Frugalty "hacks" that worked for you?

[Xantippe]

Does it ever get tiring though? My issue was always, I feel like I’m saving a few dollars here and there, but the big expenses never change. How much is it worth it to save $5 when you can’t do anything about the $500?

Long-term, it’s an income issue, but short term, the $5 matters.

After all, that five dollars could turn into any of the following:

–five of those Taco Bell meals
–two boxes of cereal
–a loaf of bread and a tub of cream cheese
–two (or even three) boxes of oatmeal
–two gallons of milk
–two pounds of in-season cherries
–three pounds of apples

In terms of food, $5 is a lot these days.

 

[Bonnie]

Does it ever get tiring though? My issue was always, I feel like I’m saving a few dollars here and there, but the big expenses never change. How much is it worth it to save $5 when you can’t do anything about the $500?

Long ago I made it into a game - how low can I go? Meaning - how little can I get by with?

Sometimes it worked very well - buying a case of toilet paper on sale with coupons, for less than 10 cents a roll. And they were double rolls, too! A month later I got laid off my job, so running out of toilet paper was something I didn’t have to worry about. Years later I met Carla Emery & told her the story - she thought it was wonderful & asked if she could use it in her stocking up classes. I was flattered & said sure.

While still laid off (in winter!) I tried to get by with just a small, inefficient fireplace. One evening I was bundled up in front of the fireplace & went to get something from the fridge; the inside of the fridge was warmer than the room! I turned on the heat.

Turning the wins (& the losses) into stories is fun.

 

[EasterJoy]

Since when did I ever claim I go to restaurants just so I can have “unlimited access to the condiment bar”? That is a straw-man.

I certainly realize it is cheaper to make home cooked meals 3 times a day, 7 days a week. But not everyone has the time to do that. I think one other poster mentioned getting hot sauce packets from Taco Bell. I doubt that person is going there every single day either.

I did not say you* did *go to restaurants so you could have unlimited access to the condiment bar. I said the owners would not care if you did. They’d still make a profit. They would not want anyone discouraging you from their business out of a false desire to protect them from the business of customers who like to fill their packet drawers with ketchup, soy sauce and salsa.

I grew up in a family of eight and crazy busy but there were no fast food places where we lived. Even sit-down restaurants were a long ways away. The grocery story was a long ways away.

If Taco Bell was not there, you’d get by without it. If the grocery store wasn’t nearby, you’d get by without frequent trips to it. If you want to save money by never going to a restaurant, you can figure out a way to do without it.

That is not to say there is something wrong with including a fast-food restaurant in your money-and-time budget! I’m only saying that there is *no financial sense *in patronizing restaurants because of the condiment packets. You may as well help yourself while you’re there, and they do not care if you do. Great. I’m only saying it does not pencil out as a “frugality hack.” Stay home just one time when you might have gone, and you can save more than you’d save in a year of scoring two or three extra ketchup packets.

Having said that, maybe those extra condiments make it easier for you to pack a lunch. Maybe that helps you with a habit that saves you time and money! Then you’re talking savings. I know someone who saves those things because they save money by making their own freeze-dried backpacking meals, and the results can be greatly enhanced by using recipes that call for condiment packets from restaurants.

Again: the restaurants simply do not care, not if you’re not throwing a fist in and emptying scooping the contents of the ketchup box into your coat pocket. It is OK.

I agree with all of this, but I meant for this topic to be about “hacks”, easy tips most people could implement that could save them a few pennies a day, that could add up with time. Since I’ve noticed that many common “frugality hacks” often mentioned such as making your own laundry detergent, beauty supplies, etc. may save money, but hardly save time.

Again, if people think getting ketchup from restaurants is too “cheap” or “penny wise pound foolish” or whatever, then I have no issue with them deciding not to do it.

What I don’t appreciate is the judgmental “oh you are a thief, taking things that you didn’t pay for” or “you are being too cheap, that’s pathetic” attitude.

ETA: But just to make it absolutely clear, this is a disclaimer: I am NOT advising that anyone spend money going to fast food shops or restaurants merely to score free sauce packets. I am NOT advising taking 20-30 packets a time. I am certainly NOT advising taking packets without paying for any food or drink items at all.

Here is the thing: pennies add up on when you’re buying in volume. If you save ten cents a can on something that costs 50 cents a can and that you use that item by the case, you’re talking about saving 20% on a major food item.

If you really want to save money, though, the best way is to a) look for things you can just do without (up to 100% savings!) and b) look for things that save you from other purchases (like investing in good-quality clothing and taking good care of it) and c) look for low-cost substitutes. ALWAYS look for what percentage or what absolute amount you are saving compared to the effort involved.

For instance, maintaining your car makes it last longer. Putting off having to purchase a different car or having to do major repairs saves a lot of money. Being able to do routine maintenance yourself saves a lot of money. We’re not talking pennies. We’re talking dollars in the two or three or even four or more digits.

Sometimes, though, pennies add up to…pennies. Worth bending over to pick up, but not something that will change your financial picture when you retire or your ability to come up with the money for piano lessons right now.

 

[EasterJoy]

Does it ever get tiring though? My issue was always, I feel like I’m saving a few dollars here and there, but the big expenses never change. How much is it worth it to save $5 when you can’t do anything about the $500?

It isn’t either-or. It is both. If you have a $500 bill staring at you, you don’t have any money to waste.

No, a physician is not going to concern himself with your bleeding scratches if you are hemorrhaging elsewhere. Lowering the major expenses in major ways does need to be the priority. Having said that, the “what the heck, I’m already going in debt” attitude can creep in and put people into a major financial hole.

Starbucks made over 10 billion dollars last year, with an average purchase of–you guessed it!–$5. Yes, those small purchases do add up, if you make them a habit.

 

[EasterJoy]

Here is an old chestnut frugality hack: pay your savings first and do not use your credit card for anything but purchases that a) you can pay off at the end of the month or b) that are emergencies needed to keep you alive, allow you to work, and so on. If you discipline yourself to do that, the thinning wallet becomes the mother of invention. People get really good at math when they force themselves to do it.

The other hack is to ask yourself this question: How am I going to feel about this purchase when I pay the bills? In one year? In ten years? Make a list of all your purchases, every place you spend money, and keep the receipts. On your bill-paying day, look at the list. Look at your receipts. Don’t beat yourself up. Just ask yourself, “Am I happy with my decisions? Do I want to spend differently in the future?”

Over time, this helps you to get some perspective on impulse buys. A $5 Starbucks coffee may not look like much, but if you visit 10 times a month, you’re looking at $50. Are those 50 cent cups at the coffee club at work so bad, after all? Would you take $45 a month, if someone paid you to make the substitution?

 

[DarkLight]

It isn’t either-or. It is both. If you have a $500 bill staring at you, you don’t have any money to waste.

No, a physician is not going to concern himself with your bleeding scratches if you are hemorrhaging elsewhere. Lowering the major expenses in major ways does need to be the priority. Having said that, the “what the heck, I’m already going in debt” attitude can creep in and put people into a major financial hole.

Starbucks made over 10 billion dollars last year, with an average purchase of–you guessed it!–$5. Yes, those small purchases do add up, if you make them a habit.

It can definitely make it harder to motivate though. “I saved a few dollars last month and spent $1000 on medical bills” at least for me tends to lead to “why did I even bother, I could have at least enjoyed a little bit of my money.”

 

[EasterJoy]

It can definitely make it harder to motivate though. “I saved a few dollars last month and spent $1000 on medical bills” at least for me tends to lead to “why did I even bother, I could have at least enjoyed a little bit of my money.”

If you’re in debt, you don’t have any money. You have other people’s money, and you already have more to pay back than you want to have to do.

You can flip the question, though. “I don’t have any money, but I have pluck and I have an imagination. What can I do to give myself some support and self-care with the added comfort that I am not making my financial situation any worse?” or “How can I take care of myself now without giving up the comfort of knowing I put by a little this month?”

Instead of buying one coffee, consider a box of tea bags and a rounding up a really pretty tea cup. (I’d be surprised if you don’t know someone with a china cup they never use. The world is full of them, and since they aren’t dishwasher safe they are going cheap right now if you have to resort to buying one.)

The main thing is to allow yourself to feel good about the virtues you had to have in order to be content with less, rather than feeling bad about the circumstances that made you choose that under duress, rather than freely.

You may find when your finances get better that you still get a little kick out of getting the most out of life without resorting to using an unnecessary amount of money doing it. It has been known to happen.

 

[EasterJoy]

I started doing that, too, when our population went from 4 to 2. It took me a while to realize that buying the large economy size is a false economy if it grows mold before we can finish it. I also buy individual celery sticks because we just can’t eat up a whole bunch.

I have found that the smaller size is not necessarily more expensive. It has gotten so that I have to check unit prices between sizes nearly every time I shop at our local lowest-price grocery, because the cheapest size changes so often. It is kind of annoying, but what can you do?

I’ve also noticed that sometimes buying a smaller-sized treat means that I save money in spite of the added unit price because I eat a smaller portion.

I don’t do that to save money, though. I do it because I do a better job limiting portions to a healthier size if it is done automatically. Saving money requires one to admit it when there is a gap between intention and actual behavior!!

 

[DarkLight]

If you’re in debt, you don’t have any money. You have other people’s money, and you already have more to pay back than you want to have to do.

You can flip the question, though. “I don’t have any money, but I have pluck and I have an imagination. What can I do to give myself some support and self-care with the added comfort that I am not making my financial situation any worse?” or “How can I take care of myself now without giving up the comfort of knowing I put by a little this month?”

Instead of buying one coffee, consider a box of tea bags and a rounding up a really pretty tea cup. (I’d be surprised if you don’t know someone with a china cup they never use. The world is full of them, and since they aren’t dishwasher safe they are going cheap right now if you have to resort to buying one.)

The main thing is to allow yourself to feel good about the virtues you had to have in order to be content with less, rather than feeling bad about the circumstances that made you choose that under duress, rather than freely.

You may find when your finances get better that you still get a little kick out of getting the most out of life without resorting to using an unnecessary amount of money doing it. It has been known to happen.

I guess we’re coming out of different ideas of frugal. That box of tea is something I would consider an unfrugal luxury - you can get free coffee at work, after all, or just drink water. Or do what I do and make “milk” out of the powdered creamer.

5 years later I’m still the person using other people’s money, and my best bet is to probably keep doing that because I sure don’t make enough to justify the cost of my healthcare on my own, and raising other people’s healthcare costs is using other people’s money anyway, as our company made quite sure to point out.

There’s always going to be something you ought to be doing to save more money.

 

[Xantippe]

I guess we’re coming out of different ideas of frugal. That box of tea is something I would consider an unfrugal luxury - you can get free coffee at work, after all, or just drink water. Or do what I do and make “milk” out of the powdered creamer.

5 years later I’m still the person using other people’s money, and my best bet is to probably keep doing that because I sure don’t make enough to justify the cost of my healthcare on my own, and raising other people’s healthcare costs is using other people’s money anyway, as our company made quite sure to point out.

There’s always going to be something you ought to be doing to save more money.

Not to be too dark, but death is the ultimate money-saving hack.

People who are alive need at least some money and other resources.

(This is slightly tweaked from the original, which is that death is the ultimate way to go carbon neutral–so there’s only so environmentally correct one can go and still be a functioning human being.)

With regard to your earlier posts on motivation–I have heard even Dave Ramsey recommend some sort of minor celebration at each milestone to keep you going. (For example, pay off $1,000 in debt and go out to a moderate dinner.)

 

[bitterhope]

Many times the smaller sizes are cheaper per unit than the bigger sizes, and if you are only going to use part of a larger size it is more expensive to waste the remainder anyway. As a family we never use mayonnaise except for making tuna salad. So even a small jar has the potential of going bad at our house. My solution is to just not buy tuna or mayonnaise unless the mayonnaise is reduced. The same goes for canned soup. My kids don’t like soup at all so I just don’t buy it. I know that it is often recommended to buy and make a wide variety of foods, but if your food budget is tiny, it is a better idea to stick to things you know your family will actually consume. It saves no money if it is not going to be eaten. It is sometimes a better idea to go a litttle more expensive if it will be eaten instead of cheaper and wasted.

Watch portion sizes too. Often people eat way too many carbs and meat and not nearly enough vegetables and fruit. Vegetables are a great way to stretch the food budget. Making a stir fry with half the amount of meat normally used is often more enjoyable than the full steak or pork chop. Quesadillas are an amazing way to stretch meat, beans and even vegetables out. Three nights ago I made 72 quesadillas with corn tortillas ($1.99 for 100 pack), half a block of queso fresco ($5.00 for a full block), and one summer squash ($0.25). We ate our full at dinner and ate the remainder for lunch the next day. Start out every dinner with a salad. If the salad is eaten as a first course not only does it sound fancy, it also is filling so the main course stretches farther. Also use fresh or even canned fruit for dessert, and save room for it a few nights a week. We often have fresh berries with either condensed milk or honey and lemon as dessert, but other nights it will be something as simple as orange slices or canned fruit cocktail. Our food budget is ridiculously low but we eat extremely well three times a day plus snacks. I’m convinced most Americans are eating too much meat and bread, both of which are quite expensive.

 

[Xantippe]

Another trick might be to earmark some portion of extra earnings for fun.

I have a story about how lack of allowance for fun can kill motivation. A SAHM friend of mine is considering a part-time job. She’s interested in it to pay for little treats for herself (as her husband is cinching the budget pretty tight) and maybe even private school. (The part-time job would involve getting up at the crack of dawn, but the kids would be asleep.)

Her husband’s response was that any extra earnings all needed to go to paying off their new car (a whole lotta minivan).

Needless to say, my friend does not find this very motivating.

Likewise, I have a kid who is saving for her senior trip to Europe (!). My deal with Big Kid is that she needs to bank $77 every month. Now that she is a big kid, this is more and more doable. Any income in excess of her $77 a month is spending money. We’ve been doing this for two years and she has nearly half of what she needs for the trip.

 

[EasterJoy]

I guess we’re coming out of different ideas of frugal. That box of tea is something I would consider an unfrugal luxury - you can get free coffee at work, after all, or just drink water. Or do what I do and make “milk” out of the powdered creamer.

5 years later I’m still the person using other people’s money, and my best bet is to probably keep doing that because I sure don’t make enough to justify the cost of my healthcare on my own, and raising other people’s healthcare costs is using other people’s money anyway, as our company made quite sure to point out.

There’s always going to be something you ought to be doing to save more money.

This is the kind of story that makes so many of us believe that anyone, especially anyone who is working to their best of their ability, deserves to be provided with health care, since “there but for the grace of God…” It is more something we ought to all pitch in to provide for each other, like roads and police protection. You pay for it and hope you’re not the one who needs it, but essentially no one can pay for their own expensive health condition, no one can “good behave” away all risk of having one, and no one thinks that the person who needs that has “won the lottery” or anything.

 

[EasterJoy]

Another trick might be to earmark some portion of extra earnings for fun.

I have a story about how lack of allowance for fun can kill motivation. A SAHM friend of mine is considering a part-time job. She’s interested in it to pay for little treats for herself (as her husband is cinching the budget pretty tight) and maybe even private school. (The part-time job would involve getting up at the crack of dawn, but the kids would be asleep.)

Her husband’s response was that any extra earnings all needed to go to paying off their new car (a whole lotta minivan).

Needless to say, my friend does not find this very motivating.

Likewise, I have a kid who is saving for her senior trip to Europe (!). My deal with Big Kid is that she needs to bank $77 every month. Now that she is a big kid, this is more and more doable. Any income in excess of her $77 a month is spending money. We’ve been doing this for two years and she has nearly half of what she needs for the trip.

It is odd to think that one spouse would be motivated by a different reason to work than the other. You’d think they’d both be weighing the pros and cons of the jobs of each one, together, how to provide necessities, the money they’d both have to spend, the enhanced quality of life they get from extra work done around the home, the time they’d both be sacrificing, and so on. It is a joint venture.

 

[Bonnie]

It is odd to think that one spouse would be motivated by a different reason to work than the other.

I don’t think it’s odd at all - husband & I are so rarely on the same page about finances.

 

[Xantippe]

It is odd to think that one spouse would be motivated by a different reason to work than the other. You’d think they’d both be weighing the pros and cons of the jobs of each one, together, how to provide necessities, the money they’d both have to spend, the enhanced quality of life they get from extra work done around the home, the time they’d both be sacrificing, and so on. It is a joint venture.

You might think that.

Unfortunately, my friend’s husband’s idea of “doing Dave Ramsey” is that he gets to decide what they are doing with their money. They don’t do a budget, either, which is not very Dave Ramsey. Friend’s husband’s idea of doing Dave Ramsey is that they spend on the stuff he wants and not on the stuff friend wants. And yes, their income is more than sufficient to cover necessities and a lot of extras.

Paradoxically, this makes my friend not want to work that part-time job. She needs a carrot, and there’s no carrot for her.

And yes, this is all very dysfunctional.

FYI, for anybody who isn’t familiar with Dave Ramsey, he teaches doing a monthly budget, bringing your spouse to the table to make a budget, and making sure that both spouses get a say. It’s very difficult/impossible to get a spouse to commit to financial sacrifice when it feels one-sided. He also says that cinching the budget too tight can be counter-productive, as it can lead to a revolt by the non-miser spouse.

Dave Ramsey also says that when dealing with a spender spouse, it’s a mistake to concentrate on “how” (namely, we sell your car or we don’t ever go out anymore). He says that when dealing with a spender spouse (what Dave Ramsey calls the “free spirit”), the focus needs to be on “why”. In my friend’s case, that might be “not having to homeschool,” in DL’s case it might be “getting to move out and have some peace and quiet” or in my case that might be “getting a sofa the family could fit onto and that isn’t 16 years old.” When there’s a passionately desired goal, it’s possible for a spender/free spirit to sacrifice deeply, but the passionately desired goal is absolutely essential for this personality type. The spender/free spirit doesn’t enjoy debt repayment or saving for the sheer joy of debt repayment or saving, but in order to achieve other goals–so they need to feel that their sacrifice is bringing them closer to their dreams.

 

[stinkcat_14]

Not to overbuild expectations–but it’s definitely at least $1 of food.

I was evaluating it from standpoint of low end items at fast food places. Right now Wendy’s near us has 50 cent frosties, nobody will be overwhelmed by their size, but not a bad deal nonetheless. When I was a poor graduate student there was a pizza place near me that had two orders of breadsticks for the price of one on Tuesdays. I would get two orders for $1.35 and that would make two meals. That was me being a big spender.

 

[Xantippe]

I was evaluating it from standpoint of low end items at fast food places. Right now Wendy’s near us has 50 cent frosties, nobody will be overwhelmed by their size, but not a bad deal nonetheless. When I was a poor graduate student there was a pizza place near me that had two orders of breadsticks for the price of one on Tuesdays. I would get two orders for $1.35 and that would make two meals. That was me being a big spender.

Yeah, you have to compare apples to apples.

 

[DarkLight]

It is odd to think that one spouse would be motivated by a different reason to work than the other. You’d think they’d both be weighing the pros and cons of the jobs of each one, together, how to provide necessities, the money they’d both have to spend, the enhanced quality of life they get from extra work done around the home, the time they’d both be sacrificing, and so on. It is a joint venture.

I suspect also that what one person considers important to their “quality of life” is not what another person might consider so. The husband might consider that the wife ought to make certain sacrifices without realizing how they affect her.

For a minor example - I am perfectly happy eating vegetarian, or near-vegetarian. Lentils and chickpeas are yummy! But I have friends who, when presented with a meal that doesn’t feature meat as the main attraction, feel like the meal is incomplete.

For me, I suspect the problem is I’ve been scrimping and saving for 5+ years now, and I don’t feel like I have a whole lot to show for it. Most of that scrimping has been just to keep my head above water, and that hasn’t always been terrible successful. It’s a lot more tiring to try to be frugal when you feel like it’s letting you just barely survive the next emergency.

The other thing I’m learning here is to make darn sure to have these conversations before an engagement is on the table.

 

[Brassring]

Our children only eat about 20% of what we put in front of them, so now we only feed them on Wednesdays and Sundays.

No. Not really.