Author Topic: Are there any single mustachians?  (Read 6163 times)

Trimatty471

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Are there any single mustachians?
« on: November 14, 2014, 07:35:08 PM »
I've always been good at saving.  However, I spend a lot of money on dining out and takeout.  This is just one of my pleasures.

I'm just curious.  What do you do for entertainment?

sieben

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Re: Are there any single mustachians?
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2014, 08:20:46 PM »
Maybe try taking up cooking? It is cheaper then eating out a lot and can be a great way to impress people ;)

During the summer I keep my costs low by being outside as much as I can. Hanging out in parks or having a camp fire is a pretty cheap night out.

Anyone else have any insight? I'd love to hear what the rest of you guys do. It can make it tough to meet people if you doing want to spend huge amounts of money on booze and food every night.

Melody

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Re: Are there any single mustachians?
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2014, 08:43:30 PM »
I'm not a super hardcore mustachian - I'm only at about a 50% savings rate and have a high salary to boot so I do still go out/get the odd takeaway. Here's my hints:
- typically there are multiple events happening on a given weekend that your friends will be at. You should always choose the house party or other cheap option, because whatever you do you'll probably have fun, as it about seeing friends ;-) Also in terms of meeting the opposite sex this is far easier at a house party where you can say "So how do you know Bob?" as your opening line. Because you both know Bob, you're automatically not some creep, but Bob's friend or Bob's friends, friend, which makes women more likely to want to talk to you.
-If you're planning a one on one with someone do this at each other's houses. Save the "going out" fund for hanging with larger groups of friends or where there is something happening you're interested in (for me this is live bands).
-Going out can be free: offer to Desi your friends, in exchange they'll probally pay your drinks/entry fees.
-If I ride the bus, pre game and stick to basic beer and good night out can be had for approx 1 hour of my (before tax) pay. This is a worthwhile trade off for me. Spending 2-3 hours of pay isn't. (I live in a "socialist" country where alcohol taxes are extreme!)
- Do not miss the last bus. Set an alarm on your phone if you need to.
- I play in a band, so on the nights we pay we typically break even (we use our payment to pay for a taxi and we get free beer). YMMV with this hint ;-)
-Takeaway - Keep a nicely stocked Freezer. You don't need takeaway. It does nothing for you. Drinks mean you get to socialise and might help you meet the opposite sex. A lardy waistline probably is working against you. I mean as the odd treat it's ok, but no more than once every two weeks or so.
-Go to community events. Today I am going to a festival with free music and art shows... all FREE! Read your community newspaper
- Go to "young professionals" networking events (often free or very cheap). I'm part of my professional body for my career path, one for my industry (all careers) and I sometimes go to one for a related career. These are all free or the price of 1-2 drinks at a bar and includes drinks and nibbles. They are also great for professional networking, but a bonus is meeting other young successful singles ;-)

Exflyboy

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Re: Are there any single mustachians?
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2014, 10:10:54 PM »
Hehe.. I think that single female Mustacians are a bit like single female engineers..

I.e highly attractive until about 30 minutes after their clinical death.. Longer on a warm day...:)

Frank

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Re: Are there any single mustachians?
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2014, 11:11:24 PM »
I'm single. I go out for dinner once a week, normally after church on Sundays. I'm in a choir, and we have dinner together once a week at someone's house. I'm in a jazz band, so we play together once a week. I play a couple of sports, so I see people then. I hang out with people at their houses. Go to school fetes. Go bowling. Hang out with each other.

I don't know how much this would change if I wasn't single - except maybe hanging out at a guy's house rather than a friend's house more often.

DCJrMustachian

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Re: Are there any single mustachians?
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2014, 11:19:17 PM »
Since you're new, you may have missed the Mustachian and Single thread.

The question about dining-out and take-out food is an excellent one.  I personally have used the MMM philosophy to rediscover cooking, hosting, and drinks at home (with friends) as a hobby. 

That being said... I am generous with mixing in fast-casual options for food.

As a single person "grabbing food" can be economical if it uses fresh ingredients that you wouldn't cook regularly.  For example, guacamole!  I learned how to make it well, but it must be eaten right away so large batches aren't economical as a single person.  On the other hand I have a Chipotle across the street, so when I'm in the mood for tacos, about once per week I go there.

I tend to draw the line more when it comes to going out to sit-down restaurants and the always-overpriced bars.  They are occasionally good for (early) dates, and meeting groups of friends... but ordering one beer costs more than an entire lunch would cost at a fast-casual place like Chipotle.

As for other activities, I'm lucky to live in a place where there is a lot going on.  One might be invited to go skydiving ($200) and also out for a hike ($5 gas) on the same day... which friend are you going to pick?
« Last Edit: November 14, 2014, 11:29:09 PM by DCJrMustachian »

Raay

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Re: Are there any single mustachians?
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2014, 10:10:03 AM »
If you have a university in your town, you may consider eating out in their canteen. At least where I live they serve excellent meals and beat every restaurant on price (and I'm not talking about the subsidized prices for students and staff). I think that cooking own food may be even more economical in the long run, but it takes skill and time, and it would be difficult to vary the food every day to the extent that a mass-cooking establishment can do it. Unlike in a typical restaurant there are also pro dietitians at work there, so chances are the food won't be bad or designed to just to sell the biggest quantity.