to get a few years out of them.

I usually bring leftovers for lunch.

Is it just me or does the wording sound like the car is in the shop for months? For that kind of repair cost, homemade lunches would be a necessity.

I did this for years. They made fun of me at work as I was in a corporate position, but I didn't care. Now my nephew does it, too. He didn't know I used to do that, it must run in the family, lol.

Bringing your lunch to work is huge, you not only save money on the actual food but also on the gas and wear and tear on your car!

I'm betting that OP's health probably improved as well by cutting out all that fast food. That's assuming they don't eat a lot of it at other times as well.

Same, last summer I finally was able to admit to myself that I am an alcoholic and need to quit if I don't wanna ruin my life completly. It is great that I have so much more money (even with the inflation going on I'm finally able to save some money) but it was also kind of shocking to really face how much money I wasted on addiction for so long. I mean, before, being desperate about my financial situation was besides a lot of other things sometimes a reason I gave myself to get drunk. Evil circle.

My addiction is books as well. I try to keep with good quality lower priced books or use the library.

I apologise to the authors (who got paid on the 'new book') but buy your books secondhand or from charity shops, and feed that benign addiction.

I've recently quit, and I was spending close to $250 a week on it. Alcoholism is AWFUL in every way.

When you don't drink, you notice the sheer amount of propaganda around drinking. There is a sort of social pressure and I feel like I can't go out to social functions without having it shoved in my face. It creates barriers in social interactions when you don't imbibe.

You can also buy washable pads in a variety of pretty/fun coloured fabric, if you also use pads or can't use a cup (or tampons) for any reason. When you need to change one and you're not at home you just fold it up and put it in a ziplock to take home and wash. (If you're someone who sews there are plenty of free patterns online to make your own too)

i was shocked when i emptied my trash bin in the bathroom yesterday.. i waste so much plastic and other things in this one week every month..

I use washable pads and they've definitely saved me tons of money! And I'm not allergic to anything in them.

I'm glad I'm old.

Never tried a cup but since switching to period underwear 2 years ago, I haven't spent a single penny on disposable products and I no longer have leaks

If you buy up meats & veggies to freeze, be sure to have a good vacuum sealer. Nothing tastes worse than throwing away freezer burned food. Also, make sure your homeowner's insurance covers loss from power outages and mechanical failure.

My freezer is a gamechanger! I buy higher quality meats when they are on sale. I pulled a ham out for Easter, but bought another one because it was on sale. My stepdaughter has a freezer and thought she wouldn't be able to really do much (younger couple, new baby, not a lot of money)... I told her some purchasing strategies and now she has a full freezer as well!