LBYM Question

Michaela said:
1. Wife and I only drink water when we go out to Resturants.
2. Wife and I will order ONE large salad at Panera and ask the staff to put the contents in two bowls. Oh, we'll also ask the server for an extra baguette when he brings our salads.
3. I suffer from FOBO. "Fear of Better Offers" which really limits my spending. I feel like such a chump when I purchase something and subsequently (within a few days) find it for a cheaper price.
4. Typically take vacations in the fall - because airfare and hotels are cheaper. I always use a Govt ID at a leisure rate on Hotel stays.
5. I've actually walked into Brooks Brothers (before a date) purchased a shirt or tie - and after the date - took it back and got my money back.
6. Use of Walmart Savings Catcher on IPAD.
7. Consumer Cellular offers $15 a month for 250 minutes of phone service. If I exceed 250 minutes, the cost will increase by $5 for the entire month.
8. I receive the basic 26 cable stations but watch the entire cable package at our local clubhouse/activity center.
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.
10. When I used to get Per Diem for work related travel - I was so fortunate to stay in hotels that included breakfast in that I would always be able to pocket the extra meal per-diem.

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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definiely cheap, really cheap
 
my lbym is using wilson golf balls and not buying new golf equipment every year
 
Michaela said:
1. Wife and I only drink water when we go out to Restaurants.
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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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easysurfer said:
On water, I'd also add, if going on a trip, fill up some jugs of water using a filtered water pitcher at home instead of buying bottled water. On filter lasts a recommended 40 gallons of water.

Additionally, buy some foods in bulk and store with a good vacuum sealer. I can get a 10lb bag of leg quarters at a Meijer grocery store for about $6. No way would I cook all 10lbs at once without separating and storing.
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That's too much weight to carry on a plane for me. Bottled water at other end is cheap imo.
 
We're all over the place but overall we're LBYM'ers. By far the single biggest factor is that DW and I are on the same page. For the most part we enjoy the same things and spend accordingly. For example, we have Consumer cellular flip phones yet fly first class on vacation and enjoy top tier accommodations.
We have two homes, one in town the other down the road on a lake. However, there are no landscapers, handy men or other services hired. It's a hobby both of us enjoy (so far).
It's all about priorities and not just about money.
 
We find the longer we are retired, the more good deals we find out about. We just discovered $5 movie day. We have it on Tuesdays though I don't think there is free popcorn. I pencil it in the book if we don't have anything else going on we can have a cheap $10 night out. If there aren't any movies we want to see, going out during the intersection of happy hour and Taco Tuesday is one of our fallback outings.
 
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I guess on an even bigger scale we live in about a third of the house we could afford. It's nice, good neighborhood and beautiful mountain views. We could afford a lot more, but why? Both cars are paid for. Never took out student loans.
 
gerntz said:
That's too much weight to carry on a plane for me. Bottled water at other end is cheap imo.
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I should have said jugs of water by ground travel. Thanks for the clarification :).
 
Bit counter intuitive, but nevertheless it works for me: default to variable costs vs. fixed cost unless the business case is overwhelmingly clear. Shorter contracts are usually better value. Cost of most things actually go down, not up.

Make decisions opt-in, instead of opt-out. Very few automatic renewals or subscriptions for me. No package deals either. I used to refuse automatic payments too, changed my mind on that one recently. Too much hassle now.

And a concept I could call "high value secondary offerings":

  • Want a coffee? Go to Ikea. It's free.
  • Want entertainment? Go to a bar with open mike night.
  • Read print magazines? Go drink a coffee. Coffee costs less.
  • Need a meeting room? Ikea again, hotel lobby can work too. Free.
Just a few.
 
Some interesting responses here. Geez, some of you make me look like I have the spending habits of a Hollywood Playboy! I do not have a Costco membership, but will now consider one in light of the car rental benefits. Never heard about that one. Thank you all for your responses and ideas yet I must admit returning a used shirt is a bit over the top!
 
Michaela said:
....
5. I've actually walked into Brooks Brothers (before a date) purchased a shirt or tie - and after the date - took it back and got my money back.
....
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've been living this way so long that I cannot differentiate between cheap and frugal.

Cheers,

Michael
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IMO you cross that thin line between frugal and cheap .... into "little white lie" fraud and theft.
 
1. MVNO for cell phone service. We use Ting, but only for mobile data. Both devices have voice and text service disabled. We each use Hangouts with a Google Voice number for text and voice over the data network. Since we're usually on WiFi, we only use Ting data when we are on the go. Average bill is $35/mo for two phones.

2. OBi200 + Google Voice for free landline phone service. The OBi200 sells for less than $50 and uses your home network. When configured with a Google Voice number you get totally free home phone service. No 911 service though.

3. Cut the cable. We mainly use Netflix, Amazon, OTA, plus Kodi for EPG and DVR functionality... all running on 2 Fire TV boxes.

4. Cash back CCs for nearly everything including bills. We use AMEX Blue Cash for 5% on groceries, gas, and drug stores, the Amazon VISA for 5% on Amazon purchases, and the Fidelity 2% VISA for everything else. My favorite trick is to buy gift cards at Kroger which earns the 5% "grocery" cash-back from AMEX plus 2X fuel points for a total 12% discount on any large purchase.
 
gerntz said:
That's too much weight to carry on a plane for me. Bottled water at other end is cheap imo.
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Bottled water? Like out of a tap and into the bottle you brought? Most parts of the world that I think people would be traveling, bottled water wouldn't be necessary. Yes if in parts of Africa and South Asia but most other places would think you are good to go.
 
LBYM

Save on laundry by turning underwear inside out and wearing again on day 2.

Reuse dental floss.
 
Some of our money savers -
- Consumer Cellular with AARP discount
- Internet only unless they throw in a TV package at no extra cost
- We have three cable companies in our area and our house is wired for all three. We usually switch off every year to get the new customer rates.
- Ooma instead of a landline
- Amazon warehouse deals when available
- Groupons bought on sale for dining out and event tickets
- Entertainment books and online subscriptions for half off dining out
- LED bulbs
- Low energy / water usage washer, spin dryer and drying racks
- Seat filler memberships
- Museum and garden memberships with reciprocal programs
- Public events at local colleges
- Chest freezer and stockpile loss leaders. Our local retail store had detergent on sale for almost half the Walmart price so I bought a year's supply.
- I make my own cleaning supplies from non-toxic ingredients like vinegar and baking soda.
 
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Coffee filters can be reused. They say.
[emoji2]
 
6miths said:
Bottled water? Like out of a tap and into the bottle you brought? Most parts of the world that I think people would be traveling, bottled water wouldn't be necessary. Yes if in parts of Africa and South Asia but most other places would think you are good to go.
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Potable water in different parts of the world can contain things different than your system is used to. I a) drink Pepto Bismol starting three days before trip & everyday on trip, & b) bottled water is cheap & particularly so compared to the other costs of a trip.
 
candrew said:
Save on laundry by turning underwear inside out and wearing again on day 2.

Reuse dental floss.
Click to expand...
I reuse dental floss not for savings but because I frequently break it on my teeth & so I pull enough & use one end so that if does break, I still have enough left.

I don't wear socks down to about 40 degrees because they are a pain all the way around.
 
LiveBelowMeans said:
Number one thing you can do is marry someone who agrees with/supports your LBYM ideas. Need to be on the same page. Without this it will be tough to save and retire early. JMHO
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Number 0.5 thing you can do is never get married in the first place :D

I find growing my own food tends to be much cheaper than buying fresh fruits/vegetables every week.
 
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