What is your best money saving tip?

[FUEGO]

I was skeptical that anyone would pay that much for a Prada purse. A quick check on ebay shows a "pre-owned" (used, lol) purse matching Orchidflower's description that was listed as being carried only a few times, and it sold for $130. A very used version also sold for $60 that looked like someone had lifted it from a bag lady's push cart.

Pre-owned (ie worn out) Prada men's leather wallet that looks identical to my lesser-brand-name wallet sold for $36. The listing even said a number of credit card slots needed to be restitched! The photos show that the lining has separated from the leather pretty bad. It looks like garbage to me, but some sucker paid $36 for it. Best as I can tell, it exhibits the same failure patterns as all my previous $10-on-sale lesser-brand-name leather wallets have shown. Whodathunkit!

My take is Prada still equals average to above average quality, you're paying a lot for the name and it being manufactured in Italy vs China. From a strictly net present value cost analysis, these "luxury" items wouldn't pencil out vs buying the similar item for 80-90% less and replacing it a little more often (and you would have something nice and new more often).

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUEGO ... It looks like garbage to me, but some sucker paid $36 for it....

Did he also pay postage; on the bright side eBay refers to the highest bidder as the winner.

[FUEGO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe Did he also pay postage; on the bright side eBay refers to the highest bidder as the winner.

No; that was an extra $2.95 I think. But the buyer was a "winner"...

[Kroeran]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUEGO I guess I can't really see paying more than $10-20 for a wallet. Some claim the designer wallets that run $200+ retail (like Orchidflower's type) last a long time. But my el cheapo is going on at least 8 years and show no signs of wear. I'm sure it wasn't more than $20. Some people like nice things and a $75 wallet/purse on sale should be nice. And that is ok. I just wonder if it justifiable from a strictly financial net present value standpoint (completely ignoring aesthetics).

I never liked the feeling of the wallet in the jeans/pants

just keep paper money in one pocket, cards in the other.

change goes in a jar that gets cashed in at the grocery change machine every few months.

[Kroeran]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TooFrugal The last car repair I had we took to a dealer located in a neighboring city where the home and land prices area bit cheaper than the city where we live, and the repairs were about half of what the local dealer would have charged. I think both dealerships were charging basically what the local markets would bear. So it was well worth the trip for major repair work to go out of town to a less expensive city. I know going to the car dealer isn't probably very frugal, but we don't know much about cars and whenever we have tried the little corner places the work hasn't been done right and we had to pay extra to have things redone at the dealers anyway.

the only thing I will get an extended warranty on is when DW insists on buying a new car...she does drive them 10+ years however

my belief is that the warranty protects me from dealer repair fraud

[Moemg]

My best money tip is never go on ebay while sipping wine or you will end up with lots of packages arriving at your house .

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran the only thing I will get an extended warranty on is when DW insists on buying a new car...she does drive them 10+ years however my belief is that the warranty protects me from dealer repair fraud

IF you are going to buy one of these (which I would recommend against), make absolutely sure it's a manufacturer's extended warranty, not an after market one. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Personally, I think if you took the money you would spend on the warranty and put it in a savings account, and used it for work after the original warranty runs out, you'd come out ahead in the long run.

[Kroeran]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley IF you are going to buy one of these (which I would recommend against), make absolutely sure it's a manufacturer's extended warranty, not an after market one. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Personally, I think if you took the money you would spend on the warranty and put it in a savings account, and used it for work after the original warranty runs out, you'd come out ahead in the long run.

agreed re after market, which my dealer tried to sell me when I bought MY new car last summer, a 2002 Jeep Cherokee, which I was forced to buy when my office moved AWAY from my house, which had been a nice 2 block commute for 10 years, which is a tip I suppose. My honest mechanic warned me off of after market warranties.

extended warranty was with Honda. I would agree if it was a repair risk issue, and I would self insure, however, based on past experience, my estimate is that 90% percent of dealer repair departments are crooks, or at least subject to human nature and production quotas, and I would not trust a corner garage with a new hybrid, so I figure if there is monkey business they will do it on the uninsured car, regardless, not my problem anymore.

for the second car "clunker" I invested considerable time figuring out who is the honest garage is in my area. One trick is to ask the Taxi drivers. I also ask said mechanic what are the easy inexpensive cars to keep on the road.

by the way, that civic hybrid is amazing. I can drive to Florida from Canada on $100 worth of gas. I would not have bought it though without the $4k subsidy that was on at the time up here.

[Orchidflower]

Fuego, I'd love to take you shopping. Some of the prices they try and shove on us women would blow your mind! We LBYM folks won't spend it, but many do. Many. Alot of Houston women are really big on couture/luxury clothing.
Did you know that, when I was working, they charged women for tailoring a woman's suit, BUT don't charge for tailoring men's suits? Fair...no. I refused to buy suits for that reason.
Women's blouses at a cleaners they charge more for, BUT men's shirts--much bigger and more work to iron--they would throw in the laundry at the dry cleaners and iron them for less money. This makes no sense as they launder the women's, too, then charge lots more. Huh?
The only way for us women to make this inequity even is to beat them at their own game by being a slick buyer when you purchase something. Retail folks figure we women will spend the money, regardless, to look decent; so, this is their green light to overcharge for women's clothing. Can we say rip-off?

Me? I have always worn things that don't go to a dry cleaners. Not just LBYM, but I really rebel at paying more just 'cause I'm female.
That's my money saving tip.

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Not just LBYM, but I really rebel at paying more just 'cause I'm female.

Hey, I'd pay a few bucks more for dry cleaning garments if I could get that 5 extra years of life expectancy that come with wearing a skirt!

On a more serious note--these retailers aren't charging women any more than men in at least one sense--they charge both groups exactly what the market will bear. I think you are doing precisely the right thing by avoiding these costs, that's the best way to drive them down.

[harley]

Not a problem. Here ya go!

[Orchidflower]

Skirts. Don't forget, SamClem, that we women somehow have to have more clothes in our closet than you, too. Guys seem to do okay on what? 5-6 pairs of pants?

Another moneysaving tip I have done the past few years is I grew my hair long and wear it in a ponytail. Learned to cut my long bangs from YouTube and trim that ponytail myself, so it's free from split ends. Looks good and easy to do. Luckily, my hair's wavy, so if it's uneven nobody knows. Since my hair grows unusually fast--must be all those vitamins--I figure I'm saving about $360 a year compared to when my hair was shorter and had to be cut once a month.

After some looking, I found what looks like my wallet with 8 credit card places (all used with all the discount cards you have to carry now even for the grocery store here). Anyway, it's darn close if it isn't, and look at that price of $135. Probably a few years old I'd assume, but, as well as this one has held up, what the heck... NexTag.com, folks, for your comparison shopping = good deals often.
http://www.handbagcrew.com/pradsaflonbl.html

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Guys seem to do okay on what? 5-6 pairs of pants?

I might have that many--if you count the short pants and skivvies!

[Kroeran]

now that I have done responding to posts, here is my list - most of which I posted in another thread already

fire the barber:
Amazon.com: Remington Short Cut Clipper Rechargeable, Cordless, Haircut Kit: Health & Personal Care

fire the dry cleaner:
Wrinkle-Resistant : Men : Eddie Bauer

even better if you hit a sale at an outlet, and get them for $15 each!

for groceries, stock up every couple of months with Walmart no name brand non-perishables

dry your quattro blades to extend their lives (possibly forever)
How To Get More Shaves Per Razor Blade Cartridge | Discount Womens Razor Blades

don't use soap in your dishwasher

in Canada, buy stuff online and have it shipped domestic UPS cheap to the nearest US UPS store for pick up.

Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) is only $10 to join and you get 10% discount on Hampton Inns (50+)

for round trip flights, check different airlines for best price each leg, go down on cheapest airline, maybe come back up on another airline.

Holiday Car Rental out of Netherlands has incredible prices for car rental in Florida....just ignore the website warning that they don't rent to Americans or Canadians.

When visiting a town, rent a 1/2 ton pick up truck from U-haul for $20 per day....no extra charge if you are under 25. Mileage is extra, but good if you are not doing a lot of roaming and just need wheels to get around a small area.

When travelling from Canada to US, cross border to US airport, then fly.

Always use duty free allowance for liquor when crossing border.

Buy needed items from refurbished outlets, tools, lawnmowers...

In snow areas, rustproof annually

take your pets to small town veterinarian out of urban centre.

get pet meds online from reputable company

buy dog with short hair not requiring grooming

adopt mixed breed mongrel less likely to have health issues

rent out surplus space in your driveway if there is a demand in the area

turn heating vents off in parts of the house you are not using, even for the evening.

use unused broccolli stems as dog treats

add a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter to a glass of hot water, mix, pour into ice cube tray, freeze, dispense to dogs as treat

form coffee club at w*rk to avoid paying for coffee

buy solid antiques and recover them every 20 years.

install heat shrink plastic on windows of cold rooms

instead of expensive coffee for the home, use middle of the road Italian vacuum packed ground expresso for regular use, which is very very good coffee

learn to mix your own salad dressing

don't own a car expensive enough to require collision insurance

don't buy Florida property in a high risk zone

live outside an incorporated city to avoid city taxes

live on a houseboat to avoid city taxes

become a technical resident of a country that does not tax foreign income, ie. Caymans, Bahamas, Barbados, Panama

when there is trouble, pay top dollar for best lawyer

quit smoking

when visiting NYC, stay in Secaucus, drive or take the ferry in

When travelling by road, stay in Suburbia, drive in to explore town/city

save on security system monitoring by switching to after market or web based monitoring and notification or web cam motion detection and notification

in every one of the 10 or so job locations where I have worked, I have always been able to find free parking within walking distance...if I did not live nearby and walked

monitor craigslist and kijiji for items of interest, wait for capitulation, haggle it down to ridiculousness, make it easy for the seller and drive over right away for pickup

buy printers designed for all 4 cartridges - they are easy for aftermarket providers to bootleg or to refill yourself

buy sports/events tickets on craigslist/kijiji

take advantage of crises to make contrarian big moves...houses, land, boats etc

buy exotic cars in small isolated towns (if you want one...it was an 02 T-bird that got me through my late 40s funk, bought in a cruddy town in the middle of nowhere- the four years of complaining and squeeling on the part of DW was worth it)

negotiate on-call late notice discount rate with dentist

pick up discarded newpapers at MacDonalds

I'll stop there for now

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg My best money tip is never go on ebay while sipping wine or you will end up with lots of packages arriving at your house .

Oh, that triggered an old brain cell somewhere.... here ya' go (oh, and recall this was written in the 70's):

YouTube - Steve Goodman -- Vegematic [Live]

Vegematic lyrics

VEGEMATIC
by Steve Goodman

Fell asleep last night with the T-V on. Oh, what a dream I had.
I dreamed I answered every single one of those late night mail order ads.
And four to six weeks later, much to my surprise,
The mailman came to my front door, and I couldn't believe my eyes
When he brought the Vegematic, and the Pocket Fisherman too,
Illuminated illustrated history of life,
And Boxcar Willie with a Ginzu knife,
A bamboo steamer, and a Garden Weasel too,
And a tie-dyed, dayglow souvenir shirt from Six Flags Over Burbank.
The doorbell rang all morning and into the afternoon.
I shook with fright as it rang all night to the light of the Master Card moon.


... more lyrics (and chords for those guitar players out there) @

VEGEMATIC Lyrics - STEVE GOODMAN

I had the pleasure of hearing Steve Goodman perform this several times live - RIP Steve.

-ERD50

[FinanceDude]

I have found if you buy high QUALITY items, in the end you will save money, as they last 2-3 times as long as "going cheap"........

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley Not a problem. Here ya go!

Where's a breeze when you need one?

[Orchidflower]

Looked up the cost of the UHaul, Kroeran, and seems to be $20 in every city. What a slick trick that one is. LOVE your list and am using the ideas I hadn't even thought of.
Much thanks.

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran don't use soap in your dishwasher

Only saves if you already have a dog.

Imagine the savings if you eliminate soap from the shower/bath.

[Kroeran]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Looked up the cost of the UHaul, Kroeran, and seems to be $20 in every city. What a slick trick that one is. LOVE your list and am using the ideas I hadn't even thought of. Much thanks.

stumbled on that one trying to figure out how my late teen neices could rent transportation in Florida. Have to watch that 5? cents per mile charge though. Also, the taxi ride from the airport to the U-haul may chew up the advantage for short stays.

now that I have had a nights rest and some coffee...

- vineager in the dishwasher jetdry compartment (just read that this morning on a blog)
- make your own wine or barter with a relative or neighbour who does so
- share lawnmower and snowblower with neighbours
- own vacation property somewhere you can drive to instead of flying and renting hotel space and car rental, the latter which would all be done with after tax dollars.
- Rent surplus weeks.
- Use surplus weeks of said vacation property with home exchange system to visit anywhere for free.
- place a mortgage investment on a property in a vacation town you visit regularly, and deduct vacation "inspection" visit expenses from income
- join a professional barter network
- set your desktop computer up for playing HD or buy a laptop that has the appropriate ports, and switch to downloading movies and shows, cut back on cable.
- mooch off of stay with relatives on vacation
- buy ready-made or restaurant take-out gourmet meals and good wine and eat at home rather than eat out, if you don't feel like cooking
- restaurant doggy bag is tomorrows lunch
- when travelling, wife orders salad and I order entree in restaurants, we split this between ourselves and we are full (usually full after the bread anyway).
- order appetizer as main meal
- go with spouse when they are on business trips....free hotel room!
- pack sandwiches and drinks for air and road travel, have electronic cooler in car.
- always rent cheapest car rental...most of the time you get upgraded. If you don't, and really need the bigger car, walk back in after getting the keys and then upgrade.
- never opt for return empty...this is technically not really possible or practical, always opt for return full, and fill up a bit away from the Airport.
- make sure your regular car insurance covers rentals
- buy electronics at Walmart
- buy the basic hamburger at Macdonalds, no cheese, grab a discarded paper...their coffee is good too, just stay away from the fries and drinks and mega burgers. I actually know a guy who is now a lawyer who when a student would dumster dive at MacDonalds just after closing time...they throw out the cooked but unsold food.
- drive around on garbage day and look for useful discarded items roadside, especially in better neighbourhoods.
- when there is a "powerful" coupon in the mail, like a Bed Bath Beyond 20% off coupon, go through other peoples garbage picking them out, in particular, the junk mail discard bin in an apartment building. Some people actually sell these coupons on ebay. 20% entire purchase is gold.
- check the dent and scratch corner in furniture stores. Bought all my Bombay company stuff this way.
- buy used or refurbished trailing-edge computer equipment
- having a friend who owns a boat is better than owning a boat yourself


this can get out of hand if you psychologically make that dangerous shift from financial efficiency to miserliness, which is truely "Love of Money", rather than "Love of life".

As a wise man once said, you are going to feel pretty stupid at the pearly gates having "spent" your life hoarding, then have to watch as your heirs blow it all on whole life insurance, time shares, premium cable, market timing, credit card interest, boats, divorce and always paying retail in season.

I spend money as efficiently as possible so that I can magnify the pleasures it will bring me, live larger than my income on a sustainable basis, while maintaining appropriate margins for risk.