The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: Solomon960 on January 15, 2020, 12:09:21 PM
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While not extreme like some in the Mustachian Universe, I do practice a few habits which others simply could not. Nevertheless, this thread is intended to discuss and offer proposals to others on how to maximize one’s personal efficiency. To begin, I will open with four topics and encourage fellow Mustachians to share their experiences and/or suggest “improvements” to our contributing peers.
Home: I house share with two other adults in a three-bedroom/two-bathroom house. I occupy the master suite (with private bathroom) and share everything else (including the garage). I own no furniture or appliances and can fit all my possessions into my hatchback sedan (I bought used!). I pay one flat rental payment for room & board (including utilities) each month. Having been transferred to a different worksite in 2018, I do have a daily 30-mi one-way commute I hate, but obtaining identical accommodations on the other side of town costs $400/mo more than what I currently am paying to rent (for an entire apartment) while requiring me to sign a lease, which I’ve never done and refuse to do. I’m a single person and don’t need more space.
Food: I spend less than $20/wk on food, including no dairy or meat. My main protein source is peanuts, with other nutrition derived from granola bars, whole wheat cereal & bread, bananas, tap water, and a daily multi-vitamin. Outside of bananas, my food purchases are made in bulk – if it’s on sale/closeout, I’ll buy every unit thanks to the long shelf-life of pre-packaged foods. I do scan food labels to avoid known carcinogen and popular heart-disease ingredients. My daily meal regimen is very disciplined, allowing me to spend virtually no time in the kitchen for prep (and minimal clean-up). Perhaps the one improvement I can make is dumpster diving though living in a high homeless-populated city, this may not be a fruitful endeavor.
Hygiene: I personally shave my head every three weeks using an electric razor. I wash my body and hair daily using the cheapest shampoo or body wash I can find at time of purchase. I use a netting exfoliator (aka shower puff) that I replace monthly, but at $0.50/ea, I will be replacing them with a Dollar Tree kitchen sponge later this year that I perceive will accomplish the same job for less ($0.17/ea). (Sponges may also be put in a microwave to kill bacteria.) For handwashing, I purchase refill bottles from Dollar Tree to refill my hand soap containers. I would love to find a single soap I can use for all body parts – scalp, body, and hands – but I may be hard-pressed to top the $0.06/oz I currently pay while currently utilizing multiple soap products.
Purchases: I pay all but my rent using one of three credit cards, which offer a minimum of 2.5% cashback with no limit. Gas (2.5%-5% back) and Groceries (3% back) are my primary expenses, averaging less than $170/mo. My annual rewards balances are unsurprisingly “small,” but I did earn ~$240 in bill credit statements in 2019.
Please post your experiences/thoughts. Thank you!
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sounds pretty extreme to me, can't come close to most of those but I'll share my CC lineup:
Chase Freedom: use certain quarters with the rotating 5% categories
Amex BlueCash Preferred: my only card with annual fee $95; 6% back on groceries, I max out the $6K annual purchase by buying gift cards at grocery stores that will cover all my gas (Arco) and many purchases (Amazon/Ebay/Southwest etc)
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa: 5% back on Amazon- for items I want extended warranty/price protection
Uber Visa: 4% at restaurants/bars, 3% airfare -soon to be phased to new useless benefits, I plan to replace with below
Bank of America Cash rewards: 3% on chosen category
just applied for 2 of these same cards one of which I'll set to 3% online purchases and the other to 3% restaurants/bars
Citi Double Cash: for everything else 2%
estimate I can average close to 4% back on total spending, half are setup for tradelines which I'll season the BOA ones for also
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You are way more "extreme" than the vast majority here.
Also, are you not eating vegetables?
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$80/mo for a single person food budget is....not really that impressive, imo. Especially given how non-diverse your food is.
Also, I don't know what your rent payment is, or what your real estate market is like, but you might consider a full house-hacking situation where you own the house and rent out rooms to end up with a net-zero housing cost.
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I'm a bit worried about your nutrition, brother.
But, rock on with your personal efficiency! I'm impressed.
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Your discipline is admirable. Like others, I don't think anyone would describe that as a balanced diet, and you may be setting yourself up for long term potential health risks, that far outweigh the cost of spending another $20/month on produce.
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You are way more "extreme" than the vast majority here.
Also, are you not eating vegetables?
+1
Sounds horrible to me. Extremism is not good at the expense of your health.
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You are way more "extreme" than the vast majority here.
Also, are you not eating vegetables?
+1
Sounds horrible to me. Extremism is not good at the expense of your health.
+2
Not having proper nutrition is simply deferring your current food saving into increased healthcare costs decades down the line (which will be a lot more expensive than getting proper nutrition). If you are eating enough fruit and veggies, kudos to you on such a slim food budget.
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This has got to be satire, right?
$400 month savings on rent, is $20 per work day, assuming 20 work days per month. A 30mi one way commute is 60 miles round trip. If gas+wear per mile is anything over 33 cents, every trip is losing money. And that's before accounting for the commute time. For reference, the 2020 IRS mileage rate is 57.5 cents per mile.
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extreme is the word I'd use as well.
What concerns me as someone coming from the eco-toxicology world is using "the cheapest shampoo or body wash at the time of purchase. Please, please, please don't do that. The US does not regulate personal care products to any meaningful degree, and most items - **especially the cheap ones** - are rife with all sorts of really nasty stuff. It's penny-wise/pound foolish. If you want to go super-frugal there's a number of everyday pantry items which are far healthier for you and cost pennies per ounce.
Personally I love to cook and find time spent in the kitchen to be enjoyable. I wouldn't want to curtail that by minimizing food prep and ingredient choice to the degree the OP has.
Finally - I'd urge the OP to take a much closer look at his/her commuting costs. With a 30mi one-way commute it's very likely costing >> $400/mo. Poster would almost certainly be better packing everything up in his/her hatchback, moving within biking distance of work and forking over the increased rent in exchange for even less commutting costs, lower environmental footprint, more time and better health.
extremism - in just about anything - typically defeats the underlying good.
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Yeah, I spend ~$100/month on food for myself, and I eat plenty of fresh veggies, chicken, fish, etc... Packaged food is fine for some things but probably shouldn’t be a majority of your diet.
Re: body wash and shampoo, have you considered just getting an all-purpose concentrated soap like dr bronners? I have friends who use it for all cleaning purposes (hair, body, washing hands, dishes) and one bottle seems to last for months and months.
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You are way more "extreme" than the vast majority here.
Also, are you not eating vegetables?
+1
Sounds horrible to me. Extremism is not good at the expense of your health.
I can usually buy cabbage for $0.34/lb. Organic(!) carrots at $0.78/lb. Potatoes in a large sack are like $0.40/lb at most. At least buy yourself a cabbage each week.
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I am nowhere near as efficient as you are. But...how do you prevent scurvy or vitamin deficiencies? Maybe throw in some lemons, apple, orange, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber?
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I am not as badass as OP but I do use inexpensive but environmentally sensitive 7th generation dish soap for almost all my cleaning and dilute it for hand soap and my wive uses it as shampoo. No scents or preservatives make it very gentle on my sensitive skin. It is called free and clear I highly recommend it to the original poster.
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I pay one flat rental payment for room & board (including utilities) each month.
When OP says "room and board", the board part means food (I assume this term comes from the old time boarding house arrangement where people took their meals with the families they lived with). Since OP says he pays one flat rental payment for room and board, maybe the $20 wk. food is only a supplement to that. As far as produce, he did mention bananas.
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You are way more "extreme" than the vast majority here.
Also, are you not eating vegetables?
During a typical week, I will consume 15.25 oz of canned veggies four nights a week. That and a bowl of whole grain cereal constitute my day's dinner most Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In contrast, I consume a 15 oz can of varied beans (usually dark red kidney beans) on remaining evenings.
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$80/mo for a single person food budget is....not really that impressive, imo. Especially given how non-diverse your food is.
Good observation. I spent <$29 on food in May (31 days). After splurging during Little Caesar's $4/pie promo to welcome a new housemate last weekend, I'll lower my daily ratio to <$1/day (for June) tomorrow.
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This has got to be satire, right?
$400 month savings on rent, is $20 per work day, assuming 20 work days per month. A 30mi one way commute is 60 miles round trip. If gas+wear per mile is anything over 33 cents, every trip is losing money. And that's before accounting for the commute time. For reference, the 2020 IRS mileage rate is 57.5 cents per mile.
My rent comes out to ~$23.33/day. I will not give excuses on my commute - its horrible (for me, my pocketbook, and for the environment). Still, given the market, I haven't been able to find similar accommodations closer to my new facility - if I'm willing to give up on parking my car in a garage, I could cut my commute in-half for $800/mo. I've been looking to move for over a year; my landlord is nice enough and my housemates are respectable (more times than not) that I can afford to be picky. I won't remain here forever - perhaps only two more years. The hour-plus I spend behind-the-wheel IS taxing...beggars cannot be choosers, however. I am blessed with the accommodations I have.
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Many are admirable tried and true money saving techniques. However, most seem to assume that money is your only resource (ie, willing to spend a lot of time and energy (both personal and probably fossil) to save on rent).
Per ounce is not the best arbitrator of hygiene products, as different ones require different amounts to work properly. If you are interested in a one size fits all product, look for Bonners Castile on clearance. I use a lot less volume than traditional shampoos or liquid body washes.
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Re: body wash and shampoo, have you considered just getting an all-purpose concentrated soap like dr bronners? I have friends who use it for all cleaning purposes (hair, body, washing hands, dishes) and one bottle seems to last for months and months.
Thank you for the recommendation, fell-like-rain. I am familiar with Dr. Bronner's organic soaps and would love to consolidate all my cleaning needs (both personal and environmental) into one product. However, I cannot improve upon the cost efficiency of my current cleaning regimen. After performing an experiment for 30 days - and counter to various articles on the internet - I have found dish soap to be just as effective (and more sudsy) than cheap body wash/shampoo. At $0.03/oz, I have adopted Dollar Tree Home Store Dish Soap as my personal hair/body soap and am loving its bubbles. It lathers well, necessitating using less product compared to higher end products (i.e. Suave, V05, etc.). For the house, LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner All-Purpose Concentrated Cleaner ($0.03/oz undiluted) is a champ on all surfaces minus glass (it leaves streaks). Finally, in my opinion, LA's Totally Awesome Laundry Detergent ($0.015/oz) performs at least as good as Costco's Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean Laundry Pacs. If I could find promotions/discounts on cleaners as generous as what I am able to find for organic cereals, I'd be all for reducing my exposure to the synthetic cleaners that are within conventional cleaning agents. At present, however, I do not believe my choices are any more "toxic" than the average human's - just far less expensive.
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I am nowhere near as efficient as you are. But...how do you prevent scurvy or vitamin deficiencies? Maybe throw in some lemons, apple, orange, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber?
I've only been taking half-of-a-multivitamin for the last six months. Both before and now, my overall fitness and well-being have remained solid - allowing me to be effective in all activities during my 13-hour workdays and not falter on my dreadful commute home each night. Perhaps my discipline and consistency is what propels me to execute without waver? As many have stated, my diet is quite limited; but nothing beats a peanut-butter-on-whole-wheat-sandwich and banana (or three) at midday to get one through the rest of a long work day. Some nights, I'll just munch on another handful of peanuts in lieu of veggies or legumes due to feeling full. Works for me.
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I am not as badass as OP but I do use inexpensive but environmentally sensitive 7th generation dish soap for almost all my cleaning and dilute it for hand soap and my wive uses it as shampoo. No scents or preservatives make it very gentle on my sensitive skin. It is called free and clear I highly recommend it to the original poster.
I've seen Seventh Generation cleaning products in most retailers. Like Dr. Bronner's, I've ignored it simply due to the high cost of organic, eco-friendly products. I'm certainly not against using it - just need an economic incentive. Perhaps if the market would stabilize and my play money balance returns to prior-covid levels, I'd experiment with a "healthy" cleaner to assess (1) its overall effectiveness and (2) how to manipulate its cost (by dilution without sacrificing said effectiveness). If pre-market volatility is any indicator, it definitely won't be today, however. I do appreciate the suggestion, BikeFanatic.
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I pay one flat rental payment for room & board (including utilities) each month.
When OP says "room and board", the board part means food (I assume this term comes from the old time boarding house arrangement where people took their meals with the families they lived with). Since OP says he pays one flat rental payment for room and board, maybe the $20 wk. food is only a supplement to that. As far as produce, he did mention bananas.
My apologies - there is no "board" component in my rental agreement (shame on me for using a common reference without first understanding its meaning). I receive a room, closet, private bathroom, bed w/ linen, desk, chair, dresser, small table, garage parking, WiFi, water, electricity, and trash utilities and share kitchen, living room, and patio spaces with two revolving housemates. Sometimes we make more food than desired - either by accident or on-purpose - and offer/share with each other BUT such is not an expectation. I, again, apologize for my ignorance in using an improper term.
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Many are admirable tried and true money saving techniques. However, most seem to assume that money is your only resource (ie, willing to spend a lot of time and energy (both personal and probably fossil) to save on rent).
Per ounce is not the best arbitrator of hygiene products, as different ones require different amounts to work properly. If you are interested in a one size fits all product, look for Bonners Castile on clearance. I use a lot less volume than traditional shampoos or liquid body washes.
Agreed - "per ounce" is not the end-all-be-all when considering the overall efficiency of a product. Especially for soap, what good is it if I can procure a large bottle at a penny an ounce IF I use 3x the product vs my $0.03/oz dollar store dish soap? I am no fool and am continually looking for better ways of accomplishing daily tasks that free up limited resources (namely time, money, and effort). It's been quite some time since I've seen an organic/eco-friendly detergent on clearance where I am, but I keep my eyes open regardless - sometimes I can procure a food item for under my magic $0.10/oz threshold when sifting through the expired/dented section of the grocer, but most times I just leave the store empty-handed.
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I'd be all for reducing my exposure to the synthetic cleaners that are within conventional cleaning agents. At present, however, I do not believe my choices are any more "toxic" than the average human's - just far less expensive.
Some quick internet sleuthing shows that Dollar Tree dish soap you are using on your body has formaldehyde-derivatives, Sodium lauryl sulphate and most likely phthalates (from artificial fragrance). All of those have human toxicity issues. There's also phosphate, which is particularly bad for wastewater treatement and aquatic organisms.
As I said above, this is penny-wise and pound foolish. By going with the lowest upfront cost you are needlessly coating your body in known toxins with cumulative toxicity. Immunosupression and cancer will ultimately cost you far more than the money 'saved' by your current strategy, saying nothing about the impact your choices have on the environment.
There's a number of alternative cleaning products (both for personal hygenine and house cleaning) that are better choices and still dirt-cheap. ixtap mentioned Bonners Castile which is a good choice if you want something pre-forumlated. Distilled vinegar is a good surfacant and all-purpose cleaner (works great on glass, too), and baking soda, sugar, lemon juice and oil can be used in various ways for hygeine products that might even undercut your Dollar Tree brand soap.
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I don't think you're going to like this post, but as you said you check labels for chemicals/toxicity I feel I should.
You eat a lot of peanuts. In 1990, When I was doing my Bachelor's degree in science, one of my Biochem profs told us about a friend of his that he had trained with who had gone on to work with the FDA.
There is a test for mutagenic properties called the Ames test. Someone had used the Ames test to test a particular substance, an aflatoxin found only in peanuts. The mutagenicity of this substance was off the charts crazy high. It was the highest substance ever tested with the Ames test, and they use it to test everything. FDA saw this ( I think it was in the 80's) and went, holy shit. We are feeding this massively mutagenic, carcinogenic substance to children in very large quantities. The ran the numbers on what the health effects would be and said, we've got to stop this.
They contacted the peanut butter companies and told them what they knew and said, you must drop your aflatoxin content in peanut butter to 1/1000 of what it presently is.
Now the peanut butter companies knew about the mold and the aflatoxin, which fluoresces purple under UV light. And they had conveyor belts full of peanuts and rows of people doing visual checks and flicking purple peanuts to the floor. That was how they did it.
And the peanut butter companies said to the FDA, 'If you make us drop aflatoxin to a part per trillion, a jar of peanut butter will cost $12 and the children of the poor in America will starve.' Because most of the poorest families were then (and perhaps still) meeting the protein needs of their children primarily with peanut butter. And there was no other affordable option to replace it.
So the FDA backed off, and let them keep it where it was.
And it never made it to the media, and it probably never will.
Unless your peanuts and peanut butter is certified aflatoxin-free (expensive), it is not a good choice to use as your primary protein souce. Organic is not better (might be worse without chemicals to kill the mold), unless it is also certified.
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/aflatoxins#:~:text=Aflatoxins%20are%20a%20family%20of,humid%20regions%20of%20the%20world.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ames+test+results&oq=ames+test&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l7.4618j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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Have you considered foraging for fruits and veggies? It is a fun hobby and right now in CA where I live we have the small sour plums and the mulberries everywhere. Free. I wish my husband and sons would do the head shaving technique to save money at the barber!
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I don't think you're going to like this post, but as you said you check labels for chemicals/toxicity I feel I should.
You eat a lot of peanuts. In 1990, When I was doing my Bachelor's degree in science, one of my Biochem profs told us about a friend of his that he had trained with who had gone on to work with the FDA.
There is a test for mutagenic properties called the Ames test. Someone had used the Ames test to test a particular substance, an aflatoxin found only in peanuts. The mutagenicity of this substance was off the charts crazy high. It was the highest substance ever tested with the Ames test, and they use it to test everything. FDA saw this ( I think it was in the 80's) and went, holy shit. We are feeding this massively mutagenic, carcinogenic substance to children in very large quantities. The ran the numbers on what the health effects would be and said, we've got to stop this.
They contacted the peanut butter companies and told them what they knew and said, you must drop your aflatoxin content in peanut butter to 1/1000 of what it presently is.
Now the peanut butter companies knew about the mold and the aflatoxin, which fluoresces purple under UV light. And they had conveyor belts full of peanuts and rows of people doing visual checks and flicking purple peanuts to the floor. That was how they did it.
And the peanut butter companies said to the FDA, 'If you make us drop aflatoxin to a part per trillion, a jar of peanut butter will cost $12 and the children of the poor in America will starve.' Because most of the poorest families were then (and perhaps still) meeting the protein needs of their children primarily with peanut butter. And there was no other affordable option to replace it.
So the FDA backed off, and let them keep it where it was.
And it never made it to the media, and it probably never will.
Unless your peanuts and peanut butter is certified aflatoxin-free (expensive), it is not a good choice to use as your primary protein souce. Organic is not better (might be worse without chemicals to kill the mold), unless it is also certified.
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/aflatoxins#:~:text=Aflatoxins%20are%20a%20family%20of,humid%20regions%20of%20the%20world.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ames+test+results&oq=ames+test&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l7.4618j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Is almond butter a better alternative? (I know it is much more expensive than peanut butter.)
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I don't think you're going to like this post, but as you said you check labels for chemicals/toxicity I feel I should.
You eat a lot of peanuts. In 1990, When I was doing my Bachelor's degree in science, one of my Biochem profs told us about a friend of his that he had trained with who had gone on to work with the FDA.
There is a test for mutagenic properties called the Ames test. Someone had used the Ames test to test a particular substance, an aflatoxin found only in peanuts. The mutagenicity of this substance was off the charts crazy high. It was the highest substance ever tested with the Ames test, and they use it to test everything. FDA saw this ( I think it was in the 80's) and went, holy shit. We are feeding this massively mutagenic, carcinogenic substance to children in very large quantities. The ran the numbers on what the health effects would be and said, we've got to stop this.
They contacted the peanut butter companies and told them what they knew and said, you must drop your aflatoxin content in peanut butter to 1/1000 of what it presently is.
Now the peanut butter companies knew about the mold and the aflatoxin, which fluoresces purple under UV light. And they had conveyor belts full of peanuts and rows of people doing visual checks and flicking purple peanuts to the floor. That was how they did it.
And the peanut butter companies said to the FDA, 'If you make us drop aflatoxin to a part per trillion, a jar of peanut butter will cost $12 and the children of the poor in America will starve.' Because most of the poorest families were then (and perhaps still) meeting the protein needs of their children primarily with peanut butter. And there was no other affordable option to replace it.
So the FDA backed off, and let them keep it where it was.
And it never made it to the media, and it probably never will.
Unless your peanuts and peanut butter is certified aflatoxin-free (expensive), it is not a good choice to use as your primary protein souce. Organic is not better (might be worse without chemicals to kill the mold), unless it is also certified.
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/aflatoxins#:~:text=Aflatoxins%20are%20a%20family%20of,humid%20regions%20of%20the%20world.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ames+test+results&oq=ames+test&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l7.4618j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Wait. Wtf?? My peanut butter is full of mold? Is there a safe amount of peanut butter? Is any of this public?
I don’t like your post either, I love peanut butter =(
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Lots of things have mold in them and this is not a significant risk in the US food supply.
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like CHEEEEEEEEESSSSSSEEEEE!!!
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That's very distressing - my kid eats pb&j daily.
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Lots of things have mold in them and this is not a significant risk in the US food supply.
So keep on keeping on. Good. I’m ok with that.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Missy B: Your post indeed is alarming, but I embrace information which counters my usual understanding - benefiting all who visits this thread. Though not the most credible source (https://www.biology-pages.info/A/AmesTest.html), you may find relief that the current industry standard of aflatoxin in peanut butter is "2 parts per billion" using the Ames Test. It's a good thing, too: I picked up 20 lbs of the good stuff at Walmart last weekend at $0.03/oz.
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A new month is approaching, necessitating employing my monthly cleaning of my bathroom and bedroom floor. I am curious what simple cleaning regimens fellow Mustachians employ to ensure a clean floor and toilet? I purchased a Swiffer Sweeper after my move-in (2017) and use generic pads, but it is clear it is nowhere near as effective as a pail of dish soap & water, rag, and getting on my hands & knees to scrub away. I ask, how can I do better WITHOUT adding more contraptions or purchasing multiple cleaners while avoiding joint discomfort? I could use my current system for years without buying another bottle of LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner or a pack of pads, but if a more effective system exists, we should always be open to change.
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Distilled white vinegar and water (roughly 1:5) is our go-to surface cleaning solution. Works great and is cheaper than any other multi-purpose cleaning product I’ve come across. For most things we use rags from old t-shirts.
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During a typical week, I will consume 15.25 oz of canned veggies four nights a week. That and a bowl of whole grain cereal constitute my day's dinner most Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In contrast, I consume a 15 oz can of varied beans (usually dark red kidney beans) on remaining evenings.
OMG this is my idea of hell. I love fresh fruit, veg, herbs and look forward to a good meal. This would be so depressing to me to eat from a can 7 nights a week. You can do a lot to your body in your 20's with no apparent ill effect at the time (I surely did! Fast food/alcohol/processed food). As others have mentioned effects are cumulative and often don't impact you until later in life.
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During a typical week, I will consume 15.25 oz of canned veggies four nights a week. That and a bowl of whole grain cereal constitute my day's dinner most Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In contrast, I consume a 15 oz can of varied beans (usually dark red kidney beans) on remaining evenings.
OMG this is my idea of hell. I love fresh fruit, veg, herbs and look forward to a good meal. This would be so depressing to me to eat from a can 7 nights a week. You can do a lot to your body in your 20's with no apparent ill effect at the time (I surely did! Fast food/alcohol/processed food). As others have mentioned effects are cumulative and often don't impact you until later in life.
I don't think the poster said they were in their 20s?
Sure, that dinner routine isn't for me either, but glad to hear that someone enjoys it since it is affordable and healthier than many other alternatives. Plus fresh fruit, veggies, herbs aren't available or affordable in 100% of the places humans inhabit on this planet.
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Distilled white vinegar and water (roughly 1:5) is our go-to surface cleaning solution. Works great and is cheaper than any other multi-purpose cleaning product I’ve come across. For most things we use rags from old t-shirts.
+1 If you don't like the vinegar scent, squeeze half a lemon in the bucket as well.
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To date, I have purchased one bottle of LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner ($1/64 oz) in 2020 and still have 5/8 of the container remaining for all my cleaning needs. I use paper towels - something I only purchase once a year, but have ample old socks to devote to really dirty messes. Since LA doesn't smell like anything and I prefer employing fewer chemicals in my residence, I am amenable to switching to white vinegar should the cost and cleaning capability be similar. (Besides, the smell dissipates over time and I always clean in the morning...)...I did come across reusable generic Swiffer pads on an Amazon forum. Compared to walking on all fours, I may go ahead and purchase a pair for future use - with LA's laundry detergent, each load is a pittance (<$0.05/load).
My diet certainly is not for the faint of heart, but between not consuming a whole lot in general AND entering my twilight years, I'm not aiming living forever - only as efficiently as possible. Yesterday, I enjoyed a can of green beans and a pork chop - costing only $0.51. Today, I'll enjoy a can of chickpeas and pork chop at the tune of $0.74. I add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric to my dinners, but am not sure I will continue once the large Costco container is spent.
Sadly, I did not reduce my food expenses to <$1/day in June - purchasing 20 lbs of peanut butter for ~$9 at Walmart really skewed my average. However, so far in July, I've spent $0.20 (on two boxes of organic granola bars). Since I could not find any green bananas last week, I'm on pace for a career low on my monthly food bill.
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Your adventures are certainly interesting, @Solomon960!
I am curious about the twilight years...50something myself, just wondering what ballpark range you're in.
Fwiw:
-I'm a big fan of baking soda as a scrubbing cleaner, but it also works well in many cases for cleaning anything that has an odor. This includes body odor! Cost is low but you'd have to calculate more carefully than I know how to determine if it's better than your current plan in upfront cost per wash. That said, it clearly lacks the toxicity issues others have written about.
-You focus on both efficiency and low cost, maybe a lower cost than most people on this forum. Have you visited the ERE forum at the website Early Retirement Extreme? The community there is said to be supportive, thoughtful and use badassity to achieve spending levels of half or less what people are used to here. The posters who frequent both places have impressed me with their resourcefulness, and also exhibited a very can-do self-determining creative spirit that you might like.
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My DH has very short hair. I cut it to less than 1 cm. He needs to wash his hair with shampoo about once a month, as long as he doesn't swim in chlorine water. The rest of the time he can just wash with water. Therefore, I don't understand why you need to use a soap on your head every day. And do you need body soap in these quantities? When I shower, I tend to wash myself with water, unless I am very dirty, then I use soap.
Do you really need to shower every day, or could you wash yourself with a cloth some days?
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BicycleB: I'm only a few years behind you, my friend. Given the chronic economic challenges and surging increase in undocumented and unregulated pollutants in our air, water, and foods, I don't have high confidence I will reach the average life expectancy in the U.S. (78.8 years). Still, while I'm kicking and breathing, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I expect that trend to continue through the rest of my days and why I am not overly concerned about the effects of conventional products vs. "natural." We're surrounded by toxins - embrace what you cannot change.
Nothing beats the ease of use LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner at $0.015/oz. Switching to white vinegar and baking soda would see my costs rise to >$0.04/oz. Since I only perform one extensive cleaning each month, one moderate cleaning mid-month, and spot-clean as needed, one bottle of LA cleaner can last multiple years. Compared to competing conventional cleaners, it's no more carcinogenic than most (just cheaper).
I wear safety boots for a living - when I take them off, the stench is unbearable. Any thoughts on how I could use baking soda to resolve this issue? I know it's not my feet as the odor was never as prevalent as it has been since I switched boots in April.
Thank you for suggesting Early Retirement Extreme. I had not been aware of the forum and will register promptly at http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ to begin a new dialogue on how to lead a more prudent and efficient life! But don't worry, I'll still be here - MMM is a way of life.
Linea_Norway: I, too, LOVE my short hair - no comb, gel, or mouse required! I shave my head every three weeks on the shortest setting.
To be honest, I shower daily out of habit, but I REALLY find it to be a waste of time and water. In theory, I should only need to wash my armpits, groin, feet, and face daily, though my long commute home in a hot, AC-free car causes me to sweat considerably. Perhaps it's just mental - the idea of going to bed "dirty" being uncivilized? I'm open to alternatives. I'm just not familiar with how to conduct a towel bath to be as effective as a traditional 8-min shower. Call me what I am: naïve.
Surprisingly, there are no threads in the MMM Forum dedicated to Mustachians sharing a common everyday product that far exceeds their expectations. So, being an open forum on personal efficiency, lets read what "normal" product you purchased and found the quality to far exceed your expectations. There are a number of products I could share with you, but one that I use everyday is a Sony alarm clock/radio (model ICFC-1). It was on clearance for <$15.00 when I bought it in 2014 and has traveled with me at each relocation. While I generally always rise before the alarm activates, it is the AM/FM radio that I am most impressed by. Not only is the reception solid, but the volume can broadcast into the open kitchen/dining room/living room of my current residence with absolute clarity. I absolutely love it for the hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of quality amusement it has brought to my life while so far from my family (and forbidden from volunteering in the community).
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I don't follow your logic regarding carcinogens; you acknowledge that they are all around you, and even believe that you are unlikely to reach the average life expectancy given their prevalence, yet you won't address the sources you can control and which have the largest impact on your life - even when doing so would cost (by your own estimates) just $1-$2 each year.
That to me seems like the definition of penny-wise, pound foolish. How much is an extra healthy year of your life worth? Alternatively, how much would it cost you to be sick for
Your feet and boot shouldn't have an unbearable stench. If they do they aren't getting enough ventilation, and bacteria and fungus are growing rampant. Chances are your boots are not drying out properly after each use. There's a few things you can do (these are not mutually exclusive); 1) switch out socks a few times per day, 2) use crumpled up newspaper to help your boots dry out, and/or add baking soda each evening to absorb moisture, 3) place your boots someplace where they will dry out, and/or use a fan or boot dryer. 4) remove the liner each day to aid in drying.
Regardless, the main goal is to make the insides of your boots as dry as possible and to keep them that way.
As for finding an alternative to showering, have you considered swimming regularly? I belong to our local YMCA and swim/shower there, which means I rarely use the shower at home, saving me both money and cleaning time. In the summer we spend a lot of time at our local lake, which has free wash-down showers.
As for products which have exceeded expectations, there have been numerous threads over the years. You may want to search them out, or perhaps start a new one. Best not to stack onto this existing thread, as its diverging from your subject: Enhancing Personal Efficiency.
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BicycleB: I'm only a few years behind you, my friend. Given the chronic economic challenges and surging increase in undocumented and unregulated pollutants in our air, water, and foods, I don't have high confidence I will reach the average life expectancy in the U.S. (78.8 years). Still, while I'm kicking and breathing, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I expect that trend to continue through the rest of my days and why I am not overly concerned about the effects of conventional products vs. "natural." We're surrounded by toxins - embrace what you cannot change.
Nothing beats the ease of use LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner at $0.015/oz. Switching to white vinegar and baking soda would see my costs rise to >$0.04/oz. Since I only perform one extensive cleaning each month, one moderate cleaning mid-month, and spot-clean as needed, one bottle of LA cleaner can last multiple years. Compared to competing conventional cleaners, it's no more carcinogenic than most (just cheaper).
I wear safety boots for a living - when I take them off, the stench is unbearable. Any thoughts on how I could use baking soda to resolve this issue? I know it's not my feet as the odor was never as prevalent as it has been since I switched boots in April.
Thank you for suggesting Early Retirement Extreme. I had not been aware of the forum and will register promptly at http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ to begin a new dialogue on how to lead a more prudent and efficient life! But don't worry, I'll still be here - MMM is a way of life.
Linea_Norway: I, too, LOVE my short hair - no comb, gel, or mouse required! I shave my head every three weeks on the shortest setting.
To be honest, I shower daily out of habit, but I REALLY find it to be a waste of time and water. In theory, I should only need to wash my armpits, groin, feet, and face daily, though my long commute home in a hot, AC-free car causes me to sweat considerably. Perhaps it's just mental - the idea of going to bed "dirty" being uncivilized? I'm open to alternatives. I'm just not familiar with how to conduct a towel bath to be as effective as a traditional 8-min shower. Call me what I am: naïve.
Surprisingly, there are no threads in the MMM Forum dedicated to Mustachians sharing a common everyday product that far exceeds their expectations. So, being an open forum on personal efficiency, lets read what "normal" product you purchased and found the quality to far exceed your expectations. There are a number of products I could share with you, but one that I use everyday is a Sony alarm clock/radio (model ICFC-1). It was on clearance for <$15.00 when I bought it in 2014 and has traveled with me at each relocation. While I generally always rise before the alarm activates, it is the AM/FM radio that I am most impressed by. Not only is the reception solid, but the volume can broadcast into the open kitchen/dining room/living room of my current residence with absolute clarity. I absolutely love it for the hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of quality amusement it has brought to my life while so far from my family (and forbidden from volunteering in the community).
Why do you need 8 minutes to shower? Could you cut that down to 2 or 3 minutes? Also, if your concern is feeling fresh going to bed, wouldn't just a quick 30 seconds in the water accomplish that?
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I wear safety boots for a living - when I take them off, the stench is unbearable. Any thoughts on how I could use baking soda to resolve this issue? I know it's not my feet as the odor was never as prevalent as it has been since I switched boots in April.
Thank you for suggesting Early Retirement Extreme. I had not been aware of the forum and will register promptly at http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ to begin a new dialogue on how to lead a more prudent and efficient life! But don't worry, I'll still be here - MMM is a way of life.
Like Nereo, I suspect that drying out your shoes would help. I have shoes that get wet, even soaked, from sweat (due to running) and they smell amazingly fresh - because as soon as I'm done, I take them off and dry them with an electric fan. I can't guarantee your case because you probably wear them wet longer, but it's worth a try.
In my experience, it works moderately with shoes that already stink but wonderfully with shoes where you start fresh and dry consistently, so that they don't get stinky in the first place. I had a roommate with your same problem (long shifts, super stinky shoes) and his problem disappeared once he got the hang of drying them. He might have switched to new shoes once along the way though.
Enjoy your ERE!
PS. Re optimizing showers, I might take 8 minutes, but I save water by rinsing for 1-2 min, then turning the water off before applying cleanser of choice. Once scrubbed, re-rinse. Water use 1/3, results 100%. Also less annoying air dampness afterward, therefore faster drying, and mirror doesn't cloud. YMMV.
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I wear safety boots for a living - when I take them off, the stench is unbearable. Any thoughts on how I could use baking soda to resolve this issue? I know it's not my feet as the odor was never as prevalent as it has been since I switched boots in April.
Thank you for suggesting Early Retirement Extreme. I had not been aware of the forum and will register promptly at http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ to begin a new dialogue on how to lead a more prudent and efficient life! But don't worry, I'll still be here - MMM is a way of life.
Like Nereo, I suspect that drying out your shoes would help. I have shoes that get wet, even soaked, from sweat (due to running) and they smell amazingly fresh - because as soon as I'm done, I take them off and dry them with an electric fan. I can't guarantee your case because you probably wear them wet longer, but it's worth a try.
In my experience, it works moderately with shoes that already stink but wonderfully with shoes where you start fresh and dry consistently, so that they don't get stinky in the first place. I had a roommate with your same problem (long shifts, super stinky shoes) and his problem disappeared once he got the hang of drying them. He might have switched to new shoes once along the way though.
Enjoy your ERE!
PS. Re optimizing showers, I might take 8 minutes, but I save water by rinsing for 1-2 min, then turning the water off before applying cleanser of choice. Once scrubbed, re-rinse. Water use 1/3, results 100%. Also less annoying air dampness afterward, therefore faster drying, and mirror doesn't cloud. YMMV.
+1 for shorter showers and turning the tap off when applying shampoo.
For shoes, you could also alternate between 2 pairs, so that the shoes can dry an extra day. And I switched to wearing sandals at work, because my shoes were way too warm to wear all day indoors at work, especially my warm winter shoes. In the summer I use ventilated shoes with some netting details.
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Just curious, OP, what are you saving for?
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As my portfolio grew to 7 figures and the daily balances swinging plus and minus thousands; I must admit that spartan frugality starts to look like noise. That is why I visit the forum...to recalibrate.
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As my portfolio grew to 7 figures and the daily balances swinging plus and minus thousands; I must admit that spartan frugality starts to look like noise. That is why I visit the forum...to recalibrate.
Divide the portfolio by 10,000 for a day-by-day kind of look at it.
At a reasonable SWR, a $1M portfolio means you can spend at most $100 per day for everything: Taxes, food, shelter, utilities, clothing, transportation, etc.
Yes, I'm rounding the numbers off a bit. Doesn't affect the point.
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@TomTX, what a simple rule! Yet so amazingly accurate. Thanks for posting.
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@TomTX, what a simple rule! Yet so amazingly accurate. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for the comment. I came up with that on the fly - simpler is better at getting the idea across.
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nereo: We'll just have to agree to disagree. MOST of the radiation, toxins, and pollution we are exposed to daily are out of our control, hence why it is not a primary concern for me to adopt more "natural" yet expensive products in my everyday activities. While such products may cost "just $1-$2 [more] each year" - technically, the true figure is significantly higher - based on my investment history, I generally turn one dollar into four at year-end. Like I've said before, I won't live forever, but I am ever cognizant of utilizing the time I am given wisely - if I can improve my personal wellness in the process, that is a bonus, not a requirement.
I wear boots 14+ hrs/day; they sit in a 80°F/50% humidity room thereafter (known as my bedroom). The boots/socks don't stink in the morning, only when removed - perhaps confirming their poor ventilation design. Among your recommendations, the simplest solution would be to leave the boots in the garage at night to dry out, whereby removing one odor from my room (a benefit). I will employ this plan tonight - perhaps the faster drying will minimize the odor detected during takeoff tomorrow? Thank you for the suggestions.
At one time, I shared a condo that had a pool - I would swim once a week. Now, having moved thousands of miles away, there simply is no time- or cost-effective opportunity to add recreational activities to my long days. My work facility includes a staff locker room with shower, but the heat index remains triple-digits at 7:00 pm causing me to sweat afterwards during my commute home. If I didn't have such a long commute, staying late to shower here would be very convenient.
I searched but could not find product quality threads - perhaps others' language and intent does not compute with mine? I will say, however, that identifying and sharing cheap everyday products in this community allows fellow Mustachians to investigate, purchase, and employ them in their own lives, hence arriving at the sole intent of this thread: Enhancing Personal Efficiency. If a fellow Mustachian believes (s)he has a better way of doing something OR believes a product will perform better than what another uses, THIS this the thread for such sharing!
slappy: I take 8 minutes to shower because I'm old! If I really wanted to, I could cut it down to 4 minutes, but working as long as I do, sitting in the sun during my commute, and living in a warm house, I'm just dead beat that "going fast" isn't on my mind when I'm in the shower at 8:00 pm. I am slightly germophobic - the idea of going to bed without applying soap doesn't seem hygienic. Of course, as soon as soap is rinsed aware, the bacteria, mold, and viruses regrow immediately...but it sure feels good believing that they were killed so shortly before I climbed into bed.
Dicey: Since I will never truly retire, I'm either saving for (1) my personal nursing home and long-term care costs as I age and/or (2) the benefit of my beneficiary(ies). If we could go more than a decade between recessions (or extended periods of global economic decline), I could theoretically join the Peace Corps in my 60's. i do not know how to not be productive - we can always improve who we are and how we perform.
My landlord has warned me that a rent increase is to be expected next summer. Guess I'll be able to work on my daily 30-mi one-way commute in the New Year. I've decided to give up on having a private bathroom - living in the heat with the sun beating down all day does horrors on a vehicle's exterior.
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Do you wear the same pair of work shoes every day? Buy a second pair and rotate daily. Let the idle pair dry out and clean them well.
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I wear boots 14+ hrs/day; they sit in a 80°F/50% humidity room thereafter (known as my bedroom). The boots/socks don't stink in the morning, only when removed - perhaps confirming their poor ventilation design. Among your recommendations, the simplest solution would be to leave the boots in the garage at night to dry out, whereby removing one odor from my room (a benefit). I will employ this plan tonight - perhaps the faster drying will minimize the odor detected during takeoff tomorrow? Thank you for the suggestions.
Have you tried any bactericides or fungicides?
When I got a bit of athletes' foot type itch, which is something that has similar causes, I used an antifungal spray (moconazole nitrate 2%; brand name Lotrimin, I used a store brand). It was very effective.
https://www.unitypoint.org/livewell/article.aspx?id=331c62a0-1229-411b-9912-02bf8747510d#:~:text=So%2C%20if%20the%20bacteria%20on,Dr.
I wonder if sprinkling baking soda in your shoes and socks before work would help. It might not, but it's cheap per ounce compared to over the counter foot powders/sprays, so maybe worth trying?
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chrisgermany: I do have a second pair of boots; however, I keep them for emergency-only as I need a pair for when the bigwigs visit (our dress code is very specific). Perhaps courtesy of the pandemic, I have yet to wear this second pair since their purchase last December.
BicycleB: A coincidence, but the last housemate to depart left his baking soda in a cabinet. I will sprinkle the powder into my boots this evening.
Surprisingly, I was dismissed after only six hours on the job Wednesday (thank you, Covid-19); despite my socks being drenched, I did not detect a significant odor after leaving the boots in the garage overnight. I will certainly keep this practice moving forward - perhaps my bedroom is simply too damp to dry properly?
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July 2020 Grocery Shopping Totals:
Number of Store Visits: 13
Number of Transactions: 5
Total Spending: $14.47 (~$0.47/day - a personal best)
Note: Figure includes the optional purchase of a non-edible silicon turner and wooden ruler. If excluded, true monthly food total lowers to $13.25 or ~$0.43/day.
Finding food items worth buying has become a significant challenge over the last two months. Dollar Tree has not been stocking family size cereals, all local grocers have noticeably increased prices among most categories, and banana selections proved more yellow than normal in July. Because I stock up when I do find a deal, I have largely remained unaffected as I work down my surplus inventory of peanuts, peanut butter, mac & cheese, and whole wheat bread, xylitol gum (for after lunch), non-dairy milk, etc. Surprisingly, I have not consumed a box of cereal in two weeks and still have ~20 boxes in reserve.
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I see you are buying non-dairy milk. I eat smoothies everyday, and the base ingredient is almond milk or coconut milk. I got the idea from someone on these forums to "create" my own almond and coconut milk for the smoothies - using almond flour and coconut flour. My preferred ratio is a little less than 1/4 cup of flour to 1 cup of water. Not sure what you are buying, but might be worth trying for certain uses.
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I generally turn one dollar into four at year-end.
LMAO this guy is QUADRUPLING his money every year and still eating out of cans 6 days a wk, guess the rest of us are just doing it all wrong
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@Solomon960 have you read Early Retirement Extreme?
It's all about using systems theory to decouple things in your life. Or what you would call "Personal Efficiency".
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I see you are buying non-dairy milk. I eat smoothies everyday, and the base ingredient is almond milk or coconut milk. I got the idea from someone on these forums to "create" my own almond and coconut milk for the smoothies - using almond flour and coconut flour. My preferred ratio is a little less than 1/4 cup of flour to 1 cup of water. Not sure what you are buying, but might be worth trying for certain uses.
Have you found a good use for the soaked flour after you've milked it? I wondered about using it in breads but it seems like it'd be sort of bland.
Seconding bloodaxe's suggestion that the OP read ERE.
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Funny, I don't even separate it - in other words, I put it in the blender with water and other smoothie ingredients and drink it all down - so there is no residue - I have tried dried almond flour and coconut flour as substitutes for almond milk as a creamer - that doesn't work very well!
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I see you are buying non-dairy milk. I eat smoothies everyday, and the base ingredient is almond milk or coconut milk. I got the idea from someone on these forums to "create" my own almond and coconut milk for the smoothies - using almond flour and coconut flour. My preferred ratio is a little less than 1/4 cup of flour to 1 cup of water. Not sure what you are buying, but might be worth trying for certain uses.
Thank you for sharing your novel idea, Kl285528! It's been five months since I last purchased non-dairy milk (just no discounts to be had in my metro area). Costco's generic almond milk was on sale very early in the year, so I purchased a case given the looooong shelf life. If not for that, I would be consuming tap water exclusively apart from when I sporadically procure coupons for dairy milk. I'm primarily using the almond milk in my mac & cheese (down to three boxes). Question: Have you attempted making your own almond milk from almond flour + water to be consumed straight-up? If palatable, that could be something I would try in order to have milk always on-hand.
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EliteZags: While I do fairly well with investing, NONE of my profits are derived short-term. The key to success is patience, especially when an equity dilutes its shares with an unexpected offering or is penalized by stockholders because its product does not receive FDA approval...
bloodaxe and eyesonthehorizon: I registered an account on ERE but have not looked into the site in great detail. However, it remains on my agenda...I'm more focused on work initiatives that save taxpayers money at the moment.
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I see you are buying non-dairy milk. I eat smoothies everyday, and the base ingredient is almond milk or coconut milk. I got the idea from someone on these forums to "create" my own almond and coconut milk for the smoothies - using almond flour and coconut flour. My preferred ratio is a little less than 1/4 cup of flour to 1 cup of water. Not sure what you are buying, but might be worth trying for certain uses.
Thank you for sharing your novel idea, Kl285528! It's been five months since I last purchased non-dairy milk (just no discounts to be had in my metro area). Costco's generic almond milk was on sale very early in the year, so I purchased a case given the looooong shelf life. If not for that, I would be consuming tap water exclusively apart from when I sporadically procure coupons for dairy milk. I'm primarily using the almond milk in my mac & cheese (down to three boxes). Question: Have you attempted making your own almond milk from almond flour + water to be consumed straight-up? If palatable, that could be something I would try in order to have milk always on-hand.
Making your own is dead easy. Courtesy of Sir Google: https://detoxinista.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-milk/
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I see you are buying non-dairy milk. I eat smoothies everyday, and the base ingredient is almond milk or coconut milk. I got the idea from someone on these forums to "create" my own almond and coconut milk for the smoothies - using almond flour and coconut flour. My preferred ratio is a little less than 1/4 cup of flour to 1 cup of water. Not sure what you are buying, but might be worth trying for certain uses.
Thank you for sharing your novel idea, Kl285528! It's been five months since I last purchased non-dairy milk (just no discounts to be had in my metro area). Costco's generic almond milk was on sale very early in the year, so I purchased a case given the looooong shelf life. If not for that, I would be consuming tap water exclusively apart from when I sporadically procure coupons for dairy milk. I'm primarily using the almond milk in my mac & cheese (down to three boxes). Question: Have you attempted making your own almond milk from almond flour + water to be consumed straight-up? If palatable, that could be something I would try in order to have milk always on-hand.
Making your own is dead easy. Courtesy of Sir Google: https://detoxinista.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-milk/
Thank you for the link, Dicey. A quick cost analysis reveals that following the 1 cup (8 oz) almonds to 4 cups water recipe, there actually is no cost benefit to making almond milk at home vs. purchasing half gallon containers from the store:
One half-gallon of store-bought almond milk: $1.98
One half gallon of homemade almond milk (doubling the recipe): $4.00 (16 oz of almonds @ $0.25/oz)
*Note: Additional costs of 64 oz of tap water, a strainer (or nut milk bag), and blender are not included
I do agree that the recipe itself is easy with advanced planning; owning a blender goes against my minimalist principles, however. I am surprised by the significant expense to making this homemade - I thought paying $0.03/oz was outlandish for store-brand almond milk, but over $0.06+/oz for homemade is beyond dinner entree territory ($0.05/oz for canned veggies). At $0.025/oz, even homemade peanut milk does not offer any economic benefit (https://thealmondeater.com/how-to-make-peanut-milk/); still, I wonder how bland the flavor would be without adding enhancers like fruit, vanilla, etc...the concept is so simple.
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I see you are buying non-dairy milk. I eat smoothies everyday, and the base ingredient is almond milk or coconut milk. I got the idea from someone on these forums to "create" my own almond and coconut milk for the smoothies - using almond flour and coconut flour. My preferred ratio is a little less than 1/4 cup of flour to 1 cup of water. Not sure what you are buying, but might be worth trying for certain uses.
Thank you for sharing your novel idea, Kl285528! It's been five months since I last purchased non-dairy milk (just no discounts to be had in my metro area). Costco's generic almond milk was on sale very early in the year, so I purchased a case given the looooong shelf life. If not for that, I would be consuming tap water exclusively apart from when I sporadically procure coupons for dairy milk. I'm primarily using the almond milk in my mac & cheese (down to three boxes). Question: Have you attempted making your own almond milk from almond flour + water to be consumed straight-up? If palatable, that could be something I would try in order to have milk always on-hand.
Making your own is dead easy. Courtesy of Sir Google: https://detoxinista.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-milk/
Thank you for the link, Dicey. A quick cost analysis reveals that following the 1 cup (8 oz) almonds to 4 cups water recipe, there actually is no cost benefit to making almond milk at home vs. purchasing half gallon containers from the store:
One half-gallon of store-bought almond milk: $1.98
One half gallon of homemade almond milk (doubling the recipe): $4.00 (16 oz of almonds @ $0.25/oz)
*Note: Additional costs of 64 oz of tap water, a strainer (or nut milk bag), and blender are not included
I do agree that the recipe itself is easy with advanced planning; owning a blender goes against my minimalist principles, however. I am surprised by the significant expense to making this homemade - I thought paying $0.03/oz was outlandish for store-brand almond milk, but over $0.06+/oz for homemade is beyond dinner entree territory ($0.05/oz for canned veggies). At $0.025/oz, even homemade peanut milk does not offer any economic benefit (https://thealmondeater.com/how-to-make-peanut-milk/); still, I wonder how bland the flavor would be without adding enhancers like fruit, vanilla, etc...the concept is so simple.
I'm positive you can figure out a way to make it for less, plus there's the environmental benefit of reusing a single container many times...