Tilted Frugality
 

Thanks, smoore and Baraka_Guru for suggesting this thread!

Here we start our new repository of all things about getting by in this world with very few expenses. If you find any great tips, pass them along. If you have any tried and true ways of getting by on the cheap, share!

I'm going to post links to applicable threads. I'm also going to babble with random advice on coupon clipping, reducing energy and water expenses, and other penny-pinching tips. As long as people take interest in this thread, I'll do my best to add to it.

Cheap Foods thread from Tilted Cooking:
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ghlight=frugal

Websites for stuff swapping:
http://www.freecycle.org/
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/

Philosophies/ways of life that are condusive to cheap living:
Simple living: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living
Green lifestyle and Sustainable lifestyle (be careful, these have been yuppified)
probably many, many others.

My family's lifestyle has been a mix of bargain hunting, coupon clipping, community living, hand-me-downs, freecycle, lentils, beans, rice, potatoes, and low personal needs.

Coupon clipping:

Read this only if you like commercialized goodies like Chips Ahoy cookies or French's Mustard.

Where are your closest grocery shopping locations? Find out their policies on double coupons, and multiple coupons for each item. Sometimes it's advertised, sometimes you just have to learn by trial and error.

Figure out where they publish their weekly ads. You might need to check local newspapers. You can usually pick up the discarded coupon sections of Sunday newspapers, possibly from a coffee shop.

There should be two ads released by each major grocery chain each week. Usually a small two-color ad on Tuesday or Wednesday, and a full-color ad on Sunday. Sometimes these get mailed to you. Sometimes they're available in the store. They're often available online. Find them.

Also, grab that stack of manufacturer's coupons from the Sunday paper each week.

Go through and clip the coupons for everything your family will eat. You will notice that often the coupons overlap. If they don't overlap now, they will often overlap sometime before the manufacturer coupons expire. This is not always the case, but trust me, it happens more often than you think possible.

Figure out when your local grocer likes to highly discount their stock before discarding it. My local Safeway, for instance, has insane random unpublished sales on things like bread and cereal every Sunday.

General Inexpensive Food Basics

Learn to love the basics. Have them on hand. Learn to cook with them. Purchase them in bulk from cheap ethnic stores, dollar stores, or places like Costco or Smart & Final.

Rice (Long-grain white, brown, wild, whatever)
Lentils (green, red, or tan)
Beans (dry and/or cans)
Chickpeas (these often go on sale with beans)
Quinoa (if it's cheap or available in your area)
Tofu (can usually find 50cent boxes from Asian food stores like 99 Ranch)
Salt
Flour
Yeast

Start a Garden
If you live somewhere with a tiny bit of sun, start a vegetable garden.
Let me explain how easy this is:

Go to the grocery store. Purchase green onions. Cut off the white part. Place these nubs you wouldn't use in cooking, in soil. Water them. They will grow.

Purchase two whole potatoes, of whatever varities you like best. Leave them in partial sun on your counter until they start sprouting, then plant them in your garden. Within a couple of months, you'll have 5-10 new potatoes from each one you planted. When the tops of your potato plants start to wither, dig up the ground around them, you'll find several new potatoes. Save aside one or two to start the process again.

Don't have dirt? Gather coffee grounds. Have a friend at a local cafe? Ask for theirs. Coffee grounds work as a superior sort of soil, with excellent drainage and a delicious fragrance every time you water. Yes, even your French Vanilla grounds will work fine. Have soil? Ammend them with your grounds. Your plants will be healthier. Especially if you're container gardening - good drainage is key.

Ready to be daring and expand beyond potatoes and green onions? Seeds can be purchased at dollar stores or wal-mart. Germination instructions are on the package.

Good stuff that is easy to grow from seed:
Romaine Lettuce
Green Leaf Lettuce
Broccoli
Swiss Chard

Have you ever bought a delicious tomato or pepper? Come on, everyone has. When dicing them for salads, save aside the seeds. Dry them in a windowsill on a paper towel, then save them for next year or plant them in season. This doesn't work (hardly ever) for pitted fruits like peaches, nectarines, or plums. Also rarely works well for apples. They're plenty viable, there's just so much breeding that goes into fruit trees, you'll rarely come across something that matches yummy standards. Occasionally you'll get something nice, though. If you want to bother growing a tree for 12 years before learning if it'll produce decent fruit, feel free to experiment!

Did you realize that dandilions are edible and make a delicious tangy addition to a salad? Don't hesitate to pull them from your yard (assuming you don't use pesticides). The larger and leafier they are, the better they taste.

Entertainment

Don't bother with cable. Set yourself up with a healthy internet connection and depend on websites like hulu. The lack of advertisements alone is enticing to me.http://www.hulu.com/

Save up your money for the occasional theatre production or show or whatever you really love. Something special every three months is overkill for me. Attend free concerts in the park, get together with friends who have a film collection. Pick up that rusty musical instrument, or start up that (cheap) hobby you've been putting off learning.

Water-Saving Techniques

Time yourself in the shower. Take a 5 minute shower, or less. Use anti-perperant/deodorant. Skip a shower every now and again if you're confident you don't smell funky.

Wash your clothes only when they're really dirty. I mean, covered in muck, smelly, or otherwise just don't seem clean to you. Everyone has their own standard of clean. I don't pay for water in my apartment, so I handwash my clothes and line dry them on our little garden balcony. We occasionally take a load of towels and bedding over to a friend's place to wash. Tt prefers to machine-wash his stuff, quicker at getting his man-smell out. Find what works for you and develop a rhythm. Hand-washing becomes no big deal, honest.

*Some might consider the following poor hygeine. Sorry if it bothers anyone, but this is how I was raised*

If you have children, pull water for a bath once a week, and never more often. Fill the tub only half-way. Bathe your cleanest child first. Drain the tub only after all of the kids have bathed. Any other time of the week? Wipe them down thoroughly with a simple moist cloth, treat dry skin with lotion, and call it good. If their hair gets greasy fast, and you don't like braiding it, or finding other ways to mask the natural oils that are beneficialfor the health of their hair, then go ahead and wash their hair more often. Do this by filling a small sink with water halfway, moistening their hair, rubbing in shampoo, rinsing in the half-filled sink, let out the water, run clean water through briefly if necessary, repeat with conditioner. Brush/comb hair while conditioner is in their hair, rinse. Learn to work with hair without the use of a hair dryer, (unless it's freezing weather).

Building a friend/community base of like-minded saving inviduals is a valuable key to success. These can come in the form of relatives who have children just a few years older than yours, or friends who are interested in embarking on this great adventure of ultra-thrift frugal living. It can be frustrating to be thrifty when everyone you interact with is focused on material culture.

In the Store
Make a list of items that you're going to purchase before you step into any store. Do not deviate from this list unless necessary.

If you see something you really love, ask yourself if you're willing to give up two personal items to bring it into your home. (this does not apply to food)

Go through toys and clothing often and pass them on to a frugal friend, or to your local charity like Goodwill or Salvation Army. Someone else will appreciate items that are in good, useable condition. The more space you free up, the more room you'll have to accept offers of exciting new-to-you (used) toys/clothes from others.

Transportation
If you're planning where you're going to live with your family - Find a place within walking distance of a grocery store, a community park, and an elementary school. Try to have only one car/van for your family. Bicycles are handy in a pinch. Learn how to walk. Don't be afraid to walk a total of two miles a day to meet your transportation needs. I do this, it's healthy and energizing to start your day off with a half-mile walk to campus or to a grocery store. Though, remember children's little legs will need plenty of stops.

The number 1 thing I find to be the source of monetary drain for me, seems to be "Entertainment"

If you must go out, look for cheap/free alternatives, instead of going to the 25-30$ show, or the club with the 10$ cover charge, head to the 10$ show or the club with no cover charge.

if you drink, alcohol on the outside is expensive, if you feel the need to get a lil sloppy and don't wanna pay 10$ a drink to do so (hey thats a 40$ minumum) then head to a liquor store in advance, for 40$ you should get enough to last you multiple trips to the clubs (aka. the pre-funk)

dont date.

yeah, there, I said it. Dating is expensive, girls want a guy who can be "secure" financially, which means pay for their food, or instead of buying 1 ticket to the movies or to the show, you're buying 2. all of a sudden your entertainment expenses just went up to double.

dating is a fools game anyway, if a girl likes you, she'll like you for what you are, not what you spend on her.

embrace your cheaper hobbies, find cost effective solutions. as an example, My old way of "DJ'ing" involved buying vinyl, which equated 10$ per 1-2 songs (in most cases you bought it for ONE song)

I dropped a couple hundred dollars on a "virtual vinyl" set up (about the equivalent of 25 records) on ebay and now my songs cost me 85 cents or so.

skip going out once in a while, it's ok to stay home and do something productive, clean your room, do some exercise, go for a walk, ride a bike. You don't HAVE to be entertained every weekend, you dont HAVE to see a movie, you don't HAVE to go to a concert. Just maybe find some friends who want to have a more subdued gathering. Maybe just some cheap video games/rented movies as an alternative.

Awesome, Shauk! Thanks for contributing some super handy advice when it comes to entertainment!

I got onto a mailing list of free tickets and shows here in NYC. Last night we saw The Devil and Tom Walker as an off off off broadway show. It was a delightful show.

When going out to dinner, think about what you are ordering. Maybe even split the dish with your spouse/date. Spend that money on desert instead and also share it.

When travelling, find places that have efficincies. This can allow you to make your own breakfasts and lunches. The money you save, you can go out to have a nice dinner for the whole trip, or have smaller modest ones.

Ask the waitstaff what is good to sample. Tell them you are on a fixed budget for the day. They may be able to tell you about ala carte items that aren't listed on the menu and you can sample the best of their menu without all the extra fanfare.

Watch TV shows that help you find cheap eats and things to do. In NYC we have a show called $9.99 which shows all kinds of things you can do in the NYC area for the whole day that cost no more than $9.99 watch it here.

Read the newspapers and magazines. Time Out covers many cities. Gotham-ist and other -ists covers many cities online. Village Voice, LA Weekly, etc.

NYC is a little too easy, there are books and magazines that help you plan outings. In the summer there are free movies all over the place in many of the parks. There's Shakespeare in the Park (Central Park), Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot.)

Skogafoss and I eat out often. We know places in NYC where you can eat dinner for around or less than $4.00 per person. The food is good, fast, and usually enough for a second round meal. Sometimes it's cheaper for us to eat out than it is to cook at home. Go figure.

You need to learn how to cook. When going out to dinner, we only get things that we can't cook at home. If we can cook it at home, I'll make it instead. I can't tell you how ridiculous I feel paying $5.95 for Mee Krob knowing I can make it for $1 at home. Or Chicken Massaman Curry, $9.95???? Howabout home cooked for $5 and it feed 4.

When having a get together with friends, make it potluck. This helps distribute the funds and workload. It also gives other people the opportunity to contribute if they can't cook, they can bring silverware or cups, or even offer to do the dishes afterwards.

Wow, neat info. about food, Cyn!
And the thought of getting all of that culture for free.

I'm going to Germany in June for two weeks, does anyone have any tips for being frugal in foreign countries? I've never been outside of the States!

"Be industrious and frugal, and you will be rich." —Benjamin Franklin

A great start to a very useful thread.

I want to discuss debt in my initial post. This is mainly because I am currently in a very frustrating position. Many of my financial dealings are conducted with the use of debt. For example, I have outstanding student loans, I carry credit card debt month-to-month, and I use overdraft monthly.

This isn't because my spending is out of control; it is a result of coming out of a limited financial position, going to school longer than expected, living in a city with a high cost of living, and currently earning a lower-than-comfortable salary. What I want to discuss is the cost of interest expense and what it means for the frugal aspirant such as myself.

It is surprising how many don't realize the impact of carrying debt and its nagging compound interest expense. Compound interest in itself is a fascinating thing, but it is a financial ogre if it works against you. To me, if I remove the non-tangible benefits of why I acquired the debt in the first place, paying for interest is like cold hard cash turning to dust and being blown away by the wind. And this happens every month. This happens to a few hundred dollars of my hard-earned money every month! This, for the privilege of having something that I would not otherwise be able to afford. But what is the real cost? It's quite frightening, actually.

If you were to calculate the real cost of using debt to pay for things, you might be astounded, if not disgusted. What if I told you that that television you see at a great deal would cost you twice as much if you were to buy it on credit and pay the minimum payment each month? Well, that is exactly what happens. What if I also told you that the frugal minds who wait to make the same purchase with cash by tucking away a small amount each month instead will be able to afford twice as much TV as a result? That's right. By sidestepping poorly handled credit and paying with cash means you will effectively pay half as much as the minimum-payment debt handlers would. This means you can get a bigger TV at the same value, or, if you wish, a surround sound system as an add-on—for the same value.

By simply waiting to make that purchase, you can get more than those who can't wait. This is the very nature of compound interest and our desire for immediate gratification. It takes strong willpower, but the frugal mind will prevail if it is disciplined.

That said, what of my own position? Well, let me tell you, I'm in no position to be buying TVs, not even on credit. My current debt-management cost is too high—so high that I have virtually no disposable income. So what do I do? Well, I need to stop making reactive purchasing decisions. I need to stop paying for lunch and start making more money-saving decisions, and I need to start accelerating my debt repayments. I need to eliminate my credit card debt so I can stop maxing out my line of credit that I use to carry me over month to month. Meh, a tight spot, I know.

But things will start to change for me. I'm starting to get some extra income with freelance jobs. This money will be going directly to debt repayment. All of it. I won't look at it as "Hey, extra money! Let's get the things I've been wanting all this time!" No. It is for paying for things I've already bought and haven't paid for yet. Things that are costing me twice as much as they should...or more.

Interest expense is like turning hard-earned dollars into dust. But if you throw those dollars at the debt instead, then it will slow the process. One encouraging way to look at it is this: Making a payment on a debt that carries an 18% interest rate is kind of like buying an investment with an 18% return. The only difference is one is preventing a penalty, the other is soliciting a bonus. Either way, the real value is the same. Think it through.

Most hostels have hot plates from what I understand. I never have traveled via the hostel route.

Eat like a local. Find where the locals eat. If you see eateries in multiple languages/flags with photographs, that's a red flag that it's a tourist eatery. Some of the best pasta and tirimasu I have ever eaten was a local Italian wine and pasta restaurant in Salzburg. Didn't speak a lick of Italian or German, but we still we able to order a lovely dinner and a lovely wine.

Two secrets to finding good cheap food in just about any city in the world. Take note of where cabbies and police officers eat. They always seem to know where the cheapest and best food is located in town. If you see either cabbie or cop at a location it's a good bet that the food is good and the portions are fair. Also, don't be afraid to ask them. Don't ask them where they suggest to eat, ask them where THEY eat. Tell them you want to go where the locals go eat.

Shop like a local. Find where locals shop. People think it's expensive to live in some cities, and while that's true for the most part, many people learn where the cheapies are located.

Don't eat breakfast at the hotel where you are staying. Usually that's an additional cost charged to the room, "breakfast included". It is usually not something you want to eat anyways, something akin to the US Continental breakfast, more than likely the additional fee is not worth to food your getting usually some cold cuts, hard boiled eggs, breads and jams.

Even if you can get a room with a hot plate and fridge, that can save you some cash for breakfasts. Find the market and get some oatmeal, cereal and milk. Get some coldcuts and bread to make some sandwiches if you like.

Walk. Walk to where you want to go, pay attention to bus lines and cab stands. If you are staying at a nicer hotel there may be a concierge. Ask them for bus information. A simple bus ride can extend your walking range by quite a bit. Make sure you know when the LAST bus going back to your hotel is leaving the bus stop that you will be at. Nothing sucks more than thinking your taking the bus home, only to find out you missed the last one and now have to take a cab or have a very long walk home.

If you are a student. Use that student discount.

Cyn has some excellent advice, once again!

Starshine -
If you have space in your luggage, pack a small knapsack with snacks, and oatmeal for breakfasts. Suppliment with local produce and cheese for lunch, enjoy dinner with your friends in the evenings. Oh, and while you're there, try those cheap local beers in plastic bottles. Tt loved those when we were in Germany.

What an honest account, Baraka_Guru. Thank you for taking time to contribute.
You've prompted me to add a little about educational expenses.

Don't be overcharged for your education
At age 23, in California (and I assume in other states as well) your parents' financial information is no longer necessary or applicable to your financial aid application. Keep this in mind as you're planning your education. I was handed thousands in grants, and was literally paid to complete the past two years of my undergraduate education, thanks to this system.

If you're interested in pursuing graduate studies, search for a school that offers teaching fellowships or other financial aid assistance. There are even reputible MBA programs that will pay your way through school, if you get in. Like this one

Thanks for all the great advice guys! I'm concerned about entertainment too, I mean I'll be with friends that know the area, but I really just don't have a clue as to how I go about figuring out how much money I should bring... this is also my first trip outside of the country and all by myself! I know only one person in Germany and he has to go to class for a couple days out of the week and I'm kinda nervous about venturing out on my own...

what german city will you be in?

I'll have to add to this list as I think of them, but I am doing pretty good living a sustainable and inexpensive lifestyle.

1. Go outdoors. There are national parks, state parks, beaches, bike trails, lakes, parks. They are free or can be pretty close to free. Bring your own food along, but always buy an ice cream cone after hanging out at the beach. :)

2. Get digital over-the-air TV. The government will even give you $40 towards the converter box. Most of the TV shows you watch are on broadcast TV. Setup a DVD fund for cable shows and either rent the season when it comes out on DVD or buy it. Some shows you can download on iTunes. I saved enough money to buy a HDTV this way.

3. Eat natural foods. Fruits and veggies. Drink regular (or reverse osmosis) water instead of sugar water or bottle water.

4. Make sure you have good air pressure in your car and bike tires. Bike if it is possible.

5. Go to the public library. They have books, DVDs & magazines.

6. Build your own stuff, do your own work. It takes time, and it isn't easy. I am trying to plant a 10'x10' garden and I haven't even finished painting the fence, and the weekend is over already. I have built a lot of my own furniture, and the stuff I do buy is real wood Amish stuff.

7. Know when to buy quality, nice, expensive stuff. There are times where it pays to buy good stuff. Just do the research. If you are going to use something for the next 10-20 years, make sure it is good. But save your money up before you buy it. This will make it look like you aren't cheap. Look in some of those high-class architecture magazines, the rooms aren't decked out with a ton of stuff, but you know what is in there looks expensive. If you can recreate the look without spending 10% what they paid, you are doing it right.

Yes! Right on, ASU2003.

Doing the research is key - it's ideal for furniture, and it works great with fashion as well. I spend a couple of hours each season flipping through the fashion shows by the top designers. Training your eye to current and lasting trends helps you make better purchasing decisions, and helps you remain fashion savy when you're shopping thrift or sifting through second-hand freebies.

Lubeck, Germany

Another note on Transportation.

Look into the Public Transportation opportunities in your area, and use them. I'm fortunate to have a free bus in my town, but now with gas prices even the Regional Bus would be cheaper than paying for the gas to drive (let alone the wear and tear on my vehicle). Combine this with loading a bike on the front of the bus, or being willing to walk 2-3 miles and my need to drive is greatly reduced.

Awesome thread! I should have made one years ago, but I was trying to be efficient....

Live in a house but consumed by radical cooling bills each summer?
- Vent your attic! I build bigger vents on each side of my attic, which allowed a breeze to carry out the hot air that usually stagnates above every room in my house and I've seen a rather surprising savings in my electricity each summer. It only costed me a bit (less than $100) for some wood, nails and paint. If you really want to stick it to GE, add a solar panel connected to an attic fan. It's an investment, but it pays for itself very quickly and lasts for decades.
- Plant bamboo! If there is a wall of your house that gets a lot of sun but doesn't have large viewing windows, plant some bamboo. It grows very quickly and it can prevent a lot of that heat from reaching your walls. I planted a few years back, just as an experiment, and it grew about a foot a day. Be sure you've got airspace, depending on the type, it can get quite tall.
- Turn off lights and your computer! These not only consume energy, but also generate heat. Wait until the evening when you can.

This is good advice, but one caveat: Make sure that bamboo is contained, otherwise it will grow, and grow, and grow. It will take over that part of your garden if it is not contained somehow. And don't forget to protect your neighbors from your bamboo if it's near a fenceline--it will spread under the fence.

Yes, bamboo is at least twice as aggressive as a prom date. I built a 1' deep wood border and I still trim it often.

I thought the only fool proof method of containment was cement/plastic barrier that kept the root system 100% contained.

Mine are in what used to be a planter, so there's concrete like 4 feet down. They're basically contained, but I'll have to check in the next few months to be sure.

Great thread, gg!

Off the top of my head:

Entertainment: Dollar theaters and Sunday morning shows for movies. Some theaters have an 11 a.m. or so show on Sunday mornings for half the price of a matinee show, usually about $2 or $3.
Fast Food: I know you family people do it once in a blue. Don't order meals. Order your sandwiches and then order an extra large fry to share. Bring your own water. We've been so conditioned to buy those meals but it's a helluva lot cheaper without those wasted fries and drinks.
Meal Planning: Don't do it until you've checked your supermarket circular to see what's on sale. If you have an inexpensive Sam's or Costco membership through the workplace, you can buy meat, poultry and veggies in quantity and save as well.
Hand-me-downs, thrift and consignment: I swallowed my pride years ago and am happy to accept gently used hand-me-downs for the girls. Great items can be found, some not even worn, from thrift and consignment shops. People with too much money to spend donate some nice stuff. :p

Wait for sales for common or needed goods

You know you're going to need new sneakers at some point in time. You know you're going to need a new pair of jeans. The toothpaste you like will be used up at some point.

Pay attention to sales. Wait for sales to happen for those goods and buy them when they are on sale.

Buy only what you need and use. Stop thinking that all the options are more value. If you don't use the feature, it's not adding any value at all.

This is an excellent thread.

Check out websites like http://www.moneysavingexpert.com - I have saved lots of money by following their tips.

Anyone in the UK should switch their TV on to Channel 5 every Wednesday for "It Pays To Watch". Amazing tips on saving money.

For example, instead of buying detergent, use soap nuts. Half a kilo cost me GBP7, and six half-shells lasts me six washes. Instead of fabric softener, use distilled white vinegar. Much cheaper AND better for the environment.

Quoted for absolute truth. I decided very early on that I won't date any girl who expected me to pay my way and hers as well. I am studying again at the moment and choose not to spend money on eating out and entertainment. I am sure not going to spend it on someone who isn't interested in me if I don't pay for her food.

If that makes me cheap, then so be it. It's a choice between being cheap or being broke, and I'd rather not be broke.

I'll be moving around pretty frequently and living in apartments, so large, expensive furniture, or having a lot of "stuff" in general is non-optional. To make my place seem more like a home than a sterile box, I'll be taking full advantage of the Ikea Hacker website.

This is a bit of a threadjack, but: we've always taken turns in my relationship--I paid the first time we went out, he paid the second, and so on. Now it comes down to three things: 1) I've offered to pay, 2) if it was mutual/we have equal amounts of money, we rock-paper-scissors it out, or 3) whoever has more money pays. In my opinion, equity should start at the beginning of the relationship. If a girl wants you to pay her way all the time, she isn't worth it.

There are a few things that my wife and I have done that I think have really saved some money.

The first one is for our newborn, we decided we were going to use cloth diapers. It was a bit expensive up front, maybe about 300-400$, but these diapers will last him until he is out of them. Not to mention it is a LOT better for the environment and we have already more more than recouped our initial investment. I really thought that I wouldn't like them, but I've surprised myself and I'll recommend them to ANYONE with a newborn.

The other thing that I've done is to move from the disposable razors like the Fusion or the fancy Gillette type razors to a double-edge safety razor like:

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...nk.com/180.JPG

Again, it took a bit of up-front investment in that the badger brush cost about 30$, a container of shaving cream was about 20$, and the razor was free. So for about 50$ I have a razor that will last a lifetime, a brush that will easily last about 5-7 years, the shaving cream will last on average about 4-6 months for me (not to mention my skin feels so much better with a natural sandalwood instead of processed goo), and the replacement blades only cost about 3-5$ for 10 blades. I go through maybe 6-8 blades a month right now and that is shaving everyday. So after 3 months, I've already saved money and from now on it will just keep adding up.

Both of these do take a bit more time out of your day, but my son no longer has diaper-rash and I've come to really enjoy the 10 minutes every morning when I shave.

Sweet, I asked for it and I got it! I'm going to love this thread.

Here are my major tips:

• NEVER buy on price alone. Cheap things break. Determine what will last the longest per dollar.
• Rice and beans, learn to love 'em. We have a pressure cooker which makes it easy and I eat rice and beans two to four times a week. Make a batch, refrigerate what you want and freeze the rest. Cajun seasoned, mmmmmm. Frozen shrimp on sale? It's like a holiday!
• Freezer cook. I have to maintain the freezer, about $10/mo in the winter and about $20 in the summer as far as I can tell. However, when I want a sausage and egg bagel for breakfast I don't call on Jimmy Dean, I grab one that was made a month, two, hell even six months ago when we stood in the kitchen for a couple hours cranking out a buttload of the things. Lasagna, beans and rice, soups, casserole, etc. are good candidates for freezer cooking.
• Pack your lunch. Even the cheap lunches add up. $6/day, $30/wk, $120/mo, $1440/yr. Yup, $1440 per year to eat at Burger King on your lunch break. That's a nice bicycle per year. Since I'm working on jobsites I carry an old microwave from job to job. "Is that carpet layer going to be here all week? I'll bring some leftovers!" I've heard that more than once.
• Speaking of bicycles, use one. It doesn't have to be fancy but if you have one and use it you benefit in more than just frugality. I can't commute by bike due to hauling 200lb of tools to every job so I use it for errands. Store, bank, store, store is one of my regular loops. It's about 6 miles total and it's easy. I'm not what you would call the epitome of fitness, note next tip.
• If you smoke (I do) learn to roll your own with a filter. I smoke Bali Shag, possibly the most expensive rolling tobacco you can get. I'm not shy about it, I'm a heavy smoker. I spend $20 every two weeks to smoke my friggin' brains out. At $5/day you can see that me smoking tailor made cigs would cost $70 for the same time period.
• If you eat meat, make friends with hunters. They can rarely store all of the meat they harvest from larger game. Sometimes I get it for free, sometimes I "rent" freezer space in exchange for a portion.
• Toothpaste is cheaper than dental work and oil is cheaper than an engine.
  

Bicycles are awesome. In six months, my bicycle had paid for itself. I did shell out for a nice bike, because I didn't want to ride around town on some piece of crap secondhand bike that didn't fit. I wanted to plunk down my money once for a bike to last for years. I also outfitted it with a basket and a rack so I can bike to the farmer's market.

And preventative maintenance applies to the body too--engaging in regular exercise, eating right, and stretching can prevent illness and injury, keeping medical costs low.

I've thought about buying a bike but so far I've managed to walk almost everywhere. The market place is almost exactly 1 1/4 mile from my house. I have a back pack for veggies and stuff. But I may have to take the plunge when summer gets here. Not going to be a lot of fun if I can't make it to the market and back before it hits 110.

Try to stay away from department store bikes. They are inexpensive but they never work as well as a "real" bike and the maintenance issues are horrendous. If you're just using it for short trips with few hills, seriously consider a single speed bike, like a beach cruiser. I had one beach cruiser from schwinn that I rode through three sets of tires and all I ever had to do was lube the chain and adjust the coaster brake. I have no idea how my coaster brake made it through all that but it did. The front brake needed only one replacement of pads, IIRC.

Old Schwinns are great bikes; newer Schwinns are not that great. Finding an older Schwinn cruiser that just needs some maintenance/love would be a good bet.

As of yesterday, we've begun setting aside our coffee grounds to use in our containers and garden. Composting isn't really practical for us given that we live in a townhouse with a small yard (plus I don't want to build/buy a compost bin and then have to move it in two months), so just using the coffee grounds as a soil amendment is a great tip. Thanks, gg! :)

Another gardening tip that I've been using the past few months -- epsom salts!

I had an old box in the house from an old sprain and didn't want to throw it out, but the carton was really falling apart. I found out that it makes a great natural inexpensive fertilizer. Add a couple of spoons to a gallon or so of water. All my houseplants have really greened up and thickened, just like MiracleGro. Now it comes in resealable recycleable bags and I use it every time I water my plants at a fraction of the cost.

My wife swears by this book as her 'cleaning' bible:

http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/produc...oductid=162165

Lots of things in our house get cleaned with bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar - and it looks pretty clean around here :)

As far as entertainment goes, you are in luck if you live in a college town. I happen to do and there are several events each week that are inexpensive to attend. Plus, there is a huge variety to the events on campus. Usually, there are details in the campus paper. My favorite for a long time was free showings of MST movies every Friday evening. Very cool.

wow, I've yet to get through your OP genuinegirly, but I wanted to take the opportunity midstream to thank you for this thread...

I kind of limited down here, my guess is I'll have to go with one from Costco.

No bike shops, huh? That kinda sucks. Well, get the simplest one they can sell you, the complicated ones obviously require more maintenance. Every bike seems to have fancy indexed shifters these days, I miss the old levers.

There might be?? Took me almost three months to find a place to get my scuba tanks refilled.

I was looking at the bikes at Costco and Sam's Club. Nothing there looks simply to me, but what do I know about bikes? I do know getting anything repaired or replaced down here is usually a hassle.

Might be time to do some serious investigation. I walked to the phone and power companies today and felt near death by the time I got back.

Living in London, I've only ever owned a really cheap, used bike. Bikes here tend to get stolen or stomped on (destroying the wheels) so there's no point getting anything decent if it's going to be locked out on the street.

Yeah, I'm with allaboutmusic on this one. Living in Berkeley, bikes get stolen all the time. Even knew a few folks whose bikes were stolen off their second floor balconies because they weren't locked up.

Get a crappy-looking bike, learn how to maintain it yourself, treat it well, and get a sturdy lock.

I've also never lived anywhere that I could do without multiple gears. Hilly, hilly hills + cruiser = certain death.

I agree with everything you just said. Though I would add this applies to much, much more then just finances.

Uh oh, hope it doesn't devolve into a bike thread.

re: no bike shops: I'm loath to recommend it but there is a website called bikesdirect.com I've heard really bad things about customer service but the prices are REALLY tempting. I've never ordered anything from them, caveat emptor. I've been lusting over a trek fixie they have for something like $200.

There is also http://www.performancebike.com/ the prices are higher but I've actually had a CS issue with them and can give their service a rousing thumbs up. Others have had negative experiences so YMMV.

Here is a list of bike fit calculators: http://www.cyclemetrics.com/Pages/Fi..._fit_links.htm I have no idea how well they work, I ride all used bikes so I just get on the thing and see if it fits :)

re: hills and single speed: I feel your pain, sister. I live in CO and I sold my cruiser for that exact reason. I could get away with it now that I live in Lakewood for short trips but gears are good. A stronger cyclist could use one around here pretty well but I'm flabby and out of shape.

re: bike thieves: Scum of the earth. I feel for people who have to keep their bikes outside. I just bring mine in the house. It's leaning right over there. Sure, it's not too neat for the house but I like my bike so looking at it isn't an imposition. Be wary of U-Locks, they are not created equal, buy a good one. I don't understand vandalism and never have. Why would someone stomp a bike's wheels? (or rip the antenna off a car or break a window or...or...or...) Assholes.

edit: oh yeah! Some people put Huffy or Magna decals on their nice bikes, I don't know if bike thieves actually know what to look for or if they just steal via brand name.

Perhaps I'm Biased, but one of the easiest, least expensive ways to save a ton of cash throughout your lifetime is to have great credit.

If you're interested, you can learn more here ->http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=67686

Thanks, NoSoup! Great advice! It really does make a difference.

Convince yourself to spend less
If you enjoy windowshopping as a hobby, leave your credit card and cash at home. Bring only a small change purse, no bills.

See what catches your attention. Explore. Develop your tastes without indulging. Learn what a reasonable price is for the items that appeal to you the most, by walking (or surfing) from store to store, comparing prices, styles, and quality. Touch items. Learn about textures and textiles. Find what you've determined is your favorite. Wait a month. Do you still find it interesting? It's probably on sale or clearance by now.

When your shoes have started to give out, start looking around. If they're dress shoes, polish them. Wait a month before purchasing. You'll realize those shoes had a lot more life than you thought. Throw away if the sole is literally worn through or the body torn noticeably.

Build a Budget

As an exercise in frugality, design yourself an unreasonably low budget. Keep to it religiously for a minimum of 4 months. Determine just how little you can live off of. Weigh your comforts and needs. By the end of that 4 months, you will realize you could have spent/wasted less. Make it a game. Try it again.

Get your shoes resoled if the sole is worn but the upper is still in good shape. My favourite pair of smart casual shoes is on its third sole now... not very trend-setting, but much cheaper than buying new shoes.

keep shopping until you are committed to the purchase.

I do this for rental cars when we travel. I sometimes can save a HUGE amount just by continuing to shop the different aggregators. Don't lock in with a credit card unless you absolutely must.

NYC is a hard town that's for sure. I believe that's why the Sinatra line, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere". I'm not trying to make this a NY-centric thread, because really, "making it" is an important thing. The ability to stand on your own two feet with no one but you being responsible for yourself. Yes, we have relatives and friends to assist and bail out of situations, but all in all, the idea of making it... of making something more than what you started with...

I read this article and thought to myself, it is part of the carpe diem that is slightly missing from my current self. I'm comfortable with our salaries and our lifestyles. But that won't be satisfactory in 10 years and if don't make the adjustments now I'm not going to hit those goals.

And with all the trips that Skogafoss and I have been taking this year, so far they have been plenty, Chicago twice, LA, Las Vegas, Tampa, Puerto Rico and we just booked yet another trip to Las Vegas. We've started eating PB&J and grilled cheese sandwiches. While it's not the college ramen staple, it is still something out of ordinary for us to scrimp in order to save. We don't have to do it, but then something else in the budget would have to give.

The last time we did this kind of scrimping we did it 100% so that we could buy where we live right now. We did it for 2 years... this time it will be a little shorter, but we have some additional goals in mind. This time it's for a few months, just so that we can take some additional travel in for larger goals.

That sounds a lot like London. Lots of people I know are getting to the point in their lives when they're questioning if London is really worth the trouble.

nothing to say

Umm, you may have left off a "G"- Get to the clinic.:eek:

I would have just said find yourself a woman who makes at least double what you do. But whatever.

Back on track:

I don't know if I or someone else mentioned this before but... power strips. They are your buddy. We have all our "vampire loads" plugged into them and we turn the power strip off when not using said "charger pucks". When a computer gets powered down, it's power strip gets powered down too.

It's kinda fun to go into the yard and watch the 'fridge kick on via the power meter.

As long as she doesn't consistently spend 120% of your combined incomes like my woman does.:shakehead:

here's tips from a gorcery manager

Cyn: Thanks for the tips from the grocery manager! Interesting to think about consistancy of prices. The key really does seem to be this: THINK.

pocon1: Not sure if you realized, but it was a woman that started this thread (me!). Not all women are out to make use of your money while out on a date. If you honestly feel that a string of hookers can be less expensive overall than a girlfriend or a wife, you're spending time with the wrong women.

Yeah, I think if you're going to look at a cost benefit analyst prior to beginning a relationship your life's going to be pretty shallow and lonely.

Tully_Mars: While I agree with you completely, there is something to be said about finding someone who is compatable from a financial perspective. If you have similar goals and self-control when it comes to money, you'll find there are fewer conflicts. So many otherwise solid relationships fail because of differing perspectives on finances.

Tt and I are doubly happy - I never thought I'd find a man who was as frugal as me, turns out he was just under my nose. His father mirros my mother with their deal-hunting habits, his mother is like my father with their classic style. Throw those backgrounds together and you get us: a pretty awesome duo that can live below the poverty line while fitting in with the upper-middle class.

I did the same thing a few months ago. My upfront investment was a lot higher that yours, my razor was $55, my brush was $80. My shaving cream was $16.00 and the tub will most likely last me about 2 months, since I tend to use quite a bit. I bought a pack of 100 blades for $14.20 shipped, which at my current usage will last about 1 year. The aftershave balm I use cost $19.00 and will last about 4 months. So that works out to an upfront cost of $135.00 with an annual supply cost of about $150.00. Compare that to when I was using a Fusion going through two $3.00 blades a week and one can of $5.00 shaving cream every three months. Annual supply cost of $325.00. So it won't pay for itself yet for another six or seven months, but once it does then the gains will be pretty significant. Better yet, my skin feels better and is noticeably healthier, with virtually no red bumps or irritation visible now compared to when I was using a Fusion.

I only shave a couple of times per week, and I don't use shaving cream. Just run the blade over my face right out of the shower. That solution might not be for everyone, but it works for me. My face got used to no shaving cream pretty quickly.

I've been using the same electric razor my mother bought me when I was 16. That was 16 years ago. My rent has hydro included. How frugal is that?

I also cut my own hair, using a number 2 or 3, depending on my mood.

Frugalicious.

Oh ya. Free haircuts. My wife does the whole family (except for herself). We have an understanding. If she ever really screws up, it's OK to shave my head. It will grow back.

Very helpful thread. When I have the time, I'll go through all of the links. I would love to spend less money on food and I know all the ramen I eat isn't that great for me. This has helped to motivate me to make a change.

I'm already doing some money saving things that are also good for the environment. We have a nice big garden which gives us vegetables throughout the summer. We also have a flock of chickens, a dozen in fact. They give us us cheap eggs to eat, surplus eggs to sell and wonderful fertilizer. All we have to give them is food, water and love.

I fail in so many ways at being frugal. I order delivery and eat at restaurants on a regular basis. I purchase for quality over price. I buy myself presents all the time. I go to the movies a lot and go to bars and wine and dine. I live in Manhattan. I can tell you that if I had been a little more patient in pulling the trigger on HALF of my big ticket purchases, I would have been able to make about 50% MORE big ticket purchases. I favor buying over shopping. I probably own a lot of things that I can live without. I've probably upgraded a lot of things that didn't need improvement.

Sometimes I regret it. The rest of the time, I use all the time I would have spent strategizing over it to just enjoy it.

quality is relative if you're going to be buying something that is supposed to last a lifetime. why buy 10 $50 watches in your lifetime when 1 $500 Rolex will do.

Here's just a few ways that we go to see many of the broadway and off broadway shows for little to no money here in NYC.

I live in a treehouse I built myself. Totally secluded, in a ravine in a sparsely popuulated area. Spent the summer there. Rent? Never heard of it. Where am I now? Wintering at my SO's place :thumbsup:

Threadjack: I bought one of these: Windsor Bikes - The Hour from bikesdirect.com last Thursday. They shipped it same day I ordered it, and apparently they sent me something, because they sent a tracking number that shows my address. A friend used them and said they work, so they're probably okay.

Two ways I save a lot of money are 1) learn to cook 2) netflix. Cooking at home typically yields much better food than going out at a fraction of the cost. Also netflix is cheap if you utilize it a bunch. At home we do 2 DVDs at a time. Whenever a DVD comes in the mail we rip it and send it back immediately. Then later that weeks we watch the DVD and delete it. Usually by the time we watch the DVD we already have the next one ready to go. Sometimes we will get 3-4 DVDs ripped at a time giving us a good backlog of DVDs if we get a lot of extra time.

Also if you are single and want to save on entertainment consider getting a fun MMORPG where the monthly cost is fairly low. I remember playing Everquest and getting many many hours of entertainment for $10 a month. Also when playing that game I probably skipped over $10 worth of meals....

Halx - Yep, shopping around isn't for everyone. If you don't get a thrill out of the hunt, it's not necessarily worthwhile.
Cyn - thanks for the great tips!
Painted - A tree would be a fun place to live. Now that's a new frugality extreme.
Rekna - Yes! Learning to cook is a great tip. Netflix is great. So is Hulu.

here's more tips for seeing theater in NYC

take notice that some of these tips will apply to other cities, such as student discount seats, senior discount, or even SRO.

Before I leave for work, I shut off everything-computers, lights, unplug phone chargers...the only things running are the fridge and clocks.
I buy marked down meats and haven't had steak in two years.
We only run the clothes dryer for a few minutes, then hang everything on a line in the basement or on hangers.
I'm learning to buy off brands-I was always a bit of a brand snob when grocery shopping but now I look at prices.
I put my kids on a weekly allowance to cover lunches and their entertainment. This way, we're not shelling out $10 here and there or scrambling to do so.
I'm collecting Coke points. The spouse checks the freebie lists and Craig's list daily for freebie stuff.

I rarely buy name brand anything. Half the time the difference between name brand and store brand is the label... and the price.

I buy "Wally World" mouthwash and I swear it's Scope but the price nearly 1/2.

pay attention to newspapers.... local or your destination. You'll notice that the last few posts I've made have come from the New York Times.

When we locate a destination, I start subscribing and bookmarking as local as I can find of the destination. This is two fold reasoning. I get to know the location in some fashion as we travel about, I'll see recognizeable names that aren't necessarily in Fodor's and DK Travel Guides. Second, because locals can't afford what tourists pay for things on a regular basis, so I'll find cheaper off the beaten path finds.

I'm not a big coupon collector....yet....I usually tend to just watch for and buy items at Safeway when they go on sale. We also have a Cash & Carry nearby (it's like a restaurant supply store that is now open to the public)- but we buy a lot of food (especially frozen food) in bulk to stock up on in the freezer to last us months.

My boyfriend's the cook, but we try to plan our meals out for the week. If we need something at the store for one of the meals, we either get the smallest/exactly what we need or a bulk version depending on how much we'd use it in the future.

Also, here's what i just did-The first step is to look at the big picture. I re-analyzed our bills and expenses to see what I could chip off. 1- Cell phone bill. Any extra services we didn't need, I removed. 2- Auto Insurance. I just went on an online window shopping spree, got some quotes, and found several that would save us around $100/mo. Next step- cancel current insurance, sign up for the other. (PS- I found Nationwide to be the best, Progessive came in 2nd). It never hurts to get quotes. But there were other things I personally was able to cut back on, due to my unemployment status and schedule with school, only having my son in after-school karate 3 days instead of 5 days.

We try to go to the Safeway gas station to get gas there, even though it's a little out of the way- but since we have a Safeway card and have racked up a lot of gas points, it saves us A LOT.

Oh and Ebay & Craigslist are my best friends. I am always on the look-out for great deals- and tend to find a lot of them.

I am also trying to shop for things off-season. Such as the after-Holiday sales. And save the items for the following year.

And if possible, sell the good condition items from the past or that you don't use anymore. People on Craigslist are like rabid squirrels or hungry bears when it comes to cheap, local, used items.

Eating in as much as possible. Only eating out/ordering in when we have coupons/gift cards/discounts. (Except occassional special nights, etc.)

My boyfriend (if you have a man who plays video games, this is for you) gets through his video games once, then either trades it in at the video game store or sells it on eBay/Craigslist depending on its value. He only holds onto just a few 'important' games. The rest he consigns. I tend to do the same with clothes sometimes. I get it, end up not liking it that much but knowing someone else will love it, and sell it.

I only have 1 credit card with a low credit limit ONLY for emergencies, and a Target card for tight times during the holidays, which I prepared for this year. Credit cards, I've always considered dangerous, so I've stayed away from them until recently- but vowed not to touch them unless- say- the car needs repair- or some other unexpected expense pops up and we don't have the available funds and it is mandatory that we pay it right away.

Once a year- go through your entire house and see what you can get rid of. Sell it on eBay/Craigslist or have a garage sale. Have seasonal items out for the upcoming season.

RESEARCH. Plan ahead and research for big purchases and trips. When you take your time, you will find a great deal.

Turn lights off when you're not in a room! Leave lights off when it's light enough- and open your shades. Turn off your computer at night. Turn off heaters when not at home. Get a programmable heater. Unplug small appliances & power strips when going on a trip or being gone for more than 1 day.

I just wanted to demonstrate some frugality at work (literally).

At work, there's a health-food store around the corner that sells cheap bulk food. I can get protein powder, Nature's Path granola cereal, and soy milk at reasonable prices.

I've calculated the cost as such:
• 1 cup granola cereal (currently the Nature's Path HempPlus Granola)
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 2 heaping tsp protein powder

Nutritional information (approx.):
Calories: 485
Protein: 35g
Carbohydrates: 50g
Fat: 14g

Total cost per serving: approx. $2.50

With a low cost like that, I've started to add things as a rewarding treat. This week I bought a small bag of dried blueberries. For those who don't know, these can cost a lot ($14.99 lb. at this affordable store, which should be a good price). But I only use a couple of teaspoons per serving, so I should still be around $3.00.

At this price, that's a lot of nutrition. It's filling and quite tasty. Yay cheap and tasty!

But I don't think I'll continue with the blueberries. They're good, but I'd enjoy currants as well I think. I want to keep it close to $2.50 per serving. I like that number. It makes me look financially responsible. :)

Someone I know at my work (college spending money :D) feeds 3 (1 a baby) on 15-20 dollars a week.

The single biggest one I can think of is eating out. I see people bitching and moaning everyday about two things: they are out of shape, and they are broke. And then they eat out for 2 meals a day, every day of the week. If you eat in you can make a meal for 2 for under $5 easily just by buying canned foods at the grocery store. For some reason many people believe that eating out at $20 a pop doesn't really add up. It can add up and it does. A few coworkers of mine spend $600-$800 a month on eating out. Imagine the savings (and weight loss) they would experience if they ate soup and a vegetable or rice instead of spending $20 a meal once or twice a day.

Mixedsubstance, lots of great advice there. I'm currently going through my stuff and finding all sorts of things to pass along. Since we're gearing up to move and I'm in the midst of a semster, it's not so much an option to sell them on craigslist or ebay. I donated about 150 books to our local library and have a stack of clothes I keep adding to that I'll post on freecycle in the next month. If I had made it a habit to go through my things yearly to sell, I would have been able to make a pretty sum of money.

Baraka, I love those bulk stores. I wish there was one in my area.

Jozrael, Incredibly impressive friend you have there. I don't think I've eaten that cheaply since I was cooking only for myself.

Lasareth, that's a great point. Eating out does add up. Meals from a can are not the most tasty thing around, but they are cheap and easy to spice up. Here's a few other ideas when it comes to worktime meals.

Brown-Bag it!
It's incredibly easy to pack a lunch before you leave for work. It gets quicker every time, too - my mom could throw together 5 bagged lunches in 3 minutes flat, including a hearty sandwich, fruit, a drink and a snack. Easy and cheap. Another thing I noticed, once I was used to packing my lunch every day, if I forgot my lunch one day, I'd become frustrated at the lunchtime traffic rush. Much more rewarding to spend those extra few minutes chatting with friends who also packed their lunch.

Lunch Potluck
At one place where I worked, there was a group of women and men who made lunch into a potluck every day. Each person would bring a small dish to share. Most of the time it was leftovers from their family meal the night before. They always had the most delicious-looking meals. Plus, they would all sit around and chat as they ate - they turned a matter of convenience into friendship.

I'm going to start doing this when I can go home for lunch next year. I spend quite a bit of money eating food that isn't exactly good for you.

(you do need to watch out for sodium levels in canned food. Some have a lot in it.)

Another thing is credit card rewards. I have two credit cards right now, and I pay them both off every month. Well actually I pay one off each month and the other one hasn't been used in six months. Why? Rewards. The one card I got when I was in college doesn't have any rewards at all. The other one I got earlier this year gives me 1% cash back on all purchases at the end of each year. As a result I use that card a lot, even for normal everyday purchases. Since it's paid off each month I'm not accruing interest, so it makes sense to use the card instead of writing a check. I'll get about $60 back at the end of this year. Not a ton, but every bit helps.

It also helps to look at what kind of rewards you get on a card. Points? Miles? Can they be redeemed at stores you shop at regularly? I don't know a whole lot about those types of programs, but most of the ones I've researched wouldn't work for me since I would not be able to redeem the awards any where I want. Make sure any rewards program is worthwhile.

with regards to rewards programs... pay attention to the VALUE of what it is that you are saving up for... Sony Points are wonderful, but if the redemption of things isn't what you want... well it doesn't have any value.

We use frequent flyer miles for our rewards, we have enough FF miles for 4 round trip tickets to the Pacific Rim/Asia, approximate value is $10,000 each seat. There's no way that we'd get that same value with Discover card cash back or Starwood points.

want to know how much something adds up from day to day buying like lunch instead of bringing your own?

Lunch Savings - Financial Calculators from Dinkytown.net

Starwood points suck in my experience. I saved some up and twice used them to upgrade a room. Both times I found my room to be no different then those in my group that didn't "upgrade." Maybe I just got screwed a couple of times, don't know. But stuff like that keeps me from using or staying at properties that use that system. Given the option to earn Starwood points or air mile I'll take the air miles.

Right. I hate to fly, and will do so only in an emergency. So FF rewards are of no value to me. I like my AmEx rewards program because I can use the points for hotels, or even just general shopping. When I drove from Boston to Kansas last month, I used AmEx Rewards points to stay in a Hampton Inn in Illinois, and a Hilton in Omaha, saving about $300 total.

Eating/cooking at home can sure be a big saver. My housemate ordered a not very big everything pizza and breadsticks. She ate 5 pieces, and the rest will sit in the fridge til it gets thrown out. The bill was about $28 and she probably tipped the driver. That's about what I paid (on sale) for a package of six eight ounce ribeyes. So I can eat six steak dinners at home for a week for the price of one delivered pizza meal.

Lindy

I thought of some more simple things to do to conserve energy and save money.

1. Put plastic film over windows in the fall through the spring.

2. Collect snow and fill containers (reuse clean glass or plastic bottles), put these in your refrigerator and freezer. It will take up space, you won't lose as much cold air when you open the door, and nature cooled the snow for free so it will save you energy. If you live in a warm climate, just put water bottles (or fill it with food) in your freezer and keep your refrigerator organized so you can find stuff quickly.

3. Change light bulbs to energy efficient ones. Use sunlight instead of electric light.

4. Look into building a solar thermal heater. It won't work too well here from Dec-Feb because of the clouds, but I still might try to build a solar greenhouse that it's only job is to create heat from IR and UV rays that would have hit my yard. I priced the materials for this at $150, but unless it is damaged, it is a one-time cost.

5. Add more insulation. You get a tax rebate this year of 10%. I would like to see how long it would take for me to recoup this cost though. If I spend $180 to put in additional insulation, it might take 5-10 winters to come out ahead.

6. Wear more clothes in the winter, wear less in the summer (or nothing ;) ). Keep your thermostat low in the winter and delay your use of AC in the summer.

7. Hotel rewards points and fuel cards are great if you stay in hotels for business a lot or buy gasoline. I'm a fan of Priority Club and Speedway.

8. Close off rooms that don't get used in the winter or don't need to be heated (no pipes in the walls).

9. Wash your own car.

10. Mow your own lawn.

11. Recycle aluminum cans and a few other items. If enough people do it, the raw material cost will fall.

12. Buy drink mixes that you have to add your own water to instead of buying drinks that pre-mixed the water for you (and charged you for shipping the water).

13. Use Blockposters.com and Kinkos to decorate your house. http://www.blockposters.com/gallery.aspx

14. Buy flashlights that you shake to generate power instead of having to buy batteries all the time.

15. Use rechargeable batteries for devices that can use them.

16. Use the internet to watch the Daily Show, C-Span, the weather channel, CNN, Fox News, and a bunch of other sites if you have high speed internet or go to a mall, coffee shop or airport with free wifi.

Ladies, if you're up for it and don't mind the potential "ick" factor, use reusable menstrual supplies instead of disposable tampons and pads. There's already an open thread about these in the Ladies' Lounge, where many common questions have been addressed. I personally converted to the Keeper seven years ago and, hundreds of dollars in savings later, I haven't looked back.

Of course larger retailers are in the business of making money on selling disposable goods that need to be replenished over and over again, but it bothers me that rechargeable batteries aren't made available more prominently and in larger quantity containers in these stores. Whenever I am in places like Best Buy, Target and Home Depot, I'll pass shelf displays of disposable batteries in huge packages, but the rechargeables are almost never more than four per package, many of which include the charger. I have the charger, I just want more batteries!

Anybody have suggestions on the best place to find these? I've seen them available for ordering online but wasn't sure if there were other, more cost-effective options.

ebay. I buy my rechargables in bulk. they are generally sold by All-Battery.com - Rechargeable batteries & Chargers and sometimes i get them cheaper than what is listed in the website.

BUT... I've leared that there are some batteries that are better being disposable versus rechargable. Ex. remote controls... they last years as disposable, but with rechargables I have to recharge them every few months.

the freezing credit cards works for many people I know.

again, look at your spending habits and see just what is a habit and how you can diminish that. Remember it isn't as much about making more but about keeping more.

Those are some great tips, Cyn!

My sister told me about her "Coupon Club" the other day. Seemed like a great idea to share.

She has a group of friends that each hunt for coupons. They gather them from websites, newspapers, magazines, cereal boxes - wherever they happen to find them. Now comes the club. They have an envelope that they pass along from one person to the next. As each person gets their turn with the envelope, they:
1) throw out any expired coupons
2) take out coupons they will use
3) add their unused or unwanted coupons to the envelope
4) pass it along to the next person
You'll be shocked at the treasures you'll find when the envelope comes your way!

coupon club! Great idea... I remember our Ralph's used to have a coupon bin in the front of the store, people looked for coupons that they needed, and left ones that they didn't.

This article tells of some hardcore things like reusing bathwater for laundry... But the most important thing that I do from the whole thing is wait for things to get cheaper. Yes, things get cheaper because there are sales, that's when I buy things, especially things that don't spoil. Canned goods, why pay full price when from time to time canned tomato sauce or other canned items go for 25% - 50% cheaper???

Also, buy only what you need. Do you really need to be a small warehouse of goods? This makes sense if going to the market is on the way home. Europeans go the market regularly, like every other day.



---------- Post added at 09:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 PM ----------

also from WWII or the Great Depression era

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...q/wwiip211.jpg
"Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do" (1941-1945)

There's lots of times we don't use things up to the fullest, it sounds silly but I can squeeze at least 1 week extra out of a toothpaste tube. A couple extra servings of sauce from just pouring some water into the jar to get it all off the sides and boiling off the water when cooking.

I recently had to buy 2 new computer monitors. I literally was hoping each and every day that I turned them on for almost 1 month that they not die as I waited for the delivery from Dell to arrive with the new ones.

A friend of mine recently got an iphone because he said he needed to get a new phone, yet his old phone? It worked fine, he just wanted a new phone and found every way to rationalize it. I can actually count how many cellphones I've owned on one hand in the past 12 years, and I still have fingers to go. Skogafoss kept her old cellphone until the company forced her to upgrade because they stopped with the old cell towers.

Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Do without!

Finally, there's things that I flat out want, but I just do without. Not because I can't afford them, but because I can do without them. I'd love to have an Xbox360 or PS3. In fact I didn't even get a PS2. I had at one point all the consoles of all the major manufacturers in the mid90's. But by doing without, I've saved a bundle of cash, and I don't feel like I've really missed anything.

We split up our grocery shopping into a couple different types of trips, to different venues that sell different things. Once a month we go to the big warehouse grocery store (Winco) to stock up our pantry, twice a month in the winter we go to the indoor farmer's market, and every couple of days we buy what refrigerated staples we need from the local hippie food co-op (milk, eggs, yogurt, etc) as well as our coffee. Now and again we troll the local Grocery Outlet. We buy a lot of bulk foods--both Winco and the hippie food co-op have enormous bulk sections. Buying in bulk and then storing the food in reusable containers at home is much cheaper. Shopping for produce at the farmer's market forces us to buy what's in season--and what's in season is often cheaper.

This spring we'll be signing up for a CSA box. For about $19/week, we'll get a box of produce from a local organic farm that comes with guaranteed staples and salad mix every week, in addition to a variety of seasonal items. I'm pretty stoked!

Join AAA or AARP.
Even if you don't have a car, AAA has membership benefits that pay for themselves very quickly. Discounts on airfare, rental cars, hotels are just the tip of the iceberg. I compare AAA to Expedia, Travelocity, etc. and sometimes I can get an upgraded high mileage AAA rental car for the same price as the cheaper lower model. There are discounts for FTD, all major theme parks, Lenscrafters, and many other places. You also can get free maps, tour books and other extras.

Ask for discounts.
Flat out ask for them. Ask for Student discounts. Ask for AAA discounts, even if you aren't a member, they may still give you the discount. Ask sales associates if there are upcoming sales. This may mean the difference of waiting a few days or week, a savings for you and maybe even a bigger commission for the salesperson. We got our luggage for travel this way, it gave us 1 free piece of luggage which was valued at $250. A nice tidy savings just because we waited one extra week.

In regard to bikes, it would be cool if Berkley and other campuses do like the do in Amsterdam: The free local "White Bike". Everyone there rides bikes and at several corners are free, unlocked city owned and lent white bikes that locals use to get from place to place and leave for the next person to "borrow". Isn't that extremely cool? I think so...when I've been there I always smile when I saw someone riding the free white bike! You gotta admit it's just so liberal and commie and wonderful!!!!

Wait a second... what in the world... have you spent any real time in Berkeley? There's a reason why they don't have free bikes sitting around. Have you seen the bicycle skeletons littered around campus? Free bikes would be picked for parts, stolen, or destroyed. There's little respect for public property in that city.

Time Out NYC just posted 769 Cheap Things To Do

Your 2009 stimulus plan - Time Out New York

Wow! That's really neat, Cyn. Thanks for sharing!

In the same line with the AAA discount - one thing you may want to check on, especially those of you with AAA insurance, is whether or not you receive a discount on insurance with the membership.

I had my autos and homeowners on one policy, and AAA was offering a similiar rate. However, if I joined the actual AAA program (like $60/year) it would then get me a discount that added up to like $300/year on autos and home combined. As a result, I pay less for insurance and have AAA.

I love Frugal Living. A lot of what I would contribute has already been said in one form or another. The biggest thing for me to live frugally and well is to not view consumables as a one-way transaction. If you buy a video game, a DVD movie, or clothing, then decide you don't want it anymore, don't let it sit in your closet. Sell it! Ebay, Craigslist, classified ads have already been mentioned. It is simply stunning to me how many people neglect this because it is 'too much bother', then lament their lack of money in the next breath.

If you want to take this to the next level, keep an eye out at garage sales and on Craigslist for items that you know are worth more than the asking price. Buy it, clean it if it is dirty, fix it if it is broken, and re-sell it for what it is actually worth. This was part of the way that my mom made ends meet with raising my brother and myself on $600/month child support with a $500 mortgage. I learned from her example. When I was 14, I bought my first car (though I couldn't drive it) at a garage sale that a neighbor was selling for $200. I paid for it with money I had saved up from birthdays and Christmas gifts and mowing lawns. It was a 1974 Oldsmobile. It ran, but it was dirty and dusty. I spent a weekend washing it inside and out and cleaning it up thoroughly. I sold it the next week for $500. When I was in college, I saw a pretty new looking dryer sitting on the curb down the block. I asked the people living there if they were throwing it out. Yeah, it quit working, we got a new one was the reply. I took it home knowing if I couldn't fix it, I could always just throw it out myself. It turned out that someone had mis-wired the 220 cord and burnt out the connector. I bought a new cord from Lowe's for $6 and sold the dryer for $150. The same principle could apply to used bikes, furniture refinishing... take whatever you are good at and make it work for you.

On rechargeable batteries: take the next step and buy a reliable solar battery charger. They aren't fast, but if you are like me, you can just put a couple of batteries in it and leave it in a sunny corner of your room. Every 2-4 days, you'll have fully charged AA or AAA batteries that you can take out and put the next set in. Unless you are running through batteries like mad, this should keep you set for a while.

Oh, and this is my most recent favorite. Ditch the store bought microwave popcorn. Buy a large bottle of popcorn kernels, a stash of brown paper lunch bags, and do it yourself. Just pour a single layer of kernels onto the bottom of an opened brown bag. Fold over the top twice. Microwave for 1:30 or so until the kernels stop popping actively. Add butter, salt, or leave plain and enjoy. You get great tasting popcorn, for less money, and you get to know exactly what is going onto your popcorn, or not.

Neat ideas, braisler. It's amazing the quality junk that people throw away.

I know that this was posted a while ago, but I just had to chime in on your bike. Sweet deal, but a FIXED gear!! :eek: I hope you know what you are doing with that bike. I've been riding for 20 years, raced collegiate road and off-road for 3 seasons, raced amateur off-road for 7 years, done several centuries, and the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia.. and fixies still scare the crap out of me.

/threadjack

thanks!

I wish I had the fortitude to do the reselling of things. I just don't have it in me at the moment. I can't sell my things for some reason, but I'm happy to give them away to someone who needs them. I'll have to work on that.

Popcorn, I make mine on the stove. Good to know I can make them in the microwave in a simple fashion. I'll have to sample it.

There's probably some repetition here, but use them as some important reminders...

I do always forget to walk through the thrift stores. I used to do it on a regular basis when I was younger and needed office clothes. Blazers and button down shirts are cheap and usually have little wear and tear on them.