Best resource to ease someone in to tracking / reducing expenses?

[target2019]

Hello all!

I lurk a lot but post rarely. I do most of my & DH's retirement planning and am about to go through another closer look at our expenses, savings, etc.

DH expressed an interest in reducing spending but not reducing his standard of living. I see this as a potential hook to get him to look more closely at ways we spend that are not as rewarding as they might appear to be.

Does anyone have any recommended sources I could point him toward that are along the lines of "painless hacks" that reduce spending?

I KNOW that this is a rather unrealistic way of thinking about spending, but I see any interest on his part in scrutinizing spending as a potential a "gateway drug" toward more careful spending and thus, earlier retirement. (He's on board with saving, so we've got half the battle under control...)

So if you can withhold the judgement, I'd love some recs! (And for those who can't withhold judgement, good recs still appreciated!)

Thanks for all the info you all share on a regular basis. It has been helpful.
jkf

Very early in our relationship I cut up her credit cards. This is what her mother would have done. Her father would hand her cash (LoL). So there are always two opinions in a marriage.

40 years later she still tells that story to others. I think most of us need something shocking to persuade us to change.

We pay the balance each month and life is much easier. For all of that time there has been two checking accounts, so we both know what happens when monthly expenses exceed monthly income. We are going to consolidate this year and it won't be a problem going forward.

We do not use auto-payment and get bills in the mail or online. We each look at our bills and spend at least a minute or two reviewing the purchases. Many are discretionary, but well worth the cost.

 

[Weebit]

A belated thanks, everyone! Lots of good ideas - I appreciate them.

jkf

 

[Bamaman]

We don't track our expenses or make spreadsheets on what we spend. I am very frugal by nature, but I don't hold a candle to my wife who grew up very, very poor.

Last night, we had to meet our grandson and the other half of his family for his 14th birthday party. We ended up going to Longhorn Steakhouse. Most of those at the table were eating big steaks and springing for the lobster tail add on's. My wife and I both ate chop steak with salad and a loaded potato for $11.99. It was a very good and a strong value so we were not suffering.

My wife and I are both cooks, and we just don't enjoy often eating out. My wife used to work at Krystal as a young, single mother and she's just happy with a sack of their little square burgers.

We were victims of a couple of burglaries 3-4 years ago, and that kicked our homeowners' insurance to about twice what it should be. My daughter's also had a couple of cars totaled out. We're getting ready to shop around for our biggest expense in retirement--homeowners and car insurance. We put the daughter on ankle express when that last car was wrecked.

There's a long (and boring) list of shortcuts we do to save money. But it's conservative living that's allowed us to have two beautiful homes, a couple of boats, nice cars and a RV.

We no longer travel domestically, but we do go to Europe a couple of times a year. Nobody can find cheaper flights than my wife online. We're not staying at The Ritz, but there again we're not suffering either.

 

[Bamaman]

We don't track our expenses or make spreadsheets on what we spend. I am very frugal by nature, but I don't hold a candle to my wife who grew up very, very poor.

Last night, we had to meet our grandson and the other half of his family for his 14th birthday party. We ended up going to Longhorn Steakhouse. Most of those at the table were eating big steaks and springing for the lobster tail add on's. My wife and I both ate chop steak with salad and a loaded potato for $11.99. It was a very good and a strong value so we were not suffering.

My wife and I are both cooks, and we just don't enjoy often eating out. My wife used to work at Krystal as a young, single mother and she's just happy with a sack of their little square burgers.

We were victims of a couple of burglaries 3-4 years ago, and that kicked our homeowners' insurance to about twice what it should be. My daughter's also had a couple of cars totaled out. We're getting ready to shop around for our biggest expense in retirement--homeowners and car insurance. We put the daughter on ankle express when that last car was wrecked.

There's a long (and boring) list of shortcuts we do to save money. But it's conservative living that's allowed us to have two beautiful homes, a couple of boats, nice cars and a RV.

We no longer travel domestically, but we do go to Europe a couple of times a year. Nobody can find cheaper flights than my wife online. We're not staying at The Ritz, but there again we're not suffering either.

 

[aja8888]

My ol man takes 'the game' waay too far. He washes those plastic dixie cups, and plasticware to re-use it. I never did get this since he has perfectly good silverware that can be re-used. He still wears his free work shirt and I don't think he's ever bought clothes that I am aware of...mom buys his pants, sister buys his shoes every other Christmas or so (He still has his new pair in a box), I get him hats to wear. He isn't a great tipper, I think he does like 5 or 10% where I usually do 15%. He's used the neighbors recycled oil from their oil changes in his vehicles. He waits till the wires are showing on the cars tires before he deems them ready for replacement. He is insane about his gas usage, runs the house too cold, for too long in the winter...and same with AC, it can be quite warm in his house in the summer. He will water down the juice he buys from the store to get 2 containers out of one. He does this weird thing where he will try and cook with just what he has in the pantry for months on end without going to the grocery store.

You Dad must be my long lost twin brother! Except I buy fresh motor oil and always tip 15% or more if the waitress is cute. LOL

That last sentence drives my DW crazy when I attempt to clean the freezer and fridge out of food.

Oh, I never buy new clothes.... Why? because I have a closet full of them and now that I am retired, I need to use them up!