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04-01-2017, 12:46 PM
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#101
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
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Robbie is the perfect type to go dine at Keller's French Laundry in Yountville, or Chef Bocuse's restaurant in Lyon.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)
"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
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04-01-2017, 01:02 PM
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#102
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,743
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+1.
A few Sam Adams for me, a Margarita for DW before dinner last evening, A couple of glasses of Bourgogne pinot noir with a our steaks....
BTW as usual we hire a cab when we go out
So much for the absurdity of stealing hotel supplies and wearing inside out underwear in the name of frugality
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04-01-2017, 01:06 PM
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#103
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 8,968
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Oh I've got a good frugal here...
I use less toilet paper because I installed 2 bidet seats in my house that cost a grand -
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04-01-2017, 02:15 PM
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#104
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,743
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobbieB
Oh I've got a good frugal here...
I use less toilet paper because I installed 2 bidet seats in my house that cost a grand -
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We had a standalone bidet installed in our master bath when we built our place. Getting a nice hot water massage is priceless....
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04-01-2017, 02:21 PM
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#105
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: May 2015
Location: NorCal
Posts: 333
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Compared to some of the other posts here I'm a big spender. I do think though I've gotten a little less frugal as I've gotten older. Didn't know about buying used on Amazon so I'll have to give that a try. Thanks for the tip. The few things that I do now are:
1) Changed my ACA subsidy to zero and charge it all to my 2% Fido card - this alone comes out to a little over $200/yr of free money
2) Cancelled my landline and internet and tether off my Straight Talk phone for internet using FoxFi app - $40/mon. (prepay 1 yr) for unlimited talk, text and 5G data. When I run out of data I can go to the local library and check out a Verizon Hotspot with unlimited data.
3) Do maintenance and simple to moderate repairs on my car. This alone probably saves a thousand dollars a year.
4) Wait for items to go on sale and don't buy the latest and greatest
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04-01-2017, 02:30 PM
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#106
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Long Island
Posts: 141
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Quote:
Oh I've got a good frugal here...
I use less toilet paper because I installed 2 bidet seats in my house that cost a grand
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Have you calculated how many "squirts" to break even? I am having trouble thinking about that equation.
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04-01-2017, 02:38 PM
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#107
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 38,145
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michaela
9. When staying at a hotel or work, I will take the toilet paper. Some people take towels and soaps. I try to get a roll of toilet paper for each day of my stays.
I could go on - but needless to say my frugality is a lifestyle that I have conditioned myself to and I've been living this way so long that I cannot differentiate between cheap and frugal.
Cheers,
Michael
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LOL!
When I stay at a hotel, I often bring my own, much more comfortable toilet paper. Most hotels have yucky toilet paper.
You need extra room in your bag for all those rolls of toilet paper you collect!!!
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
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04-01-2017, 02:49 PM
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#108
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Beaverton
Posts: 1,382
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We LBOM to enable us to retire early. Now we're prudent but not cheap. We shop carefully and smartly. I still buy nice wine and booze. We take trips. I do a lot of the big jobs around the house but also pay for major improvements. We will not be ones that are over the top cheap. Each person has their own budgets and must adhere to them.
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04-01-2017, 03:36 PM
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#109
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: St. Charles
Posts: 3,919
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FIREd_2015
3) Do maintenance and simple to moderate repairs on my car. This alone probably saves a thousand dollars a year.
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You must have either a very old, or a very high maintence, car. I can get an oil change and tire rotation for 19.99. Actually, the last oil change was a $1.99 special at the local dealer.
The only time I came close to $1000 in one year was last year when I bought new tires for 2 cars. . And lifetime tire rotations, free .
Normal annual maintence on our 2012 vehicles is less than $200 total, for both.
__________________
If your not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.
Never slow down, never grow old!
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04-01-2017, 03:58 PM
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#110
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: May 2015
Location: NorCal
Posts: 333
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CardsFan
You must have either a very old, or a very high maintence, car. I can get an oil change and tire rotation for 19.99. Actually, the last oil change was a $1.99 special at the local dealer.
The only time I came close to $1000 in one year was last year when I bought new tires for 2 cars. . And lifetime tire rotations, free .
Normal annual maintence on our 2012 vehicles is less than $200 total, for both.
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$19.99 for an oil change is pretty good! Unfortunately my 2015 Subaru Outback needs synthetic oil and in the San Francisco bay area it costs around $90-100 for an oil change and I drive around 25k miles/yr so 4 oil changes a year. The saving figure is probably a bit high since I'm basing it on the periodic emails I get from the dealer to bring my car in for a service checkup. I generally avoid dealers except for warranty work since they are way over priced.
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04-01-2017, 04:28 PM
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#111
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 8,968
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandtraveler
Have you calculated how many "squirts" to break even? I am having trouble thinking about that equation.
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I pre-ordered the latest and greatest on the Kickstarter campaign. You can still pre-order and they should start shipping this month.
Less tissue is only the tip of the iceberg, it's all about comfort and cleanliness. No more skid marks, no more itchy butt. It's just the right way to do this necessary task -
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04-01-2017, 04:33 PM
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#112
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Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: San Diego
Posts: 14,212
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Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R
Do you really value travel? If so, go right ahead. But if not, international travel is the biggest way to throw money down a black hole that I know of.
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This is an example of what works for one person doesn't for another. I love international travel, but shop for bargains to save money. To me, is worth it. W2R likes eating out.... Something I do a lot less (maybe once a month). So that's a place I save money. To very valid choices for two different people.
The biggest LBYM tip I have is to look at recurring bills. Cable, phone, utilities... Those are the places that small money savings can add up. I refuse to do any of the subscription software because that's a recurring bill. So msoft office subscriptions... No thanks. When quicken goes to subscription, I'll find something else.... No magazine subscriptions for me. I read the newspaper online, I don't use satellite radio.... Those little things add up.
__________________
Retired June 2014. No longer an enginerd - now I'm just a nerd.
micro pensions 6%, rental income 20%
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04-01-2017, 07:34 PM
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#113
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,637
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Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R
Me too. The wait staff at restaurants are quite OK with this, and don't even mind when I ask for no ice or lemon in my tap water. Once in a very long while I will order a diet Coke.
At home I drink coffee, skim milk, and (mostly) tap water.
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I often drink iced tea at restaurants:
- I like it
- It's generally pretty cheap
- 99% of restaurants give you free refills.
In the rare instances when a restaurant charges per glass for iced tea, when I'm paying the check I'll mention it. Nicely. "That was a nice meal and the prices seem reasonable. But I've never seen a restaurant charge for refills with iced tea before. Is that something you've always done?" Inevitably, they will reduce the bill to charge me for just one.
__________________
friar1610
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On the frugal approach to toileting......
04-02-2017, 04:22 AM
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#114
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Cholula
Posts: 1,595
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On the frugal approach to toileting......
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobbieB
Oh I've got a good frugal here...
I use less toilet paper because I installed 2 bidet seats in my house that cost a grand -
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For those living in the desert S.W. one should use the "if it's yellow let it mellow"process ........
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04-02-2017, 09:25 AM
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#115
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 17,097
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Music Lover
If you own a house, then becoming handy can save you thousands over the years...10's of thousands if you're really handy.
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++1
So true.
We had a tree that died, in front lawn, taller than the house. Companies wanted $2,000 to remove it.
I used my ladder and a hand saw to cut off all the branches, then lower down cut off the thick branch ends.
I left a 8 foot high stump to dry, as I'd like to try making a bench out of it.
So tree guys stopped by the other day and offered to remove the stump for only $150.
I told him about my bench idea, and that I had 2 chainsaws in the garage, so no thanks.
Here is photo showing how I cut it in stages to make it easier.
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04-02-2017, 09:29 AM
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#116
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ormond Beach
Posts: 1,407
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Quote:
Originally Posted by friar1610
I often drink iced tea at restaurants:
- I like it
- It's generally pretty cheap
- 99% of restaurants give you free refills.
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Around here it's $2-2.50 for any drink including tea. Which is a great deal for the restaurant at a few cents a glass cost, not so much for the folks that get it.
Average lunch ticket for us is about $7-8 per person with tip, no way am I paying 30% more on top of that for iced tea. To each his/her own.
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04-02-2017, 09:44 AM
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#117
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,659
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We used to save money by not eating out. Lo and behold, in the intervening years, I became a pretty good cook (for family; cooking for guests makes me nervous, what with getting everything hot at the same time, etc.) Mr. A. acts as sous-chef by cutting up the ingredients.
The last couple of years, we have tried several of the best restaurants in town and been disappointed. Either the food's not that great, or the portions are tiny.* Service is usually rushed...not like I remember from the Old Days.
Then add on 20% tip and 6% sales tax and it's just not worth it, even though we can afford it. One night, we looked at each other and said, "We can make better chicken than that, and more vegetables too."
The great exceptions have been on our trips to Florida, where food, service, and prices have been better than we seem to be able to get back home. Perhaps it is because the clientele are old, and expect more.
*One popular restaurant advertises all its entrees as being 450 calories or less. Guess how they achieve that? By serving tiny portions, of course! And the "desserts" are served in a shot glass, which is supposed to be all cute and adorable but is basically like being given a spoon to lick.
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
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04-02-2017, 11:24 AM
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#118
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Southern Cal
Posts: 4,032
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rodi
This is an example of what works for one person doesn't for another. I love international travel, but shop for bargains to save money. To me, is worth it. W2R likes eating out.... Something I do a lot less (maybe once a month). So that's a place I save money. To very valid choices for two different people.
The biggest LBYM tip I have is to look at recurring bills. Cable, phone, utilities... Those are the places that small money savings can add up. I refuse to do any of the subscription software because that's a recurring bill. So msoft office subscriptions... No thanks. When quicken goes to subscription, I'll find something else.... No magazine subscriptions for me. I read the newspaper online, I don't use satellite radio.... Those little things add up.
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I love international travel. The crappier place I stayed at, the better experience I had. I only booked at these places because there was a risk I might not go there, so I didn't want to waste a lot of money.
Plus I think somehow, the more interactions with have we people who can't speak our normal language, the better it is for us to learn to adapt. It's definitely healthier for my husband and I for some reasons.
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04-02-2017, 11:41 AM
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#119
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
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I have always LBYM but sometimes you have to say what the heck . I won the race so spend some of the prize . I will always be thrifty but hopefully not cheap .
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04-02-2017, 02:21 PM
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#120
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,500
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GTFan
Around here it's $2-2.50 for any drink including tea. Which is a great deal for the restaurant at a few cents a glass cost, not so much for the folks that get it.
Average lunch ticket for us is about $7-8 per person with tip, no way am I paying 30% more on top of that for iced tea. To each his/her own.
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+1
Exactly. Frank and I eat our lunches out together at local restaurants every day. My average lunch cost in March was $7.22, including tax, tip, and water to drink.
Diet cokes or iced tea come with free refills here, too, but gee, they cost $2.50-$3.00 more, plus 9.75% tax which makes them $2.74 - $3.29.
So, if I had ordered a diet Coke at every lunch, my restaurant costs would be $9.96 - $10.51. That would raise my restaurant bill by 38% - 46%, even if we tipped the same amount.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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