Author Topic: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.  (Read 50412 times)

dandarc

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #100 on: January 04, 2018, 10:31:53 AM »
. . .takes trips to Florida every day . . .
I do that too.  Granted, I also live in Florida so it is pretty cheap.

Dicey

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #101 on: January 05, 2018, 11:03:25 PM »
. . .takes trips to Florida every day . . .
I do that too.  Granted, I also live in Florida so it is pretty cheap.
Especially if you walk there.

Purple Economist

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #102 on: January 06, 2018, 10:51:28 PM »
The problem is the word "save" has two different, but legitimate, definitions. It can mean "putting money aside for later" and it can mean "paying less than full price" for a product.

No one would argue that putting money aside is a bad idea. And no one would argue paying less than full price is a bad idea. Both are legitimate and useful concepts. The problem comes when we confuse the two definitions. When you save money at the store, you are paying less than full price, which is a good thing. But it is not equal to putting money aside for later, but nobody said it was. I think most people can tell which meaning is intended, from the context.
I'm looking for X, and willing to spend Y on it.  The store has X for 1.5Y, but it's 1/3 off.  Did I save anything when I buy it?  That's my problem when they say here's how much you saved!!  I might have saved some of it, but I definitely didn't save the amount they are stating.

This is how I think now, the Mustachian way:
I really need X. The range of X products are priced from Y to X. When there is sale, you can usually buy an unfancy X for 1/2 Y. Therefore I am willing to pay 1/2 Y. In the shop, there is an X for 1/2 Y, an several other Xs for much more than Y. The one for 1/2 Y fits well and I buy it. I spend 1/2 Y, buy also save 1/2 Y, because for normal not reduced price is Y.

I have a different way of doing things. If I want something, I first think what it's worth to me and then set aside that amount from the budget.

If I think it's worth £50 But the price is £100, I don't buy it. If it comes on offer for £50, I buy it, but I haven't saved anything - I've paid what I consider a fair price.

If, however, I think it's worth £50 And it turns out they only cost £35 (even if that's "full price") then I've saved £15. I've paid £35 when I would have been happy to pay £50, and get to put £15 into savings.

There is a term for everything you describe.  It is consumer surplus.  Every single individual that purchases items operates this way.  The only difference between you and most people is that you probably have a lower valuation for goods and services than they do.

pegleglolita

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #103 on: January 09, 2018, 03:51:51 PM »
Talking robot ladies named Alexa are just one step on the way to that dystopian super-rad future where everyone has is androids.

I can't wait!  :D


Linea_Norway

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #104 on: January 12, 2018, 07:22:25 AM »
A bargain is not a bargain unless you need it!

Indeed! And many frugal people fall in the trap of forgetting that.

A thing in the same category is keeping everything you ever owned somewhere on your property in case you one time in the future need to use it again (hoarding). Eventually you would need a large house to store all this stuff. And maybe max 5% might ever come in handy again, and that is a very optimistic guess.

Davnasty

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #105 on: January 12, 2018, 01:07:05 PM »
The problem is the word "save" has two different, but legitimate, definitions. It can mean "putting money aside for later" and it can mean "paying less than full price" for a product.

No one would argue that putting money aside is a bad idea. And no one would argue paying less than full price is a bad idea. Both are legitimate and useful concepts. The problem comes when we confuse the two definitions. When you save money at the store, you are paying less than full price, which is a good thing. But it is not equal to putting money aside for later, but nobody said it was. I think most people can tell which meaning is intended, from the context.
I'm looking for X, and willing to spend Y on it.  The store has X for 1.5Y, but it's 1/3 off.  Did I save anything when I buy it?  That's my problem when they say here's how much you saved!!  I might have saved some of it, but I definitely didn't save the amount they are stating.

This is how I think now, the Mustachian way:
I really need X. The range of X products are priced from Y to X. When there is sale, you can usually buy an unfancy X for 1/2 Y. Therefore I am willing to pay 1/2 Y. In the shop, there is an X for 1/2 Y, an several other Xs for much more than Y. The one for 1/2 Y fits well and I buy it. I spend 1/2 Y, buy also save 1/2 Y, because for normal not reduced price is Y.

I have a different way of doing things. If I want something, I first think what it's worth to me and then set aside that amount from the budget.

If I think it's worth £50 But the price is £100, I don't buy it. If it comes on offer for £50, I buy it, but I haven't saved anything - I've paid what I consider a fair price.

If, however, I think it's worth £50 And it turns out they only cost £35 (even if that's "full price") then I've saved £15. I've paid £35 when I would have been happy to pay £50, and get to put £15 into savings.

There is a term for everything you describe.  It is consumer surplus.  Every single individual that purchases items operates this way.  The only difference between you and most people is that you probably have a lower valuation for goods and services than they do.

I disagree, I don't think most people operate this way. It seems to me that people are more likely to put a value on something based on what they've been told it's worth rather than how much they value it. That's what branding is all about. Not to mention "sales" where the price of a product is increased so that it can be marked 30% off which is really the original price.

bacchi

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #106 on: January 12, 2018, 01:23:31 PM »
A helicopter could be practical in certain doomsday scenarios like a zombie apocalypse . . . just sayin.
Just make sure you get the unlimited fuel variety... Or solar panels!

Our old Sea Kings are starting to be decommissioned.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sea-king-sale-1.4377408

As a former flight WO told me, buy two so you can use one for parts.

Purple Economist

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #107 on: January 21, 2018, 03:23:59 PM »
The problem is the word "save" has two different, but legitimate, definitions. It can mean "putting money aside for later" and it can mean "paying less than full price" for a product.

No one would argue that putting money aside is a bad idea. And no one would argue paying less than full price is a bad idea. Both are legitimate and useful concepts. The problem comes when we confuse the two definitions. When you save money at the store, you are paying less than full price, which is a good thing. But it is not equal to putting money aside for later, but nobody said it was. I think most people can tell which meaning is intended, from the context.
I'm looking for X, and willing to spend Y on it.  The store has X for 1.5Y, but it's 1/3 off.  Did I save anything when I buy it?  That's my problem when they say here's how much you saved!!  I might have saved some of it, but I definitely didn't save the amount they are stating.

This is how I think now, the Mustachian way:
I really need X. The range of X products are priced from Y to X. When there is sale, you can usually buy an unfancy X for 1/2 Y. Therefore I am willing to pay 1/2 Y. In the shop, there is an X for 1/2 Y, an several other Xs for much more than Y. The one for 1/2 Y fits well and I buy it. I spend 1/2 Y, buy also save 1/2 Y, because for normal not reduced price is Y.

I have a different way of doing things. If I want something, I first think what it's worth to me and then set aside that amount from the budget.

If I think it's worth £50 But the price is £100, I don't buy it. If it comes on offer for £50, I buy it, but I haven't saved anything - I've paid what I consider a fair price.

If, however, I think it's worth £50 And it turns out they only cost £35 (even if that's "full price") then I've saved £15. I've paid £35 when I would have been happy to pay £50, and get to put £15 into savings.

There is a term for everything you describe.  It is consumer surplus.  Every single individual that purchases items operates this way.  The only difference between you and most people is that you probably have a lower valuation for goods and services than they do.

I disagree, I don't think most people operate this way. It seems to me that people are more likely to put a value on something based on what they've been told it's worth rather than how much they value it. That's what branding is all about. Not to mention "sales" where the price of a product is increased so that it can be marked 30% off which is really the original price.

You can disagree all you want.

Nobody buys anything if the value to them is less than the price.  They only purchase goods and services that are worth as much or more than the price.  If the value is more than the price, the difference between that value and the price is called consumer surplus.  Every single person that buys goods and services operates this way.

Like I said, you may disagree with another person's valuation, you may feel the value it is based on misleading or false information or the value is based on branding.  However, when a person spends his money on a good or service, he has revealed that the value of that good or service is worth at least as much as the purchase price to them.

They can regret the purchase later on or change their valuation later on, but regardless, at the time of purchase, the good or service was worth as much or more than the price.

littlelykke

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #108 on: January 21, 2018, 11:48:15 PM »
The problem is the word "save" has two different, but legitimate, definitions. It can mean "putting money aside for later" and it can mean "paying less than full price" for a product.

No one would argue that putting money aside is a bad idea. And no one would argue paying less than full price is a bad idea. Both are legitimate and useful concepts. The problem comes when we confuse the two definitions. When you save money at the store, you are paying less than full price, which is a good thing. But it is not equal to putting money aside for later, but nobody said it was. I think most people can tell which meaning is intended, from the context.
I'm looking for X, and willing to spend Y on it.  The store has X for 1.5Y, but it's 1/3 off.  Did I save anything when I buy it?  That's my problem when they say here's how much you saved!!  I might have saved some of it, but I definitely didn't save the amount they are stating.

This is how I think now, the Mustachian way:
I really need X. The range of X products are priced from Y to X. When there is sale, you can usually buy an unfancy X for 1/2 Y. Therefore I am willing to pay 1/2 Y. In the shop, there is an X for 1/2 Y, an several other Xs for much more than Y. The one for 1/2 Y fits well and I buy it. I spend 1/2 Y, buy also save 1/2 Y, because for normal not reduced price is Y.

I have a different way of doing things. If I want something, I first think what it's worth to me and then set aside that amount from the budget.

If I think it's worth £50 But the price is £100, I don't buy it. If it comes on offer for £50, I buy it, but I haven't saved anything - I've paid what I consider a fair price.

If, however, I think it's worth £50 And it turns out they only cost £35 (even if that's "full price") then I've saved £15. I've paid £35 when I would have been happy to pay £50, and get to put £15 into savings.

There is a term for everything you describe.  It is consumer surplus.  Every single individual that purchases items operates this way.  The only difference between you and most people is that you probably have a lower valuation for goods and services than they do.

I disagree, I don't think most people operate this way. It seems to me that people are more likely to put a value on something based on what they've been told it's worth rather than how much they value it. That's what branding is all about. Not to mention "sales" where the price of a product is increased so that it can be marked 30% off which is really the original price.

You can disagree all you want.

Nobody buys anything if the value to them is less than the price.  They only purchase goods and services that are worth as much or more than the price.  If the value is more than the price, the difference between that value and the price is called consumer surplus.  Every single person that buys goods and services operates this way.

Like I said, you may disagree with another person's valuation, you may feel the value it is based on misleading or false information or the value is based on branding.  However, when a person spends his money on a good or service, he has revealed that the value of that good or service is worth at least as much as the purchase price to them.

They can regret the purchase later on or change their valuation later on, but regardless, at the time of purchase, the good or service was worth as much or more than the price.

I think you are both right. Yes, we buy something when we think it is good value for the money we pay for it.
But, I remember reading a research (can't find it back though), where people would buy overpriced jewelry rather than low-cost & for sale jewelry. The jewelry was the same, the shop was the same. They just changed the price tags & to their astonishment, people bought the much more expensive jewelry. Even though it wasn't worth that at all. The more expensive price made people believe that this was a good quality & a good bang-for-buck. So they bought it much more quickly than the cheaper jewelry. This strokes much better with Dabnasty's point of view.

I believe it was Dan Ariely who wrote about this, but I'm not sure. He has however done a lot of research on this topic. Interesting to read for sure :)

Linea_Norway

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #109 on: January 22, 2018, 12:57:41 AM »
<...>

I think you are both right. Yes, we buy something when we think it is good value for the money we pay for it.
But, I remember reading a research (can't find it back though), where people would buy overpriced jewelry rather than low-cost & for sale jewelry. The jewelry was the same, the shop was the same. They just changed the price tags & to their astonishment, people bought the much more expensive jewelry. Even though it wasn't worth that at all. The more expensive price made people believe that this was a good quality & a good bang-for-buck. So they bought it much more quickly than the cheaper jewelry. This strokes much better with Dabnasty's point of view.

I believe it was Dan Ariely who wrote about this, but I'm not sure. He has however done a lot of research on this topic. Interesting to read for sure :)

My DH's uncle new this. He used to own a cosmetics shop. Once he got hold of a load of cheap lipstick that he tried to sell cheap. None of them were bought. Then he changed the sign to "from <very expensive> to half price" and in no time all the cheap lipsticks were sold. Sometimes people liked to be fooled, I think. Everybody wants to buy good quality stuff for half price.

Davnasty

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #110 on: January 22, 2018, 08:33:41 AM »

I have a different way of doing things. If I want something, I first think what it's worth to me and then set aside that amount from the budget.

If I think it's worth £50 But the price is £100, I don't buy it. If it comes on offer for £50, I buy it, but I haven't saved anything - I've paid what I consider a fair price.

If, however, I think it's worth £50 And it turns out they only cost £35 (even if that's "full price") then I've saved £15. I've paid £35 when I would have been happy to pay £50, and get to put £15 into savings.

There is a term for everything you describe.  It is consumer surplus.  Every single individual that purchases items operates this way.  The only difference between you and most people is that you probably have a lower valuation for goods and services than they do.

I disagree, I don't think most people operate this way. It seems to me that people are more likely to put a value on something based on what they've been told it's worth rather than how much they value it. That's what branding is all about. Not to mention "sales" where the price of a product is increased so that it can be marked 30% off which is really the original price.

You can disagree all you want.

Nobody buys anything if the value to them is less than the price.  They only purchase goods and services that are worth as much or more than the price.  If the value is more than the price, the difference between that value and the price is called consumer surplus.  Every single person that buys goods and services operates this way.

Like I said, you may disagree with another person's valuation, you may feel the value it is based on misleading or false information or the value is based on branding.  However, when a person spends his money on a good or service, he has revealed that the value of that good or service is worth at least as much as the purchase price to them.

They can regret the purchase later on or change their valuation later on, but regardless, at the time of purchase, the good or service was worth as much or more than the price.

I think you are both right. Yes, we buy something when we think it is good value for the money we pay for it.
But, I remember reading a research (can't find it back though), where people would buy overpriced jewelry rather than low-cost & for sale jewelry. The jewelry was the same, the shop was the same. They just changed the price tags & to their astonishment, people bought the much more expensive jewelry. Even though it wasn't worth that at all. The more expensive price made people believe that this was a good quality & a good bang-for-buck. So they bought it much more quickly than the cheaper jewelry. This strokes much better with Dabnasty's point of view.

I believe it was Dan Ariely who wrote about this, but I'm not sure. He has however done a lot of research on this topic. Interesting to read for sure :)
Ya, I guess consumer surplus does technically describe this scenario but I was thinking that this goes without saying unless there is some external force making people buy things?

My disagreement was referring to the idea that consumers operate the same way as elementz_m. I took their description to mean they were determining a value of an item based on the impact it will have on their life, whereas many people determine a value based on external inputs about what a thing is inherently worth. So while it is true, no one pays a higher price than the monetary value they have determined, people are inherently bad at translating real world value to monetary value. I think there are multiple definitions of "value".

ketchup

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #111 on: January 22, 2018, 09:39:21 AM »
<...>

I think you are both right. Yes, we buy something when we think it is good value for the money we pay for it.
But, I remember reading a research (can't find it back though), where people would buy overpriced jewelry rather than low-cost & for sale jewelry. The jewelry was the same, the shop was the same. They just changed the price tags & to their astonishment, people bought the much more expensive jewelry. Even though it wasn't worth that at all. The more expensive price made people believe that this was a good quality & a good bang-for-buck. So they bought it much more quickly than the cheaper jewelry. This strokes much better with Dabnasty's point of view.

I believe it was Dan Ariely who wrote about this, but I'm not sure. He has however done a lot of research on this topic. Interesting to read for sure :)

My DH's uncle new this. He used to own a cosmetics shop. Once he got hold of a load of cheap lipstick that he tried to sell cheap. None of them were bought. Then he changed the sign to "from <very expensive> to half price" and in no time all the cheap lipsticks were sold. Sometimes people liked to be fooled, I think. Everybody wants to buy good quality stuff for half price.
Clothes shopping in general is like this (at least here in the US).  It's all a fucking game of discounts/sales/coupons/deals/exceptions/bullshit.  And people like it that way.  JCPenny tried to do reasonable everyday pricing with no bullshit circa 2012 and their sales fell as a result because people would rather feel like they're getting a deal.

I was dragged along clothes shopping with my girlfriend a couple weeks ago.  She bought a pair of "$100" jeans and "$70" jeans.  It was buy-one-get-one-50%-off, plus some mysterious other $25 discount for spending a certain amount, and then some other discount at the register for a total of $76 including tax.  And this wasn't some special fancy combo dance, it was business as usual according to the cashier.  My head just about exploded.  How the hell does anyone shop without knowing the real price of anything?

Of course, I buy my own clothes exclusively at thrift stores except for shoes/socks/underwear, so I guess I'm just out of touch with "reality."

elementz_m

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #112 on: January 22, 2018, 10:11:32 AM »

I have a different way of doing things. If I want something, I first think what it's worth to me and then set aside that amount from the budget.

If I think it's worth £50 But the price is £100, I don't buy it. If it comes on offer for £50, I buy it, but I haven't saved anything - I've paid what I consider a fair price.

If, however, I think it's worth £50 And it turns out they only cost £35 (even if that's "full price") then I've saved £15. I've paid £35 when I would have been happy to pay £50, and get to put £15 into savings.

There is a term for everything you describe.  It is consumer surplus.  Every single individual that purchases items operates this way.  The only difference between you and most people is that you probably have a lower valuation for goods and services than they do.

I disagree, I don't think most people operate this way. It seems to me that people are more likely to put a value on something based on what they've been told it's worth rather than how much they value it. That's what branding is all about. Not to mention "sales" where the price of a product is increased so that it can be marked 30% off which is really the original price.

You can disagree all you want.

Nobody buys anything if the value to them is less than the price.  They only purchase goods and services that are worth as much or more than the price.  If the value is more than the price, the difference between that value and the price is called consumer surplus.  Every single person that buys goods and services operates this way.

Like I said, you may disagree with another person's valuation, you may feel the value it is based on misleading or false information or the value is based on branding.  However, when a person spends his money on a good or service, he has revealed that the value of that good or service is worth at least as much as the purchase price to them.

They can regret the purchase later on or change their valuation later on, but regardless, at the time of purchase, the good or service was worth as much or more than the price.

I think you are both right. Yes, we buy something when we think it is good value for the money we pay for it.
But, I remember reading a research (can't find it back though), where people would buy overpriced jewelry rather than low-cost & for sale jewelry. The jewelry was the same, the shop was the same. They just changed the price tags & to their astonishment, people bought the much more expensive jewelry. Even though it wasn't worth that at all. The more expensive price made people believe that this was a good quality & a good bang-for-buck. So they bought it much more quickly than the cheaper jewelry. This strokes much better with Dabnasty's point of view.

I believe it was Dan Ariely who wrote about this, but I'm not sure. He has however done a lot of research on this topic. Interesting to read for sure :)
Ya, I guess consumer surplus does technically describe this scenario but I was thinking that this goes without saying unless there is some external force making people buy things?

My disagreement was referring to the idea that consumers operate the same way as elementz_m. I took their description to mean they were determining a value of an item based on the impact it will have on their life, whereas many people determine a value based on external inputs about what a thing is inherently worth. So while it is true, no one pays a higher price than the monetary value they have determined, people are inherently bad at translating real world value to monetary value. I think there are multiple definitions of "value".

Yes, this is what I was trying to get at. It is an example of consumer surplus, but so is every transaction in the history of the Universe.

What I was trying to say is that companies spend an awful lot of time and effort trying to part me from my cash. I know that I'm not as smart as the combined might of every psychologist, economist and marketing exec in history. So, to try and dampen their effect somewhat, I sit in a dark room and try to decide the utility of an item to myself before I look at real-world prices.

This removes the effect of flash packaging and artificial discounts, which are two very common ways they try to make you spend more. I'm definitely still sucked in by their other tricks, but I don't feel as duped or helpless as I otherwise might.

MyHilariousUserName

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #113 on: January 22, 2018, 04:06:54 PM »
When I'm riding my cargo bike with my kids, people stop me to ask questions about it. Among others, the most common question is "how much was it?" "$2400." "That's so expensive! I could never afford that!" I don't say anything, but I see the car they own and think how much more their car costs and gas costs and maintenance costs and depreciation and insurance and wonder how they can say my bike is too expensive with a straight face. You're driving last years model Escalade, you can afford a bike.

I have a Craighton Oma step through Achielle with one kids seat and can take some groceries on it. So yeah, my bikes are expensive, but they're my workhorse/main form of transportation. I'm not big into cycling or bikes, but I have a budget and do what makes sense for my budget. I just potter along at my own speed, kids in tow a lot of the time. My bikes don't have to be fast, but I like them pretty and strong.

I've never had a shopping habit. Usually my version of shopping is doing a lot of research online to find what I want. Then I use websites like keep.com and set up an alert for when it gets to the price I'm willing to pay. When the price I want is available, I get an email to alert me and I buy it.

Davnasty

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #114 on: January 23, 2018, 06:29:53 AM »
Clothes shopping in general is like this (at least here in the US).  It's all a fucking game of discounts/sales/coupons/deals/exceptions/bullshit.  And people like it that way.  JCPenny tried to do reasonable everyday pricing with no bullshit circa 2012 and their sales fell as a result because people would rather feel like they're getting a deal.

I was dragged along clothes shopping with my girlfriend a couple weeks ago.  She bought a pair of "$100" jeans and "$70" jeans.  It was buy-one-get-one-50%-off, plus some mysterious other $25 discount for spending a certain amount, and then some other discount at the register for a total of $76 including tax.  And this wasn't some special fancy combo dance, it was business as usual according to the cashier.  My head just about exploded.  How the hell does anyone shop without knowing the real price of anything?

Of course, I buy my own clothes exclusively at thrift stores except for shoes/socks/underwear, so I guess I'm just out of touch with "reality."
Anyone ever been to Peebles? Holy shit. Everything is on sale but most of it is still overpriced so then you need coupons which only work in certain combinations of things with prices that don't end in 8. I had a gift card to spend but didn't really need anything but socks and they were buy one get one half off...until you look a little closer. Despite signs for the sale on every rack there was a list of excluded brands in fine print which included every brand except for the generic.

icbatbh

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #115 on: January 23, 2018, 07:17:08 AM »
My DH's uncle new this. He used to own a cosmetics shop. Once he got hold of a load of cheap lipstick that he tried to sell cheap. None of them were bought. Then he changed the sign to "from <very expensive> to half price" and in no time all the cheap lipsticks were sold. Sometimes people liked to be fooled, I think. Everybody wants to buy good quality stuff for half price.

This reminds me of a story I read somewhere (perhaps even on this forum), which made me laugh. A guy relaid his patio and had lots of old slabs that he wanted rid of. It would have cost money for someone to collect them and dispose of them so he stacked them neatly in his front garden and put up a sign saying "Free slabs - please take".  A couple of weeks went by and nobody took any. So he put up another sign saying "Slabs - £1 each" and before he knew it someone had come along and stolen the lot.

jinga nation

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #116 on: January 23, 2018, 12:16:26 PM »
My DH's uncle new this. He used to own a cosmetics shop. Once he got hold of a load of cheap lipstick that he tried to sell cheap. None of them were bought. Then he changed the sign to "from <very expensive> to half price" and in no time all the cheap lipsticks were sold. Sometimes people liked to be fooled, I think. Everybody wants to buy good quality stuff for half price.

This reminds me of a story I read somewhere (perhaps even on this forum), which made me laugh. A guy relaid his patio and had lots of old slabs that he wanted rid of. It would have cost money for someone to collect them and dispose of them so he stacked them neatly in his front garden and put up a sign saying "Free slabs - please take".  A couple of weeks went by and nobody took any. So he put up another sign saying "Slabs - £1 each" and before he knew it someone had come along and stolen the lot.
Maybe it's where you are. I have placed a old garage cabinets (which used to be the original cabinets) and a rusted water heater at the curb, placed an ad on Craigslist Free Stuff with photo and street name only. The stuff's gone in under 2 hours. Got rid of old car tires too, advertised as drift-ready for Honda Civic. The guy couldn't believe it was free, so I offered to charge him 10 bucks each and free loading in his truck. In the end I was paid a handsome $20. Beer Money.

Linea_Norway

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #117 on: January 25, 2018, 12:59:46 AM »
My DH's uncle new this. He used to own a cosmetics shop. Once he got hold of a load of cheap lipstick that he tried to sell cheap. None of them were bought. Then he changed the sign to "from <very expensive> to half price" and in no time all the cheap lipsticks were sold. Sometimes people liked to be fooled, I think. Everybody wants to buy good quality stuff for half price.

This reminds me of a story I read somewhere (perhaps even on this forum), which made me laugh. A guy relaid his patio and had lots of old slabs that he wanted rid of. It would have cost money for someone to collect them and dispose of them so he stacked them neatly in his front garden and put up a sign saying "Free slabs - please take".  A couple of weeks went by and nobody took any. So he put up another sign saying "Slabs - £1 each" and before he knew it someone had come along and stolen the lot.

I also had a large pile of old slabs, very heavy and a lot of hassle to remove. My boss at work had told me it was easy to get rid of when giving away for free. I advertised for free and the next morning it was collected. I didn't even need to be home.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #118 on: January 26, 2018, 01:16:25 AM »
My DH's uncle new this. He used to own a cosmetics shop. Once he got hold of a load of cheap lipstick that he tried to sell cheap. None of them were bought. Then he changed the sign to "from <very expensive> to half price" and in no time all the cheap lipsticks were sold. Sometimes people liked to be fooled, I think. Everybody wants to buy good quality stuff for half price.

This reminds me of a story I read somewhere (perhaps even on this forum), which made me laugh. A guy relaid his patio and had lots of old slabs that he wanted rid of. It would have cost money for someone to collect them and dispose of them so he stacked them neatly in his front garden and put up a sign saying "Free slabs - please take".  A couple of weeks went by and nobody took any. So he put up another sign saying "Slabs - £1 each" and before he knew it someone had come along and stolen the lot.
This reminds me of I guy I used to date. He bought old buildings in Europe, shipped the timber to the US and upcycled it into custom furniture and kitchens. He once turned a pulpit from an old church into a cool bar. It didn't sell for the longest time. Finally, he raised the price, titled it "Saints to Sinners", and promptly sold it for the new, higher price.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #119 on: January 26, 2018, 09:22:50 AM »
My DH's uncle new this. He used to own a cosmetics shop. Once he got hold of a load of cheap lipstick that he tried to sell cheap. None of them were bought. Then he changed the sign to "from <very expensive> to half price" and in no time all the cheap lipsticks were sold. Sometimes people liked to be fooled, I think. Everybody wants to buy good quality stuff for half price.

Sell the sizzle not the steak... sales 101... and

ABC--ALWAYS BE CLOSING
This reminds me of a story I read somewhere (perhaps even on this forum), which made me laugh. A guy relaid his patio and had lots of old slabs that he wanted rid of. It would have cost money for someone to collect them and dispose of them so he stacked them neatly in his front garden and put up a sign saying "Free slabs - please take".  A couple of weeks went by and nobody took any. So he put up another sign saying "Slabs - £1 each" and before he knew it someone had come along and stolen the lot.
This reminds me of I guy I used to date. He bought old buildings in Europe, shipped the timber to the US and upcycled it into custom furniture and kitchens. He once turned a pulpit from an old church into a cool bar. It didn't sell for the longest time. Finally, he raised the price, titled it "Saints to Sinners", and promptly sold it for the new, higher price.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #120 on: January 30, 2018, 02:33:05 PM »
My DH's uncle new this. He used to own a cosmetics shop. Once he got hold of a load of cheap lipstick that he tried to sell cheap. None of them were bought. Then he changed the sign to "from <very expensive> to half price" and in no time all the cheap lipsticks were sold. Sometimes people liked to be fooled, I think. Everybody wants to buy good quality stuff for half price.

This reminds me of a story I read somewhere (perhaps even on this forum), which made me laugh. A guy relaid his patio and had lots of old slabs that he wanted rid of. It would have cost money for someone to collect them and dispose of them so he stacked them neatly in his front garden and put up a sign saying "Free slabs - please take".  A couple of weeks went by and nobody took any. So he put up another sign saying "Slabs - £1 each" and before he knew it someone had come along and stolen the lot.

I also had a large pile of old slabs, very heavy and a lot of hassle to remove. My boss at work had told me it was easy to get rid of when giving away for free. I advertised for free and the next morning it was collected. I didn't even need to be home.

When we do this, I always tell my wife that this is a great example of the "invisible hand" coming and removing things from our life.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #121 on: January 31, 2018, 09:12:12 AM »
As long as the invisible hand doesn't get too carried away and run off with things you intended to keep... ;)

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #122 on: February 20, 2018, 09:33:47 PM »
L......

But on the flip side, I guess the guy that's proud of putting together a book-shelf that came in a box is still better than the person who would pay someone else to do it.  So this might all be a point of view thing.  I mean, he actually did touch a screw-driver (with his own hands), so that must count for something.
.....

oh, I had a good chuckle over that. Snark is strong with you

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #123 on: March 10, 2018, 11:05:03 AM »
If you're describing $1,000,000 in student loans and a wife in residency...

Wife could have a (doctor) job making $600,000 within 24 months. Perhaps they are accustomed to a lifestyle of $150,000, and they can clear that debt in four years.

How does one become accustomed to a $150,000/yr lifestyle while still in school/residency?
The banks loves, loves, loves, to lend med students money.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #124 on: March 11, 2018, 06:59:35 AM »
"I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.

I think this applied to my earlier pre-Mustachian self (as DH as well). I did not do mindless spending in large quantities, but we have spent quite a lot of money on fancy stuff where we could have prioritized differently.

Yeah, also it could be a matter of semantics. What people on this board(very small minority of the population) consider 'frugal' isn't the same as the general public. So people who consider themselves frugal may well know what they're doing even if they don't maximize every dollar, although some of these stories are fantastic.

I probably fall into this category. I've called myself frugal, a lot of times in defense as my wife is calling me cheap for not wanting to spend on something. But we do spend money unnecessarily on plenty of things and people here would tear me to shreds if they knew the details. We also save a lot(put 20% down on our house purchase, max 401ks, backdoor Roth, 529 plan, etc). So maybe I should stop saying I'm frugal and say 'budget conscious' going forward.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #125 on: March 12, 2018, 08:50:17 AM »
Our high schooler is taking a personal finance course. Tells us that their teacher is a coupon machine (!) who spends alot of their time searching for deals/clipping/organizing coupons.

Teacher told the class that they "ONLY" spend twice what we do on groceries and we don't even try hard. Made 'teach look spendy.

Judging by some folks' posts here there is still alot of efficiency we could pursue in our budget.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2018, 08:15:54 AM by Just Joe »

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #126 on: March 13, 2018, 07:09:07 AM »
Giving things away on Craigslist is great. We have enough people in our house that a toaster oven doesn’t make sense because we just use the main oven, and our toaster wasn’t going very fast, so we gave it to somebody who felt like she needed to convince us she really needed it. Lady, I’m glad if we’re helping, but if you want to go through the effort of polishing it up and keeping it on CL for a month to get $10 I’m ok with that too. We just want the counter space back.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #127 on: March 13, 2018, 04:02:13 PM »
"I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.

I think this applied to my earlier pre-Mustachian self (as DH as well). I did not do mindless spending in large quantities, but we have spent quite a lot of money on fancy stuff where we could have prioritized differently.

Yeah, also it could be a matter of semantics. What people on this board(very small minority of the population) consider 'frugal' isn't the same as the general public. So people who consider themselves frugal may well know what they're doing even if they don't maximize every dollar, although some of these stories are fantastic.

I probably fall into this category. I've called myself frugal, a lot of times in defense as my wife is calling me cheap for not wanting to spend on something. But we do spend money unnecessarily on plenty of things and people here would tear me to shreds if they knew the details. We also save a lot(put 20% down on our house purchase, max 401ks, backdoor Roth, 529 plan, etc). So maybe I should stop saying I'm frugal and say 'budget conscious' going forward.
I find when people need to toss out they max out savings accounts, its a sign they may not be frugal. Tossing out a SR to justify spending is another flag. You definitely sound budget concious, possibly frugal in some areas I'll concede.

Frugality is independant of what you earn, frugality is based on expenditures only. You may very well be doing amazing at saving, but that doesn't mean you are frugal by extension. A billionaire saving 90% isn't frugal, a pauper saving 1% can be frugal

ChrisHa

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #128 on: March 13, 2018, 06:33:43 PM »
I kept my mouth shut after mentioning that it was possible to make your own yogurt.

I looked into doing that, but for me the cost of materials and time didn't really seem to beat the convenience of buying the individual cups at Aldi... so we still buy the cups. Did I miss something?

I've also found the same to be true for pizza. By the time I factored in buying everything and taking the time to make it, I should have just bought a frozen pizza ready to go. Now I know making it myself I could have it really customized, but we're happy with the quality the frozen pizza gives too.

I checked the yogurt prices.   It only really matters if you eat a lot.   If you only eat $10 of yogurt a month, does it really matter?

We eat a lot of yogurt.   Making my own versus buying:
a)  If we can eat 2 gallons of yogurt in under 20 days, reliably, the bulk 2 gallon tub is about the same cost as making it myself.   BUT, this tub gets moldy faster than the smaller quart size tubs that can last 10 weeks in my fridge.  (different brand / handling).   I have thrown out too much yogurt attempting the bulk purchase, so I have stopped.

b)  The 3/4 quart tubs (Activia is actually now only 3/5 of a quart) -- cost 3x to 6x more than making myself, depending on the sales available.

c)  Single serve can also cost 3x to 8x more...   depending on sales.   Greek style is closer to 4x to 6x more than homemade version.

Assuming we can eat 2 gallons of yogurt in a month, then option b) would save me $25 to $45 per month.*
*note, I add a trace of maple syrup or homemade jam or plain, so sweetener is not costed here.

I milk cows for a friend of mine once a week and bring home 2-6 gallons of raw Jersey milk as payment. We make most of our own dairy products.
But you don't need a lot of expensive equipment for yoghurt. A pot on the stove, cooking thermometer and a thermos of some sort. The culture you can get from store bought stuff, or order it online.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #129 on: March 19, 2018, 08:46:07 AM »
I was talking to a friend from work who just bought a house was complaining that he really needed to get a new truck. Luckily his wife has applied for a job where she would be making $3-4 an hour more than her current rate he mentioned and how nice it would be to not ‘pinch pennies’. I told him to check out a budgeting program that I use and he started going on about how frugal they are and they don’t need a budget, etc. I laughed and said “Friend, you just bought a half a million dollar house and are talking about buying a truck next week. You aren’t exactly a paragon of frugality.”

He laughed, commented something about my using big words, and swiftly walked away.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #130 on: March 19, 2018, 09:24:03 AM »
Was visiting another city. Stopped at an interesting outdoor/sports store. Big sale. Parking lot was crowded. Long line of people inside waiting to pay.

DW and I walked around and decided the sales prices after a steep discount was similar to the regular prices of the mom 'n pop store in our town. No sale required. Our local store has to be competitive to stay in business. 

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #131 on: March 20, 2018, 08:20:41 AM »
I was talking to a friend from work who just bought a house was complaining that he really needed to get a new truck. Luckily his wife has applied for a job where she would be making $3-4 an hour more than her current rate he mentioned and how nice it would be to not ‘pinch pennies’. I told him to check out a budgeting program that I use and he started going on about how frugal they are and they don’t need a budget, etc. I laughed and said “Friend, you just bought a half a million dollar house and are talking about buying a truck next week. You aren’t exactly a paragon of frugality.”

He laughed, commented something about my using big words, and swiftly walked away.

Update - First thing this morning he found me and informed me that he did indeed go out and buy a truck directly after work yesterday. He was very pleased with himself for only spending 21k (plus taxes and licensing) instead of more. He traded the jeep that he just bought less than six months ago after he traded his previous truck in.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #132 on: March 20, 2018, 11:22:58 AM »
^^Oh, shit.^^

Just for fun, since he's done all these rollovers, could you please ask him how much he actually owes on this vehicle, not what he "paid" for it? Take your time, I want to go make some popcorn first.

Just Joe

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #133 on: March 20, 2018, 02:03:43 PM »
What are the predicted summer gasoline prices for 2018? Will this lead to much teeth gnashing around our work places?

VaCPA

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #134 on: March 30, 2018, 02:27:07 PM »
"I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.

I think this applied to my earlier pre-Mustachian self (as DH as well). I did not do mindless spending in large quantities, but we have spent quite a lot of money on fancy stuff where we could have prioritized differently.

Yeah, also it could be a matter of semantics. What people on this board(very small minority of the population) consider 'frugal' isn't the same as the general public. So people who consider themselves frugal may well know what they're doing even if they don't maximize every dollar, although some of these stories are fantastic.

I probably fall into this category. I've called myself frugal, a lot of times in defense as my wife is calling me cheap for not wanting to spend on something. But we do spend money unnecessarily on plenty of things and people here would tear me to shreds if they knew the details. We also save a lot(put 20% down on our house purchase, max 401ks, backdoor Roth, 529 plan, etc). So maybe I should stop saying I'm frugal and say 'budget conscious' going forward.
I find when people need to toss out they max out savings accounts, its a sign they may not be frugal. Tossing out a SR to justify spending is another flag. You definitely sound budget concious, possibly frugal in some areas I'll concede.

Frugality is independant of what you earn, frugality is based on expenditures only. You may very well be doing amazing at saving, but that doesn't mean you are frugal by extension. A billionaire saving 90% isn't frugal, a pauper saving 1% can be frugal

I don't think frugality is an all or nothing thing. Someone can be frugal in certain areas of their life in order to be able to splurge in other areas that truly bring them happiness. So you see someone who claimed to be frugal spending alot on something and snicker. Well, maybe the reason they can splurge is they were frugal earlier when you weren't around.

I agree SR is independent of frugality/spending habits but if someone is saving at a really high rate it displays they are in control of their spending. It is possible they aren't frugal at all if they have an extremely high income but more than likely they are, even if it isn't in every area of their life.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #135 on: April 02, 2018, 11:35:44 AM »
^^Oh, shit.^^

Just for fun, since he's done all these rollovers, could you please ask him how much he actually owes on this vehicle, not what he "paid" for it? Take your time, I want to go make some popcorn first.

He's downsized every time and started with a fully paid off 70k truck (funded by daddy and 401k). He needed the money to put down on the half a million dollar house that he just bought because he could only take out so much from his 401k. So he traded his truck in and got a loan on the jeep. I'm not sure how much they gave him for the truck but I'm sure it was nowhere near the purchase price.

After that he realized that he really still wanted a truck because he has five acres now. Its his daily driver for his 40 mile one way commute.

sigh.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #136 on: April 02, 2018, 03:19:14 PM »
I have to out myself, that I had an unmustachian weekend. Saturday I went to Costco, and after my $60 cash back credit statement, spent $180 on stuff that was just supposed to be for 2 meals (Sunday brunch and Easter dinner). I walked out with way too much stuff and also impulse items. At dinner we opened a bottle of red wine (to go with the lamb chops) and then a bottle of sparkling wine to go with dessert. Now I have two half drunk open bottles of wine in my house that will probably go stale before I can finish them. I bought a dessert at Costco but then a friend bought dessert as well... The dinner was delicious but it could have been just as delicious for much less expenditure. 

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #137 on: April 03, 2018, 09:41:05 AM »
Clothes shopping in general is like this (at least here in the US).  It's all a fucking game of discounts/sales/coupons/deals/exceptions/bullshit.  And people like it that way.  JCPenny tried to do reasonable everyday pricing with no bullshit circa 2012 and their sales fell as a result because people would rather feel like they're getting a deal.

I was dragged along clothes shopping with my girlfriend a couple weeks ago.  She bought a pair of "$100" jeans and "$70" jeans.  It was buy-one-get-one-50%-off, plus some mysterious other $25 discount for spending a certain amount, and then some other discount at the register for a total of $76 including tax.  And this wasn't some special fancy combo dance, it was business as usual according to the cashier.  My head just about exploded.  How the hell does anyone shop without knowing the real price of anything?

Of course, I buy my own clothes exclusively at thrift stores except for shoes/socks/underwear, so I guess I'm just out of touch with "reality."
Anyone ever been to Peebles? Holy shit. Everything is on sale but most of it is still overpriced so then you need coupons which only work in certain combinations of things with prices that don't end in 8. I had a gift card to spend but didn't really need anything but socks and they were buy one get one half off...until you look a little closer. Despite signs for the sale on every rack there was a list of excluded brands in fine print which included every brand except for the generic.

HA! I worked for Peebles for 10 years part-time.  The parent company, Stage Stores, Inc., has several different brands of stores.  I just laughed at your post.  We, (workers) even get confused by some of the coupons.  "Good" brand names are almost always excluded from coupons.  We are told it's because the vendor requires it.  I don't know if that's true or not, but we at least get to place the blame outside of the store when people get mad the coupon won't work on their Nike socks or whatever.  But if your store has signs on every rack, they're putting their signs up wrong.  The store I was in was very particular that the signs were only on racks that were actually on sale.  Just had to share.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #138 on: April 03, 2018, 11:29:57 AM »
Clothes shopping in general is like this (at least here in the US).  It's all a fucking game of discounts/sales/coupons/deals/exceptions/bullshit.  And people like it that way.  JCPenny tried to do reasonable everyday pricing with no bullshit circa 2012 and their sales fell as a result because people would rather feel like they're getting a deal.

I was dragged along clothes shopping with my girlfriend a couple weeks ago.  She bought a pair of "$100" jeans and "$70" jeans.  It was buy-one-get-one-50%-off, plus some mysterious other $25 discount for spending a certain amount, and then some other discount at the register for a total of $76 including tax.  And this wasn't some special fancy combo dance, it was business as usual according to the cashier.  My head just about exploded.  How the hell does anyone shop without knowing the real price of anything?

Of course, I buy my own clothes exclusively at thrift stores except for shoes/socks/underwear, so I guess I'm just out of touch with "reality."
Anyone ever been to Peebles? Holy shit. Everything is on sale but most of it is still overpriced so then you need coupons which only work in certain combinations of things with prices that don't end in 8. I had a gift card to spend but didn't really need anything but socks and they were buy one get one half off...until you look a little closer. Despite signs for the sale on every rack there was a list of excluded brands in fine print which included every brand except for the generic.

HA! I worked for Peebles for 10 years part-time.  The parent company, Stage Stores, Inc., has several different brands of stores.  I just laughed at your post.  We, (workers) even get confused by some of the coupons.  "Good" brand names are almost always excluded from coupons.  We are told it's because the vendor requires it.  I don't know if that's true or not, but we at least get to place the blame outside of the store when people get mad the coupon won't work on their Nike socks or whatever.  But if your store has signs on every rack, they're putting their signs up wrong.  The store I was in was very particular that the signs were only on racks that were actually on sale.  Just had to share.
Last time I was at Belks, they had a sale on everything from a particular brand.  Every rack had a sign saying the sale, but only a few of the racks actually had that brand.  I guess they thought while I was looking for that brand, I might find something else I liked or something.  It was not fun.  I'd never seen them do that before, might be a new person or something.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #139 on: April 11, 2018, 08:13:47 AM »
I have to out myself, that I had an unmustachian weekend. Saturday I went to Costco, and after my $60 cash back credit statement, spent $180 on stuff that was just supposed to be for 2 meals (Sunday brunch and Easter dinner). I walked out with way too much stuff and also impulse items. At dinner we opened a bottle of red wine (to go with the lamb chops) and then a bottle of sparkling wine to go with dessert. Now I have two half drunk open bottles of wine in my house that will probably go stale before I can finish them. I bought a dessert at Costco but then a friend bought dessert as well... The dinner was delicious but it could have been just as delicious for much less expenditure.

If you had finished the wine you could have had fully drunk people and zero half drunk bottles...  :)  Solving one problem and potentially creating another.

OtherJen

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #140 on: April 11, 2018, 02:50:13 PM »
I have to out myself, that I had an unmustachian weekend. Saturday I went to Costco, and after my $60 cash back credit statement, spent $180 on stuff that was just supposed to be for 2 meals (Sunday brunch and Easter dinner). I walked out with way too much stuff and also impulse items. At dinner we opened a bottle of red wine (to go with the lamb chops) and then a bottle of sparkling wine to go with dessert. Now I have two half drunk open bottles of wine in my house that will probably go stale before I can finish them. I bought a dessert at Costco but then a friend bought dessert as well... The dinner was delicious but it could have been just as delicious for much less expenditure.

Oh, but those Costco lamb chops are SO good. We buy them once in a while for a treat (e.g. Easter dinner).

I never go to Costco while hungry or without a strict list. Too much temptation to buy wine and fancy cheese.

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #141 on: April 11, 2018, 03:18:11 PM »
I have to out myself, that I had an unmustachian weekend. Saturday I went to Costco, and after my $60 cash back credit statement, spent $180 on stuff that was just supposed to be for 2 meals (Sunday brunch and Easter dinner). I walked out with way too much stuff and also impulse items. At dinner we opened a bottle of red wine (to go with the lamb chops) and then a bottle of sparkling wine to go with dessert. Now I have two half drunk open bottles of wine in my house that will probably go stale before I can finish them. I bought a dessert at Costco but then a friend bought dessert as well... The dinner was delicious but it could have been just as delicious for much less expenditure.

Freeze the wine in ice cube trays. Then empty the wine cubes into a gallon bag. It will be a little messy, but you can then use the wine ice cubes to cook with (really good for deglazing pans).

Dicey

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #142 on: April 12, 2018, 07:45:44 AM »
I have to out myself, that I had an unmustachian weekend. Saturday I went to Costco, and after my $60 cash back credit statement, spent $180 on stuff that was just supposed to be for 2 meals (Sunday brunch and Easter dinner). I walked out with way too much stuff and also impulse items. At dinner we opened a bottle of red wine (to go with the lamb chops) and then a bottle of sparkling wine to go with dessert. Now I have two half drunk open bottles of wine in my house that will probably go stale before I can finish them. I bought a dessert at Costco but then a friend bought dessert as well... The dinner was delicious but it could have been just as delicious for much less expenditure.

Freeze the wine in ice cube trays. Then empty the wine cubes into a gallon bag. It will be a little messy, but you can then use the wine ice cubes to cook with (really good for deglazing pans).

This is brilliant! Thank you eta. We host a group regularly and someone is always leaving an open bottle behind, which we never drink. I hate to dump it, and now I have a solution, thanks to you.

englishteacheralex

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #143 on: April 12, 2018, 09:27:33 AM »
I have to out myself, that I had an unmustachian weekend. Saturday I went to Costco, and after my $60 cash back credit statement, spent $180 on stuff that was just supposed to be for 2 meals (Sunday brunch and Easter dinner). I walked out with way too much stuff and also impulse items. At dinner we opened a bottle of red wine (to go with the lamb chops) and then a bottle of sparkling wine to go with dessert. Now I have two half drunk open bottles of wine in my house that will probably go stale before I can finish them. I bought a dessert at Costco but then a friend bought dessert as well... The dinner was delicious but it could have been just as delicious for much less expenditure.

Freeze the wine in ice cube trays. Then empty the wine cubes into a gallon bag. It will be a little messy, but you can then use the wine ice cubes to cook with (really good for deglazing pans).

This is brilliant! Thank you eta. We host a group regularly and someone is always leaving an open bottle behind, which we never drink. I hate to dump it, and now I have a solution, thanks to you.

Yay! I think I got this idea from America's Test Kitchen.

Dragonswan

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #144 on: April 12, 2018, 11:15:58 AM »
I usually just put it in a screw top bottle (of the mini wine bottle variety) and store in the pantry for cooking.  Or you could use a jar to store it.  Either way, it won't go to waste.

Davnasty

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #145 on: April 12, 2018, 12:36:27 PM »
I usually just leave it in the same bottle and store it wherever for drinking. I might not be a wine connoisseur. Either way, it won't go to waste.


NoraLenderbee

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #146 on: April 16, 2018, 03:21:36 PM »
Leftover wine? Leftover cake? Such things do not exist.

PoutineLover

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #147 on: April 16, 2018, 03:30:58 PM »
Leftover wine? Leftover cake? Such things do not exist.
Exactly

Linea_Norway

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #148 on: April 17, 2018, 05:12:24 AM »
Leftover wine? Leftover cake? Such things do not exist.
Exactly

I just ate a piece of leftover cake at work. That was because they had a LOT of cake yesterday, to make sure no one was left out. And it was obviously stored away early.

PoutineLover

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Re: "I'm frugal, really" - no, no you're not.
« Reply #149 on: April 17, 2018, 07:18:33 AM »
Leftover wine? Leftover cake? Such things do not exist.
Exactly

I just ate a piece of leftover cake at work. That was because they had a LOT of cake yesterday, to make sure no one was left out. And it was obviously stored away early.
When we have leftover cake it goes to the lounge and the students just swarm. I work at a university, so the grad students are perpetually hungry and broke. Food doesn't last long here.