Frugality

[Lipp]

Yarr, seen that title twice in posts here lately and once on information about the swedish billionaire fella who founded ikea.

Anyways, what hints, tips and tricks do y'all have when it comes to cutting costly corners and saving money?

Figured we could go for a list, bet a fair few of us could find it to be useful.

I'll start

• Shopping for groceries at stores that have a policy of minimizing payment for advertising/brand selection/furniture (e.g ALDI over here, I quite like the concept).
  
• Instead of a car, commute. Instead of commuting, bike.
  
• I have a habit of tossing all of my small change into a pile in my room, and every few months I grab money bags from a bank office and cash 'em in, made AUD $70 in 5,10 and 20-cent coins last time. Beats rifling through it in a wallet or tossing it into some aid box just to get rid of it.

Now you!

[Mish]

- Supplement some of your meat intake with veggies, which you can get at the markets. $10 covers all of my weekly veggie needs
- Cook your own food, don't do take out
- Clothes wise, buy something good which will last longer
- Don't spend money on junk you don't need
- Go out less

[vashti]

When dating, do more outdoor activities (such as hiking, beach, bike rides) and less dinner & movie dates.
First-time dates, do coffee instead of dinner. You don't even typically know if you like the girl yet or not!
If you feel like eating out, go out for breakfast or lunch instead of dinner.
Community theater tickets are a lot cheaper than big productions.

[nomas]

heavy drinking and (cigarette) smoking = big $$. some drugs like marihuana will be more cost effective penny for penny.

I second that cooking your own lunches is a MAJOR cost saver.

This is only if you're very reponsible, but I recommend you use a credit card with cash-back benefits for ALL of your purchases. PAY OFF the credit card monthly (pay no interests), right around christmas it will pay off with a nice little bonus on money you were going to spend anyway..it's simply a discount.

Calisthenics is free, Gyms are expensive.

[CocoChanel]

What is Calisthenics?

And I guess I have some the same as you all.
Especially cooking your own lunches.

I'll probably cut back on buying things I don't really need.
+ Try to shop at places like Aldi for groceries instead of Harris Teeter.
+ Cut it down to one or two hobbies. More than one is really expensive.

[lovesjoyajm]

I'm on a search for ways to save money too. I can't afford to buy anything besides food.

Last week I was getting ready for my trip to Ireland and I realized I really needed a rain jacket and ended up spending €160 for a nice one because it was exactly what I was looking for, good quality and I will need it every day this summer and probably in Ireland as well, but it was like a kick in the face. Spending 160€ all in one go is not something I usually do.

Here's something I need to work on: don't take money from ATMs that charge a fee! Only use your own ATM! I've probably lost at least 70-80€ this year in ATM fees!

[Gigabitch]

Use the library. More people should.

[misombra]

i buy meat on sale. i use what i have in the kitchen. try not to eat out so often. drink hard liquor. get clothes from the thrifty store. pay the bills on time so there's no late fees. create a budget and work on cutting it down.

[Gribble]

I cook big pots of soups, stews, and spaghetti sauce. It's cheap to make that stuff in bulk and it freezes forever. For about what you'd pay to eat Ramen noodles I can eat like a king.

[IndiReloaded]

For food: buy a good freezer and purchase in bulk. Will pay for itself in about a year. This doesn't even include your time savings for cooking in bulk and being able to freeze good meals.

[nomas]

Main Entry: cal·is·then·ics
Pronunciation: \-niks\
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Etymology: Greek kalos beautiful + sthenos strength
Date: 1827
1: systematic rhythmic bodily exercises performed usually without apparatus
2usually singular in construction : the art or practice of calisthenics

No machines, just pushups, situps, crunches, any excercise which doesn't require any investment.

[Lipp]

*Depending on the public transport arrangements you can save money through some deals
E.g here I buy a special 5xDaily Weekend-Only tickets so that while being alot cheaper than regular daily ones it allows for travelling for weekend trips and chores is made a whole lot easier.

[Junket]

Cool, we had Aldi's over in Pennsylvania.

You use the boxes the food comes packed in as your grocery bag, right?

[carl1222]

I have 3 major supermarkets nearby and I get flyers every week. I don't buy stuff I don't want/need on sale, but I get things I use all the time somewhat in bulk and store/freeze it. My savings by doing it that way is often more than 50% of the "full price."

There are certain things I watch for.

Boneless, skinless Chicken breasts, $5 regularly, $2 on sale.

Butter (lb), $3 regularly, $1,50 on sale

Coke (12 pack cans), $5 regularly, 4 for $10 on sale.

Eggs , usually about $1.89/doz, 99 cents at the farm store.

Ground beef, $4.50 regularly, $2 on sale.

Lots, lots more.

I get veggies and bread at a local farm store for routinely about 1/2 the supermarket price.

Carl.

[Gribble]

Instead of ground beef use ground turkey. It's way cheaper, healthier, and depending on the recipe, you can't tell the difference.