Post: #126

- Rented movies from the redbox instead of buying them
- Put spare cash in a bank account
- Borrowed college textbooks from the library
- Printed stuff from computers on campus (beats trying to spend a fortune on printer ink and plain paper)

Post: #127

I haven't started doing this, but here's one thing I will start doing:

Start using my CVS coupons. This applies to Americans only.

I have always purchased an item at CVS, gotten the long string of coupons on the receipt after purchase, and then never used them because I would just throw them out. But after seeing the coupons, I've come to realize that they are actually very useful.

The coupons are based off of an algorithm where CVS tries to give coupons based off of spending habits. So, for example, if I bought shaving blades, the coupons would have coupons related to shaving blades. The coupon values are actually pretty good. Even better - the Extrabucks can be used for anything.

Post: #128

Just came from Costco all I see are a couple somewhat useful gift cards to Jiffy Lube and a spa. Rest are garbage eateries.

Here's a couple more:
* I shave my head with a $15 hair clipper. Not practical for too many people but since I'm not white I don't come across as a skinhead. After about 3 years I may have to replace it. Perfect example of not only saving money but time going to a barber. I'd argue this and my bus pass have massive ROI.

* Use the library to borrow books.

* Don't buy clothes at a whim. We're not women here and guy's style tend to change about every decade.

* "Live" at my job and at the gym. Use bathrooms, take showers at the gym, take sweeteners like Stevia so I don't have to purchase them, etc. I work in food industry so one of my favorite tactics is grabbing disposable containers and storing my food in them. Now I don't have to do dishes when I get home and it's just another way to piss off the higher ups. We all hate our bosses I take this point to an extreme, even going as far as to bring outside drinks I bought at Costco, drink them throughout the day, and dump the trash out so the janitors have to do more work.

Post: #129

I love this thread.

The "penny wise, pound foolish" concept is key. I think the goal is to maximize your investments of both time and money. Some things like chores can actually be a good personal development, like cooking for example, or even tidying up your house to improve your organization and get rid of random crap.

Bringing food to work, cooking at home have all been big money savers.

Some things, like a popular coffee shop where you can small talk and meet new people or simply interact a bit, may be worth the $3. You don't have to buy something expensive, but maximize that opportunity to talk with people or read your book and grow your mind. If you are wasting $3 on coffee just cause you want coffee, then that of course is a waste.

Post: #130

The biggest thing I've done this year to save money is get divorced. Unreal how much $$$ she was spending.

Post: #131

^
LMAO! Even just looking at social media I see girls spend money on stupid pathetic stuff like fancy dinners, $10 print bags that end up in the trash. Then they wonder why they're fat and slowly dying (hydrogenated oils, subpar meats, etc). Believe me, I'm not stupid and can see if a girl is insecure about her body by the way they dress. I will NEVER marry a trust fund baby or someone who treats money like toilet paper.

@Robert High Hawk
Well yeah that's a fair point. For example, you could save money by going to the local park district and playing basketball or you could go to a gentleman's league where rich men pay $500 to sign up. It's to keep the hoodrats out and to make high quality friends. This thread is great to bounce around ideas but once you move up the ladder you don't want to be penny wise, pound foolish.

Post: #132

Planet Fitness - Cant beat 10 bucks a month for membership and 21 bucks anywhere

Transfer debt - I keep moving debt on 0% credit cards, have paid interest 4 years now

Cook work lunch at home the night before

Cut the cord - No cable. Don't need. Plenty of free online sites if you need sports

Post: #133

(08-26-2018 02:58 PM)godzilla Wrote:  Planet Fitness - Cant beat 10 bucks a month for membership and 21 bucks anywhere

Transfer debt - I keep moving debt on 0% credit cards, have paid interest 4 years now

Cook work lunch at home the night before

Cut the cord - No cable. Don't need. Plenty of free online sites if you need sports

Planet Fitness is a huge money saver.

Not only is $10/month a steal, but they also have many nights a month where free food, such as pizza and bagels are served. If you factor in the amount of free meals you can get, it's well worth the membership even if you don't go to the gym at all

On top of that, free showers and massage chairs are a huge plus. Some are even open 24/7.

Of course, for the true gym buff the gym may not suffice but it's a solid choice for most people.

Post: #134

I like this thread. It’s not about being “Penny Wise, Dollar Poor” since it’s not about decreasing standard of living. Spending an hour Sunday to cook your weekly meals is cheaper, healthier and give you more free time than going to a fast food chain. I see plenty of overweight and poor people (by the neglected car) leaving fast food chains with huge bags. They rationalize thinking it’s best to spend $15 at McDonald’s (an hourly wage) instead of spending an hour cooking (+ paying for the ingredients).

Groceries:
I buy my food online from Walmart’s Groceries app. They charge you $7 to deliver and you can save your favorites in the app so you don’t waste time looking. You don’t have to waste time (time is money) shopping and you choose when to deliver (they’re very punctual).

Cellphone Plan:
I was paying $45 for my cellphone plan (TracFone Wireless). I find it expensive since I barely use my phone (plan). Recently I discovered Mint Mobile. They use T-Mobile network so it has good coverage but they charge $15 (unlimited calls + 3GB internet). You can port your number if you want and they give you a SIM card so you can try the network for a week (to make sure you have decent coverage). I gave it a try and now I just registered.

It’s the same service (as T-mobile), but 3 times cheaper. Don’t want to sound as a salesman but If you use this referral we both get an extra month ($15) of credit.
http://fbuy.me/mq-uw

Post: #135

Moved to Eastern Europe, began working online, paying a very small amount of US income tax and started saving and investing $25,000 a year with the eventual hope of creating an index fund (and a few other outsourced business tasks) that pays my bills in entirety so that I no longer have to work.

Mind you, I do this while living pretty lavishly (frequent means out, my own new apartment with no roommates, gym membership, haircuts every two weeks, new clothes).

This is all done for about $1,500 a month and that's if I'm going hard. It's usually less.

Post: #136

Phone
Ported my phone number to Google Voice like 4 years ago for a one time fee of $20. Since then, I've had no phone bill (I only use an iPod touch on wifi)

Food
skipping meals and postponing eating in general. Simple meals (soup, sardines, crackers, etc)

Transportation
Car free for 4 yrs now and just bought a fat bike. Now I get fresh air / exercise for free while riding to the store or just wandering

Post: #137

Cut the home wifi service this month. Was paying $50/month for that. I instead got Ultra Mobile unlimited plan for my phone which is $50/month and has unlimited data and talk/text.

I now use my phone as a WiFi hotspot whenever I need WiFi at the house.

Post: #138

I don’t shave as often as before since I mostly use a hair trimmer. But when I shave I use an old-type double edge razor. You can buy them in bulk for cents each. And now you can get a Chinese version of the Merkur Futur ($70) for $15 with your name engraved. The Chinese brand is called QSHAVE (Amazon or AliExpress).

The razor is beautiful and works great:
You can find plenty of reviews on YouTube.

Post: #139

we live in a rv towed by a 4x4. every town we pass thru has an op shop/goodwill. we swap and buy books and all our seasonal clothing etc. most stuff is new or low use. bought a fully lined sueded leather bomber jacket for twenty bucks last week. now I can look well dresed and stay warm this winter. we pay no sales tax this way either. bonus.

Post: #140

My job has a condition where I can get room and board. I don't qualify for it for certain reasons but I appreciate it for what it's worth. Something I've been thinking about is finding a place to sleep in peace in my car since I'm stuck on the graveyard shift. It would cut my commute time and help with my current project of finding a job that pays in the 150K range.

Taking advantage of the annoying commute so I don't burn gas excessively and increase wear and tear on my car:
Listening to podcasts and audiobooks.
Commuting earlier to avoid the evening rush.
Using my toll pass judiciously. Last thing I want to do is get into an accident because my employer kept me at 14 hours.

Post: #141

Some great tips here but I am guilty of trying to save a few cents here and there instead of looking at the big picture stuff.

So I've just sold my rental apartment. Excel says I'll make a lot more money by investing in income generating stocks rather than keeping the rental property. The best thing is that in a few years all of my money will be in tax except accounts, which will save a fortune. Plus I shouldn't have to pay any tax when I retire. Too many people forget about that.

Post: #142

@thoughtgypsy outlined it already

But, when it comes to saving money, if I had my time again - I would look at the place I live in like an investment in myself, even if I'm paying rent and I don't own the property I'm living in

I've tried saving 20-30% in rental costs before by living with an extra housemate in a small house, or by living in cheaper places - and it was rarely worth it looking back.

The wrong housemates (or landlord), or a cramped share house can severely impact or even destroy your freedom, happiness and mental space (especially if you get the wrong place or wrong people).

Pay a bit more for the place you live in, and you can experience far greater life returns proportionately than the extra monetary price you pay.

Post: #143

(04-15-2019 02:50 PM)ChicagoFire Wrote:  My job has a condition where I can get room and board. I don't qualify for it for certain reasons but I appreciate it for what it's worth. Something I've been thinking about is finding a place to sleep in peace in my car since I'm stuck on the graveyard shift. It would cut my commute time and help with my current project of finding a job that pays in the 150K range.

Taking advantage of the annoying commute so I don't burn gas excessively and increase wear and tear on my car:
Listening to podcasts and audiobooks.
Commuting earlier to avoid the evening rush.
Using my toll pass judiciously. Last thing I want to do is get into an accident because my employer kept me at 14 hours.

Yo.... I just read this post and it reminded me of a pretty cool video I watched on living in your car.

I would have never EVER considered this, but this video changed my mind. He has got this down to a fine science. I would probably invest in a bigger model car, but something with the same kind of efficiency of a Prius seems like a good way to go. For me the biggest drawback of sleeping in a car is the climate control aspect of it, but a Prius "runs" all night and just charges up the battery every few hours quickly, then turns off, so you can have the AC or heat on.

This guy (total granola dude but still makes a great presentation) explains the numbers behind it. If I had to, this wouldn't be so bad. As long as you have a SAFE parking spot, access to bathroom, showers, etc... on lock, this is not bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W86B-6BHrJA

Post: #144

I've become more of the impression that when renting, it's worth looking into furnished places, even if they are a bit more expensive. Also it's worth looking into places that have utilities already included, even if you think you could save a bit if you just paid for them each yourself since you know you won't use that much. Note that I say "worth looking into" vs definitely.

This is part of the whole Time=money thing, and penny wise, pound foolish.

Think about how much of a pain in the ass it is to haul your shit around. If you move with furniture, that can take days out of your life, if not weeks. All the time and expense (unless you have a truck), freinds time etc... of moving. If you don't have furniture, you are an even worse position of having to buy stuff, even if it's cheap, and spend days (most likely weeks or months) slowly outfitting your pad with bullshit stuff from IKEA that will break immediately anyway. Even if you want to live spartan, that stuff definitely adds up, and there is ALWAYS something that you end up deciding you need. Such a waste of time, and unless you enjoy living in an airbed indefinitely (think back problems and bad sleep leading to poor productivity), you will have to drop money on some kind of furniture anyways. If a place is furnished, you rent, unpack your suitcase, and you're ready to go. Instantly. No stress.

As for utilities being included, think about all the time and effort you spend monitoring your electric bille very month, setting up the cable in your name, the heat, the water, etc... that is just another mental and time drain each and every month, and at least in NYC it was a huge pain in the ass to setup internet like we were in 1995.

So there is absolutely no slam dunk savings advice here. In fact this is very contrarian for this forum. All I'm saying is don't think your time isn't valuable, and don't think distractions and physical and literal baggage won't cut into your efforts and momentum on whatever other worthy goals you are trying to do. If there's clear huge savings - as most of the time there will be, of course go with it, but also be mindful of the time (opportunity cost), attention (slow of mental momentum) and STRESS that goes with that.