Money Saving Tips - Discuss how you save money and spend less

[Butterschmalz]

Here is one for you: Dental hygiene. Brush your fucking teeth. A few dollar store items will save you a lot of time at the dentist and money for fillings or corrective surgery. Time for taking of work and recovery, sleepless nights and pain killers. Get yourself an electric toothbrush and make it a habit.
And for the mothers: You gotta breast feed ladies. All the crooked teeth and deformed jaws come from not breastfeeding your babies. You wanna do something good for your kids? Breastfeed. Avoid mental health issues and tons of money and time and nerves spend on braces and corrective surgery with this one simple trick!

 

[AskeDead]

most bank's have auto transfer systems you can set up in your online banking. set a savings goal in it and the system will auto transfer amounts here and there from your checking to your savings. that alone has added an extra thousand in my savings in 4 months.

 

[Lathe]

Always set a minimum and maximum time frame for a purchase. For example, if you want to buy something over $100 give it 5 days at least before buying and then if you don’t buy it in 10 days, let it go.

 

[McAfee'sCorpse]

Don't know if someone already posted this but put close to half of each paycheck into the bank and let it compound interest so you don't have to work for the rest of your life

 

[Elbow Greased Strength]

Back when the scamdemic bullshit started I bought a set of Wahl clippers and just give myself a buzz cut every couple of weeks. Looks straight and masculine and saves me easily $20-30 a go. It wasn't like I had anything special done before so there was no real reason not to (and on top of it the government closed barber shops for a couple of months).

I think I've easily saved several hundred dollars per year which I put towards my Roth IRA and HSA.

Obviously if you do not want to wear a buzz cut you will either need someone who knows how to do it for you or you'll just have to keep paying.

Always set a minimum and maximum time frame for a purchase. For example, if you want to buy something over $100 give it 5 days at least before buying and then if you don’t buy it in 10 days, let it go.

To this end I would also recommend trying to purchase items in-store (i.e. go there, get it and pay for it) rather than online or through pickup. It is very easy to overspend on impulse buys when you can order items with a click of a button.

Same deal with meals and grocery shopping, if I go there and buy items I spend a lot less than if I order pickup or delivery.

 

[AskeDead]

Back when the scamdemic bullshit started I bought a set of Wahl clippers and just give myself a buzz cut every couple of weeks. Looks straight and masculine and saves me easily $20-30 a go. It wasn't like I had anything special done before so there was no real reason not to (and on top of it the government closed barber shops for a couple of months).

I think I've easily saved several hundred dollars per year which I put towards my Roth IRA and HSA.

Obviously if you do not want to wear a buzz cut you will either need someone who knows how to do it for you or you'll just have to keep paying.

i've been having my fiance cut my hair every 3-4 weeks. saves me at least 30 a pop.

 

[Dysnomia]

6. Cable is for boomers, and having more than one paid subscription for streaming services is gay.
this is a no brainer but cable is a scam, and unless you can really keep track of billing dates stick to one subscription service for streaming that you use a lot and pirate the rest. remember piracy is always an option.

ABSOLUTLY STRONGLY DISAGREE BECAUSE...

YOU MUST DO YOUR RESEARCH IN YOUR AREA THAT YOU LIVE.

Cutting the cord in my case there is no benefit not there was any real cost savings as it would cost me more money to get those subscriptions .

My Cable bill with Comcast @ 600 mps with the channels that I want costs me base $105 per month. In 27 years the cable cost has gone up X 2.5. That is completely acceptable for the work/entertainment that I use. Cutting the cable was @ $80 base rate for internet access. Just not worth it.

Every state has different services. In Northern California in Counties Comcast does not have under control it is insanely cheap. By Half at times depending on the packages you pick.

I don't like the mindset of people that just blindly listen to what the social mantra says.

Cutting the cord = savings... That is god damned false.

You are looking at a guy who was homeless, who made it to be a 1%er by SAVING MONEY in every way possible. I made that assessment on cable in my area just the same way I made the assessment on my garbage, my housing insurance, and so on.

I've got a perfect example by doing a cost assessment on my auto insurance. Because of how the fucking peanut counters work using data analytics of the region where I live, if I am married, how old you are, and how many people are on the policy... I would have to PAY more money if I changed my policy to only driver status than just leaving it alone.

I make my assessments every single year so I can continue to use my money as efficiently. This is how you STAY Rich. This is why I am continuing to be making good money in an economic down turn. I keep an eye on everything and live within my means.

We have become Data Points to the corporations. That is how everything is done these days. We are no longer human beings to them... Just a meat bag with certain amount of value.

I've already posted on how I got ahead of the game, so I fucking know how it worked for me.

Cutting the cable might be a good option for you depending where you live. But you HAVE to do your cost assessment. Do your research and do it all of the time on everything you are spending money on. In that way you will have to save as much money as you can.

I have 90GB from Cricket for $60. I never go above the limit. But I live in a major metropolitan area with a lot of options. Some areas really suck as far as options go. It was cheaper for me than Comcast and it's pretty reliable. I just don't like that you can't run the hotspot without the battery. If you plug it in sans battery the circuit is not completed. I hate hardware like that. I'm looking at you Nintendo.

Here is one for you: Dental hygiene. Brush your fucking teeth. A few dollar store items will save you a lot of time at the dentist and money for fillings or corrective surgery. Time for taking of work and recovery, sleepless nights and pain killers. Get yourself an electric toothbrush and make it a habit.
And for the mothers: You gotta breast feed ladies. All the crooked teeth and deformed jaws come from not breastfeeding your babies. You wanna do something good for your kids? Breastfeed. Avoid mental health issues and tons of money and time and nerves spend on braces and corrective surgery with this one simple trick!

I'm the only one in my family with all my teeth. Why? I brush and floss. I have four baby teeth in my upper jaw but that's Mother Nature being drunk when my jaw was forming. That said they are still in good shape. My siblings would laugh at me for brushing my teeth. Yeah who's laughing now?

Make sure to install good dental hygiene habits in kids early.

 

[NoReturn]

Here is one for you: Dental hygiene. Brush your fucking teeth. A few dollar store items will save you a lot of time at the dentist and money for fillings or corrective surgery. Time for taking of work and recovery, sleepless nights and pain killers. Get yourself an electric toothbrush and make it a habit.

Drink more water, too. Sugar rots your teeth, but drinking water with meals also helps rinse things out and prevents crap from sticking to your teeth.
Also, brush your gums with a soft toothbrush. It prevents gums from receding.

I'm the only one in my family with all my teeth. Why? I brush and floss. I have four baby teeth in my upper jaw but that's Mother Nature being drunk when my jaw was forming. That said they are still in good shape. My siblings would laugh at me for brushing my teeth. Yeah who's laughing now?

Who the hell laughs at their siblings for brushing their teeth? Yeesh!

 

[Butterschmalz]

Ok and here is my latest money saving investment: bread maker. I got a family of 5 and we consume quite a bit of bread, so I just got the cheapest ware house deal of Amazon. Bought some all purpose flour in bulk and some bread machine yeast and I was good to go.
There is more stuff that goes with it like:
a nice and sharp bread knife
a quality bread box
vital wheat gluten (to convert all purpose flour into bread flour)
metal measuring cups and spoons
bunch of tupperware and storage containers
and other ingredients like rye flour for different kind of breads

But just your standard white bread is basically: bread flour, water, salt and sugar, yeast and butter or sunflower oil.

i figured a 1.5 lb loaf cost me under 1 $ canadian which is pretty sweet. Apparently baking a bread in the bread maker consumes the same energy as running a cycle on your coffee maker.

Meanwhile I can do whole wheat, rye and banana bread. The one that didnt work was corn bread, but hey you cant be successful in everything.

 

[Autistic Joe]

BREAD GLORIOUS BREAD

Yes, we have one and my wife loves experimenting with all sorts of different breads! Some of the recipes come out a little dry, but they're always tasty. One of my favorites has rosemary and finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes. You can also use it just for the mixing/kneading process to get a dough-ball that you can use for pizza or focaccia, challah bread, and lots more.

 

[drfuzzyballs]

Back when the scamdemic bullshit started I bought a set of Wahl clippers and just give myself a buzz cut every couple of weeks. Looks straight and masculine and saves me easily $20-30 a go. It wasn't like I had anything special done before so there was no real reason not to (and on top of it the government closed barber shops for a couple of months).

I think I've easily saved several hundred dollars per year which I put towards my Roth IRA and HSA.

Obviously if you do not want to wear a buzz cut you will either need someone who knows how to do it for you or you'll just have to keep paying.

You know I've actually never bought shampoo in my life. Because I've been shaving my head it home since I was 18 and decided going to the barber was too much trouble.

 

[Elbow Greased Strength]

You know I've actually never bought shampoo in my life. Because I've been shaving my head it home since I was 18 and decided going to the barber was too much trouble.

I keep it at a 1 or 2 clipper length...make sure you wear a hat if you're spending a long amount of time outside. I burned my scalp playing golf a couple weeks ago and that sucked a bit if you want my opinion on it.

 

[Mister Uno]

Man, I would love to not pay for a barber and save a shitton of money, but I look awful with a shaved or buzzed cut head.

 

[Autistic Joe]

I haven't been to a barber since the mid-90's when I started shaving it myself. It helped that my hair was already thinning, and a short buzz is generally the easiest, cleanest, and best-looking style for baldies. (Unless you go with a full Yul Brynner chrome-dome.)

According to my autistically-accurate financial records, in 25+ years I've only spent $150 for four clippers -- which is around what my wife pays for a SINGLE TRIP to the damn salon each month. So my hair-care expenses are 1/300 of hers lol. (For us married guys I guess you win some, you lose some.)

 

[Blobby's Murder Knife]

I follow Doctor of Credit. He has all kinds of interesting deals and opportunities on his blog. I've both made and saved tens of thousands over the past 5-7 years just reading and taking action on certain posts.

 

[CashMoney!]

- I do my shopping online so I can plan without impulse buys and either pick it up or have it delivered for 5 dollars. My bill for three people in the home is under 130USD every week.
- Meal preparation cuts down your cost per meal significantly and you can make some tasty stuff. I eat the same thing pretty much every day so my food bill is low.
- I only buy clothing (especially shoes and bras) on sale.
- All of my bills are on weekly automatic payment so I never have late fees and I'm in credit ahead of time for winter.
- I don't need to use the big oven for a lot of things as I have a mini/toaster oven and air fryer, keeps power bill low.
- The only streaming service I have is Spotify which is half price on my phone plan. Everything else I've wanted to watch fleetingly is on musichq.net.

 

[Autistic Joe]

Here's a tip I picked up from some article I read many years ago - most people use WAY TOO MUCH of almost every cleaning/hygiene product.

One of the best examples is laundry detergent, you should generally use about HALF (or less) of what the bottle says. Remember their job is to get you to buy more, so of course they'll encourage you to waste it. Also too much soap won't rinse out of the clothes and you'll waste water on extra rinse cycles. (I do, however, spend the money for better brands - usually All or Tide. The cheap stuff doesn't work as well no matter how much you use.)

Other products that I always see people go overboard on. Dish detergent - you don't need a whole fat squirt, often just a drop or two is sufficient. Dishwasher powder - I only fill the tray halfway. Window cleaner / Surface cleaners - it doesn't have to be sopping wet. Toothpaste - just a small pea-sized amount... and learn how to squeeze another week (or more) out of it when it's not really empty. Just look around your place, you'll see plenty more examples. Hand soap, lotions, creams, shampoo/conditioner, shaving cream, mouthwash, etc.

The idea is to avoid the mindset of, "oh it's only a $5 bottle of whatever, who cares?" And instead think, "gee I spend $80-100 a month on this crap, I could probably cut that in half." And once you get into the habit, you'll find yourself applying this mindset in many other things. It's really just learning to be more frugal with the resources you have. It's the same lessons my grandparents learned growing up in the Depression, and what I learned growing up during the inflation of the 70's.

 

[Lards and Lasses]

1. Budgeting is key, and living within that budget is even more important. Do not live a lie.
2. If you can't pay for it, don't buy it. Credit is a fucking scam designed to put you in debt for the rest of your life.
3. Do not be afraid to downsize if you have to. It may suck, but it is better to bite that bullet rather than live in denial/agony trying to hold onto whatever you're afraid of letting go.
4. Buy in bulk when practical. If it's normally not practical to buy something in bulk, think outside the box to make it practical. Don't be the loon who buys 8 gallons of mayo, tho.
5. You should be getting a raise that matches inflation rates every year, at the bare minimum (but ideally more). If you are not, it may be time to find another job.
6. On the subject of jobs: if you think a job is a dead end, start looking for something else in your field and work there a couple years. If you think that's a dead end as well, start looking again. Ask for more pay each time you do so.
7. If you haven't gone thru college, try working with a startup company. They are usually eager for manpower and the few experts they have are often willing to train you on certain things to fill in gaps. This is how you can get into all sorts of jobs without any formal education. The pay will likely be sub-par, but in the long run you can open the door to all sorts of high paying jobs. I did this exact thing and I have a retardedly customizable resume because of it.
8. Try switching auto insurance companies if you have had a good track record for awhile. You'll probably shave a decent amount off the bill with the offers competing companies give you. This logic applies to other stuff as well.
9. Quit being poor lmao

 

[Elbow Greased Strength]

Here is one for you: Dental hygiene. Brush your fucking teeth. A few dollar store items will save you a lot of time at the dentist and money for fillings or corrective surgery. Time for taking of work and recovery, sleepless nights and pain killers. Get yourself an electric toothbrush and make it a habit.
And for the mothers: You gotta breast feed ladies. All the crooked teeth and deformed jaws come from not breastfeeding your babies. You wanna do something good for your kids? Breastfeed. Avoid mental health issues and tons of money and time and nerves spend on braces and corrective surgery with this one simple trick!

Yes, absolutely. I was without insurance when working some short-term contract positions several years ago and didn't have dental insurance so skipped out on cleanings. Ended up paying much more to get a couple cavities filled and an extensive cleaning than it would have cost to get dental coverage on my own and go a couple of times.

On that note I would recommend the high-deductible health care plan that gives you an HSA option. Once you've saved up to your deductible there's really no difference from much more expensive plans with lower deductibles.

As you get older it'll make sense to change especially with children and a family but the benefit of the HSA is you keep the money even if you switch to another plan, and with a large enough balance you can even invest it. Worst case you can also use it for other things and just pay a penalty (if you feel honest enough to report it to the IRS).

 

[NoReturn]

1. Budgeting is key, and living within that budget is even more important. Do not live a lie.

Look at your actual spending to make your budget, too. It's like counting calories. It's much harder to be realistic about what you're trying to do when you can take an honest inventory of what you're already doing.

2. If you can't pay for it, don't buy it. Credit is a fucking scam designed to put you in debt for the rest of your life.

If you buy stuff on credit, only buy things you can afford. Never put more on your credit card than you can pay off in a single card payment.

3. Do not be afraid to downsize if you have to. It may suck, but it is better to bite that bullet rather than live in denial/agony trying to hold onto whatever you're afraid of letting go.

If there's stuff you can't downsize, sometimes it might be worth it to get a storage unit. There's an equation you can make between the price you're currently paying to live somewhere, and the price of a new place + storage unit.

5. You should be getting a raise that matches inflation rates every year, at the bare minimum (but ideally more). If you are not, it may be time to find another job.

10% raise please, boss

9. Quit being poor lmao

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