Irrational frugality

[samclem]

Why are people who buy toothpaste for their dogs participating in this frugality thread? LOL

Pay to have a pooch's teeth cleaned or a tooth pulled and it all becomes very clear!

 

[travelover]

Why are people who buy toothpaste for their dogs participating in this frugality thread? LOL

I just had my dog's teeth cleaned. It cost $720. By brushing, it greatly reduces the need for cleaning.


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[kaneohe]

IRRATIONAL?
................ The other morning I laughed out loud when DH cut the bottom from a toothpaste tube so we could use all of it! He does the same with the dogs' toothpaste of course it is 10 dollars a tube.
.......................

That's a great idea! I had recently noticed how much I could squeeze from one of those small travel tubes.....because the top part is much flimsier than a normal size tube. I had contemplated using pliers on the normal tube but the cutting the end off sounds better.........unless the oozing then goes to waste.

 

[GreatLaker]

IRRATIONAL?
The other morning I laughed out loud when DH cut the bottom from a toothpaste tube so we could use all of it!

Oh my have I been doing this wrong?

I hold the bottom of the tube against the edge of the counter, then drag it toward the top, forcing all the paste up to the opening. Less mess than cutting it open.

Like a no-cost version of these gizmos:

Time for a test to see which method extracts the most toothpaste from the tube.

 

[sengsational]

All the time! My thoughts are that as long as the problem can be reduced to an objective measure (pennies per square foot), then THERE IS A RIGHT ANSWER.

All justified by saving in the big bucks categories of... 2. Being married to an expert "fixer"

I'm the fixer around here, probably because I irrationally want to get more mileage out of things I should just throw-out!

And if you apply that logic to cheap toilet paper, they are all roughly the same!

I read 8 pages on irrational frugality, RO water tanks, regular in high-test cars, but this made it worth it.

I wanted to take a year off from this annual PIA.

I did the annual PIA and caved a bit too, but only because I expect Google fiber to be here shortly.

so the sudden devalue means I must rebalance my stamps

I dislike being ripped off in principle more than I feel the loss of a few dollars here and there.

This last one is the one I identify with the most. Luckily DW does all of the grocery shopping, but I often catch myself spending very many minutes to optimize an online purchase to the tune of $1 on a $30 order or something. If one liked to shop, then it's nothing...you're having fun. But for me it's not fun, so I have to remind myself I can afford the difference, and go ahead and click "buy".

 

[Options]

Frugality is an excellent lifelong habit. It builds an excellent "margin of safety" into any portfolio while increasing optionality throughout life. [-]Sometimes[/-] Many times, it's a series of bad decisions over time that do us in. Luck plays a much larger role in life than we are led to believe and optionality is one way to prepare for bad luck (particularly those times when we come *this* close to disaster during a life event).

Having the wrong relationship with spending throughout life can lead to regret later, even in retirement. Running out of money in retirement because of failure to account properly for longevity risk is only one of those regrets:

https://retirementresearcher.com/long-can-retirees-expect-live-hit-65/

https://retirementresearcher.com/three-questions-evaluate-longevity-risk-retirees/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=33622832&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--_Cmj1vNdAnGgv9xpHpYh_30OPHvTJfrSyugMSaba_4-4_jDiLJ4sjpfIf_aUao6LB71liuLpPEh0g_Ygm4h4OsFCh9g&_hsmi=33622832

What is the underlying population for which mortality and survivorship is being calculated?

It may seem natural to base calculations on the aggregate U.S. population—as is done with the Social Security Administration life tables—but clear socioeconomic differences have been identified in mortality rates. Higher income levels and more education both correlate with longer lifespans.

This may not be a matter of causation (i.e., more income and education cause people to live longer), but perhaps some underlying personality trait leads some people to have a more long-term focus, and that in turn may lead them to seek more education and practice better health habits.

The very fact that you are reading this somewhat technical tome on retirement income suggests you probably have a longer-term focus and can expect to live longer than the average person. In this case, mortality data based on population-wide averages will underestimate your longevity.

Emphasis added

 

[jonat]

I agree - a lot of people aren't FI on retirement because they've been encouraged to spend all their money as it comes in. This includes people buying way more house or car than they can afford, taking frequent expensive vacations without sufficient savings, etc.

Frugality is part of living below one's means long enough that when you need the money later you have it. It doesn't have to mean reusing dryer sheets (though that's certainly an option), but that mindset is the right one.

 

[cyber888]

I know a gal once who was so poor that there were times she could not afford to buy toilet paper. So I said -what did u do? she said she and her Mom would go to public toilet or toilet in supermarket and get free toilet paper available there. That's frugality and toilet paper for u.


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[HadEnuff]

And who can forget this classic Super Bowl ad?

 

[Going Sailing]

We sailed into Monterey once. We were there for a few days, rented a car, drove around. My wife was thrilled. She found roadside artichokes that were 12 for a dollar. "They were less than a dime each!" She wasn't thrilled when I pointed that rental car was $73 making the effective price of the artichokes more than $6 each...

 

[Scubamax]

For me it is shaving cream. I just don't like paying much for it, and I have been on a quest for the last few years to find the cheapest but still usable stuff, (like dollar store brands, private label, off-brand, close outs and the like. About a year ago I decided that I was done agonizing over all of this and have mellowed out somewhat, although when I see a good deal on a brand I like, I buy several months supply (BTW, there is some really poor budget brands out there for shaving cream).

Now I am just shaving every other day or so, and using the better stuff.

 

[2017ish]

For me it is shaving cream. ....

Have you tried shaving oil? We are optimizing travel kits for next year when we to achieve your username around the world. Cheap, does good job, and very small footprint in the carryon bag.

 

[2017ish]

I think the most recent irrational frugality on my part was deciding that beef jerky costs too much when frequently consumed. Boy, there's a lot of work involved--and I don't know how much I'm spending on electric to fuel the oven for the 4 hour drying process.

Luckily (??), it actually tastes better than anything I've bought, so I will continue, even though it may not truly be frugal.

 

[CardsFan]

I think the most recent irrational frugality on my part was deciding that beef jerky costs too much when frequently consumed. Boy, there's a lot of work involved--and I don't know how much I'm spending on electric to fuel the oven for the 4 hour drying process.

Luckily (??), it actually tastes better than anything I've bought, so I will continue, even though it may not truly be frugal.

Nothing beats home made beef jerky! Get a dehydrator, mine is a Ronco (yea, really) that I bought over 20 years ago for maybe $19. I have found if I slice the beef myself (with a slicer inherited from FIL) I can always slice against the grain to make sure it is not tough.

Just made 2 batches for the annual Labor Day camping trip! Got 2 bottom round roast for $2.50/lb. 4 lbs raw beef makes about 1lb dried jerky.

FYI, I have found that the Lite Soy sauce (low sodium) tastes much better.

 

[GravitySucks]

For me it is shaving cream. I just don't like paying much for it, and I have been on a quest for the last few years to find the cheapest but still usable stuff, (like dollar store brands, private label, off-brand, close outs and the like. About a year ago I decided that I was done agonizing over all of this and have mellowed out somewhat, although when I see a good deal on a brand I like, I buy several months supply (BTW, there is some really poor budget brands out there for shaving cream).

Now I am just shaving every other day or so, and using the better stuff.

My grocery store had Barbarsol on sale for 88 cents a couple years ago. I bought 5 and it lasted two years.
Great investment!

 

[CardsFan]

For me it is shaving cream. I just don't like paying much for it, and I have been on a quest for the last few years to find the cheapest but still usable stuff, (like dollar store brands, private label, off-brand, close outs and the like. About a year ago I decided that I was done agonizing over all of this and have mellowed out somewhat, although when I see a good deal on a brand I like, I buy several months supply (BTW, there is some really poor budget brands out there for shaving cream).

Now I am just shaving every other day or so, and using the better stuff.

This very irrational: I have a beard, so I only trim up the neck once a week (now that I am retired) and I am still using the can of shaving cream I bought 1 year ago! But I STILL refuse to pay for premium shaving cream.

 

[RobbieB]

Shaving cream eh? You guys must be rich or something.

I just use bar soap. Flip the bar around in the hand a few spins and rub it on the face.

 

[Capwest28]

Maybe a better idea would be to work an additional year, and when you retire from the job also retire from this boring time wasting. It is what Joseph Schumpeter called shadow work.



Ha

+1


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[kcowan]

Shaving cream eh? You guys must be rich or something.

I just use bar soap. Flip the bar around in the hand a few spins and rub it on the face.

Gillette Gel lets a blade last 2 months...3 if you are brave!

 

[lemming]

How much can you save again on 35 gallons of gas if you have a 10cent off coupon?
First day of school after all.

 

[CardsFan]

Shaving cream eh? You guys must be rich or something.

I just use bar soap. Flip the bar around in the hand a few spins and rub it on the face.

Ya gotta splurge on something! I can afford $3 per year

 

[GravitySucks]

Gillette Gel lets a blade last 2 months...3 if you are brave!

2 months! Spendthrift! My Gillette 5 blade is from Christmas and I hardly bleed at all when I use it.

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[Sunset]

I like pre-made hamburger patties, separated by wax paper, frozen. then I can grill up exactly the number of burgers I need. But my market upcharges their pre-mades by almost 100% over the large "Family Pack" ground meat (same % lean quality).
So I bought this little press and the wax sheets on Amazon and I press them myself. My wife thinks I'm nuts. It takes about 10 minutes to do 5 lbs.
But not only does it save a nickel, it makes it so much easier to cook burgers (one of my favorite meals).
it makes me happy.

You could even experiment with putting things inside the burgers you make, ideas to start you off are: hot peppers, bananna peppers, olives, the bits of garlic from the bottle of garlic (or slice up garlic), cheese in the middle only, etc.

It would at least double the value of your burgers

 

[UpAnchor]

Have you tried shaving oil? We are optimizing travel kits for next year when we to achieve your username around the world. Cheap, does good job, and very small footprint in the carryon bag.

+1 on the shaving oil. Tried it once about 25 years ago and never went back to shaving cream of any sort. Another advantage is you can see exactly where you're working!

 

[HadEnuff]

You could even experiment with putting things inside the burgers you make, ideas to start you off are: hot peppers, bananna peppers, olives, the bits of garlic from the bottle of garlic (or slice up garlic), cheese in the middle only, etc.

It would at least double the value of your burgers

At least double!
I like the way you're thinking. Actually, I usually season my burgers, but came to the conclusion that it would likely be just as easily done, maybe more easily done, when I'm cooking them rather than while I'm pressing them, just because I do get a bit of that slimy burger fat on my hands while pressing, and the fewer things I have to touch during the process, the better.

I do love me some burgers.