Post: #26

Make better hourly. =)

- Tip more and lock down joints (free booze)
- Organize dates around cheap ideas (40 dollar dinner +drinks at thai restaurant or centered on reverse happy hours (8.30pm till close) )
- No coffee shops or juice shops
- No cable
- Republic wireless 12 dollars/month cell phone plan.

I blow plenty of money on sushi, booze and women BUT my lifestyle is probably 50% cheaper than it should be. Just gotta enterprise and conquer boys!

Post: #27

-I use Amazon mturk to take surveys, and make about 10$ online a week which I use to pay for gas. If it wasn't so boring I could make more with it, I know there are people making $100+ a month and more online with Mturk.

Post: #28

(08-12-2014 06:51 PM)memcpy Wrote:  -I use Amazon mturk to take surveys, and make about 10$ online a week which I use to pay for gas. If it wasn't so boring I could make more with it, I know there are people making $100+ a month and more online with Mturk.

Don't they pay like 5 cents an hour? I remember spending 45 minutes for 40 cents two years ago.

Post: #29

How I save money:

-No car. Rent or use Uber when I really need one
-Use points for tickets and hotels whenever possible
-Pre-drink before going out, including going out on dates
-Use slickdeals all the time for shopping
-Don't use air conditioner or heating too much
-Experiment with low/no cost dates: walk in a park together, happy hour at a bar, have just 1 or 2 drinks, split the cost/end date early if there is no spark, etc.
-Use airbnb for longer term stays
-Don't travel too much when everybody else does: summer and xmas/new year

Post: #30

can anyone suggest the best value vacuum I can buy? I don't want to blow $80 on a piece of shit that won't suck and will break in a week. I know somebody suggested a roomba in another thread. I could be open to that.

feel free to PM me if you don't want to derail this thread.

Post: #31

I'm still trying to crack the code on cable. There are some shows I enjoy, I also enjoy sports. In a previous post on this thread someone mentioned jailbroken apple tv. Aside from dropping cable altogether, I wonder if there is some decent solution. Would be great to shave money off that expense.

Post: #32

(08-12-2014 10:15 PM)samsamsam Wrote:  I'm still trying to crack the code on cable. There are some shows I enjoy, I also enjoy sports. In a previous post on this thread someone mentioned jailbroken apple tv. Aside from dropping cable altogether, I wonder if there is some decent solution. Would be great to shave money off that expense.

I just torrent the shows I want to watch.

Post: #33

(08-12-2014 09:44 PM)redbeard Wrote:  can anyone suggest the best value vacuum I can buy? I don't want to blow $80 on a piece of shit that won't suck and will break in a week. I know somebody suggested a roomba in another thread. I could be open to that.

feel free to PM me if you don't want to derail this thread.

A dyson, they're expensive but the last a long ass time.

I got one that's lasted my three years so far, my aunt has bought two Eureka in the same time.

Post: #34

(08-12-2014 10:15 PM)samsamsam Wrote:  I'm still trying to crack the code on cable. There are some shows I enjoy, I also enjoy sports. In a previous post on this thread someone mentioned jailbroken apple tv. Aside from dropping cable altogether, I wonder if there is some decent solution. Would be great to shave money off that expense.

As far as sports go, you can get a lot of the weekend action and playoff stuff on the broadcast channels with a digital antenna (HD to boot). Also see if you can get someone's cable name and password to access WatchESPN and then get MNF plus other random games.

I also catch up on PTI/Around the Horn through the ESPN Podcenter. It's audio only, but keeps you in the loop.

There are thousands of bootlegged sports streaming sites, but I haven't found any with consistent quality that are worth the hassle at this point. Perhaps others have some pro tips on that front.

There is always the option of going out to a bar to catch the game, but if you're anything like me then a couple of trips to the bar can easily equal the cost of a monthly cable bill. You should just drop it for a month and see how you feel without it. I would venture to guess you won't really miss it that much.

Post: #35

I'm a Mr Money Mustache reader as well.

Things I've been doing this year to cut down on spending:

- Moved to smaller (but more centrally located) apartment
- Got rid of the car, I can walk everywhere including work
- Cancelled cable TV
- Got on cheaper phone plan
- Cook nearly every meal
- Walk to cheap local markets for groceries
- Drink way less (wasn't much of a drinker before either, but it still added up)
- Wardrobe: buy very few quality things vs more of the cheaper stuff
- Pay cash for most things - I don't have any CC debt, but paying cash makes me more mentally aware of how much money is leaving my pocket

Post: #36

man everybody loves these dysons but I really don't know if I'm ready to blow $400 on a vacuum

Post: #37

Cut drinking, (or which to Soju.)

Pay off debt! All debt, student loans, credit cards etc.

Only buy what you use. Or pay as you go. Sell shit you haven't used in 100 days.

Post: #38

A few years ago I saved a TON of money. It was pretty simple to, anyone can do it. Heres how I had so much extra spending money every month..... I stopped paying my bills! Those few months were glorious to say the least. Catching everything back up was a pain in the ass tho. Its easy to dig a hole, but not so easy to climb back out of it.

I wouldn't really recommend this money saving strategy.

Post: #39

-Pay $300 per month for apartment in Chicago shared with roommates in a good area

-Split $20 internet bill 3 ways

-Expense my phone bill to my employer

-Buy all my small, expensive grocery items like olive oil etc when traveling for business, which is every week, so that I can expense it

-Only buy food for 3 days out of the week, the other 4 company pays while I'm at client site. Likewise, only pay for 3 days/week of driving my own car.

-While traveling, book hotels under my personal credit card rather than the corporate card, since Marriott receipts don't show credit card numbers, meaning I can still expense it without getting in trouble. That's a good $500 per week in free spending on my cards of choice.

-Never go out. I've been back in the US for a year, and have gone out to bars a total of maybe 5 times. Spent free time studying for MCAT (taken, score of 36 achieved), learning programming and applying to med schools. Improving Chinese when I have any time.

-Use cheap but very well equipped university gym as an alumni.

So, between all that, each month I save roughly 2-3 times what I spend. The bank account has been building up nicely and I'm getting ready to return to China and try to make shit happen, without the pressure to work 40hrs just to pay bills.

Post: #40

Paying everything with a credit point to gain points is a good idea ! I have a credit card but it don't have a reward program. I'm changing it for one who will reward me.

Post: #41

(08-12-2014 06:58 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

(08-12-2014 06:51 PM)memcpy Wrote:  -I use Amazon mturk to take surveys, and make about 10$ online a week which I use to pay for gas. If it wasn't so boring I could make more with it, I know there are people making $100+ a month and more online with Mturk.

Don't they pay like 5 cents an hour? I remember spending 45 minutes for 40 cents two years ago.

It's by the survey. I usually take the ones that are around .30 - $2 per survey. Each one takes about 5 mins to complete if you check out certain forums.

Post: #42

Get money out of my checking account as soon as I can.

As soon as I get paid, I pay bills and then save a set amount every time because I realized that if I have the money in my checking account I am much more likely to spend it on shit I don't need, and also realized that if I don't have the money there I am much more frugal and think more about my purchases.

I'm going to see how much money I can start saving by buying things like toothpaste and laundry detergent in bulk off Amazon.

Post: #43

Buy things when you need them and never before. This is the concept of just-in-time(JIT) inventory model. This allows you to be more liquid(cash on hand) rather than have your assets tied up in inventory(things you use but aren't needed immediately). It also gives yourself time to think about your purchase before you actually make it.

Post: #44

(08-23-2014 08:57 AM)Zyzz Wrote:  Buy things when you need them and never before. This is the concept of just-in-time(JIT) inventory model. This allows you to be more liquid(cash on hand) rather than have your assets tied up in inventory(things you use but aren't needed immediately). It also gives yourself time to think about your purchase before you actually make it.

What are some examples of this?

Post: #45

(08-23-2014 12:19 PM)redbeard Wrote:  

(08-23-2014 08:57 AM)Zyzz Wrote:  Buy things when you need them and never before. This is the concept of just-in-time(JIT) inventory model. This allows you to be more liquid(cash on hand) rather than have your assets tied up in inventory(things you use but aren't needed immediately). It also gives yourself time to think about your purchase before you actually make it.

What are some examples of this?

There are many. Protein powder is one(buy 10lb bags on amazon).

Post: #46

Wouldn't an example of JIT be buying 1/2 lb protein powder bags, not 10 lb? You might pay a bit more because you don't get the bulk discount, but it will come back to you in the form of ensuring that you never throw anything away, either because it went past its expiry date or because you simply never used it.

Post: #47

I dont buy silly shit I dont need. I take good care of my clothes, and make sure they wear well with everything else I own, so I only need to own 4-5 shirts. I walk and use public transport as much as I can.

The one thing I decided not to skimp on was food and booze. I like to eat nicely and a $2 savings on a can of Folgers is not worth being without organic coffee. And life is just too short to drink cheap beer.

Post: #48

(08-24-2014 03:47 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Wouldn't an example of JIT be buying 1/2 lb protein powder bags, not 10 lb? You might pay a bit more because you don't get the bulk discount, but it will come back to you in the form of ensuring that you never throw anything away, either because it went past its expiry date or because you simply never used it.

That's a good point. You would want to factor in delivery costs and time. If you have Amazon prime that isn't a worry. And yes, it is a trade off between buying in bulk and buying as you need. Nonetheless, the concept remains valid and if you do not use protein regularly maybe the 1/2 lb tub is sufficient for your situation.

I use protein powder regularly and I have never had a problem with expiration.

Post: #49

I don't know much about "JIT," but it seems to me that if you KNOW you will need 10 lbs of protein, you should buy ten. But, you have to have CONFIDENCE in that purchase. It'd be really convenient if we could just buy everything in daily portions...but that's not how packaging and sales works.

I'm having this issue now. I started taking MSM/Glucosamine/Chrondroitin pills to help my ankles/knees as I get back into playing basketball after my injury. A month's supply at Walmart is about $10, while a three month supply at Costco is about $20.

With fish oil or protein I know for a fact that I'll use it all...but I'm not so sure about these pills. The other factor is that these pills don't expire until 2016, so maybe I should just go for it.

Post: #50

Ever since reading GManifesto I've always been keen on "the art of the grease." Mostly at bars, I'll always help out the staff in order to gain some advantages in the field. But GMan takes it to a step above that. In some of the situations he describes, it would seem out of place if average joes like us started dropping $20's.

But today I saw it at work.

I've become a regular at my grocer of choice. The cashiers recognize me and don't say anything. But the butchers and deli workers, they notice me. I always get good meat and chat with them during weighing. They can tell I'm in the know because I'll spend a good amount of time deciding what to get instead of getting some premade, overpriced BS like most would.

I always thought about dropping some cash on these meat guys, but I guess I won't have to.

Today I was chatting with the deli man. He rang up my half pound of roast beef perfectly, so I exclaimed, "hey we got the best deli in town here!" He prints the label, doesn't remove the meat from the scale, and busts out more sliced beef and throws it on the scale. 1.2 pounds. He goes, "that's for being good to us."