Just starting. How do I kill some of my unecasary expenses?

[truman47]

Hello, I'm new here nd have started reading the blogs and posts on this forum.  I'm 47 seperate do with four kids who live with their mother and I see from t9me t0 time. I have a partner who doesn't live with me.  I'm renting and have Never owned a house or have any savings. I do earn a decent salary and have a company car and mobile phone so no vehicle or phone costs at all.

I used to spend around $700 a month on cigarettes (I live in Australia where they are around $25 a packet.). I couldn't afford this and ended up racking up close to $20k in credit card debt with smoking and other things.  I gave up at the start of this year which Im so happy about but still have this debt that reminds me of how stupid I was. 
A couple of habits im trying to break are..

I will often buy a coffee and toasted bacon and egg sandwich on my way to work for breakfast at $7.50 a pop.
A coffee van arr9ves at work every morning at 10am where I will buy a coffee and a pie at a cost of $10.00.
Most days I buy my lunch at around $8.00.
So this is around $25.50 a day or $127.50 a week.  Some days I manage to skip buying breakfast by bringing it in myself and the same with lunch. But I can't seem to break the coffee van coffee and pie each day. Which is not only costing me money but I'm gaining weight as well. 
So any advice on breaking the habit on coffee would be great as I can't seem to find any instant coffee, coffee sachets, bags etc that seem to taste as good as buying from a cafe etc.

I'm also an all grain craft beer home brewer but because of this I would often call Into the bottle shop to buy a couple of different craft beers to drink that night at a cost of around $12.00. Instead of just drinking the beer I had made. I just enjoyed the variety. 

On weekends when the missus stays over I will often go to a local cafe and buy us 2 coffees and 2 toasted sandwiches at $25 a pop and that's both Saturday morning and Sunday morning.
So add all that up on any g8ven week and that can be around $235 a week that I waste. And that doesn't include buying lunch on the weekend or going out for dinner which we often do.

I think I'm just lazy. I have a Woolies only a km away from home and I go there nearly every night after work anyway to buy dinner. But i don't bother planning ahead and using foods I can use to make breakfast and lunch for work the next day.

I would really love to break the cycle and eat breakfast at home or take something to eat at work first thing. Skip the coffee van coffee and pie at 10am and take lunch to work everyday.

Then I could use this extra money to pay the credit cards off. 

[Monkey Uncle]

Sounds like you've already identified your problem areas (or at least the ones related to food and drink - not sure what the rest of your financial life looks like). 

The solution is to just start doing what you already know you need to do.  There's no magic wand you can wave to make it happen without putting in some effort.  Learn to cook instead of buying food out somewhere.  Cook in bulk when you have spare time so you'll have something ready to go when you don't have time to cook.  Use an automatic drip coffee maker to make coffee at home, and limit consumption to just enough to get you going in the morning.  Make your own trail mix for a healthy and cheap morning snack.  You're already making your own good beer for the price of cheap beer.  Drink it.  And I'm sure the missus would be duly impressed if you made a nice breakfast for her instead of picking it up at the local café.

Just as an example, here's how I solve the breakfast problem.  Every other weekend I make a big batch of oatmeal pancakes (these are very hearty - not the white flour regular kind of pancakes).  I freeze them individually so they are ready to pull out and use.  On weekday mornings, pull out two pancakes, heat them up in a pan, spread peanut butter on them, and voila!  In ten minutes I have a filling breakfast that will hold me until my ten o'clock snack (a handful of mixed nuts).

[Frankies Girl]

^what he said.

Basically plan ahead and do the (not very hard) work if you want to save money. Exercise some self control and avoid buying take out all the time.

Maybe reframe it so it's not about depriving yourself?
 
You'll have to see the real value in doing this in order to get motivated, so dig deep and decide if saving money, getting out of debt, learning more self-sufficient skills (like cooking tasty food, cooking in bulk, grocery shopping for adults, etc), getting healthy/losing weight is enough of an incentive to counteract the laziness/apathy that causes you to seek out the easy, spendy stuff.

I'm not one of those people that says never go out to eat, but it should be for a special occasion or something - date night, anniversary, birthday - not something you do every day, let alone every meal every day.

Suggestions for food/recipe blogs for cheap but super tasty recipes:

www.budgetbytes.com
www.epicurious.com
www.seriouseats.com
http://www.hellobee.com/2014/02/06/10-make-ahead-freezer-breakfasts/

[LouLou]

Food is my weakness too.  The good thing is that you will have a big impact by cooking. Bacon and egg sandwiches are easy and cheap to make at home.  You can make a big batch of bacon in the oven and it's easy to scramble eggs in the morning. You could also just skip the bacon. Egg + toast is fast and delicious.

Learn how to bake pies, or buy a pie a week and eat a slice this morning.

[pbkmaine]

As others have pointed out, learn to cook. It is the most important money-saving skill. My dear husband makes me breakfast most mornings. Nothing impresses my friends more! There are tens of thousands of cooking videos on YouTube. Learn to make coffee you really enjoy at home, then purchase a nice thermos or insulated carafe to take to work with you. What is it about the pie you like? Is it sweet or savoury? As Monkey Uncle said, trail mix might do it. Or what about nuts?

[brute]

If you can brew, you can cook. Plus, since you brew all grain, your costs are relatively low. Time to start marinating meat in it. A good porter will turn a dry piece of pork into a masterpiece. A belgian abbey (or in my case tripel since the first one I brewed didn't turn out as dry as I wanted) is fantastic with sauteed onions over fish. Stout and tomatoes go amazing with a cheap, tough cut of beef.

Plus, I think it's way more fun to cook if you're using things you made in the mix.

[pbkmaine]

Also, you can use the spent grain in recipes!

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/category/spentgrainchef/

[golden1]

Yes, learn to make some good coffee, and a quick breakfast in the morning, pack a midmorning snack and a lunch, and you will be richer and healthier.  You don't have to cut everything out at once, but just start with the coffee, then next week try making a breakfast, etc...  Have lunch out once a week instead of every day. 

[Gimesalot]

Alright, I am going to be harsh here.  Are you kidding me?  You spend $10 $5 f*&king dollars on PIE a day? (Maybe there is an error in the vocabulary and in AU "pie" means "sexual favors," because how could an actual pie (dough and filling) be $10 $5?  And why would you eat that everyday?)  After raking up $20k in debt from smoking? Dude, you're a 40 year old man with no savings and four kids!  You do realize that you are not only being crazy with your spending, but you are also not being a responsible father?  What if your kids need something expensive (surgery, schooling, etc)?  What if something happens to you?  What about your kids then?  FACE PUNCH!  Wake up and smell that $20 coffee you've been drinking!

Now that the obligatory face punch is out of the way...

Cooking is going to be the best way to save money, but I think you should start small.

First, find a cheap programmable coffee machine.  Take it with you to work, and set it to have coffee made for you at 10 am.  Coffee shops don't do anything special.  You can made good coffee by just brewing some at your desk.  This alone should save you a good deal of money weekly.

Second, buy a pie, cut it, and store it as individual pieces.  Take one to work with you each day.  Boom! No more $10 $5 dollar pie!

Second, make these on the weekends:  http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-and-egg-cups-116152  You can freeze them and have them ready to go each day.  Warm them up in the toaster over along with some bread or an English Muffin and you've cut out your breakfast habit.

You know what you need to be doing it but you are thinking about it the wrong way.  You see it as depravation as opposed to freedom.  You only see what you are losing, $10 $5 pie, and not what you are gaining, freedom and security for you and your children.

[brute]

Also, you can use the spent grain in recipes!

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/category/spentgrainchef/

Much truth in this. The spent grain also has way less sugar in it, making it more friendly on the waistline. We make cookies, bread, pizza dough, and occasionally dog treats out of it. Nothing goes to waste if we can help it, especially when you're looking at 10-15 pounds of grain every few weeks.

[PlainsWalker]

Congratulations on quitting the coffin nails!
It's a hard thing to do but the health benefits and savings are awesome.
Now that you've done something hard to improve your health and save money try something easy, like packing your lunch.
That change is already saving you $8400 a year. From one ex-smoker to another, keep it up.

[cheapass]

You've already identified what you need to do. Change is hard, no amount of pep talk or forum posts will alter that fact.

Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same. If you want it bad enough you'll do it, if you don't you won't.

Just do it.

[Mr Dorothy Dollar]

Time pooping to 10 AM. You will miss the pie truck by being on the pot. That is the easiest solution to that one problem.

[celticmyst08]

Going out for food/drinks/coffee is my weakness, too. Here are a few things that worked for me.

1. Don't try to quit cold turkey. It might work for some people, but it was just too drastic for me. Instead, scale back slowly. For example we decreased our restaurant budget by $15/month, which is like one meal for my husband and I at a cheapish Mexican taqueria down the street. Barely noticeable. After 6 months, however, that's snowballed to a decrease of $90/month. And so on.

2. Do allow yourself to HAVE a budget for these things. You don't need to get rid of them, unless you find that it's easier for you to just kill it completely than to enjoy with moderation. Allow yourself one or two lunches out per week, etc. Some people find it effective to keep an envelope containing the cash amount of their budget in it. Let's say $100/month. So you pay for all your coffees, lunches, etc out of that cash envelope. Once it's gone, it's gone, and you have to wait until the next month to refill it.

3. Pick one of your weaknesses (bacon and egg sandwich for example) and throw all your effort into figuring out how to cook a replacement at home. For example, I had this weird weakness for Egg McMuffins from McDonald's (don't judge me, guys). Even though they weren't super expensive, the cost still added up. Well, turns out they're ridiculously easy -- and cheap -- to make yourself. I also figured out how to create decent lattes at home too. It takes a lot of trial and error, but that's kind of the fun part. Once you get the recipe right, it feels amazing! After you figure out one thing, move on to the next, etc etc.

4. Plan ahead. Make your lunch the night before so you don't get in a rush in the morning and run out of time. You can also do a meal prep day on the weekend and make a couple of dishes in a big batch that you can portion out into individual meal sizes and freeze/refrigerate.

[Prairie Stash]

I have a thermos of coffee every day at work, the trick with a thermos is to preheat it by adding hot water, dumping it then putting in your coffee. My thermos is 12 (13?) years old now, probably used it 2500 times or more (buy a decent one, they can last forever). If I want to be fancy I grind some beans and that will blow away any stores coffee, most days I settle for my regular brew.

Are you scared to let your missus see you cook, you can sleep with her but you can't make toast and eggs in front of her? ;)  The best part of breakfast in bed for me is the sounds of the eggs frying, the toast popping and the smells coming into the room as it gets ready, the preparation is better than the eating. My wife doesn't like coffee (too bitter) but she still enjoys the aroma wafting from the kitchen, it smells like home. You're really missing out when you purchase it instead.

What type of pie is it; is it worth the weight gain? More important then the money is your health, you need to take care of yourself first.

[HAPPYINAZ]

Also, you can use the spent grain in recipes!

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/category/spentgrainchef/

Much truth in this. The spent grain also has way less sugar in it, making it more friendly on the waistline. We make cookies, bread, pizza dough, and occasionally dog treats out of it. Nothing goes to waste if we can help it, especially when you're looking at 10-15 pounds of grain every few weeks.

my husband brews and that spent grain is really tasty as breakfast cereal. 

[asauer]

Yes, it's all about creating habits.  what if you make the sandwiches and freeze them once per week?  That way on Monday where you're tired as hell, you can just pull one out and stick it in the microwave or toaster oven?  how about setting the coffee machine at home to already have the pot going when you wake up?  Set a to-go thermos there and fill up right before you leave.  Also, don't try to change all your habits at once.  It won't work.  Set small goals for each week and build up.

[EmpireOfDirt]

Alright, I am going to be harsh here.  Are you kidding me?  You spend $10 f*&king dollars on PIE a day? (Maybe there is an error in the vocabulary and in AU "pie" means "sexual favors," because how could an actual pie (dough and filling) be $10?  And why would you eat that everyday?)  After raking up $20k in debt from smoking? Dude, you're a 40 year old man with no savings and four kids!  You do realize that you are not only being crazy with your spending, but you are also not being a responsible father?  What if your kids need something expensive (surgery, schooling, etc)?  What if something happens to you?  What about your kids then?  FACE PUNCH!  Wake up and smell that $20 coffee you've been drinking!

Now that the obligatory face punch is out of the way...

Cooking is going to be the best way to save money, but I think you should start small.

First, find a cheap programmable coffee machine.  Take it with you to work, and set it to have coffee made for you at 10 am.  Coffee shops don't do anything special.  You can made good coffee by just brewing some at your desk.  This alone should save you a good deal of money weekly.

Second, buy a pie, cut it, and store it as individual pieces.  Take one to work with you each day.  Boom! No more $10 dollar pie!

Second, make these on the weekends:  http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-and-egg-cups-116152  You can freeze them and have them ready to go each day.  Warm them up in the toaster over along with some bread or an English Muffin and you've cut out your breakfast habit.

You know what you need to be doing it but you are thinking about it the wrong way.  You see it as depravation as opposed to freedom.  You only see what you are losing, $10 pie, and not what you are gaining, freedom and security for you and your children.

Pies in Australia are usually meat pies - which are filled with some kind of meat/cheese/gravy, easy to hold in one hand for snacking. Very popular at sporting events. Out of the $10, the pie probably accounts for half.

[pbkmaine]

Meat pie recipe:

http://www.simplebites.net/how-to-makeclassic-tourtiere-qubec-pork-pie/

[Gimesalot]

Alright, I am going to be harsh here.  Are you kidding me?  You spend $10 f*&king dollars on PIE a day? (Maybe there is an error in the vocabulary and in AU "pie" means "sexual favors," because how could an actual pie (dough and filling) be $10?  And why would you eat that everyday?)  After raking up $20k in debt from smoking? Dude, you're a 40 year old man with no savings and four kids!  You do realize that you are not only being crazy with your spending, but you are also not being a responsible father?  What if your kids need something expensive (surgery, schooling, etc)?  What if something happens to you?  What about your kids then?  FACE PUNCH!  Wake up and smell that $20 coffee you've been drinking!

Now that the obligatory face punch is out of the way...

Cooking is going to be the best way to save money, but I think you should start small.

First, find a cheap programmable coffee machine.  Take it with you to work, and set it to have coffee made for you at 10 am.  Coffee shops don't do anything special.  You can made good coffee by just brewing some at your desk.  This alone should save you a good deal of money weekly.

Second, buy a pie, cut it, and store it as individual pieces.  Take one to work with you each day.  Boom! No more $10 dollar pie!

Second, make these on the weekends:  http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-and-egg-cups-116152  You can freeze them and have them ready to go each day.  Warm them up in the toaster over along with some bread or an English Muffin and you've cut out your breakfast habit.

You know what you need to be doing it but you are thinking about it the wrong way.  You see it as depravation as opposed to freedom.  You only see what you are losing, $10 pie, and not what you are gaining, freedom and security for you and your children.

Pies in Australia are usually meat pies - which are filled with some kind of meat/cheese/gravy, easy to hold in one hand for snacking. Very popular at sporting events. Out of the $10, the pie probably accounts for half.

I stand by my original response regardless of the filling in the pie...

[Reynolds531]

One divorced dad to another, see your kids all you can. My son gives me PURPOSE  and MOTIVATION to do the hard things. If haven't seen him for a few days I am mush.  No job or part time missus is going to keep your head right like your kid will.

[Jschange]

I second the suggestion to quit one thing at a time. Start quitting buying breakfast, then the pie, then lunch, then he coffees.

For lunches, it's way easier to scale back if you pack really good lunches, like pizza or taco salad or lasagna.

And budget either a treat day or treat budget.

If you can't fry eggs or bacon or make coffee, will your girlfriend teach you?

[abhe8]

Leave your wallet and cash at home. Bring food instead. :)

[ketchup]

Don't think of it as $235/week "wasted."  Think of it as $12,220 per year that you're wasting.  Holy shit, dude.

Snap out of it, man.  You got this.

It's a wonderful problem to have: it has obvious solutions.  Certainly beats making $12,220/year less than you do and not having anything to cut.

20k in debt?  Gone in two years with no lost quality of life.  And that's assuming you don't have anything else that you can cut back on (or sell) to speed things up.

[cheapass]

Don't think of it as $235/week "wasted."  Think of it as $12,220 per year that you're wasting.  Holy shit, dude.

In order to REALLY put things in perspective, i like to look at the opportunity cost of monthly expenses. If you took that $940/month and dropped it into VTSAX, you'd have $166K inflation adjusted 10 years from now. 20 years gets you half a million. And so on.

Don't think about money in terms of what it can buy, but instead think about what it can earn.

[Monkey Uncle]

Going out for food/drinks/coffee is my weakness, too. Here are a few things that worked for me.

1. Don't try to quit cold turkey. It might work for some people, but it was just too drastic for me. Instead, scale back slowly. For example we decreased our restaurant budget by $15/month, which is like one meal for my husband and I at a cheapish Mexican taqueria down the street. Barely noticeable. After 6 months, however, that's snowballed to a decrease of $90/month. And so on.

2. Do allow yourself to HAVE a budget for these things. You don't need to get rid of them, unless you find that it's easier for you to just kill it completely than to enjoy with moderation. Allow yourself one or two lunches out per week, etc. Some people find it effective to keep an envelope containing the cash amount of their budget in it. Let's say $100/month. So you pay for all your coffees, lunches, etc out of that cash envelope. Once it's gone, it's gone, and you have to wait until the next month to refill it.

3. Pick one of your weaknesses (bacon and egg sandwich for example) and throw all your effort into figuring out how to cook a replacement at home. For example, I had this weird weakness for Egg McMuffins from McDonald's (don't judge me, guys). Even though they weren't super expensive, the cost still added up. Well, turns out they're ridiculously easy -- and cheap -- to make yourself. I also figured out how to create decent lattes at home too. It takes a lot of trial and error, but that's kind of the fun part. Once you get the recipe right, it feels amazing! After you figure out one thing, move on to the next, etc etc.

4. Plan ahead. Make your lunch the night before so you don't get in a rush in the morning and run out of time. You can also do a meal prep day on the weekend and make a couple of dishes in a big batch that you can portion out into individual meal sizes and freeze/refrigerate.

Ha!  I read that right after I finished off a delicious home-made egg mcmuffin.

[slappy]

Going out for food/drinks/coffee is my weakness, too. Here are a few things that worked for me.

1. Don't try to quit cold turkey. It might work for some people, but it was just too drastic for me. Instead, scale back slowly. For example we decreased our restaurant budget by $15/month, which is like one meal for my husband and I at a cheapish Mexican taqueria down the street. Barely noticeable. After 6 months, however, that's snowballed to a decrease of $90/month. And so on.

2. Do allow yourself to HAVE a budget for these things. You don't need to get rid of them, unless you find that it's easier for you to just kill it completely than to enjoy with moderation. Allow yourself one or two lunches out per week, etc. Some people find it effective to keep an envelope containing the cash amount of their budget in it. Let's say $100/month. So you pay for all your coffees, lunches, etc out of that cash envelope. Once it's gone, it's gone, and you have to wait until the next month to refill it.

3. Pick one of your weaknesses (bacon and egg sandwich for example) and throw all your effort into figuring out how to cook a replacement at home. For example, I had this weird weakness for Egg McMuffins from McDonald's (don't judge me, guys). Even though they weren't super expensive, the cost still added up. Well, turns out they're ridiculously easy -- and cheap -- to make yourself. I also figured out how to create decent lattes at home too. It takes a lot of trial and error, but that's kind of the fun part. Once you get the recipe right, it feels amazing! After you figure out one thing, move on to the next, etc etc.

4. Plan ahead. Make your lunch the night before so you don't get in a rush in the morning and run out of time. You can also do a meal prep day on the weekend and make a couple of dishes in a big batch that you can portion out into individual meal sizes and freeze/refrigerate.

Ha!  I read that right after I finished off a delicious home-made egg mcmuffin.

This post made me crave egg mcmuffins, and I was inspired to try to make one at home last night. It can out alright I guess.  I just googled how to do it.  Anyone have a link that they swear by? 

[FrugalFan]

Congrats on quitting smoking! That was a super important first step, and probably the hardest one. You know what some of the problem is, you just need the motivation to fix it. Maybe you are lazy, and maybe you don't know how to cook. But a lot of it is just habit. Consider reading "The Power of Habit". If you can turn those old habits into new habits, it makes the process easier and won't feel like deprivation.

I also like the financial perspective posted above. That money by itself could turn into 166k in 10 years, or half a million in 20 years. If that's not motivating, I don't know what is.

[MsFrugal]

http://lifehacker.com/5974825/mcdonalds-shows-you-how-to-make-an-egg-mcmuffin-at-home

[truman47]

Wow..first of all thank you to everyone for the replies and great advice. 
@ Frankies girl..Thanks for those links they will be very helpful and Ive started reading them.

@ gimesalot..Yes that is correct I am paying $5.00 for a coffee and $5.00 for a meat pie. But Im paying for convenience as the coffee van pulls up out the front. i could get the same if I drove to a cafe around the corner for about $7.50. Or buy a 4 pack of cheese and bacon frozen pies from Woolies for about $2 a pie.

Okay..Now to clear up a few things.,

I can cook..I like to cook...and I consider myself a good cook.  Often on a Saturday night I will ask the missus to pick a meal she has seen watching  "My kitchen rules" that she would like to eat and I cook it up for us. She always says its turned out really good. i also have a cooknook called "Cooking with beer" which I cook meals from incorporating my beer.  I used to cook us brekky every Saturday and Sunday morning whilst she was still in bed as I always get up earlier.
bacon and eggs with portobello mushrooms and grilled tomato., smoked salmon on sourdough with poached eggs, pancakes..etc etc. But somehow got into the habit of just driving to the cafe and ordering it instead.

At work I usually arrive very early and am often the first person there. We have a kitchen that has an oven with hotplates, a microwave and a sandwich toaster. I am a manager so predominately desk based job so I am in a position to cook my brekky at work and eat it at my desk whilst working. So i can do all these things. i just get lazy i suppose. When I finish work and arrive home I usually throw something in the oven thats easy to cook and sit there watching TV or something Ive downloaded or Netflix or just sit on my Ipad whilst having a few beers.

I know i should be using this time instead to maybe cook meals that I can take the leftovers to work the next day or making sandwiches for work etc.
Even with beer although I brew quite often I will go to Dan murphys (Aussie liquor merchant) on the way home and but 2-3 craft beers at a cost of around $12-15.

So if I break all of this down i get the following.

• Brekky- bacon and egg toasted and coffee - $7.50
• Morning tea- Coffee and pie - $10.00
• Lunch - chicken sandwich - $8.00
• 3-4 beers at night - $12.00
• TOTAL per day = $37.50
• TOTAL per work week = $187.50
• TOTAL per month = $750.00
• TOTAL per year (11 work months) = $8250.00

(and that doesnt include the money spent on these meals on a weekend too.)

Ok so I obviously have to eat but without going into details and working it out exactly I'm guessing that all of that would cost me at least half that amount if I brought foods from the grocery store and made all of this myself.  So I should be able to save at least $4000 a year by doing this.


I need to try and work out how to make coffee similar to what they do in cafes. We have instant at work but I don't like the taste. I have a plunger and one of those moka pots at home which seem to make ok coffee I guess.
Its time I start getting organised with all of this and I look forward to learning more on this forum.  thanks again for all the advise.  I've jut brought the kindle ebook "The power of habit" and will start reading it this weekend. (Thanks travelling biologist) and thanks to all once again for the advice.

[Pigeon]

I got a Keurig machine as a gift and brought it in to work.  It's not the world's best coffee, but it's decent.  I can keep half and half in the office fridge.  I hate everything about thermos mugs.  I have also seen these machines in thrift shops for fairly cheap.  You can buy a "pod" that is reusable. 

[ptgearguy]

From what I have read you know exactly where your problems are you need to figure out a way to change. I think your eating habits seem a lot like a replacement for your smoking. A mindless pleasure that you can use to fill your day.

My suggestion is to figure out how to motivate yourself to become the person you know you want to be and do it. All you need is action and you could start tonight. Make your breakfast prep and meal prep as soon as you can.

The thing is with this change is that you will save lots of money in two ways. First your daily costs will go way down. Two, if you eat healthier your length of life will likely be increased significantly. My guess is likely 10-20 years if you change today.

I really wish I could help you out more, and I hope you can figure out a way to change your behavior. Good luck, and keep us posted on how things are going :)

[Monkey Uncle]

Going out for food/drinks/coffee is my weakness, too. Here are a few things that worked for me.

1. Don't try to quit cold turkey. It might work for some people, but it was just too drastic for me. Instead, scale back slowly. For example we decreased our restaurant budget by $15/month, which is like one meal for my husband and I at a cheapish Mexican taqueria down the street. Barely noticeable. After 6 months, however, that's snowballed to a decrease of $90/month. And so on.

2. Do allow yourself to HAVE a budget for these things. You don't need to get rid of them, unless you find that it's easier for you to just kill it completely than to enjoy with moderation. Allow yourself one or two lunches out per week, etc. Some people find it effective to keep an envelope containing the cash amount of their budget in it. Let's say $100/month. So you pay for all your coffees, lunches, etc out of that cash envelope. Once it's gone, it's gone, and you have to wait until the next month to refill it.

3. Pick one of your weaknesses (bacon and egg sandwich for example) and throw all your effort into figuring out how to cook a replacement at home. For example, I had this weird weakness for Egg McMuffins from McDonald's (don't judge me, guys). Even though they weren't super expensive, the cost still added up. Well, turns out they're ridiculously easy -- and cheap -- to make yourself. I also figured out how to create decent lattes at home too. It takes a lot of trial and error, but that's kind of the fun part. Once you get the recipe right, it feels amazing! After you figure out one thing, move on to the next, etc etc.

4. Plan ahead. Make your lunch the night before so you don't get in a rush in the morning and run out of time. You can also do a meal prep day on the weekend and make a couple of dishes in a big batch that you can portion out into individual meal sizes and freeze/refrigerate.

Ha!  I read that right after I finished off a delicious home-made egg mcmuffin.

This post made me crave egg mcmuffins, and I was inspired to try to make one at home last night. It can out alright I guess.  I just googled how to do it.  Anyone have a link that they swear by?

I just toast an English muffin, melt some cheese on it (usually provolone), and top it with a fried egg (with the yolk broken and cooked until no longer runny, but still soft).  A little black pepper on the egg as it's cooking.  I use free-range eggs, which raises the cost a bit, but they have better flavor than the typical industrially produced eggs.  Sometimes if I'm feeling particularly fancy, I'll put a strip or two of bacon on it.

[Bucksandreds]

Going out for food/drinks/coffee is my weakness, too. Here are a few things that worked for me.

1. Don't try to quit cold turkey. It might work for some people, but it was just too drastic for me. Instead, scale back slowly. For example we decreased our restaurant budget by $15/month, which is like one meal for my husband and I at a cheapish Mexican taqueria down the street. Barely noticeable. After 6 months, however, that's snowballed to a decrease of $90/month. And so on.

2. Do allow yourself to HAVE a budget for these things. You don't need to get rid of them, unless you find that it's easier for you to just kill it completely than to enjoy with moderation. Allow yourself one or two lunches out per week, etc. Some people find it effective to keep an envelope containing the cash amount of their budget in it. Let's say $100/month. So you pay for all your coffees, lunches, etc out of that cash envelope. Once it's gone, it's gone, and you have to wait until the next month to refill it.

3. Pick one of your weaknesses (bacon and egg sandwich for example) and throw all your effort into figuring out how to cook a replacement at home. For example, I had this weird weakness for Egg McMuffins from McDonald's (don't judge me, guys). Even though they weren't super expensive, the cost still added up. Well, turns out they're ridiculously easy -- and cheap -- to make yourself. I also figured out how to create decent lattes at home too. It takes a lot of trial and error, but that's kind of the fun part. Once you get the recipe right, it feels amazing! After you figure out one thing, move on to the next, etc etc.

4. Plan ahead. Make your lunch the night before so you don't get in a rush in the morning and run out of time. You can also do a meal prep day on the weekend and make a couple of dishes in a big batch that you can portion out into individual meal sizes and freeze/refrigerate.

Ha!  I read that right after I finished off a delicious home-made egg mcmuffin.

This post made me crave egg mcmuffins, and I was inspired to try to make one at home last night. It can out alright I guess.  I just googled how to do it.  Anyone have a link that they swear by?

WAY BETTER THAN EGG MCMUFFIN

Toast an English Muffin (Whole wheat preferred but not as tasty)
Cook one organic egg sunny side up and place any cheese on egg toward the end of cooking
Spread salsa on inside of one half of the toasted muffin
Spread 1/4 to 1/3 of an avocado on inside of the other half of muffin

No need to thank me.

[jim555]

You guys are frugal amateurs.  I worked for 30 years and would always bag my lunch and eat before I got in.  You need to sacrifice to get to FIRE.  It is not easy and takes discipline and patience. 

[GreenSheep]

This isn't going to be a very popular comment, and I like beer myself, but I can't help noticing that you're drinking 3-4 beers per night after work, and I would assume the same or more on the weekends. That's a whole lot of alcohol. I would guess that it's probably making you less inclined to do much of anything for the rest of the evening (like cooking dinner or for the next day). It's also sucking away a fair amount of your money, even if you brew it yourself. And then there are the obvious health implications... lots of extra calories and lots of alcohol that may already be affecting your liver.

I recently listened to a podcast (nomeatathlete.com -- don't worry, I'm not trying to push the "no meat" thing on you -- it just happened to be where I heard this) in which the host talked about his one-beer-per-night habit. He said he had noticed that it made him lazy for the rest of the evening, and he didn't really even enjoy it since he had one every night. It was no longer a treat. He stopped having a beer every single night and found that he was more productive. I bet he had some extra money, too!

I'm not saying that you need to immediately give up all beer, ever, but maybe start trying to think of it as a non-daily treat, and you might find that other areas of your life improve, too.

[deeshen13]

Nice post greensheep! A lot of people have this habit, I think, it just takes willpower to redirect to more healthy habits. Having great habits is like a quiet WMD because they don't  feel like energy expenditure; instead they routinely lay a solid foundation brick by brick.

[With This Herring]

From what I have read you know exactly where your problems are you need to figure out a way to change. I think your eating habits seem a lot like a replacement for your smoking. A mindless pleasure that you can use to fill your day.
*snip*

Seconding this.  My DBF, the ex-smoker, says that now that you have quit your pack-a-day habit (based on your old cig spending) you are no longer feeling the strong appetite-suppressant effects of consuming a lot of nicotine.  You are hungrier than you were before.  Additionally, quitting smoking lets you regain your senses of taste and smell, so that also increases your desire for food.  He suggests chewing gum to distract your mouth during some of those snacking times.

When you see your kids, do your eating and alcohol habits change at all?

[truman47]

This isn't going to be a very popular comment, and I like beer myself, but I can't help noticing that you're drinking 3-4 beers per night after work, and I would assume the same or more on the weekends. That's a whole lot of alcohol. I would guess that it's probably making you less inclined to do much of anything for the rest of the evening (like cooking dinner or for the next day). It's also sucking away a fair amount of your money, even if you brew it yourself. And then there are the obvious health implications... lots of extra calories and lots of alcohol that may already be affecting your liver

You are 100% dead right. I find myself coming home from work and opening a beer. Then I cook something easy for dinner that I can usually just throw in the oven.  I eat that whilst having my second beer. Then after dinner I have my third beer and because the beer makes me hungry I reach for a packet of chips.  So I end up eating chips every night after dinner as well.
Last week I went 3 nights without drinking and came home and went for a walk even though it was bloody freezing. I didn't have a beer nd I didn't haven't chips either.
I've gained 15 kgs since giving up smoking 193 days ago (according to my quit app)lol. And I think if I just gave up drinking on week nights and perhaps substitute meat pies for some thing with less calories then I could probably lose this weight over the exit 193 days. 

thanks again for the tips and advice.

[ender]

Your post made me think of this sarcastic yet profound video - http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/dont-buy-stuff/n12020

You've got tons of credit card debt. You are broke, yet buying lavish luxuries!

[Seppia]

Dude you managed to quit smoking, which is a very hard thing to do.
I cannot believe you don't manage to give up a sandwich.
YOU CAN DO THIS

[truman47]

Well my first weekend as a trainee MMM went well.  I brought some eggs and smoked salmon and had that for brekky on toast.  Then on Saturday I cooked up a beef casserole in the slow cooker and some mashed potatoes and I did a pork nd pumpkin red curry with rice.  The missus came over and we had the casserole for dinner and the pork curry for lunch today and I have left overs to take to work for a few days. 
Also brought a 4 pack of pies on special at Woolies for 1/2 price, $4.00.  That's $1 a pie compared to The $5 I pay now. We have an oven at work so I can put one in 45 minutes before morning smoko.

The only thing I did spend a bit of money on was we went to the football. (Aussie rules). But St Kilda were selling members tickets via Facebook for $20 each which are normally $60 each on level 1.
And 2 beers each at $9.50 a beer plus a hotdog and chips which we shared was another $10. 
So even though I spent a bit at the footy I'm still proud of my other achievements.  And St Kilda won so it was a good day all around. 

[davisgang90]

Lots of good advice so far and glad to see you taking some of it!

Do you use any kind of budget?  Some hate them, some live by them.  I fall in between.  That being said, I have a certain amount each month to spend on eating out and other frivolous things.  My budget also ensures I can invest/pay off debt etc each month first and be sure I'll have enough to get to the next payday while making good progress toward my goals. 

You may want to do a full write-up on all your expenses, the members here can help you cut further.

[truman47]

Your post made me think of this sarcastic yet profound video - http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/dont-buy-stuff/n12020

You've got tons of credit card debt. You are broke, yet buying lavish luxuries!

Unfortunately that video is blocked from Watching it here in Australia.

[lemanfan]

Your post made me think of this sarcastic yet profound video - http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/dont-buy-stuff/n12020

You've got tons of credit card debt. You are broke, yet buying lavish luxuries!

Unfortunately that video is blocked from Watching it here in Australia.

Don't worry, it's available on youtube too:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3ZJKN_5M44

(most videos are, if you just have the google skills. )

[cyndre4]

Great work Truman!
I've been a member for awhile now, and I've noticed that becoming MMM is very much a journey. It seems that every thing I cut out sets me up to start thinking about the next thing I 'Can't live without.' I call it 'Slaughtering the Sacred Cows'. I've got credit card debt myself, and I had a personal trainer! How ridiculous!
I struggle with eating out as well. One thing that really helped me was making sure I have snacks with me at all times. For me, that means snacks in my purse when I'm walking, or snacks in a car if I'm driving. It does take more discipline to remember to go to the grocery store and stock up, but it's really helped. A handful of trail mix and a banana takes the hunger edge off, and allows me to really THINK about my choices. There's always food at home for me now, so all I need to do is be sure I've got enough calories carried with me to get me comfortably home.
Good luck, please keep us posted!

[Josiecat]

That's a good start Truman. 

[truman47]

Your post made me think of this sarcastic yet profound video - http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/dont-buy-stuff/n12020

You've got tons of credit card debt. You are broke, yet buying lavish luxuries!

Unfortunately that video is blocked from Watching it here in Australia.

Im a bit of a spreadsheet geek and have done budgets before to see what Im spending my money on but must admit I dont stick to them. ANZ bank used to have a program called money manager which automatically categorised your eftpos transactions. So i could go in and see how much I had spent on beer or cigarettes etc that month. But they shut it down just this month.
I know Mint does the same but not available in Australia yet.
But Im going to do a budget and try to stick to it this time.
I had another achievement today. the coffee truck arrived and I had already put a pie in the oven and made an instant coffee just before he arrived. I brought my own lunch today also and had brekky before I left home. So thats $25 I haven't spent yet and its only 1.30pm..LOL

@ ender..thanks for the link, didnt think to search you tube.

[cyndre4]

Well done Truman!
Have you considered paying your credit card that $25 at the end of every day you don't spend it? You can build a simple spreadsheet that shows your progress. If your credit card company won't let you pay daily, you can open a new savings account and just stash the amounts in there, then make much larger payments every month. I know I'm a spreadsheet nerd, so knowing I've got a daily entry to make towards my debt really helps me rein in my spending.

[truman47]

Well done Truman!
Have you considered paying your credit card that $25 at the end of every day you don't spend it? You can build a simple spreadsheet that shows your progress. If your credit card company won't let you pay daily, you can open a new savings account and just stash the amounts in there, then make much larger payments every month. I know I'm a spreadsheet nerd, so knowing I've got a daily entry to make towards my debt really helps me rein in my spending.

The problem is I don't actually have that extra $25 each day. It just means I wont go into negative balance on my spending account like I usually do leading up to the next pay day.

Its like smoking. According to my app Ive saved over $5300 since I quit. I don't have that money its just money I haven't spent from credit cards. My first goal is to actually make it to the next pay day without being in a negative balance.

if i wanted some advice on doing a budget and what i should pay off etc should i post all my income and expenses in a seperate post?