Becoming More Frugal

[Danny]

Monthly savings

$ 10 - Phone - just went DSL Standalone - no more land phone - just cell now.
DSL has gone from 256k to 1.5m... I'm getting your posts 6 times faster now

$ 50 - Health Insurance premium -daughter graduated from college and is out on her own
also, no more medical & drug bills -

$ 75 - told insurance agent youngest son is at college most of the year why can't he be rated differently
since he only drives my car during summer/holidays...they stopped rating him but is still covered

$ 55 - going to let my DISH TV subscription expire

$100 - buying wine/groceries at Trader Joe's (thks newguy for reminding me)

$290+ Total so far

 

[dumpster56]

11.95 dropped hbo

18.75 dropped long distace use my cell phones

50.00 trader joes opened now wine is 2.99 a bottle

79.70 so far

 

[tryan]

$50/mo - switched to Vonage (dropped COMCAST digital phone)

$60/mo - dropped to basic cable (2 boys were watching wayyyyy too much TV)

$40/mo - started turning OFF the lights/TV/computer as I left the room.

Tried dropping the daily newspaper for a weekend delivery ... but couldn't do it. Need the local coverage.

 

[education]

Hey Tryan--

Let me hijack this thread to ask how you like the Vonage service. I have had mixed reviews from the FEW people who went with them. What do you find the upside and the downside (if any) to be?

My frugal attempts:

Buy toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash from DollarTree and still get brand names for a $1.00.

Use store brands rather than national brands whenever possible and the taste is comparable.

Use a gas credit card that gives me a nickel off each gallon--for thee billing cyles.
When the discount ends, so will the card.

Also shop the "dead bread" store and get large discounts on bread and chips.

Go to Mexican restuarants where I can eat breakfast for a $1.99 when I have to dine out.

Doing these things poses no inconvenience and I save a buck or two.

Professor

 

[lets-retire]

tryan--does your paper have an online edition?

Things I've done:

Dropped down to basic cable: Saved $30.00
Dropped landline phone: Saved $50.00
Started working from home: Saved much

 

[crazy connie]

Stopped driving to the store so much. Fry's (Kroger) grocery store 1st Wed of the month has a Senior Savings day and I do the staples, meat & paper products. Once every 10 days I hit the produce and dairy store. Most weeks I keep the round town driving to about 10 miles or less. That saves on gas a bunch!

 

[savedapile]

contacted AARP and saved several hundred a year by going through them for home and auto insurance.

started trying a new recipe a week a few years ago and now have a big folder of tasty and nutritious recipes. We never go out to eat anymore because I can cook so much better. Huge savings from not eating out. We invite friends in for pot luck type meals instead of meeting in restaurants. My latest is accumulating some good mexican recipes. Chinese is next.

DH replaced a leaking toilet with an efficient one.

 

[tryan]

Hey Tryan--

Let me hijack this thread to ask how you like the Vonage service. I have had mixed reviews from the FEW people who went with them. What do you find the upside and the downside (if any) to be?

What "did it" for us was we were able to keep our phone number ... this was key. Next question, what are you downloading on your computer. The phone service is loosey when you're sending/receiving large files e.g. pictures. Otherwise we'll never switch back. Went from paying ~$65/mo for a 500 minute block to $27/mo unlimited use.

Plan on not having phone service the day the number x-fers. Once the release and pick-up were completed I spent ~4 hours trouble shooting the line. Had to upgrade my modem (had a 3 year old motorola) and cut out all outdated (900 baud) phones. Also did the wiring to the modem myself.

The features Vonage has are pretty wild eg. I can forward the house phone number to the lake house or my cell when we leave for extended times. Throw away the answering machine the Vonage service is superior ... and all at no additional fee.

The reality for us was that we have soooo many ways to be reached (2 cell phones, EMAIL and a land line) there is no need for 100% reliable "yap-line". If the call breaks up for half a second because the kids are downloading a game ... who cares. The features far out weigh the inconveneinces.

Just after I switched, COMCAST released thier voice over IP service bundled with cable and internet service. I could have saved another 20/mo if I jumped to them.

tryan--does your paper have an online edition?

Good point ... need to check this.

 

[azanon]

>Switched most of my house bulbs to compact flourescents
>Traded in 2 active managed funds for index funds
>Work out at home on my totalgym instead of gym fees
>Netflix member instead of going to the theatres
>Buy a ton of stuff on Amazon and other online sites instead of locally with higher prices and gas/vehicle wear getting to them
>This past year bought a new honda fit with cash instead of financing for a Subaru WRX (big savings!)
>Upped my TSP by $200 per month so i never see the money
>Continue to refuse to pay the insane sporting event fees or tickets for most any shows ($30-$100 per ticket or often much more!)
>Take the time to sell stuff i dont need on ebay (that has value)

 

[Texas Proud]

Hmmm.... How can you say 'becoming more Frugal'.....

To me, ANY cable or sat TV is a luxury... getting rid of it is not getting more frugal, but getting rid of a luxury....

Most of the others also are not getting frugal (except Trader Joes if you do save money).... they were expenses you had to pay and now don't.... changes of life...

Like the savings, but not the definition... this from a frugal guy... (but not way to frugal)....

 

[WanderALot]

Costco are where the real grocery savings are! - I tried Trader Joe's, but never found any real bargains on groceries there. What groceries bargains at Trader Joes are you finding?

Almost all of our groceries are bought from Trader Joes. There are lot of bargains to be had especially when you consider the quality of the product. For example:

Flax Cereal, 1 lb, is $1.99
French cookies with chocolate centers are less than $2
Regianno cheese is $10.99/lb, much cheaper than at Whole Foods or Wild Oats
Wild Salmon is about the same price as farmed salmon at TJs
Dried cranberries, much cheaper than at Ralphs/Albertsons
Salsa, about the same price, but MUCH better than Ralphs/Albertsons
Hummus, $1.99
Frozen fish, price varies, but it's pretty good quality

Produce does seem to be more expensive at TJs, but we have a very nice ethnic market close to us where DW goes for veggies. DW only goes to Ralphs for stuff she can't get at TJs.
Oh, and I go there for Breyer's Ice Cream on sale, although now I've discovered the store brand at Whole Foods is even better for about the same.

 

[Danny]

Hmmm.... How can you say 'becoming more Frugal'.....
To me, ANY cable or sat TV is a luxury... getting rid of it is not getting more frugal, but getting rid of a luxury....
Most of the others also are not getting frugal (except Trader Joes if you do save money).... they were expenses you had to pay and now don't.... changes of life...
Like the savings, but not the definition... this from a frugal guy... (but not way to frugal)....

Well, I am getting rid of those luxuries and I do have other areas where I am already frugal - so in my mind I am becoming even more frugal You're right though that the $50 health premium is not a frugal choice, it just came my way, but the $75 reduction in insurance is my frugal choice to push it with my agent..otherwise they would have kept billing me the old rate...man I can't get much by you Texas!

Dan,

Costco are where the real grocery savings are! - I tried Trader Joe's, but never found any real bargains on groceries there. What groceries bargains at Trader Joes are you finding?

I know how strongly you feel about Costco, Cut! I just don't want to go there both in argument and physically!

 

[haha]

50.00 trader joes opened now wine is 2.99 a bottle

Can I assume that you were using expensive wine before? Or are you just a real big oenophile?

My doctor said I am a little bit yellow and have a little bit of fat in my liver. She asked how much I drink- a little bit I say, maybe two 750mg bottles per week. (And I thought I just had a better tan this year. )

Too much says she!

Holy **** say I!

Ha

 

[Arc]

Learned a trick this past spring from Howard Clark - if you blow dry your razor blade after every use, it will last for over a year. First attempt for me, I got 8 months from a blade.

 

[Khan]

Learned a trick this past spring from Howard Clark - if you blow dry your razor blade after every use, it will last for over a year. First attempt for me, I got 8 months from a blade.

http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=5315

Disposable Razor Sharpener
Get up to 45 shaves per blade

 

[Nords]

Get up to 45 shaves per blade

That's nearly six months for me, even before drying them out...

 

[azanon]

Hmmm.... How can you say 'becoming more Frugal'.....

To me, ANY cable or sat TV is a luxury... getting rid of it is not getting more frugal, but getting rid of a luxury....

Most of the others also are not getting frugal (except Trader Joes if you do save money).... they were expenses you had to pay and now don't.... changes of life...

Like the savings, but not the definition... this from a frugal guy... (but not way to frugal)....

The term is relative; most of the examples above you were great examples of becoming more frugal. A drop from expensive cable to basic cable is becoming more frugal, because it is lowering costs from a very common expenditure in America. If you're saying they're not frugal to begin with, then you have yourself an opinion. You seem to acknowledge than when you said "To me......" but then you go on speaking as if your opinion is fact.

 

[azanon]

Learned a trick this past spring from Howard Clark - if you blow dry your razor blade after every use, it will last for over a year. First attempt for me, I got 8 months from a blade.

My beard hurt a little just reading this.

 

[kramer]

Um, blow dryers use 750 to 1500 watts. I assume you are using more electricity than getting marginal utility out of the $2 razor blade.

Kramer

 

[Texas Proud]

Well, I am getting rid of those luxuries and I do have other areas where I am already frugal - so in my mind I am becoming even more frugal You're right though that the $50 health premium is not a frugal choice, it just came my way, but the $75 reduction in insurance is my frugal choice to push it with my agent..otherwise they would have kept billing me the old rate...man I can't get much by you Texas!

Yea... just pulling your chain a bit..


But I try an make a distinction between a 'frugal' choice and one that is a 'luxury' choice... Starbuck's every day (or even some days) is a 'luxury' choice... I am not into coffee, but my sister buys it every once in awhile... she if more frugal than me... so I say that was a luxury choice... A frugal choice is when she buys flour in the 50 lb bag because it only cost a bit more than the 5 lb bag.. Or you buy from the $1 menu at the fast food instead of buying the 'full' cost meals...

 

[Texas Proud]

The term is relative; most of the examples above you were great examples of becoming more frugal. A drop from expensive cable to basic cable is becoming more frugal, because it is lowering costs from a very common expenditure in America. If you're saying they're not frugal to begin with, then you have yourself an opinion. You seem to acknowledge than when you said "To me......" but then you go on speaking as if your opinion is fact.

Almost all of the words on this forum is OPINION.... even yours.. any you write yours like it is fact also....

 

[Arc]

Um, blow dryers use 750 to 1500 watts. I assume you are using more electricity than getting marginal utility out of the $2 razor blade.

Kramer

The truth of the matter is I tap the razor on a towel then use my own hot air to dry the blade. I go the blow dryer way in hotels. Got into the habit now don't think I could quit even if someone gave me a new razor every day! Then I won't think twice about a $2 cup of coffee at Starbucks - go figure!

 

[maddythebeagle]

http://www.users.vance.net/tprewitt/lint.htm

not sure being more frugal, but always looking for ways for waste elimination and reuse....tried for kindling in the wood stove and boy does that stuff really burn...

Also got one of those air return things for the dryer in the winter....hang out on a close line in the summer...

 

[bruce1]

My beard hurt a little just reading this.

Just a little? Ouch!!

 

[FreeBird]

• I recently switched from the Dish 120 package (well over $400.00 year) to their newest Family Package at only $19.95/month. Luxury yes, but I consider the Fox News Channel a necessity in the current climate of biased reporting. Calm down my liberal friends.
• Changed all of my light bulbs to flourescent a month ago.
• Gleaned from a recent thread on this forum I tried using delloutlet.com for the purchase of a refurbished flat screen panel for my computer and I swear they sent me a new one!! I'll be using them again!
• I'm a woodcarver so I made all of my Christmas presents which family and friends have come to expect.
• For the first time in a decade I just began using store coupons again since I began seeing things in the Sunday paper that I already used. It's especially convenient and fun to scan them in Wal-Mart's self-serve check out lanes!
• Just got a 4% pay raise that I can invest... or just call it "even" after considering inflation.