Cutting expenses—your best money saving tips?

[RobbieB]

I grow my own pot.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Toilet paper is usually a lot cheaper bought online and buy the pound. Corporations purposely make it hard to compare prices with mega rolls and double rolls and all the other marketing gimmicks. If you buy on Amazon, the shipping weights are usually listed, making price per pound calculations possible.

 

[GravitySucks]

I didn't read every post so this may be a duplicate, but I renegotiate our internet service every year. They have been ratcheting it up on me, but yesterday I backed off a price increase of $10 / month, to save $120 a year. Not bad for a 10 minute phone call.

To save on flea and tick stuff for the dog, I buy the generic version in the size for extra large dogs, then give my medium sized dog half the vial every month.

Careful with the flea and tick meds. I was buying online and saving 20% but my vet had to put down 2 dogs that were poisoned by knock offs.
My dogs groomer also bought online. Her pup got a bad rash and after a vet visit called Bayer - they said the serial number was Not valid and she must have a knock off product.

Not worth the risk.

 

[Jerry1]

To save on flea and tick stuff for the dog, I buy the generic version in the size for extra large dogs, then give my medium sized dog half the vial every month.

I wish I could convince DH to do this with the flea meds! We use the generic, but buy the smaller dog size. He’s too worried he won’t split the dose correctly. The cost differential is annoying!

I found a Canadian company that charges about half for the brand that my vet sold me. The place is https://www.canadapetcare.com I haven’t run out of my first batch that the vet sold me (new dog), but I think I’m going to try them next month when I do run out.

 

[KingOfTheCheapos]

Ditto on cutting reoccurring expenses as being the best way to reduce overall cost. The challenge is how to cut expenses without cutting quality.

For groceries, I shop at GroceryOutlet and WinCo. The shops aren't as nice as upper market chains but they have the same products.

For telephones, I subscribe to the pre-paid version of the carrier i.e. not AT&T but Cricket, not T-Mobile by MetroPCS. That saves a bundle and the network coverage is the same (though I guess in a priority situation I'd be bumped).

 

[travelover]

Careful with the flea and tick meds. I was buying online and saving 20% but my vet had to put down 2 dogs that were poisoned by knock offs.
My dogs groomer also bought online. Her pup got a bad rash and after a vet visit called Bayer - they said the serial number was Not valid and she must have a knock off product.

Not worth the risk.

You appear to be implying that I am buying knock off brands from some sleazy company. I'm talking about PetArmor from Walmart.

 

[brett]

We had two cars. We rented for four years. A condo on a golf course that was very close to rapid public transport.

We had two cars. We decided to get rid of one. We did not think we needed two.
Besides, we could always rent one for a few days but we never did. Saved us a fair amount. Repairs, insurance, registration, etc.

We do two international trips a year. 8-9 weeks each. Occasionally longer. We cancelled all insurance on our vehicle with the exception of fire and theft. Saved us a fair bit doing this twice a year for eight years.

 

[Boose]

I grow my own pot.

My dad bakes cookies and cinnamon rolls, then trades them with his neighbor for some homegrown pot

 

[KingOfTheCheapos]

Ah good one. We did that for the first 10 years of living in the USA. Had only one car but lived in an a downtown area. Another upside to this is with all the walking you do you stay healthy and the lack of stress driving in peak hour.

We had two cars. We rented for four years. A condo on a golf course that was very close to rapid public transport.

We had two cars. We decided to get rid of one. We did not think we needed two.
Besides, we could always rent one for a few days but we never did. Saved us a fair amount. Repairs, insurance, registration, etc.

We do two international trips a year. 8-9 weeks each. Occasionally longer. We cancelled all insurance on our vehicle with the exception of fire and theft. Saved us a fair bit doing this twice a year for eight years.

 

[Golden sunsets]

I found a Canadian company that charges about half for the brand that my vet sold me. The place is https://www.canadapetcare.com I haven’t run out of my first batch that the vet sold me (new dog), but I think I’m going to try them next month when I do run out.

I found this suggestion of interest. I just ordered and paid for the next six month supply of Sentinel Spectrum and Bravecto for my pet. The cost was $176.17, but I will get a refund of $17 from the manufacturers.

So I checked the same products on canadapet.com and sure enough the Bravecto is $67.50 for 2 doses in Canada, compared to the $114 I paid. However, the Sentinel Spectrum, is $104.10 for 6 doses in Canada, vs the $52.99 I paid. So it works great for some meds obviously, but not for all.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I thought of another expense cut while improving lifestyle activities while making dinner last night - making my own healthy salad dressings. It doesn't take much time to throw together a dressing of olive oil, vinegar and some spices or seasonings. Many commercial dressings cost more and have sugar, unhealthy fats, or a lot of suspect chemical preservatives. I use a high polyphenol olive oil which is supposed to be good for killing cancer cells. I started putting it on the outside of my skin, too, on any suspicious looking spots or moles and some of them disappeared in a few days.

 

[GravitySucks]

You appear to be implying that I am buying knock off brands from some sleazy company. I'm talking about PetArmor from Walmart.

Certainly didn't mean to imply that.
In my groomers and vets customers cases it was bogus Soresito collars purchased on Amazon.
I now buy my puppers collars from Petco or his Vet so I have a local throat to choke.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Cut landline and use MintMobile hone service.

Use a rooftop TV antenna for free over-the-air digital TV, and cut cable out.

 

[tb001]

I thought of another expense cut while improving lifestyle activities while making dinner last night - making my own healthy salad dressings. It doesn't take much time to throw together a dressing of olive oil, vinegar and some spices or seasonings. Many commercial dressings cost more and have sugar, unhealthy fats, or a lot of suspect chemical preservatives. I use a high polyphenol olive oil which is supposed to be good for killing cancer cells. I started putting it on the outside of my skin, too, on any suspicious looking spots or moles and some of them disappeared in a few days.

That’s a great one! I make about half of our dressings. Much better than what comes in a bottle. I’m working on getting a good deli style mustard now.

 

[KingOfTheCheapos]

That’s a great one! I make about half of our dressings. Much better than what comes in a bottle. I’m working on getting a good deli style mustard now.

Not to be mean, but how much does that really save you? Or are you guys having salad dressing squirting fights where you live? Ah retirement must be fun out your way!

 

[tb001]

Not to be mean, but how much does that really save you? Or are you guys having salad dressing squirting fights where you live? Ah retirement must be fun out your way!

I actually have no idea how much it saves us, but they are so much better that the quality/$ is higher, which is important to me. And DH eats a LOT of salad!! We go through a 5lb bag of cabbage and 6-12 stalks of romaine a week. It’s like living with a very large rabbit

And eta that the deli mustards are ridiculously expensive. We go through a lot of mustard too.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Not to be mean, but how much does that really save you? Or are you guys having salad dressing squirting fights where you live? Ah retirement must be fun out your way!

Why say "not to be mean" than follow that with a sarcastic comment? In a thread on cutting expenses?

If a high polyphenol olive oil helps you not get cancer, it could save a lot in medical bills. I also don't quite get why you took tb001's quote out of context and didn't include the part about the chemicals, sugar and unhealthy fats in most commercial dressings.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I actually have no idea how much it saves us, but they are so much better that the quality/$ is higher, which is important to me. And DH eats a LOT of salad!! We go through a 5lb bag of cabbage and 6-12 stalks of romaine a week. It’s like living with a very large rabbit

And eta that the deli mustards are ridiculously expensive. We go through a lot of mustard too.

I have been buying a Koroneiki olive oil from World Market. It is one of the the kinds recommended by cancer researcher William Li for its anti-cancer, immune enhancing and DNA protecting qualities - A Doctor's Tip For Finding The Healthiest Olive Oil (mindbodygreen.com).

 

[tb001]

I have been buying a Koroneiki olive oil from World Market. It is one of the the kinds recommended by cancer researcher William Li for its anti-cancer, immune enhancing and DNA protecting qualities - A Doctor's Tip For Finding The Healthiest Olive Oil (mindbodygreen.com).

Oh interesting! We go through so much that I usually buy it at Costco, but some things are probably worth spending more on. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

In our area many of the same items at Whole Foods are at 99 Cents Only and Grocery Outlet. The 99CO prices are about a third of the WF price for many items including shiitake mushrooms, fresh herbs and radish sprouts. GO prices are around half. GO puts the savings on the receipt and their price comparisons are pretty accurate. Today we spent around $100 on foods like organic frozen berries and organic meats and saved $102 over retail prices.

We also went to a thrift shop that had a sale on books for 25 cents each. Two books that cost 50 cents total would have cost $10 used on Amazon.

Not a bad morning of $111.50 savings just for shopping at an outlet and thrift shop instead of retail stores.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I have herbs in my garden. Oregano, sage, rosemary and thyme are hardy perennials, and I have them all, as ornamentals. My sage bushes are at least 10 years old. The leaves dry up a bit in the winter though.

I planted a small bed of cilantro in early fall and planned to put more down in the spring. It survived under the snow and thrived this year. It’s going to seed now, but I have a new volunteer plant. The seeds are the coriander, which I’ll use. Parsley planted last year also survived the winter. Basil is grown indoors hydroponically. It’s fairly delicate for outside and attracts Japanese beetles.

The herbs cost $1-2 a bunch, and you get too much or too little. I’ve saved a lot using perennial herbs as ornamentals.

 

[Jerry1]

The herbs cost $1-2 a bunch, and you get too much or too little. I’ve saved a lot using perennial herbs as ornamentals.

I hate trying to buy fresh herbs. It's always expensive and I hardly ever use it all. The recipe I'm working on will take like a quarter of the bunch and the rest just goes bad. I'll have to plant some of the perennial ones you mentioned. Being in a northern state, I never thought of planting herbs that would overwinter.

 

[USGrant1962]

Honestly, I know of several ways we could cut expenses, but have become lazy. It COSTS to cut expenses - that is, you actually have to use your brain and maybe a bit of braun to save most money. It may even take MONEY to save money.

Examples might include:

Phantom Electricity -

... Doing so saves a few hundred watts of electricity which becomes several kilowatts by the end of the month.

.

You can relax on the phantom power. Even a large TV only draws up to 3 watts in standby, and unused phone chargers draw maybe 0.1 watt. You are probably wasting ~10 watts, not "a few hundred".

Cable boxes, cable modems, and routers are probably the worst overnight offenders - but they all have a reboot process and would be a total pain to switch on to use.

 

[flintnational]

My dad bakes cookies and cinnamon rolls, then trades them with his neighbor for some homegrown pot

Either the value of pot has gone way down or the value of cookies has gone way up!

 

[Koolau]

You can relax on the phantom power. Even a large TV only draws up to 3 watts in standby, and unused phone chargers draw maybe 0.1 watt. You are probably wasting ~10 watts, not "a few hundred".

Cable boxes, cable modems, and routers are probably the worst overnight offenders - but they all have a reboot process and would be a total pain to switch on to use.

Yes, I can tell just by putting my hand on the cable and internet boxes that they are the big consumers even though not used. I think when I reboot the internet box, it takes a couple of minutes but the cable can take 4 or even 5 minutes - depending on why it went out. A local power fail seems the worst while an intentional shut down seems less stressful to the system - or maybe I'm just ready for the delay since I caused it. I think I'll stay lazy and not worry about it even though electricity is more than $0.30/KWH here. I know folks who depend on AC here and their electricity bill can run $400. Mine stays in the $70 to $90 range and IIRC we'd pay about $20+ if we didn't use a KW. All those fees add up. Thanks for the input. Aloha.