The "I'm not frugal, I'm cheap. " thread...

[brentlacy]

If you have T-Mobile towers in your area, check out mint sim or mint mobile.
I overbought a year of service at $240. Unlimited talk text 5gb with hot-spot.
If you have att towers, cricket.
About $35 month

 

[Snapdragon]

Second Cricket. I've had it for 5-6 years now with no issues except a crappy assortment of available phones, but I solved that by buying an unlocked AT&T phone on ebay.

 

[rhinoabe]

I found out after my first marrage that useing Hookers would saves me a bunch.

 

[Wolfhound]

I found out after my first marrage that useing Hookers would saves me a bunch.

 

[femurphy77]

I found out after my first marrage that useing Hookers would saves me a bunch.

I've always been a big fan of leasing vs buying!

 

[KellyinAvon]

I worked for an old retired GI/USAF Civvie in the mid-90s who drove a 77 Thunderbird (the ones with more hood and doors than the 2nd generation Monte Carlos). When he bought it the dealer had a "free oil changes as long as you own the car" deal. Never paid for an oil change.

My last squadron commander drove a 73-87 Chevy half-ton (not sure the year on the registration, it had round headlights) that he swore he was restoring. It was maybe 6 different colors, this was 2006-2007. His wife was in the DC area (he'd been at the Pentagon in different jobs for six years) so he had an apartment in Newport News. No TV, if something was on he wanted to see he'd go to the apartment's gym and walk on the treadmill watching it.

 

[dsol]

I found out after my first marrage that useing Hookers would saves me a bunch.

 

[Magneto]

Aldi's has saved me a ton of money. I check ads from Kroger and Meijer every week to see what the good deals are. I HATE to pay full price for laundry detergent and have been able to get it on clearance for several years. The clearance at my local Kroger has been a blessing several times. I check www.BensBargains.net a few times a day to see what deals are posted. If I am in need of something specific I check Slickdeals and Best deals to see if there is anything posted. I used to have a Costco membership and it was great, but driving over to Louisville and making time to do it just got to be too much so we didn't renew. I don't shop Big Lots much anymore since I don't ever seem to find deals there like I used to. Craigslist is a great resource for some things. We cut the cord several years ago and have sling now. When I cut off out AT&T service it was $190 a month for phone, internet and television. I have much faster internet for $35 a month, my home phone is $4.65 a month (I use an Ooma Telo) and Sling is $50 a month. I purchased a cable modem so I wouldn't have to rent one. We also have Netflix so we do not have to worry about finding something to watch. I also have saved lots of money taking my lunch, snacks, and drinks to work. Kroger bottled water and a coke are much cheaper than the vending machine. Generics are always a great way to save money. Half Price books is a great place to save money, but you have to watch what you buy. I never buy clothing retail. Ebay, Amazon, and clearance on a few websites I go to is a great savings. I go to Target, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS just to check clearance. I rarely buy anything at those places. We take a vacation about every 5 years. Our "getaway" is usually to Cincy a few times a year for IKEA and Jungle Jim's. I only book hotel rooms through Priceline naming my own price. I have saved literally thousands of dollars over the years there.

 

[churchmouse]

After reading through here I must be the loosest person in the world with money. You folks are pretty dedicated.

 

[Snapdragon]

After reading through here I must be the loosest person in the world with money. You folks are pretty dedicated.

Every little bit helps.

 

[mom45]

I totally forgot about www.thriftbooks.com for any books I need to buy. If they don't have it, I check www.hamiltonbook.com. Both are excellent discount book sites with very cheap shipping. Hamilton is new books. thriftbooks is mostly used.

www.thesimpledollar.com is another great site for ideas on where to save money. I use their recipe for the liquid laundry soap. It works great for cleaning all sorts of things.

Used dryer sheets are saved in a container and used for cleaning. They work well for cleaning showers and shining up faucets, removing bugs from bumpers and such. I also rub them on the recliners and sofa to pick up cat hair.

I recently bought wool dryer balls so now I don't buy the fabric softener sheets anymore, but I have a ton saved up to use for cleaning from before. The dryer balls reduce the time needed to dry so I save on the fabric softener plus gas and electric to run the dryer.

 

[bwframe]

After reading through here I must be the loosest person in the world with money. You folks are pretty dedicated.

Everyone has their own ways. Some folks do stuff that others would never consider. Not their favored environment.

I have family members that I swear would step over a twenty dollar bill to pick up a quarter.

 

[churchmouse]

Everyone has their own ways. Some folks do stuff that others would never consider. Not their favored environment.

I have family members that I swear would step over a twenty dollar bill to pick up a quarter.

I am not near that bad.....

I do a lot of things in favor of my time as it is the most valuable commodity I have. If something costs me a few bucks more instead of driving 5 miles and taking another hour plus I will pay the "Convenience" fee and use the time elsewhere. But yes, everyone has their ways. I try not to be wasteful.

 

[BluedSteel]

No cable tv. I don't get a bill and I see fewer commercials to tempt me to buy stuff I don't need.

This especially. Wife and I have gone without cable for over five years and watch better TV than ever. $40 one time purchase of a firestick, $119/yr for amazon prime and $12/month for Netflix means we spend less for TV in a year than some of my neighbors spend per month. Plenty to choose from and no commercials. Plus I've got dedicated channels on Netflix that my adult children, grandchildren and mother log in on at their homes and use at no cost to them. I do need an internet connection fast enough to stream video, but I was already paying for that anyway. Definitely the way to go in my opinion.

 

[churchmouse]

There are some really great ideas in here. Just need to find the discipline to use them.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

Been thinking about putting up a clothesline to dry clothes... There is a window in the utility room that would work... Some well placed pulleys and rope. Hmm...

Thanks Magneto for the Bensbargains link... Just ordered a new tent for my sons.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

There are some really great ideas in here. Just need to find the discipline to use them.

That's the hardest part. So accustomed to the conveniences in life... hard to give that stuff up.

 

[mom45]

Meal planning can save a lot of money as well. We buy our meat from the farmer so it is way less per pound than buying as needed in the store. With just two of us, I make sure it is packaged so there is as little waste as possible.

Farm raised chickens vary in size so if I end up with some larger birds, I usually carve the breast out and make a recipe that uses just the breast and then roast the rest of the bird the next day. I cut off the majority of the meaty pieces for the second night and then any leftovers are used for lunches, etc. The carcass then gets made into soup. If it isn't large enough to make soup, I put the carcass in the freezer until I have two or three small ones to use and then make those into soup. No waste and at least 3 to 4 meals out of one chicken. Farm raised birds are usually at least $3 a pound but doing it this way, makes that affordable and so much healthier than the chickens sold in the stores that are injected with broth and whatever else.

Maybe I am cheap! LOL!

 

[WebSnyper]

That's the hardest part. So accustomed to the conveniences in life... hard to give that stuff up.

Well that and getting others in the family unit (specifically wife) on board. Honestly, I leave the TV stuff alone as she's a machine at watching the DVR, etc. I just try and negotiate the bill down each year, with as little change to content as possible. There are some things it just makes sense for me to economize around her usage habits... cheaper than the alternative.

Goes along with using Rewards credit cards whenever I can for expenditures I would make anyway where there is no discount for cash, etc. Pay the 2 cards I use off each month and make some money back for paying the electric bill. No sense in just letting the bank keep that money, etc. May not meet most folks on INGO's level for frugality, but it's money I would be leaving on the table.

 

[1mil-high]

Build your own furniture. The prices are crazy in the stores, and with youtube and online plans about anyone can build a kitchen table, bed frame, end tables, etc.