I'm so cheap that I....
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I do things to save money so that I can spend it elsewhere, like on clothes lol. I've never gone to get a manicure/pedicure. I do my own nails instead. I borrow outfits from people for special events instead of buying a shirt I'll only wear once. I'll wait 6 months for a book at the library instead of buying it.0
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I bought a "super savy saver card" from ebay for $15 it expires 2015 and I have already saved at least $300 at restaurants & i never buy online without googling a promo code lol.0
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My wallet is stuffed with coupons for various items as well as store cards for stores I don't even have in my town. I never buy anything full price. Ever.
Being cheap is a good thing! It's like a game to me, hunting for the best deal.0 -
Wow, lots of good tips here. I'm going to make some laundry detergent when our current box starts to run out. The estimated money saved is amazing.
Some things I do to save money:
-Plan weekly menus and utilize recipes that require the same ingredients.
-I shop at Aldi or Walmart. Store brands are cheaper and the quality difference is minimal.
-Our office supplies coffee, so I don't do Starbucks. We have a Keuring at home with a strainer cup so I can buy ground coffee and make it by the cup instead of wasting alot on pot that might or might not get used.
-I ride a scooter for primary transportation. $10/week in gas saves me ~$250/month in gas and $1,000/year in reduced insurance premiums. Losing weight also means less gas needed to move me on the scooter. LOL!
-I shop online for competitive electric rates. My first venture into changing providers saved us about $80/month on our Lite Bill.
-Lunch is last night's leftovers. We cook enough (usually) to have leftovers to take for lunch. Usually after 3 days, the food isn't good. If we know it's gonna be awhile, we put it into a to-go kit and freeze it.
-Check out the local Dollar Stores. They carry household supplies and detergents there.
-Install water saving shower heads and throw a brick in the toilet reservoir. Will help cut down on water usage.
-Check the air pressure on your vehicle tires. Under-inflation requires more energy to move it.
-For my iPhone/iPad music, I'll check iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, or Google Music. A $1.29 song on iTunes might be on Amazon.com for .99. 4 songs is like buy 3, get one free this way!
-If you have a cell phone, consider shutting off your land line. We finally did it out of $$$ necessity and it never caused a problem not having it.
-Buy clothes at end of season. Check out outlet stores. Goodwill/Salvation Army stores are great for cheap clothes.
-Use MFP. It's much cheaper than Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, or Nutrisystem cause it is FREE, and for most of us, eating less food means we buy less food, thus saving money TWICE!
- Get a library card. This is CHEAP but last summer, I'd spend the hottest part of the day at the library. Take your laptop and check out & watch DVD movies, surf the net(free WIFI), read books, listen to music, or check out the latest magazines. I'd also use it as a mobile office and take care of bills and other things. My taxes pay for it, so I'm gonna use it!
-Even with me being cheap, er, I mean thrifty....sometimes you have to spend money on yourself as a treat because YOU need to remind YOURSELF that you are worth it.
-For homeowners, two things that will save alot of money: 1) Buy a programmable thermostat for the AC. Setting different temps in the day and night and for times you're not home/sleeping will slash that bill by 20%. 2) If you have an electric water heater, buy a timer for it. There are times of the day it's heating the water, yet no one's using it. I saved 10-15% when I started using mine.0 -
For the record, grabbing songs off of YouTube is considered Theft. As a friend to multiple "for profit" musicians, it does hurt them when people steal their music versus paying for it. Prior to caring about this, I did dabble in "free online music", but once I learned how it takes away money from those that earn their living from it(people with kids and family), I went back through and bought the music from the cheapest online music vendor(usually Amazon if iTunes wasn't having a promo special) so I could really sleep at night and support those artists that I liked their music enough to spend my hard earned money on.
Think about it this way. For those that work an hourly job, you need your 40 hours/week. What if you worked your 40 hours and your paycheck sometimes had 32 hours, 36 hours, or even 25? You'd want to know why you were being shorted for the hours you worked hard for.....so let's think about what is happening when we rip music from YouTube. It really is stealing and do you wanna risk the RIAA tagging YOU for an example? I sure don't.
So let's raise the bar on this one.
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I love being cheap.
Not that I have much of a choice right now...
- I make my own laundry soap. I use liquid so I can use cold water. It really doesn't take too long. Heat water on stove, add soap shavings, fill 5 gallon pail half way with hot water, once soap is melted pour into 5 gal pail, add borax and washing soda, stir, fill bucket rest of the way. Put lid on and let sit overnight in a cold, dark corner. Stir next day then pour into containers. I reuse old laundry detergent bottles. It doesn't take much time at all. Especially not when it makes sooo much (the 5 gallon pail is concentrate so you end up with 10 gallons of diluted detergent and only have to use between 1/2-3/4 cup per load) Check google for recipes. Every recipe gives different amounts of soap/borax/washing soda. Try making smaller batches until you find what works best. Vinegar works great for a fabric softener if wish to use (I don't always add it to the rinse cycle and I don't notice much difference in clothes)
- I use a DivaCup instead of having to buy tampons and pads all the time (besides it being way comfier and better in sooo many ways, it always saves a crapload of money over time) want to make cloth pantyliners in the future (don't use pads, but sometimes pantyliners just in case i leak)
- Always buy cheap stuff...
- Almost never buy clothes brand new (and when I do it's always cheap anyway)
- Don't use shampoo (wash hair with conditioner and buy really cheap conditioner which I dilute to wash with)
- Make my own lotions/body butters
- Wash my face with homemade cold cream or honey
- Make own deodorant
- Use the internet for movies/tv shows/everything
- Walk as much as I can instead of driving
- Starting to play around with making my own baby wipes (don't have baby but I use them myself for ... everything)
- Stock up on toilet paper and such when on sale
- Use vinegar and baking soda for most cleaning and thinking of making an enzyme cleaner in the near future
- Sew a lot of clothes myself (and buy the bolt fabric bits from second hand stores)
- Turn cheap bar soap into liquid hand soap (or can be body wash)
- Cut and colour my hair myself (colour with henna as well so waaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than chemical dye)
- I also get eggs free from friends, meat from my dad's farm and potatoes from garden (boyfriend planted potatoes this last year but I want to plant my own garden with a lot this coming summer...or else I can get some from my grandma who usually plants as large garden...or friends' family who usually also have large garden)
I can't think of much else right now. Basically I just buy a lot of stuff cheap and I am IN LOVE with Dollarama and similar stores. And I make a lot/almost all of my body products and house cleaning products and try to make most of my food from scratch.0 -
pretty much all of this, also cut and color my own hair, plus cut my families also, wash the dogs myself along with the charger( hey i figure i am burning a ton of calories lol), keep our vehicles for a minimum of ten years unitl some butthead comes along and rearends me because he was playing with his cell phone and not paying attention and totals my jeep that was paid off, grrrrrrrr. we pay off all our cards every month to avoid interest, make double payments to the car loan when we can, plant and grow our own garden every year, so not only do we get cheap veggies and fruits but we eat better produce without chemicals because of it. we dont use cable and only have netflix, my only splurge are my jeans which i can justify since i shop at goodwill on dollar days on thursdays. i have anne klein skirt, h and m shorts, black house white market blouse, and two leather jackets that i paid a dollar each for. i get my wedding gowns there also as they are usually only 20 or 30 bucks for my comicon costumes( think zombie bride,the white queen out of alice in wonderland) the list could go on as i shop there a lot and have a ton more stuff! it takes more time than shopping at the mall but so worth it for what i save. and i can shop everyweek if i want to. when i get tired of something i take it back in to donate it and then get a tax credit for donating it. its a win win. we rarely buy junk food as none of us needs it and it is very cost prohibitive. never take the kids to the store with otherwise they would want everything. i dont use windex at all, a wet diaper followed by a dry one works just as well. i try to use as little meat as possible in most meals as it is the most expensive item on our list. we vacation in arizona as it is cheaper than traveling out of state. the kids dont do sports but we do anime and comicons and make our own keyblades, costumes and swords. gets us out of the house, moving around and gives them time working with their dad.we have chickens so we always have fresh eggs and we trade veggies with mil of stuff she needs and stuff we need so it doesnt go to waste. we rarely go out to dinner anymore as it is not worth it. everytime we do i am disappointed with my meal and think i paid how much for this? my cooking tastes way better.Coupons, bulk buying and only buying in season. Manager's specials and day old markdowns, the clearance rack is my friend (with coupons). I love Farmer's Markets (go on the last day at the end of day and haggle).
Clothing furniture etc, reuse reuse reuse ... you can call it living green. I rare to never buy new. My house is full of antiques I found at thrift stores (you need to have an eye for this). The thrift stores here are really good, so the name brand clothing still has the tags on them. I boughts a $300 coat for $14 tags still on for instance. I have good china to eat off of, and henckle knives (retail value about $490, I paid $20), etc
I reuse what I can, aluminum foil, good baggies, but mostly use tupperware I bought from ... you guessed it. I also love yard sale season, and have been know to use lines to dry clothing. The more money I don't spend un-necessarily = more money in my bank account for a rainy day. I hold on to money and hate, hate , hate to give it up unless I love an item.0 -
all great tips!
some things i do
plan my meals for the month (or every 2 weeks) the nite before shopping i go around every cupboard the fridge freezer and write it all down look what meals i can make then i only have to add a few things to my list to make more meals (this month i have done a whole food shopping for £40 for the month thats for me my partner and daughter not including baby milk and nappies for son)
reusable nappies a great thing! have used them with my daughter and now using he same ones for my son :happy: shame partner cant get to grips with them
veg thats odds and ends or maybe seen its best days ie carrots potatoes parsnips etc root veg even tomatoes and pepprs all gets put into one pan and made into a soup wizz it up and its delish my familys fav kind of soup!
feeding my dog, dog mince much cheaper than store bought dog food get it fromthe butchers for £2 for an 8lb bag which lasts almost a week were as store bought food almost a week of food is about £4 plus she has a sensitive tummy and most store dog food dosnt agree with her
i only add small packs of meat to my meals then bulk them out with veg beans pulses
try to have one or 2 meat free meals a week (usually were the soup comes in handy :laugh: )
have only bought the things i needed for my son i see/hear so many people going on about oh i bought so many outfits they didnt wear half of them such a waste!
prepare in advance for xmas and birthdays and always look out for the sales got my daughter her camera for xmas for £20 instead of rrp £59.99 oh yeah :bigsmile:
my partner is friends with a hairdresser so free hair cuts for myself and daughter i also colour my own hair
wash the dog no need to pay somone to do that0 -
I prepare all my meals for a week or ten days in a day and package them in my fridge. I always try to prepare a variety - ie something with mexican flare, something mediterranian, something asian, something simple, something french -- (all my favorite foods) - so that when I am in the "mood" for something I have no excuse.
I buy wine by the case on discount days. :drinker:
I never pay full retail price for clothes. I do shop at TJ Maxx and I put stuff on lay-away to pick them up in a week or two... I usually end up putting a few things back because -- it helps me weed out the impulse buys. Consignment stores are also my friend.
I never skimp on my shoes -- running or everyday shoes.. but I do try to find them on sale or past-season.
I buy a lot of furniture off Craigslist.
This year, I got a seasonal job at Williams-Sonoma so I could get the discount on some pricey kitchen times that I wanted.0 -
Bought a bra in the girls section at Target. Convertible, pushup for $6. Only bright side to the girls shrinking.0
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Only buy stuff that we actually need, preferably when it's on offer, in which case buy double. Oh, yeah...don't buy food- saves money AND calories LOL
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Bought a bra in the girls section at Target. Convertible, pushup for $6. Only bright side to the girls shrinking.
You bought a pushup bra in the girls' section? :noway: I mean, I'm happy that you found a cheap bra, but that shouldn't be in the girls' section.0 -
my shampoo/conditioner is suave which 1.50 each
drive 92 nissan sentra that full tank ($30) for two weeks
igo to dollar store for pretzels and newton bars for the kids and buy my napkins and dish soap
i don't buy clothes til they are at least 75% off. 0 -
I love being cheap. Not that I have much of a choice right now...
- I make my own laundry soap. I use liquid so I can use cold water. It really doesn't take too long. Heat water on stove, add soap shavings, fill 5 gallon pail half way with hot water, once soap is melted pour into 5 gal pail, add borax and washing soda, stir, fill bucket rest of the way. Put lid on and let sit overnight in a cold, dark corner. Stir next day then pour into containers. I reuse old laundry detergent bottles. It doesn't take much time at all. Especially not when it makes sooo much (the 5 gallon pail is concentrate so you end up with 10 gallons of diluted detergent and only have to use between 1/2-3/4 cup per load) Check google for recipes. Every recipe gives different amounts of soap/borax/washing soda. Try making smaller batches until you find what works best. Vinegar works great for a fabric softener if wish to use (I don't always add it to the rinse cycle and I don't notice much difference in clothes)
- I use a DivaCup instead of having to buy tampons and pads all the time (besides it being way comfier and better in sooo many ways, it always saves a crapload of money over time) want to make cloth pantyliners in the future (don't use pads, but sometimes pantyliners just in case i leak)
- Always buy cheap stuff...
- Almost never buy clothes brand new (and when I do it's always cheap anyway)
- Don't use shampoo (wash hair with conditioner and buy really cheap conditioner which I dilute to wash with)
- Make my own lotions/body butters
- Wash my face with homemade cold cream or honey
- Make own deodorant
- Use the internet for movies/tv shows/everything
- Walk as much as I can instead of driving
- Starting to play around with making my own baby wipes (don't have baby but I use them myself for ... everything)
- Stock up on toilet paper and such when on sale
- Use vinegar and baking soda for most cleaning and thinking of making an enzyme cleaner in the near future
- Sew a lot of clothes myself (and buy the bolt fabric bits from second hand stores)
- Turn cheap bar soap into liquid hand soap (or can be body wash)
- Cut and colour my hair myself (colour with henna as well so waaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than chemical dye)
- I also get eggs free from friends, meat from my dad's farm and potatoes from garden (boyfriend planted potatoes this last year but I want to plant my own garden with a lot this coming summer...or else I can get some from my grandma who usually plants as large garden...or friends' family who usually also have large garden)
I can't think of much else right now. Basically I just buy a lot of stuff cheap and I am IN LOVE with Dollarama and similar stores. And I make a lot/almost all of my body products and house cleaning products and try to make most of my food from scratch.
I don't sew clothes or use henna on my hair, everything else I do. Are you, by any chance, a Crunchy Betty? :-)0 -
I GET MY MUSIC OFF YOUTUBE CONVERTER - F** PAYING ITUNES
Ha, yes, I do this too. Not because I'm cheap, just because I can
i do this as well as get cd's from the library and download them to my itunes0 -
I'm so cheap when you walk through my front door you trip over the back fence 0
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Bought a bra in the girls section at Target. Convertible, pushup for $6. Only bright side to the girls shrinking.
You bought a pushup bra in the girls' section? :noway: I mean, I'm happy that you found a cheap bra, but that shouldn't be in the girls' section.
Sadly I have seen them in many stores and yes meant for girls.0 -
Also, don't buy cooking spray. Save the wrappers from butter or margarine in a baggie in the fridge. When you need to grease a pan, take a wrapper out and wipe it around the inside of the pan.0
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I use a bucket for box squats.0
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I refuse to buy anything at regular price. I only buy items on sale. I create my grocery list based off what's in the sales paper for the week. Clothes, shoes, furniture, appliances, I only buy when there is a 50% - 70% sale. Sure they are last season but who cares! I also google promocode before I make any online purchases. I wish I had the patience to clip coupons but I just can't get into that. Well not as of yet anyway. That is something I am strongly considering though. Anyone have any tips for a first time couponers???0
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