What are people cutting back on?

[Cayman]

Yeah, I try to suppress thoughts of the inflation losses in my fixed/cash investments. In theory, bonds and equities can come back - inflation ravaged fixed/cash is NOT coming back. It's gone for good. YMMV

Yes. We're a different bunch here, most of us will weather this just fine. I'm mindful there are people who are frugal like us but don't have much or any cushion. It would be tough not having gas $ for work or spending your paycheck on inflated rent.

We still shop at Aldi and a bit at Costco, buying the same stuff and some premium things because the spread is not as wide on some "luxury" stuff. Some. There's still a lot of money sloshing around out there.

 

[nafddur1]

I've been retired for 23 years, and with my wife's pension, our SS's, and the tiny amount we've needed to supplement those from our IRA's, we've had to cut back on absolutely nothing. Life is good for we retirees!

 

[corn18]

I've been retired for 23 years, and with my wife's pension, our SS's, and the tiny amount we've needed to supplement those from our IRA's, we've had to cut back on absolutely nothing. Life is good for we retirees!

I'm a little over a year into retirement and 14 years from SS, so not as happy, but ok.

 

[NW-Bound]

With a WR of less than 1%, I don't need to cut back yet on anything.

But the high price of gas makes me rethink some expenses. Instead of spending almost $10K on fuel for a long RV trek, while not do more air travel?

 

[audreyh1]

With a WR of less than 1%, I don't need to cut back yet on anything.

But the high price of gas makes me rethink some expenses. Instead of spending almost $10K on fuel for a long RV trek, while not do more air travel?

You had a 16,000 mile trip planned? Did you already do your Alaska trip?

 

[NW-Bound]

I did Alaska in 2018. The next long trip may be to the Natchez Trace, then northward to Michigan and the Great Lakes. It would not be as long as the trips I did though.

I am about running out of ideas for RV'ing. Adjacent states, I have visited often. And the places I have not been to, it takes many days of driving to get there. It takes some study to be able to visit many places in a trip to make it worth the driving.

PS. I would not mind doing another Alaska trip. My wife said I would have to go alone. Fine. I will do it in a class B.

 

[Koolau]

I did Alaska in 2018. The next long trip may be to the Natchez Trace, then northward to Michigan and the Great Lakes. It would not be as long as the trips I did though.

I am about running out of ideas for RV'ing. Adjacent states, I have visited often. And the places I have not been to, it takes many days of driving to get there. It takes some study to be able to visit many places in a trip to make it worth the driving.

PS. I would not mind doing another Alaska trip. My wife said I would have to go alone. Fine. I will do it in a class B.

Or, be a hero. Do an RV trip to Hawaii and be the first one! Seriously, RVs are something you just do not see in the Islands. Once in a while a contractor will have an old beat up one for a construction office. I think I've seen one or two pressed into some other service (book mobile??) I've seen a couple that were fitted out as shrimp shacks or other food truck. No idea how they got there in the first place. The bridge still has a long way to completion. Heh, heh, imagine the gas bill for THAT trip. I can hear the satellite call to AAA. "Uh, I'm out here on the Trans Pacific - mile-marker 1725. I'm outta diesel"...... Click!

 

[tmm99]

Buying salmon sashimi from a Japanese restaurant isn't cheap. I now frequent a local seafood shop that sells sashimi-grade fresh salmon for $12CAD a piece (10oz). Incredibly cheap IMHO...

 

[tmm99]

I've been reading this thread and I decided to find ways to be more frugal.

I was planning to steam some broccoli but I didn't have much, and I, for the first time, decided to eat the green stems(thick leaves?) that are often attached to cauliflowers - I steamed them along with the broccoli and DH thought I added some cut celery pieces to the broccoli. Who would've thunk it?

 

[athena53]

I've been reading this thread and I decided to find ways to be more frugal.

I was planning to steam some broccoli but I didn't have much, and I, for the first time, decided to eat the green stems(thick leaves?) that are often attached to cauliflowers - I steamed them along with the broccoli and DH thought I added some cut celery pieces to the broccoli. Who would've thunk it?

A trick I learned from late DH, who grew up poor and was also a penniless college student: all the too-fibrous-to-eat veggie parts go into a bag in the freezer to make vegetable broth when you have enough. Just add water, boil a few hours and strain it. I'll have to try cooking the cauliflower leaves!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I grate the stems of broccoli and use that in stir fries. The grating burns a few extra calories, the stems actually have the most anti-cancer benefits and it is frugal. A win on three fronts.

 

[Koolau]

I'm still adjusting from eating out many times per week to instead buying bags of washed/cut veggies - due to Covid. Have gotten more or less used to not eating out. But, I'm not ready to eat "stems and pieces." I'm all for folks cutting back any way they find acceptable to them. YMMV

 

[NW-Bound]

I've been reading this thread and I decided to find ways to be more frugal.

I was planning to steam some broccoli but I didn't have much, and I, for the first time, decided to eat the green stems(thick leaves?) that are often attached to cauliflowers - I steamed them along with the broccoli and DH thought I added some cut celery pieces to the broccoli. Who would've thunk it?

People don't eat cauliflower stems?

We have been doing it for years, and have not died yet.

If it's not too fibrous, we eat it.

 

[Koolau]

People don't eat cauliflower stems?

We have been doing it for years, and have not died yet.

If it's not too fibrous, we eat it.

I guess it's all in your definition of "too fibrous."

I figure I've cut out most restaurant meals. I'm not going to settle for worse store-bought food than I used to eat in a restaurant. YMMV

 

[HawkOwl]

Or, be a hero. Do an RV trip to Hawaii and be the first one! Seriously, RVs are something you just do not see in the Islands. Once in a while a contractor will have an old beat up one for a construction office. I think I've seen one or two pressed into some other service (book mobile??) I've seen a couple that were fitted out as shrimp shacks or other food truck. No idea how they got there in the first place. The bridge still has a long way to completion. Heh, heh, imagine the gas bill for THAT trip. I can hear the satellite call to AAA. "Uh, I'm out here on the Trans Pacific - mile-marker 1725. I'm outta diesel"...... Click!

Don’t try to kid us. Hawaii has an interstate, true?

 

[Koolau]

Don’t try to kid us. Hawaii has an interstate, true?

Well, now that you mention it, we have three!

 

[MarieIG]

And here's another poster who started cutting up and steaming broccoli stems.

I didn't know that was a thing. I was looking in the refrigerator at a head of over priced organic broccoli (which seemed to be 3/4 stem) thinking it's a shame to throw out the stem - and the rest is history. . .

 

[Koolau]

And here's another poster who started cutting up and steaming broccoli stems.

I didn't know that was a thing. I was looking in the refrigerator at a head of over priced organic broccoli (which seemed to be 3/4 stem) thinking it's a shame to throw out the stem - and the rest is history. . .

That's why I buy it in the bag - already cut up. No waste - maybe the employees who cut the stuff up take home the stems for broth.

 

[MarieIG]

That's why I buy it in the bag - already cut up. No waste - maybe the employees who cut the stuff up take home the stems for broth.

Those stems get around!

 

[athena53]

I grate the stems of broccoli and use that in stir fries. The grating burns a few extra calories, the stems actually have the most anti-cancer benefits and it is frugal. A win on three fronts.

I do peel them- the peel is the most fibrous and goes into the compost- but ALWAYS chop and stir-fry the stems.

 

[NW-Bound]

I do peel them- the peel is the most fibrous and goes into the compost- but ALWAYS chop and stir-fry the stems.

Now that you said it, yes my wife peels off the outside tougher skin. The center of the stem is what's yummy.

 

[UKadventurer]

Great to read about living conditions in some other place so different.
I'll admit, with the lowest electricity costs in the world I'd skip heating/cooking with cow dung

I cook at my cabin with a wood burning stove, but will also be tempted to take the easy way and cook many meals on a propane BBQ or a propane stove.
Saving the wood stove cooking for when I want hot water to wash the dishes, via heating up 4 large kettles of water while I cook on the big stove.

You have a fascinating story. What's most amazing is to hear you describe how you are cutting back! (Heh, heh, I'm trying to think how one could cut back from using sticks and cow dung for cooking fuel!) I have prided myself on reducing my electricity use to 5KWh/day. But my hat is off to you!

Would love to hear more about your daily life: Hobbies, activities, local friendships, in short: "what do you do all day." Aloha.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm documenting the process of getting established on virgin, mountain land in photos and videos. I'm hoping to have a specific YouTube channel on the yurt compound we're establishing. Unfortunately, the internet is so slow, it's impossible to upload decent quality videos.

If you're on Facebook, I'm here: https://www.facebook.com/martin.foster and I'm able to post our progress there in photos and short videos. Hit me up if you want to see the progress.

One thing I'm learning about living here is we need multiple redundant systems, especially for basic survival in extreme weather. So for electricity we've got electricity (grid), a diesel generator, and a battery backup. We have a few small solar powered devices but no solar array yet. It may not pay off to get solar, as it would in a country with high-cost grid electricity.

For heating/cooking, we can use electricity, propane, wood, pellets, and cow dung. People laugh at cow dung (I did at first) but it's exactly what Tibetans have used exclusively for thousands of years for cooking and heating.

Propane is nice but it's quite expensive at about US$1.10 per liter here. Electricity is cheap but if you heat a large area just by electricity it'll add up. We were paying up to $225 per month in the coldest months for electricity in a 110m/2 (1200 sq ft) rented house before we moved here. Unfortunately that particular house had no other means of heating or cooking. A wood stove would've been nice.

We're getting used to tolerating large temperature swings from evening to morning. Keeping a fire going all night is too difficult. It was hard at first to leave a warm bed when the inside temps were low - close to freezing - but we got used to it. First person out of bed, makes a fire and within minutes, it's toasty. The idea of having indoor temps at a constant 22C/72F all year round is something we've had to give up on and that's ok. I need to toughen up.

My hobby is essentially solving all the problems (challenges) of mountain living. It's fascinating. Well, I also have motorcycles and do some enduro style riding in our area. Also, I have an electric mountain bike which is awesome for the terrain around here. Mongolia is essentially one big grassland (steppes) with intermittent mountains, forests on the north facing slopes and some cold desert in the south. You can ride or drive for days off road as the countryside is mostly common land. Large fenced off land doesn't really exist, thankfully.

 

[corn18]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm documenting the process of getting established on virgin, mountain land in photos and videos. I'm hoping to have a specific YouTube channel on the yurt compound we're establishing. Unfortunately, the internet is so slow, it's impossible to upload decent quality videos.

If you're on Facebook, I'm here: https://www.facebook.com/martin.foster and I'm able to post our progress there in photos and short videos. Hit me up if you want to see the progress.

One thing I'm learning about living here is we need multiple redundant systems, especially for basic survival in extreme weather. So for electricity we've got electricity (grid), a diesel generator, and a battery backup. We have a few small solar powered devices but no solar array yet. It may not pay off to get solar, as it would in a country with high-cost grid electricity.

For heating/cooking, we can use electricity, propane, wood, pellets, and cow dung. People laugh at cow dung (I did at first) but it's exactly what Tibetans have used exclusively for thousands of years for cooking and heating.

Propane is nice but it's quite expensive at about US$1.10 per liter here. Electricity is cheap but if you heat a large area just by electricity it'll add up. We were paying up to $225 per month in the coldest months for electricity in a 110m/2 (1200 sq ft) rented house before we moved here. Unfortunately that particular house had no other means of heating or cooking. A wood stove would've been nice.

We're getting used to tolerating large temperature swings from evening to morning. Keeping a fire going all night is too difficult. It was hard at first to leave a warm bed when the inside temps were low - close to freezing - but we got used to it. First person out of bed, makes a fire and within minutes, it's toasty. The idea of having indoor temps at a constant 22C/72F all year round is something we've had to give up on and that's ok. I need to toughen up.

My hobby is essentially solving all the problems (challenges) of mountain living. It's fascinating. Well, I also have motorcycles and do some enduro style riding in our area. Also, I have an electric mountain bike which is awesome for the terrain around here. Mongolia is essentially one big grassland (steppes) with intermittent mountains, forests on the north facing slopes and some cold desert in the south. You can ride or drive for days off road as the countryside is mostly common land. Large fenced off land doesn't really exist, thankfully.

This is so cool. Makes me feel like a slacker with a boring life.

 

[Koolau]

This is so cool. Makes me feel like a slacker with a boring life.

Yeah, I really appreciate the lifestyle. I used to cut wood for fuel, raise a small garden, ride motorcycles in the woods, etc. But that was a long time ago. These days, I want my comfort. I w*rked hard for it and don't want to give it up.

But heartiest congratulations to UKadventurer for finding a compatible life-style. I really enjoy hearing the story. Aloha

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Well, I am getting old and weak. Used to be that 114F (46C) would not faze me.

I still remember a day in June 1996 when it hit 122F (50C), which remains the all-time high in Phoenix. I was busy at work at megacorp, and did not know how hot it was outside. Only at 4PM walking out to my car in the big parking lot, told myself "Darn, it's hot".

And I learned listening to the radio on the way home how hot it was.

Anyway, I have 4 ACs in this home. The large 5-ton central AC is not used much anymore. Two mini-splits are doing all the work of cooling the downstairs. I abandon the unused rooms upstairs to the heat, except for a guest bedoom which has a small window AC just when we have a visitor.

So, I have quite a redundancy in equipment. But more than that, I can keep at least one AC running with my solar+battery system, in the case of rolling blackouts.

Do you only use a/c or do you also use an evaporative cooler when it's not that hot?
I'm in Southern California and mine works for me most of the time except for a couple of weeks in August when the thunderstorms roll in. I hate that period because the a/c just can't keep the house as cool as the swamp cooler does, my house stays in the low 70's and the electric bill is tiny. Of course the downside is that they use a couple of gallons of water a day which I capture to water my plants.