Tornado Condor
Member
By living frugally, i've managed to paid all my credit cards. Also, i will be finished paying my car pretty soon.
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Living the frugal lifestyle
- Thread starter Tornado Condor
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I'll afford to be frugal and healthy when I graduate. As a chemical engineering student I'm in my departments building about 12 hours a day and usually get home too tired to spend time grocery shopping. Meh. Fast food if is.
Can't wait to stop living like a hobo this summer and maybe eat some homecooked food.
Can't wait to stop living like a hobo this summer and maybe eat some homecooked food.
This is key. No one is above a fucking thrift store when you have very little money. You are in college to further yourself, not your dick(if you are suave you can do both regardless of what you wear
)
Tornado Condor
Member
I'm a poor college student as well but i've still managed to pay off debts. Once i graduate (this summer!) i will hopefully get a job and pay off my school loans. About $15K in loans.
GameplayWhore
Member
I throw a lot of parties at my house, and they were initially a bit expensive (like a hundred bucks plus per, though I do pride in that much of the costs were things that carried over to subsequent events or items I needed to get for my home anyway but was stalling on), but I finally have shifted myself enough from a "buying lots of stuff to make the gathering memorable" to "making cool stuff with inexpensive things to make the gathering memorable" that I made an effective profit (that is to say, the party ended with tons of food and drink lying around that I won't have to buy, and that outdid the value of the things I did spend money on).
Theme next time (fruity...stuff, I'll come up with a cleverer name later) will be easy and cheap to play with. Several differently coloured balloons, tape and string for decorations, a watermelon, and a tap to keg it. The rest of it sort of just happens, and there should be a lot of people being clever with the idea (so I'll have leftover healthy foods and tasty boozes, and there should be tons of feed left over for my compost!).
Hmm. Fruity... Fracas? Fiesta? Eh, I'll think of something.
Meanwhile, the last such soireé gave me the opportunity to make luxury items (like a new ball pit frame and a Battleshots board) which were cheap to make but will likely get a lot of re-use.
Whenever there isn't a party, I've taken to eating a lot of chili. It's not as cheap as what you guys are managing, but it's a buck for 32g protein which is altogether pretty decent for something not purchased in bulk. I'm also repopulating my garden, adding a few dwarf trees (two almond, one apple) in the hopes that in a year or two they will start feeding me more than their initial investments ($25 to $30 each). My garden was really good to me last year for carrots, though other crops I tried out didn't work quite so well.
Theme next time (fruity...stuff, I'll come up with a cleverer name later) will be easy and cheap to play with. Several differently coloured balloons, tape and string for decorations, a watermelon, and a tap to keg it. The rest of it sort of just happens, and there should be a lot of people being clever with the idea (so I'll have leftover healthy foods and tasty boozes, and there should be tons of feed left over for my compost!).
Hmm. Fruity... Fracas? Fiesta? Eh, I'll think of something.
Meanwhile, the last such soireé gave me the opportunity to make luxury items (like a new ball pit frame and a Battleshots board) which were cheap to make but will likely get a lot of re-use.
Whenever there isn't a party, I've taken to eating a lot of chili. It's not as cheap as what you guys are managing, but it's a buck for 32g protein which is altogether pretty decent for something not purchased in bulk. I'm also repopulating my garden, adding a few dwarf trees (two almond, one apple) in the hopes that in a year or two they will start feeding me more than their initial investments ($25 to $30 each). My garden was really good to me last year for carrots, though other crops I tried out didn't work quite so well.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
I generally only buy or upgrade stuff according to need, barring a small handful of hobbies that I splurge on (video game livestreaming being the only one as of late). I actually don't even have a TV right now.
For a while now, I've been holding off on getting a smartphone until after I pay off my current car loan in full, which should be at the end of this year and after which I'll have no remaining debts whatsoever. I was thinking on it earlier today though, and I realized that I may not have enough need of a smartphone to justify it anyway. I have (and need) a laptop and wireless internet card already, so I can't help but think that a smartphone might be redundant in a lot of ways. I might make due with my cheap pay-as-I-go Tracfone for the foreseeable future.
This thread reminds me that I really need to up my cooking skills, for this and lots of other reasons.
For a while now, I've been holding off on getting a smartphone until after I pay off my current car loan in full, which should be at the end of this year and after which I'll have no remaining debts whatsoever. I was thinking on it earlier today though, and I realized that I may not have enough need of a smartphone to justify it anyway. I have (and need) a laptop and wireless internet card already, so I can't help but think that a smartphone might be redundant in a lot of ways. I might make due with my cheap pay-as-I-go Tracfone for the foreseeable future.
This thread reminds me that I really need to up my cooking skills, for this and lots of other reasons.
crock-pot, seriously. The easiest, cheapest way to make delicious food that even this idiot can do it.
I also have a dumb phone on a prepaid plan. I really see no reason to upgrade to a smart phone. the data fees are simply ridiculous
criesofthepast
Member
Same here. Have made $1000 selling old useless crap like rock band equipment, old games, clothes, toys and various gadgets and electronics that had been collecting dust for so long. Just all in the last 2 weeks. I'm almost to the point where I can fit all my stuff in a single luggage. It is indeed very liberating. I still live at home but not for much longer. It is great knowing nothing is tying me down and I can go anywhere I want without leaving anything behind.
windowlurker
Banned
at age 26
I don't buy what I don't need and sold everything I own CL in the past 3 years.
Hence forth I'm left with the following
Laptop (Thinkpad T430)
Smartphone/tablet (Note II)
Firearm (Glock 19 Gen4)
random stuff like
7 pairs of clothes
7 pairs of socks
1 pair of sneakers
1 wireless mouse
1 pair of in ear headphones
1 desk
1 chair
1 bed
1 backpack (for important stuff)
1 duffelbag (for clothes)
thats about the extent of things I currently own.
Pic related
its easy and frugal as hell to live like this, I can move in under 5 minutes.
Laundry becomes a joke.
trick is not to buy anything, it's a great way not to fall into any debt.
Jason Bourne, is that you
youngwerther
Banned
I live by the old maxim
"If you don't make it in a day, don't spend it in a day."
And considering that I only work on the weekends...
"If you don't make it in a day, don't spend it in a day."
And considering that I only work on the weekends...
Living frugally is the ideal way to go. My main expense is video games, and that should tell you that I have a rather light expense (bought only one title this year). Learning to manage your income and live small makes life so much easier. You end up having a small plate of costs and a lot of room to just take it easy. Similar to the saying more money more problems, spending more money leads to more stress with money. Spending less is relaxing more.
speculawyer
Member
Don't pay for a landline . . . the cellphone is enough.
Don't pay for cable/satellite . . . terrestrial antennna/Hulu/web sites are enough.
Don't pay for gasoline . . . get an electric car. (I know expensive up-front.)
Don't pay for electricity . . . put PV panels on your roof. (very cheap if you can DIY)
Boom. A whole bunch of typical monthly expenses vaporized. And you get lots of tax credits for doing it!
Don't pay for cable/satellite . . . terrestrial antennna/Hulu/web sites are enough.
Don't pay for gasoline . . . get an electric car. (I know expensive up-front.)
Don't pay for electricity . . . put PV panels on your roof. (very cheap if you can DIY)
Boom. A whole bunch of typical monthly expenses vaporized. And you get lots of tax credits for doing it!
I'm a ways out from college, but still live a relatively frugal life style. One thing that comes to mind is, my wife cuts my hair. In 14 years of marriage I've never paid for a haircut. We also get a lot of our furniture from garage sales and ads like Craigslist.
And my wife is a pro with the coupons and sales, she chops our grocery bills down to absurd levels.
And my wife is a pro with the coupons and sales, she chops our grocery bills down to absurd levels.
The Faceless Master
Member
holy shit, thanks for this thread bump salva.
Emily Chu had an ALT!? EPIC!
Emily Chu had an ALT!? EPIC!
Al-ibn Kermit
Junior Member
Honestly, my biggest expenditure that I don't need is outside food. I could probably save over $20 a week just by making sandwiches.
Girls love that thrift store shit.
This is key. No one is above a fucking thrift store when you have very little money. You are in college to further yourself, not your dick(if you are suave you can do both regardless of what you wear
Girls love that thrift store shit.
ganbareneopokekun
Member
my whole room is filled with furniture if found on the streets or bought in second hand shops.
it's so weird what someppl throw away..
it's so weird what someppl throw away..
jufonuk
not tag worthy
Paid off my Student loan, bank loan and have been saving every month.
I had to move back into my mum's house a few years back, due to a messy break up.
(It was rough as we had a kid together have been having problems seeing him)
Durng this time I tried to spend my way out of a low period. Wish I saved more..
Looking over my amazon account..shit must have spent at least four grand in the last three and a half years, that and overcompensating by buying toys etc for my son when I did get to see him.
Making up for lost time by saving. Old habbits die hard, but at least I am making headway. (Damn the 3ds line up making it hard lol)
Any pay rise etc means more in my savings plus I am trying to live below my means.. I pay child support and put money into my son's account every month. .
The plan is to save like a man possesed. Build up a nice deposit Then me and the gf get a place together next year. (She is also saving too)
With our combined income and the great frugality she has (I'm learning from a pro)
We can live a comfortable life style. Have a few holidays a year (easyjet/low cost flights to europe)
We wont eat out hardly as we both cook. Cant wait
I had to move back into my mum's house a few years back, due to a messy break up.
(It was rough as we had a kid together have been having problems seeing him)
Durng this time I tried to spend my way out of a low period. Wish I saved more..
Looking over my amazon account..shit must have spent at least four grand in the last three and a half years, that and overcompensating by buying toys etc for my son when I did get to see him.
Making up for lost time by saving. Old habbits die hard, but at least I am making headway. (Damn the 3ds line up making it hard lol)
Any pay rise etc means more in my savings plus I am trying to live below my means.. I pay child support and put money into my son's account every month. .
The plan is to save like a man possesed. Build up a nice deposit Then me and the gf get a place together next year. (She is also saving too)
With our combined income and the great frugality she has (I'm learning from a pro)
We can live a comfortable life style. Have a few holidays a year (easyjet/low cost flights to europe)
We wont eat out hardly as we both cook. Cant wait
GameplayWhore
Member
Agreed here totally. I save $360 a year by doing this. It helps that Cablevision has a usenet server. The savings were actually $600 for year one, as they had a special deal for first year Internet-only users. I also have a family plan with my parents and sister for my cellular, and I recently dropped the data plan, as Cablevision has wifi all over the place (I did it so that I'd have an Android "mini-tablet" at the end of it all, and as an experiment to see how worth it data would be). That's another $180 still in the wallet at the end of the year.
I don't know if an electric car is that worth it yet. A gasoline-powered car is perhaps $10000 for something that'll last a decade without major issues, and gas for me is easily under $2500 a year, perhaps as low as $1500. So that's $25000 to $35000 in ten years. The base cost of a typical electric car after tax credits would be, what, $25000 to $35000? If PV panels are doable in your area, which is the case for you but not for me (East/West facing roofsides and tons of very tall shade to the south of my house leaves it a very suboptimal prospect for solar energy), then the costs are the same. Otherwise, add another $5000 to $8000 (very much a WAG) for recharges.
The situation is, now that I've looked, better than I thought. In a few years, electric may very well be a better option for me than gasoline powered cars. Of course, there are other tradeoffs for both, including higher range for the guzzlers and silent running for the sparkies.
So do men. My local thrift shop is a chain so it has a lot of stuff. The clothing is actually pretty darn good, generally like new. People throw away clothing for no good reason. So a lot of my work clothes are from there. The only downside is that they have an electronics section. Picked up a Genesis for twelve bucks last time I was there, but I didn't really need to do that.
But I get some furniture from there, too. Usually workshop stuff, things that can be a bit dinged up, tables and chairs and soforth.
What about when you get off work and are too tired to spend time grocery shopping because you got old eating fast food for so long?
Truth be told, especially after that dumbass song on the radio now
Living frugally is a difficult balance. On one hand, its a nice thing to save, on the other, you realize at some point in your life, you're gonna be dead, would kinda suck to miss out on enjoying some nicer things if you could have afforded it. Its why guys have a mid-life crisis and buy a sports car. They go too much on the extreme cause they didnt splurge every one in a while.
Your wife sounds awesome, Ghaleon. I need to find a woman like this.
Allforce
Member
My wife teaches and during the summer she basically does the "super coupon" thing for a bunch of necessities. We'll find what's on sale in the weekly grocery ads that we are interested in, and then search eBay for coupons for that product. Dedicated coupon-clippers sell packs of coupons for various products on there for 2-3 bucks mailed to your house.
So for example last summer we found laundry detergent on sale one week for like 3.99 a bottle. We searched eBay and found someone selling 20 $1 dollar off coupons for that same brand. The grocery store doubles all manufacturer coupons so that's 2 dollars off a 4 dollar bottle. Limit of like 10 bottles per transaction so we basically went in each bought enough laundry detergent for an entire year (we still have like 8 bottles left as of this post). I think after the coupon costs were calculated in it came out to roughly 46 bucks for 22 bottles of detergent
We did the same shit for toothpaste (this came out to like 1 cent per tube! Hilarious buying 40 tubes of toothpaste and the total was like 42 cents), deodorant (I have about 25 sticks right now, this shit lasts forever and never goes bad), tissues, etc.
We also buy toilet paper online (Staples for some reason always has deals). Weird I know, but there's always deals with free shipping and why not just buy as much as you can when it's super cheap? You're gonna need it. We did the Amazon Mom deal with diapers and wipes when our son was born in 2011, it's ridiculous how much less you can pay than going to Target or Walmart for a 250 count pack of diapers. And it's there the next fucking day, free shipping!
So for example last summer we found laundry detergent on sale one week for like 3.99 a bottle. We searched eBay and found someone selling 20 $1 dollar off coupons for that same brand. The grocery store doubles all manufacturer coupons so that's 2 dollars off a 4 dollar bottle. Limit of like 10 bottles per transaction so we basically went in each bought enough laundry detergent for an entire year (we still have like 8 bottles left as of this post). I think after the coupon costs were calculated in it came out to roughly 46 bucks for 22 bottles of detergent
We did the same shit for toothpaste (this came out to like 1 cent per tube! Hilarious buying 40 tubes of toothpaste and the total was like 42 cents), deodorant (I have about 25 sticks right now, this shit lasts forever and never goes bad), tissues, etc.
We also buy toilet paper online (Staples for some reason always has deals). Weird I know, but there's always deals with free shipping and why not just buy as much as you can when it's super cheap? You're gonna need it. We did the Amazon Mom deal with diapers and wipes when our son was born in 2011, it's ridiculous how much less you can pay than going to Target or Walmart for a 250 count pack of diapers. And it's there the next fucking day, free shipping!
Devil Theory
Member
This is key. No one is above a fucking thrift store when you have very little money. You are in college to further yourself, not your dick(if you are suave you can do both regardless of what you wear
I used to work in the luxury fashion industry, and it amazes me to this day the kind of quality clothes people donate to the Salvation Army. If you have knowledge of quality brands, you can find plenty of items (a lot of them new, and made in Italy) for a couple bucks if you have the patience to inspect every piece of clothing instead of glancing over the racks.
Tornado Condor
Member
Tell us more
Like Salva, I want to hear more about this too. There's a GoodWill store near my house. So, I might go there sometime tomorrow to pick up some work clothes (about to graduate, so I need some black non-jeans).
Devil Theory
Member
Where I currently live, I find better items at Salvation Army than Goodwill, although I've found gems at both. The majority of what you can find probably isn't going to be brand new Ermenegildo Zegna (although sometimes it happens); but likely clothes by either custom tailors, older "luxury" brands that may not exist anymore or got bought and rebranded by another company, or similar. It's relatively easy to find something of decent quality if you know the fabric well enough, even if the brand is unknown.
An example being sweaters, which are easy to identify and plentiful. If you walk into Nordstrom and try to buy a cashmere sweater, it'll probably run at minimum $200, up to well over $1k depending on brand; the cheaper ones have cotton mixed in. You walk into a SA or GW one day, and you can almost at any time find 5 pure cashmere sweaters, a lot of them made in the USA or Italy. The only thing you need to watch out for is uneven shrinkage due to someone washing them incorrectly (or washing them period and not dry-cleaning).
Another unnoticed area is suits, which I've found multiple Yves Saint Laurent sport coats (some made with Zegna or Isaia fabrics) -- you just again, have to be wary of the employees who shove them on the racks without looking and ruin the shoulders, etc. A few weeks ago I found three Armani dress shirts; white, purple, blue stripe, in almost perfect condition. I would've bought, but they were 16.5 and I wear 14.5, I was pretty pissed.
All my own anecdotal experience, but these places get so many donations that if you check back multiple times a week, you can find really solid stuff.
This. My first job was at a thrift store in highschool. When I go thrift shopping I break it up into several shopping trips over the course of a month. I inspect EVERYTHING in my size range when I'm there. Usually I do something like:
First trip=shirts, sweaters, cardigans, tank tops, dresses
Second trip=jeans, shorts, skirts, jackets, accessories
Then go over sections again if I'm looking for something in particular on subsequent trips.
I've lived in a few different cities and no matter where I go I can always find high quality stuff that is, at worst, broken in a little. There is a lot of junk at thrift stores, but if you make the time for it you get unique, quality stuff that is always worth the second hand price.
BrightEyedPanic
Member
I eat veggie pasta, brown rice and black beans I prepare myself. As a vegan I actually I buy a lot of packaged black beans, split peas, lentils, etc. and frozen vegetables and mix those up however and make a thing of soup or chili which lasts for me for a few days. I enjoy seitan and prepare my own and that 7 or 8 dollar bag makes A LOT of seitan. I'll use it to make buffalo chik'n sandwiches, or add it to my rice and beans, or whatever really. toss it up with some lemon juice and pepper marinade... you can do a lot with it and it's good protein.
I run my AC as little possible. I am also very very electricity conscious. I bought thermal curtains for my bedroom, which keeps heat out and the cool air in.
I run my AC as little possible. I am also very very electricity conscious. I bought thermal curtains for my bedroom, which keeps heat out and the cool air in.
You may have a point there. But...there's a big difference between engineering school and engineering job.
When I get home, my classes still own me (oh, you just spent all day and night at campus? welcome fucking home, you've got a test tomorrow, a take-home quiz in materials science to finish, and differential equations homework due at midnight. eat my shit, student).
When I get home from work I'll do whatever I want.
I'm not even leaving my house this weekend because I have a final project, a lab final to study for, a lab report, and three homework assignments due by tomorrow and Monday. Lol.
Either way, I don't really eat typical fast food. I eat expensive fast food, like Chipotle, this Indian restaurant I go to, etc., so that at least it's not as bad for me as Taco Bell.
Tornado Condor
Member
Make sure you keep it up. It's going to be tough but definitely worth it.
Devolution
Member
No. If you actually looked into how they rotate things at Super Markets they constantly throw out good food to make room for the new stock. They can't simply give these things away though due to the possible lawsuits. If you work at one you can pretty much take the shit home for yourself, other people basically have to get it as they're throwing it away.
Every once and a while I take a trip to a Goodwill store, second hand shops or the goodwill bins. If you look high and low at these places consistently you can find well made clothes or even accessories at very low prices. In fact there's even a Goodwill store in downtown Portland that constantly has designer stuff for cheap. You have to sift through a lot of shit but it can be well worth it, especially at the bins since you're paying like .25 per pound.
fluffydelusions
Member
Ramen
anonymous_abc
Member
at age 26
I don't buy what I don't need and sold everything I own CL in the past 3 years.
Hence forth I'm left with the following
Laptop (Thinkpad T430)
Smartphone/tablet (Note II)
Firearm (Glock 19 Gen4)
random stuff like
7 pairs of clothes
7 pairs of socks
1 pair of sneakers
1 wireless mouse
1 pair of in ear headphones
1 desk
1 chair
1 bed
1 backpack (for important stuff)
1 duffelbag (for clothes)
thats about the extent of things I currently own.
Pic related
its easy and frugal as hell to live like this, I can move in under 5 minutes.
Laundry becomes a joke.
trick is not to buy anything, it's a great way not to fall into any debt.
This can practically only work if one has -no- non digital hobbies.
even only going jogging will require you have a pair of trainers and shorts.
absolutely this.
I am by nature a very economical guy, no car, no hotel on holiday ect...
but increasingly I am at the point where I say, frack this, if I want it I get it now, not in 20 years when I am too old to enjoy it.
Alligatorjandro
Banned
I live frugal by buying used games.
Etrian Oddity
Member
You can still eat very well while living frugally. Ginger scallion noodles is ridiculously cheap and delicious.
GameplayWhore
Member
I find it curious that two of the last four messages pushed noodles, one as eating "very well". I have ramen now and then, but it is not exactly well rounded and needs to be complemented with other foods for attaining decent nutrition.
PartlyCloudlike
Member
I'm in the "I'm gonna die camp, why worry over saving a buck" camp..usually. In most aspects of my life, frugality is respected and practiced, with the one big exception: food. I don't blink an eye at the cost of a good restaurant. To me, eating delicious food prepared by a great chef is one of life's true pleasures, so I won't hesitate dropping $500 on a meal at French Laundry or Gordon Ramsay Restaurant.
But if at the grocery store I crave a Snickers bar, and find that it costs over $1, I usually mutter "rip off" and don't buy one because I know Target sells them for 0.69 cents.
Good god. I can't imagine ever spending that much money on one meal. Even typical restaurant food seems overpriced to me.
flamingotripod
Member
People must be cheap to make meals for 2 dollars, what is the point? Food is something that should be enjoyed, not just instant nutrition for your body. I couldnt imagine having instant noodles for dinner multiple times a week.
Etrian Oddity
Member
Throw some cabbage in there.
PartlyCloudlike
Member
It's definitely a lot of money for me. But I don't go out to bars or shop for clothes, so it evens out in the end. The difficult part, being a single person, is finding people who are willing to go out with me for dinner and plopping down that kind of cash for a fleeting pleasure like a meal.
jufonuk
not tag worthy
I don't think you will find many people can afford that. Hell that's a nice chunk of change that could be saved on other things. Also when you are no longer single you can kiss stuff like that goodbye.
Out of interest, what's the freqency of these restaurant trips?
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