Irrational frugality

[Sunset]

Stamps? You use stamps?

Mostly only because of Menards rebates, they don't do them over the internet (yet), which I think is part of the plan.

Make it annoying and folks will miss/skip doing it and end up with their overpriced widget.

 

[Texas Proud]

I agree on the no premium gas vehicle in principle but the other option is to get the best deal on the car you want and if it calls for premium just put regular in it. My current ride is 'premium only' and is doing very well after 150k miles running on regular. Most cars don't care although if it happens to be something red and Italian then I would likely spring for the premium!

To me you need to check.... there are some cars that premium is recommended... but not required...

But, there are some cars where it is required...

I just checked on a Hellcat... premium recommended... so a 700 HP engine can run on regular if you want...

But, the new Corvette it is required.... I would not put in regular...

 

[audreyh1]

While it may not have a direct effect on a person's bottom line, the discussion that it is not worth your time seems false. If you have other options for your time that do have monetary value, then it can be argued taking more time to decide and get the best value may not be the best overall. However, if you are not getting anything monetary for your time, why not use some of it to help save some money? Sure your $/hr equivalent may be a lot less than min wage, but something is more than nothing.

Because my time is worth more to me than money!

Now that I am retired, my time is no longer measured by what I could get paid for it.

It is measured by how much enjoyment I get out of it.

And I see my time as a limited resource. I'm older now. I don't know how many good years I have left.

If there is a time consuming task, there had better be some significant benefit and not just in terms of saving money, but more in terms of streamlining my life or increasing enjoyment, removing hassle, etc.

Because I could have been spending that precious time on something much more enjoyable than just figuring out how to save money....

 

[I was misinformed]

Generally I don't sweat this small stuff, but one thing that bugs me is an extra charge for buying concert/sports tickets online. I will walk to the box office to save a few bucks.

 

[traineeinvestor]

For me, it's more about the irritation I feel whenever I've paid too much. I dislike being ripped off in principle more than I feel the loss of a few dollars here and there.

There's also the feeling that I should be setting a good example for my children.

 

[athena53]

For me, it's more about the irritation I feel whenever I've paid too much. I dislike being ripped off in principle more than I feel the loss of a few dollars here and there.

I agree; sometimes I won't give in to avarice even when I can afford it. In the discussion on EZ-Pass some have said it's worth what the rental car agency will charge to use their transponder. I'd carefully research alternatives first- I hate all those excuses they have to increase revenue. (I always return with a full gas tank, too.)

 

[EastWest Gal]

Can you get an EZ pass transponder yourself, register the rental car when you pick it up (an online or phone transaction) then unregister it at the end of your trip? I think they pre charge a credit card about $35 then add $35 automatically when you use it up. No fee to the rental car company that way. It might be worth exploring.

I got a transponder in 1999. We have 3 cars registered and we move the transponder from car to car as needed. Mostly for out of town trips, though.


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[misshathaway]

one thing I thought was sort of weird were folks that go to 3 different supermarkets to shop because different items are on sale. I have a girlfriend that does it.

I used to ridicule my mother for doing that. She went all over the place and did not figure in the gas expense. Now I do a modified version of the exact same thing.

I go to 2 places within a mile of each other. One is a bargain place and another is Wegmans. They both always have staples on sale but usually not the same ones, so I buy each item at whichever store is cheaper.

Re: price comparison time wasted. Frugality can be an enjoyable game. I don't view the time as wasted any more than I would the time spent watching a movie.

 

[audreyh1]

Irrational frugality is also if you work till 65 but you can retire at 50

Early retirement is ultimate luxury item because you give up years of income. For high income earner it is like throwing million plus into the trash.

So in the picture of the above what is a point in wasting time on paper towels?

This is true! I retired at 39, look how much money I already left on the table!!!

 

[athena53]

Can you get an EZ pass transponder yourself, register the rental car when you pick it up (an online or phone transaction) then unregister it at the end of your trip? I think they pre charge a credit card about $35 then add $35 automatically when you use it up. No fee to the rental car company that way. It might be worth exploring.

Yes, you can. Someone already suggested that.

 

[dixonge]

I love it when frugality and environmental consciousness can dovetail. For example, it started to bother me that I use paper towels all day at work. You know, the tri-fold kind that are on the wall in the bathroom. We also have them in the break room. I eat lunch and breakfast at work. I wash containers and my hands all day. So I now have two micro-fiber towels I take to work. One to dry off containers and my hands, one to wipe up spills at my desk. I'm saving my employer a slight amount of money, but I'm saving my conscience regarding unnecessary waste and paper use.

At home, we reserve paper towels (probably store brand) for things on the floor. Counters all get the microfiber towel treatment. We then wash these towels when we do other laundry.

When it comes to groceries, a similar dovetail occurs. We went full-on vegan at the beginning of the year. You want to save money on groceries? Stop buying any meat or dairy products. Even when you factor in moving from a small town in Mexico to expensive Austin, TX we are saving money. It is a wonderful by-product of our decision.

I do look forward to retirement, when we can still save a lot of money back while relaxing our budget a bit. Restaurant meals and wine will be our big splurges, although our favorite restaurant in Mexico has generous glasses of house wine for 25 pesos (up from 20 - inflation!). That's about $1.35 at the current exchange rate. OK, I guess we're going to have to try harder in order to be less frugal!

 

[retire2020]

I put value on every dollar I spend..It's just the way my brain works and teaching wife and kids the same thing.

We were just in Kaui and took a helicopter ride(not cheap) - $875 for a family of five. I got to place about 45 minutes before flight and gave my credit card to charge. She added 4% charge to use CC which I was not told when I made the booking. I refused to pay CC charge and she would not budge. This was very close to Kaui Airport so I went to ATM there but to my surprise it'll only dispense $300 max per day. I went to diff gates and diff ATMs but no way out. I had two ATMs(Fid with 0 withdrawal charge and BofA charged 9 bucks for withdrawal). Ran around and wasted 30 minutes but I was able to get only $600 and I had $175 cash with me..So I paid 775 cash and had no choice but to charge remaining $100 on CC. Cashier was amazed to see my efforts to save 4%($35) and waived that 4% charge on $100. She told me she had never ever seen anybody putting a value on every dollar the way I did. Most people will just shrug off or show their displeasure and hand in CC. My kids saw what I did and hopefully learned something. I was happy to save $26 for half an hour effort which otherwise would have been spent waiting to take the flight.

Also when I buy water, I compare(same brand) no of bottles vs no of gallons of water and whichever is cheaper I buy...most of the times half liter bottles are cheaper than gallon of water..

 

[Sojourner]

For me, it's more about the irritation I feel whenever I've paid too much. I dislike being ripped off in principle more than I feel the loss of a few dollars here and there.

Absolutely. I could probably double my monthly grocery budget without the slightest concern that it would have a tangible effect on my long term FIRE plan, yet when it comes to choosing between the premium paper towels and the generic brand, I always go for the cheaper one. To me, paying that extra $1 or $2 for the name brand is sort of like rewarding a company for having a good marketing strategy and a large advertising budget without producing any actual value. And to me, that's "wrong". On a subconscious level, I'm also probably thinking that I'm banking that $1 or $2 for use on my next trip out of town, where it would likely have much more bang for the buck.

 

[Sunset]

I put value on every dollar I spend..It's just the way my brain works and teaching wife and kids the same thing.

We were just in Kaui and took a helicopter ride(not cheap) - $875 for a family of five. I got to place about 45 minutes before flight and gave my credit card to charge. She added 4% charge to use CC which I was not told when I made the booking. I refused to pay CC charge and she would not budge. This was very close to Kaui Airport so I went to ATM there but to my surprise it'll only dispense $300 max per day. I went to diff gates and diff ATMs but no way out. I had two ATMs(Fid with 0 withdrawal charge and BofA charged 9 bucks for withdrawal). Ran around and wasted 30 minutes but I was able to get only $600 and I had $175 cash with me..So I paid 775 cash and had no choice but to charge remaining $100 on CC. Cashier was amazed to see my efforts to save 4%($35) and waived that 4% charge on $100. She told me she had never ever seen anybody putting a value on every dollar the way I did. Most people will just shrug off or show their displeasure and hand in CC. My kids show what I did and hopefully learned something. I was happy to save $26 for half an hour effort which otherwise would have been spent waiting to take the flight.

Also when I buy water, I compare(same brand) no of bottles vs no of gallons of water and whichever is cheaper I buy...most of the times half liter bottles are cheaper than gallon of water..

<ha ha ha ha ha> I laughed so hard reading this, imagining you running around being thwarted at each step.
Now, I'm not sure about the lesson your kids learned.

If you want to show them how to save money, check out an osmosis water filter for your house water, and filter your own water. Often bottled water which is extremely expensive (gas level expensive) is simply filtered water, and has been sitting around in plastic bottles for weeks/months leaching some chemicals.

 

[freedomatlast]

Also when I buy water, I compare(same brand) no of bottles vs no of gallons of water and whichever is cheaper I buy...most of the times half liter bottles are cheaper than gallon of water..

In the 70's who would have ever thought people would pay a dollar or two (inflation adjusted) for plastic bottles of water.

Many brands of bottled water is nothing more than filtered water from municipal systems with a picture of a mountain on the label.

We have great well water with an RO (reverse osmosis) system so it's almost free.

 

[flyingaway]

I cannot believe many people put a cost on the time for shopping. My wife can do shopping at malls for hours without buying anything and ENJOY every minute.

 

[retire2020]

Water we get(NJ) is from very very old rustic pipes and even with filters it slowly affected our bodies. I was so sick in late 2014/early 2015 that I thought I was done. We first switched to Kirkland brand water in Costco and now Poland Spring. We even cook our food with that water....No half measures or frugality here as it concerns our health. our health have been improved and we do not get sick as often.

 

[retire2020]

<ha ha ha ha ha> I laughed so hard reading this, imagining you running around being thwarted at each step.
Now, I'm not sure about the lesson your kids learned.

If you want to show them how to save money, check out an osmosis water filter for your house water, and filter your own water. Often bottled water which is extremely expensive (gas level expensive) is simply filtered water, and has been sitting around in plastic bottles for weeks/months leaching some chemicals.

I guess the lesson here was to not give in and try for alternatives. People who try has higher chance of succeeding! Why waste money?

 

[Sunset]

Water we get(NJ) is from very very old rustic pipes and even with filters it slowly affected our bodies. I was so sick in late 2014/early 2015 that I thought I was done. We first switched to Kirkland brand water in Costco and now Poland Spring. We even cook our food with that water....No half measures or frugality here as it concerns our health. our health have been improved and we do not get sick as often.

An osmosis home filter cleans the water as well a bought water without the issue of plastic leaching into the water for weeks/months.

It's not a 1/2 measure, it's more like a better than equal measure healthwise.

 

[aaronc879]

One of my parsimonious habits relative to gas...I have avoided buying cars that take plus or premium gas. I've never felt like I've missed out by driving cars that take regular but, if I run the numbers, there's no real reason to think that way. If I average 20 mpg, if the difference between regular and plus is .20/gal and if I drive 10K miles per year, we're talking a hundred bucks a year. Double that for 2 cars and it's still peanuts. But, that's the way I am.

O

I think paying extra for premium is a big deal and will never again buy a car that requires it. Around here the difference is at least 60 cents/gal. I get 20 mpg so for 100,000 miles that's $3000. Not a small amount for me.

 

[haha]

I agree on the no premium gas vehicle in principle but the other option is to get the best deal on the car you want and if it calls for premium just put regular in it.

This may not be possible if you live in a hilly or mountainous area.Detonation wrecks engines and detonation happens when one is running insufficient octane gasoline and the car is under load.

Ha

 

[Walt34]

I pick up loose change on the ground.

I'm now wealthy enough that I can afford to ignore anything less than a dime.

 

[RobbieB]

I stopped picking up pennies 10 years ago. If I hurt my back I would just hate myself -

 

[FIREmenow]

I stopped picking up pennies 10 years ago. If I hurt my back I would just hate myself -

It's all in how you get down there to pick them up. It's ain't pretty, but I save my back.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

In the 70's who would have ever thought people would pay a dollar or two (inflation adjusted) for plastic bottles of water.

We have great well water with an RO (reverse osmosis) system so it's almost free.

+1. When I carry in those heavy cases of bottled water from the car into the house, I sometimes feel like this

.

Instead of free water from our RO system, we buy cases of RO filtered water that's been sitting in plastic bottles in a store. I prefer the free water, others in my family insist on bottled. I can't taste any difference, but others claim the bottled stuff tastes better.