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Post by leeann on Dec 29, 2010 19:29:37 GMT -5
what lengths do you go to save $$, resources etc??? I love Donna's articles. She does thing I've never thought of. LOL
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 29, 2010 22:07:27 GMT -5
For me it varies. I tend to be very frugal on some things (I have an antenna, no cable) that don't bring me joy so that I can go all out on those things that do (like my property/house/vacations). As long as I don't harm myself or others in the process, it's a good system for me. When we eat out (rarely) I try to do so either at breakfast or lunch (much, much cheaper than dinner, same amount of food and usually have leftovers). If I do fast food, it's only with coupons or off the dollar menu. I never order Coke at a restaurant, but if it's a place with fresh lemonade or something really good, I'll splurge on that. My biggest money saver has been, if you don't need it, don't buy it. Took me a while to figure that out--have to avoid looking at magazines, online catalogs, etc at times, but it helps not to put that feeling of "I need that" in my head to begin with.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Dec 30, 2010 0:53:40 GMT -5
Compared to most of the people who post in here, I'm Imelda Marcos (not frugal at all!)
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Post by suzwantstobefree on Dec 30, 2010 4:20:56 GMT -5
I agree with Apple. I am very frugal on somethings and then extravegant on others. I will spend the money on quality items or an experience. Money is no object when it comes to vacations! It is all about the fact that I want it to be a once in a lifetime experience and I want to do things that I otherwise wouldn't have the chance to do in my "normal" life. However, I will pinch pennies and use coupons at the grocery store. My friends literally laugh at how excited I get when I am able to save money. I will either tell them or send emails with my "deals" and the eye rolls begin
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4hendricks
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Post by 4hendricks on Dec 30, 2010 6:10:25 GMT -5
I also am very frugal - I will go to great lengths to squeeze the last drop out of everything, save money at the grocery store, etc. However, on vacations, or something I really want - I will spend and not think about it!
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marvholly
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Post by marvholly on Dec 30, 2010 7:51:31 GMT -5
I, too, believe & spend like apple. Sometimes I am luckey enough to combine both. Example: I have been wanting to go to a museum that opened in my town. Recently Groupon had a 50% off ticket deal. So I will go when the "I gotta get out" of winter sets in.
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Post by breezy on Dec 30, 2010 9:02:37 GMT -5
I'm trying to be frugal - but it backfires on me, a lot. For example, yesterday I drove 17 miles to a mall that I never shop at to exchange an overcoat that I got my son for Christmas. I had planned on it being an exchange - but the store told me that they couldn't do the exchange at the store because my original purchase was made on line using my pay pal account. They had only one coat left in the size my son needed, so I went ahead and bought it. This morning, I checked my bank balance and noticed that my account was short $8.00 - my bank charged me $7.00 to cover the shortfall w/ my line of credit. I feel mad at myself - all this for just trying to save a few bucks - ugh.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 30, 2010 11:49:24 GMT -5
breezy, I think some stuff sort of backfire happens to all of us on occasion. Just don't give up! Once you get used to it, it will become more natural. You can get a lot of great ideas from this group, and if you want to know couponing, the WIR group will teach you everything you need to know (I got some great tips from them but my area only has one or two stores that most of them have--once I learned the tips, like I could stack coupons at Wags and RA would allow my total to be less than $20 after coupons when I had a $5 off $20 coupon, I was able to save a bundle! But it got depressing reading about all the great deals I can't get because the lack of stores).
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Post by breezy on Dec 30, 2010 12:33:49 GMT -5
Apple - what really gets my goat is that I had money sitting in my savings account! I was counting on doing an even exchange - I guess the stores can't exchange stuff when you buy it on line. Live & learn.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 30, 2010 12:45:57 GMT -5
breezy--I had a bank that tried to do that to me once. It was free to transfer money from savings to checking (my then husband had overdrawn the account by about $5) but they said I "hadn't signed up for that feature" and charged overdrafts on about 5 things, even though a deposit had been made earlier in the day (they did the deposit last, just to try to collect a bunch of fees). I talked to management, got it fixed, and then closed the account. You might see if you have to "sign up" for them to use your savings as back up. Sometimes the learning part sucks I know stores can have whatever rules they want, but it's crazy when they won't exchange something they carry!
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Post by bobbysgirl on Dec 30, 2010 16:05:10 GMT -5
BREZZY: Stuff happens when we are learning. We've all done things like that. It's through our mistakes that we become experts. If you look at it as a learning experience, it will be easier to move forward. Never look back after you have learned something. Someday you'll wake up an expert shopper and feel good about it.
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Post by bobbysgirl on Dec 30, 2010 16:06:05 GMT -5
I'm sorry, BREEZY not BREZZY
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Post by bobbysgirl on Dec 30, 2010 16:11:27 GMT -5
I save on everything so I can have what I want in the areas it's important to me. I also like to see numbers go up.
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Post by T Skeeter on Dec 30, 2010 17:18:54 GMT -5
I try to be frugal with the big things and don't worry as much about the little things. What does that mean? Focus on the big expenses, anything over $1,000 a year. Get a good price on houses and cars. Verify that insurance premiums are in line every couple of years. Learned how to do most of my own routine auto repair. Must have saved close to the cost of a new car over the past 30 years (last 45 minute repair saved over $550 vs. dealer's quote). Drive cars until they become a pain to maintain. Learn to do home repairs and other handy man projects. Designed and built our own water feature. Saved about $1K. Designed and built the garden storage shed. Saved about $1K. I figure I save about $2K a year doing DIY projects, and they get done when it's convenient for me, not when a contractor has time in their schedule.
I know that all this DIY stuff isn't for some people (I find it a nice change from my desk job). But, if you understand what the job takes, you don't pay inflated prices very often.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
Senior Associate
Sarcasm is my Superpower
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 16:09:58 GMT -5
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Today's Mood: Gen X ... so I'm sarcastic and annoyed
Location: Central California
Favorite Drink: Diet Mountain Dew
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Dec 30, 2010 18:33:52 GMT -5
I have a friend that spends $10 every 2 weeks to have her dog's nails clipped. (Note: she has a really small, really mellow dog) I gave her some dog nail clippers and we're going to try to do this at her house ... I'll hold, she'll clip. If so, that will save her $20/month ... $240/year. That may not seem like much, but there's also the hassle/gas involved with driving the dog (named Elmer) across town to the groomer.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2010 21:47:49 GMT -5
I more or less buy what I want. I just try to pay less for it. For instance we wanted a larger crock pot (7 qt). I started looking on line for one. The cheapest that I saw was $29.99, which is the same prices at one at a local store. I waited & checked again in 2 weeks, same price. Well 2 weeks after that I bought one at Wal-mart for $12.00 (close out price).
It took me about 6 months to find a good deal on a big screen.
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marvholly
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Post by marvholly on Dec 31, 2010 8:23:01 GMT -5
apple i am part of the WIR-Grocery Challenge group. I do not have a Rite Aid. My Safeway, Albersons & Kroger deals are NOT the same or nearly as good as the E & W coast ladies post but I still get ideas & deal leads from them
oldtex I too watch & wait for anything I want to go to rock bottom sale prices. There is NOTHING I want/need so much that I will pay retail/list.
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redracerris
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Post by redracerris on Jan 2, 2011 15:18:26 GMT -5
I like to think I'm frugal. Every once in a while, I'll splurge – like getting a kinect and some games. But most of the time I'm doing things like unplugging the water heater when I'm not using, keeping the house @ 63 degrees (Even thinking about lowering it to 60), buying a car at a car auction for $460 while it's really worth ~$1600, buying a razor and cutting my husband's hair(he's in the military an needs a specific hair cut), not having cable, only having a family plan cell phone (but not on a contract, which actually costs more money), shopping around for the cheapest gas, eating out maybe once or twice a month, covering a majority of our windows with plastic to help with heating costs, using cfl lights, using coupons only on things that I need.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jan 2, 2011 15:38:16 GMT -5
breezy, I think some stuff sort of backfire happens to all of us on occasion. Just don't give up! Once you get used to it, it will become more natural. You can get a lot of great ideas from this group, and if you want to know couponing, the WIR group will teach you everything you need to know (I got some great tips from them but my area only has one or two stores that most of them have--once I learned the tips, like I could stack coupons at Wags and RA would allow my total to be less than $20 after coupons when I had a $5 off $20 coupon, I was able to save a bundle! But it got depressing reading about all the great deals I can't get because the lack of stores). apple: I totally understand your frustration. I used to not have a CVS and the gals would post all of these awesome deals that they could get there and I had to just stand on the sidelines and "read". Many of the gals have double coupons at their grocery stores - none for me - EVER; but I know that through networking on the board I have been able to do a ton of deals that I would not otherwise have been able to do (either cuz the gals sent me coupons that I did not have that I needed to do them or because I would never have known they existed at all had I not been checking in).
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lynda in iowa
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Post by lynda in iowa on Jan 2, 2011 16:53:21 GMT -5
Hi all...new here. I'm overall very frugal, but when I do have money to spend and need something, I'll always spend a little more and use a local merchant over Wal-Mart, etc. It makes me feel good when I support my community any way I can.
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Apple
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Always travel with a sense of humor
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Post by Apple on Jan 2, 2011 18:04:28 GMT -5
breezy, I think some stuff sort of backfire happens to all of us on occasion. Just don't give up! Once you get used to it, it will become more natural. You can get a lot of great ideas from this group, and if you want to know couponing, the WIR group will teach you everything you need to know (I got some great tips from them but my area only has one or two stores that most of them have--once I learned the tips, like I could stack coupons at Wags and RA would allow my total to be less than $20 after coupons when I had a $5 off $20 coupon, I was able to save a bundle! But it got depressing reading about all the great deals I can't get because the lack of stores). apple: I totally understand your frustration. I used to not have a CVS and the gals would post all of these awesome deals that they could get there and I had to just stand on the sidelines and "read". Many of the gals have double coupons at their grocery stores - none for me - EVER; but I know that through networking on the board I have been able to do a ton of deals that I would not otherwise have been able to do (either cuz the gals sent me coupons that I did not have that I needed to do them or because I would never have known they existed at all had I not been checking in). I really do love the advice there. You guys were all very helpful when I was trying to get a better handle on couponing. I know if there were threads dedicated to different stores I'd read more but I do try to still "spy" on occasion And just using tips I found my first day or two over there I've saved a ton of money.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jan 2, 2011 19:22:19 GMT -5
apple: I totally understand your frustration. I used to not have a CVS and the gals would post all of these awesome deals that they could get there and I had to just stand on the sidelines and "read". Many of the gals have double coupons at their grocery stores - none for me - EVER; but I know that through networking on the board I have been able to do a ton of deals that I would not otherwise have been able to do (either cuz the gals sent me coupons that I did not have that I needed to do them or because I would never have known they existed at all had I not been checking in). I really do love the advice there. You guys were all very helpful when I was trying to get a better handle on couponing. I know if there were threads dedicated to different stores I'd read more but I do try to still "spy" on occasion And just using tips I found my first day or two over there I've saved a ton of money. Well, hopefully we'll see you pop in from time to time.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jan 2, 2011 19:25:57 GMT -5
Now, back to the thread.
I am probably more frugal than I need to be. I avoid paying any more than I have to for most of the things that we purchase. If we need something, I will make a mental note of it and start looking for a bargain. I can't remember the last time I bought something on impulse. Oh, I take that back. DSis and I were out the day after Christmas and I treated her to a Starbucks.
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Post by emptypockets on Jan 2, 2011 20:16:45 GMT -5
We're all tight in some areas and too free with the unnecessary stuff in other areas. We need to find that balance as the spending swings back and forth. Hopefully, the bank account grows more than it loses. The good food must be greatly more than the junk food and unnecessary fluff.
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motherto2
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Post by motherto2 on Jan 2, 2011 20:52:46 GMT -5
I try to be frugal where I can, but in other areas, I struggle like a lot of others. I try to keep the grocery bill down since it's just me at home right now, and I always make extra to take to work the next day for lunch. I still cook like the kids are here, and then for lunch and dinner for several days I have a quick meal in the microwave. But my cell phone bill is astronomical. It's over $200/mo. but that includes 4 lines. Since the kids are out of the area, I won't skimp on that. We don't have a lot of leeway in the grocery store (only 2 and they are the same grocer, and they don't double coupons). I buy almost all things generic, so they don't help me alot anyway. I have cable and internet, but that's what helps me to stay out of the stores (where I would definitely spend more!). But when I am going to purchase something, I will do a lot of reviews and figure out exactly what I want, and then watch the prices to see when I can purchase it for the lowest amount possible.
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newsmaker
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Post by newsmaker on Jan 3, 2011 11:13:59 GMT -5
Over the years-and with the help of these boards-I have become frugal. I compare prices before making any purchase and use coupons, BOGO, etc. Our largest expenses are fixed (house, school tuiton, etc) but I try to save in other areas where the budget allows us to seek the best price. I try to brown bag every day I know I will be in my office. If I am nearby our house, I will have lunch there. For me being frugal is about having more options and choices. If I save on X, we can go on vacation. Being frugal takes time and tons of practice, but eventually it becomes part of who we are.
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Post by bobbysgirl on Jan 3, 2011 15:19:56 GMT -5
I think all of the posts define frugal in one way or another. Welcome to the newbie, lynda in iowa.
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telephus44
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Post by telephus44 on Jan 4, 2011 15:22:17 GMT -5
Like everyone else, I am very frugal in some areas and not in others. I will occasionally spend $50 on a pair of pants and the most expensive skin care product I use is $95 a jar. But on the other hand, I have no cable bill and we only have one cell phone - a prepaid one that costs us $100 per year. I wash our ziplocs baggies, use handkerchieves to blow my nose, and use cloth "feminine protection," but I still use my dryer for all loads of laundry, go for monthly pedicures, and stop at Starbucks a couple times a week.
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998fbird
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Post by 998fbird on Jan 8, 2011 14:25:16 GMT -5
I consider myself fairly frugal, but my goal is really balance. I have learned over the years to be careful not to nickel and dime myself and be miserable with my choices. I like this site because it is nice to have like minded companions and I enjoy the tips. I'm not a great couponer, but I like store rewards cards, stocking a pantry and the different challenges (like the closet challenge).
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Post by lovemylife on Jan 8, 2011 19:05:16 GMT -5
I like to think myself as frugal but like a lot of you I find myself shopping for the best deals but if I really want something I will go right for it. Like a antique kitchen table that fit my breakfast nook perfectly. I do love it and that's how it goes..My DH said it didn't take you a minute to decide on that purchase but it took four months to replace my fridge because I looked for the best deal. We don't carry debt and were very fortunate to retire in our middle fifties. We live in a big home on 5 acres and with being the two of us left we have talked on numerous occasions about sizing down to a smaller home. The one we are looking at has two bedrooms. Anyone out there that has done this please let me know how it worked out?
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