With the state of things these days, it seems like everyone wants to save money, cut corners, skimp…what-have-you.
Let’s start a list of ways that T-Men & T-Women save their well-earned money.
Here are my ways:
Food -
I have a regimented diet that I stick to 90-95% of the week; and bring a list of groceries to the store, buy JUSt that and that is it.
Cell Phone -
I dropped my plan to the lowest it could possibly be.
(but I’m getting in iphone next month, back up!)
Living -
My girl and I are going to move into a smaller studio apartment for a few months to save some coin
Credit -
I had a massive 20%+ card that I put a large mount on a 0% card, and paid it all off in a year.
Life -
I don’t drink socially. Maybe 2-3x a year I will go out and get drunk with friends. I don’t go to clubs, already have a girl. My gym membership is pretty cheap comparatively.
I work at a gym, so I don’t have to worry about membership dues.
I replaced some fruits and veggies with Superfood. But other than that, food is one area I don’t mind spending money. I rarely eat at restaurants so I guess that saves.
I’m living at home, rent free…this needs to change, but at least it ain’t costing me anything.
My credit card gets paid off every month, no interest or anything.
I’m usually the designated driver. I have my cover charge paid for me, and if I have a drink or two I don’t pay for those either. So a night out just costs me gas money.
I stopped buying piddly ass nonsense shit with my bank card. If I want a coffee or something, I pay cash or I don’t buy it.
I also use a grocery list and only buy what’s on it. The exception to that is if I find a great sale on meat, or one of the staples I buy every week. Then I stock up and just freeze it.
My husband and I have date night during the day now while the kids are in school, matinee and lunch prices save us a good amount. On the rare occasion we do go out at night we hit a locals bar where drink prices are really, really cheap.
Buy in bulk. Oats, rice, eggs, protein powder, meat, eggs etc. It’s all cheaper in bulk.
I also have a large garden in my yard and the wife cans. I joined a CSA farm (community supported agriculture) in the area and it is very abundant and cost effective.
My son and I also harvested 4 deer during hunting season so the freezer is full. We are stocked up with meat until at least the summer. I also have about a half dozen pheasant and 5 or 6 ducks to go thru before Spring Turkey season starts. Big freezers are a real godsend.
I don’t drink much at all so that saves some money. I also pay off the credit card at the end of the month. I use it for convenience, nothing more.
[quote]urbanski wrote:
pay cash for everything. flashing $100s works well almost everywhere. the whole world is on sale now.
[/quote]
Yeah, you can haggle with cash for large purchases and stuff, and no doubt it’s better than putting it on credit.
However, I use me debit card for almost every single one of my purchases. I have BOA’s “keep the change,” so I usually ‘earn’ about 25 bucks a month just from using my card.
You can also take 20oz water bottles (full) and put them in the back of your toilet to displace water, and each time you flush, you use 20oz less water than you would have. Shit, put two in each toilet in the house.
I have a monthly budget, so as soon as I get paid a certain amount goes straight into savings, and as well as anything extra I’ve made that month. This way, if I spend a bit more in a month I’ve still saved so it doesn’t matter.
I shop online for groceries, call me lazy but a bus down to Tesco and back cost £4 and delivery costs £5 - I have a set monthly budget and shop weekly, usually re-ordering what I did the previous week. They do my shopping for me, which means I have more time for myself too.
I cycle to work and back; no buses or petrol costs, there is no such thing as traffic and I get free cardio daily.
I moved my phone contract to another company, now I get 3 times as many minutes (1200) for the same price, and I have an iPhone.
I don’t have a credit card, and probably never will have one either. It’s cash, or I don’t buy it.
I ask myself if what I am considering buying is a want or a need.
I want a new bike right now, because it is $2500 Fuji cyclo-cross on sale for $1200. I have Trek mountain bike but I don’t like it so I don’t ride it much. So the new bike is a want, more than a need, and I probably wont buy it.
Cut out my daily Starbucks, and never eat out anymore. Also cutting back on supplements. Only Metabolic Drive and Flameout for now.
i had a 70 dollar/month cell phone bill but i stopped using it
i dont have a car
i buy clothes when i need em
i spend 90% of my free money on food.
i have over $2,500 on me
i made over $100 today, over $150 Sunday, over $100 Friday
the easiest way to save money is to not spend what you make. spend on the bare essentials, if your wants are mostly materialistic then you are screwed. learn to have fun in other ways, play sports more.
Using coupons, buying massive amounts of skinless, boneless, chicken breast when its .97 a pound. Limiting the amount of dating I do and when I do: “you pay for your shit and I pay for mine” No more free rides on the GB gravy train.
I treat savings as a bill i have to pay every month. That bill gets paid first and what’s left is left. We currently save about $1200/month cash plus IRA and SEP, with a daughter going to college in 2 years we might have enough saved to pay for it.Trying to play catch up on retirement savings is not easy. Don’t carry a balance on credit cards, pay cash for everything else.
Saving takes discipline. I look at it like this, if I buy this “want” how much longer am I going to have to work before I retire?
You can also take 20oz water bottles (full) and put them in the back of your toilet to displace water, and each time you flush, you use 20oz less water than you would have. Shit, put two in each toilet in the house.[/quote]
On that note, I’ve actually rationed out the toilet paper. At my place, you better wipe good the first time.
I bottle and save my own urine. I’ve been doing so for about 7 years now. My basement is literally filled with 4 liter urine jugs. I figure this habit will somehow pay huge dividends in the future, although I haven’t determined how.
Aside from that…
-I’ve been putting a large chunk of my salary towards stocks. This kind of panicked, pessimistic economic environment is an investor’s dream that usually comes about once in a lifetime.
-I brew all my own beer. It works out to roughly 10 dollars for a case of 24, and it tastes way better than most store-bought beers.
-I buy whatever meat is on sale, and focus my shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store (seafood, vegetables, meat, dairy). I hardly buy anything convenient or pre-packaged
-My company matches my retirement contribution and adds 33%. I’m lucky as hell to have this, so I make the maximum contribution every year (not really a “saving money” tip…more long term)
-I pre-screen movies by downloading them first. I’m a film buff but have been burnt too many times by horrible movies. If I rate it as excellent I’ll go to the theatre and see it.
-I don’t go out to dinner much. I’m a pretty great cook and like to make my own stuff. I can expense my lunches to my company so I enjoy eating out then.
Basically, I avoid short-term splurging so I can become wealthy in the future. If most people in their late 20’s and early 30’s stopped blowing their paychecks (or worse, maxing out credit cards) on “bling” like huge TVs, jet skis, expensive vacations, swiss watches and so on, and instead learned about investing and put their money towards that, they could become millionaires within a reasonable time frame.
