How do you save money on everyday expenses?

[ReadingRainbows]

This question is inspired by the many threads on reddit about saving money.

I was wondering how the members of this forum budget and save money on living/life expenses?

 

[BadOctopus]

I buy my dog's toys at the dollar store. Spending more than a buck on a dog toy would be pointless, since she destroys them within an hour of receiving them.

 

[Frosty]

Oooh is this going to be like one of those, buy buying this toothbrush you are contributing to the torment of the underpriveledged. Awareness.

Money just doesn't seem real to me, just some sort of imaginary concept. Makes it easy to overspend, maybe some awareness would be a good thing. I mean it isn't as if I am rolliing in it.

 

[ReadingRainbows]

Oooh is this going to be like one of those, buy buying this toothbrush you are contributing to the torment of the underpriveledged. Awareness.

Money just doesn't seem real to me, just some sort of imaginary concept. Makes it easy to overspend, maybe some awareness would be a good thing. I mean it isn't as if I am rolliing in it.

I'm asking this because I'm the same way XD

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I buy my dog's toys at the dollar store. Spending more than a buck on a dog toy would be pointless, since she destroys them within an hour of receiving them.

Your dog makes me squee with delight. I have three cats at the moment though.

 

[Frosty]

I'm asking this because I'm the same way XD

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Your dog makes me squee with delight. I have three cats at the moment though.

Yeah, while I rarely purchase anything really tactile, I have an issue with buying books and music. The library is too far, and I am too lazy. Gas prices though.

 

[ReadingRainbows]

I buy a lot of books on my kindle app for tablet because I can't be bothered to get in my car.

 

[Chrysanthea]

Spending my precious thoughts on deciding what is cheapest is bit of a waste, and unhealthy for my own well-being as a result of myself becoming anxious and quick to lose my inner peace when spending too much energy on monotonous, everyday tasks. (one of the reasons my school record isn't the greatest...).

 

[ceecee]

I buy a lot of books on my kindle app for tablet because I can't be bothered to get in my car.

There are times I go on a kindle book buying bender. It's embarrassing. I got the kindle unlimited, maybe that will help me reign it in.

 

[Stigmata]

Steal.

 

[wolfy]

I reduce my need for books by reading articles by the author. I only read non fiction.

I also try to practice minimalism and stoicism and have no need for anything other than the desire to be stronger. I try.

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

I finally worked out my grocery shopping to limit it to Trader Joes and Target, which are both inexpensive, but Trader Joes has more of the organic food, so I think it is healthier and cheaper overall.

I also buy most of my clothes, other fabric related items, some dishes and such at thrift stores. I check there first instead of Walmart type stores for household needs. Most all of my furniture is from thrift stores. It is also practical because you can see what the stuff looks like after it has been used for a while. The "X"-mart type stuff wears out much more quickly and the press-board furniture is hard to move without breaking, so by buying second hand you get stuff that is both cheap and possibly lasting. I also kinda like having clothes that don't fit current trends, but are timeless and kinda hippie actually.

I try not to buy junk in general. I do allow myself to buy some comedies on video and vitamins, but mostly because I'm trying to feel better and be happier in my life. It's really easy to buy stupid stuff, so I've tried to get a little more "stingy" or careful with random spending. I don't window shop either and never set foot in the mall or expensive stores.

I can't be strict about anything, so generally only going to thrift or inexpensive stores in the first place helps.

 

[á´…eparted]

Money scares me. It's far too complex, and I want it to be immensely simple: money go in, money come out.

I almost never look at my bank account. I know how much my bills add up to be (there abouts) and about how much I make a month. I then take mental notes of how much I spend, and always round up. Over time this adds up and I "forget" I am overestimating. Thus, I think I have a lot less than I do and it usually prevents me from overspending. It's worked fairly well for me. This is useful if you don't really keep track of money details. It's not the best, but it's a start.

 

[Destiny]

This question is inspired by the many threads on reddit about saving money.

I was wondering how the members of this forum budget and save money on living/life expenses?

This is how I budget and save my money:

Instead of buying drinks outside, carry a water bottle with you at all times. Instead of taking a cab, take public transport/walk/ride a bicycle instead. And avoid splurging your money on new clothes all the time. If you need new clothes, you should buy it only once a year. If you lost your mobile phone or if your mobile phone isn't working anymore and you need a new mobile phone, buy a second hand mobile phone instead.

 

[Luke O]

If you don't have much money, don't spend it on shit you don't need. It's hard especially when there's so much to want and I am not the perfect example.

Search for the best deals, don't be loyal to one vendor. Buying cheap is a false economy if it isn't going to last. But buying expensive doesn't guarantee quality either.

Try downgrading, buying less expensive brands of things just to try. Learn how to cook, wean yourself off pre-prepared food. Many other examples out there and I'm very much still a learner.

 

[BadOctopus]

I'm fortunate that my county has an awesome library system. There are several branches all over the place, so one of them is bound to have the book I want. I just have to put in a request on their website to have it sent to the branch closest to me.

It's also partners with this website called Library2Go, which has a ton of books on audio and ebooks. Once you download them, you have a limited amount of time to read or listen to them. But it's all free!

 

[miss fortune]

knowing where to get things for the best quality and lowest prices, for one part... I split my grocery store based on where I'm buying certain items, including stopping by a nearby halal butcher for my beef because it's good quality and the cuts I want are cheaper there (i.e. flank steak is cheap there... around $2.99 a pound)... also buy 20 lb bags of rice at the international grocery and also buy my spices there because they are considerably cheaper but good quality

I make most of our food from scratch, because it's cheaper than eating out or buying premade foods and I like to cook to my tastes

I also don't really WANT many things, which works in my favor when it comes to spending... I hate clutter and don't really go out, so that saves on spending there AND on clothes for it

 

[Bilateral Entry]

I bootleg a lotta shit on the internet (shhhh, tell no one). Textbooks... aw hell yea I bootleg the fuck outta textbooks. And you can too!! ManWithoutModem comments on Tracker with PDFs/E-Books of College Textbooks

When I gotta buy textbooks, I always buy older versions on abebooks.

 

[BadOctopus]

Oh, I also should mention that I don't have even basic cable. Instead we have Netflix and Hulu Plus, which combined still cost a fraction of what cable would cost. I hardly watch TV anyway, but the few current shows I do watch are either on Netflix, Hulu, or online.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Oh, I also should mention that I don't have even basic cable. Instead we have Netflix and Hulu Plus, which combined still cost a fraction of what cable would cost. I hardly watch TV anyway, but the few current shows I do watch are either on Netflix, Hulu, or online.

I don't even own a TV. I watch Netflix on my desktop computer that I bought from a liquidator based on the advice of my ENTP cousin. I get HBOGo because it came with my internet package. There's some kind of cable device through which I could get 10 channels, but I never even bothered hooking it up.

 

[EJCC]

Off the top of my head. (And I may add more later.)

General things:
- Store brand = as good as other brands, 99% of the time (with medicine, home products, lotions/soaps).
- Comparison shop! Cannot stress that enough.
- If you don't enjoy budgeting, then try keeping one for just a month or two, and then analyze how much you spend on particular things, and start focusing on being thriftier in those specific areas. This is what I do, since I really don't like budgeting. My primary area of focus is food spending (eating out, buying groceries), as that's the area where I'm less naturally prone towards being thrifty, and more prone towards making impulse purchases.

Food things:
- Trader Joe's, Giant, and Asian/Latino groceries > Harris Teeter and Safeway
- Eat out minimally, make your own coffee in the morning instead of going to Starbucks, take home-cooked/prepared lunches to work with you
- Make EXTENSIVE use of your freezer (Edit: By this I mean, freeze your leftover cooked food, freeze the extra produce that you can freeze, buy stuff on sale and freeze it for later, etc. etc. etc.)
- Eat less meat, eat more produce
- Cook in bulk over the weekend (and if you like coffee, cold-brew a huge pot of coffee on Sunday night -- lasts a long while, saves money, and saves time in the morning)
- Choose your snacks and ingredients based on what's cheapest and/or on sale

Clothing things:
- Used clothing stores, thrift stores, etc.
- Clothing exchanges with your friends, once or twice a year! They are fun and social and you get tons of free stuff in exchange for stuff you didn't want.
- Hand-wash everything that they tell you to hand-wash, instead of going the lazy route and machine washing it anyway. Cheap clothes (e.g. clothes from Forever 21) and tights/bras/other undergarments last longer that way.
- Ladies: your flats and high heels will last a LOT longer if you wear those fancy socks under them, that only cover your toes and your heel. I learned this the hard way.

Other health and wellness things:
- Don't get a gym membership. Just don't. Go running outside or something!Buy weights and use them at home! Or better yet, do more intensive bodyweight exercises, like those super intense handstand push-ups that you do with your back against the wall.
- Exercise apps are great and are either free or cost like $2 -- I've heard good things about Zombies, Run!, and I swear by Yoga Studio.