Author Topic: What's the most frugal thing you do?  (Read 35377 times)

Villanelle

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What's the most frugal thing you do?
« on: May 02, 2023, 09:59:57 AM »
Seems there's a hankering for discussion on some unusually frugal choices, so let's do it!

What is the most (or Top 3, if you are so inclined) frugal thing you do?

Mine are probably driving very little (about 1000 miles/year) and living where we do to be super close to DH's work.  I'm definitely not a super frugal person, so I look forward to being inspired by those who are!

MustachioedPistachio

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2023, 10:11:23 AM »
For me, it is a beneficial housing arrangement with my brother. I helped him buy the house we currently live in (as in arranging the deal) with funds from our joint business. In return, my wife and I live there and pay $300 in rent, inclusive of utilities.

THANKFULLY we all get along :)

Also, I still bike/walk just about everywhere.

Omy

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2023, 10:16:53 AM »
We do a lot of home improvement, maintenance, and repairs ourselves.

We keep cars forever (14 yo and 9 yo with no plans for replacement any time soon).

We rarely buy "stuff". We spend almost nothing on clothing, shoes, makeup, jewelry, home decor. We both hate shopping.

We are NOT very frugal when it comes to experiences, travel, and charity. We have become rather spendy in those categories now that we're FIREd.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2023, 11:05:37 AM by Omy »

GuitarStv

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2023, 10:20:00 AM »
Most of the frugal things I do are pretty normal.  Don't buy stupid shit (or at least limit the stupid shit that I do buy).  Bike most places rather than drive.  Save most of the money I earn.

Top three frugal things I do that have been called 'unusual' though:
- Never paid for a cellphone in my life (work did eventually just give me one a few days ago though for 2 factor authentication purposes)
- Slept on a thin mattress on the floor, or directly on carpet for more than two decades rather than use a traditional raised mattress (mattresses suck and are a conspiracy to force you to waste money for worse sleep)
- Entirely stopped using toilet paper during the pandemic.  (Turns out TP is totally optional when there's a shower head in the room.)

Serendip

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2023, 10:23:23 AM »
We share one car and I mostly walk, bus or bike.

I'm in the midst a low-buy year and my partner & I did a full no-buy year five years ago. It's a healthy reset for when when consumption has crept up.

I use the library religiously..love that place so much.

Garden in the summer and store/freeze/prep produce so that we have an abundance of food all winter. Between our garden and sprouting, I don't think I really bought any greens from the grocery store last winter.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2023, 10:26:08 AM by Serendip »

Serendip

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2023, 10:27:16 AM »
- Slept on a thin mattress on the floor, or directly on carpet for more than two decades rather than use a traditional raised mattress (mattresses suck and are a conspiracy to force you to waste money for worse sleep)

I did this as well for years until I dated someone who really didn't like sleeping on the floor for some reason. I mean...if we lived in Japan this would be totally normal :)

Raenia

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2023, 10:45:08 AM »
I've almost entirely stopped buying books. Our library system is very good, with easy borrowing anywhere in the county system, and a reliable inter-library loan system for anything we can't find in the county system. As a person who usually reads 100+ books a year, all hard copy (no e- or audio-books), that's massive.

We are a one car household, with the smallest car we could find at the time (2012 Chevy Sonic). I walk a lot of my errands, we both WFH as much as possible, and use public transit otherwise. Car is always the last resort for getting places.

I buy half-bushel seconds of produce at a local farm, and can my own salsa, applesauce, and jams/preserves. We haven't bought jam in years.

We also don't travel for pleasure, all our travel in the past few years has been to stay with family. We've gone almost two years without flying at all. This is mostly for environmental reasons, but has been very good for frugality as well.

Life in Balance

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2023, 10:58:04 AM »
I'm glad to see this discussion thread. 

Straight out of grad school, I bought too much house when I started my first "career" job.  Five years later, I downsized to a townhome and it's the best decision I've made in both financial and time-usage terms.  So much less to clean and maintain, and the townhome mortgage payment was a third of the "big house" (which was 2200 square feet).

I shop at Aldi for groceries and shop the perimeter.  Healthier and also cheaper, although more time spent in prep and cooking.

I don't go to any store unless I have something specific to buy.  I try to keep my environmental footprint as small as I can.  Not buying stuff is one way I do that.  It also helps me keep my home open and free of clutter and that makes me feel happy and peaceful. 

LifeHappens

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2023, 11:10:07 AM »
Love this thread.

I recently started sprouting at home. I used to be part of CSA that often included a tiny packet of mixed sprouts. The farm sells individual packets for $5(!!!). I can grow twice as much from organic seeds for under $0.50.

I also make my own refried beans. They are better than canned, cheaper and only take a few minutes of active effort.

poxpower

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2023, 11:21:31 AM »
Hm went car camping as a vacation last year for 5+ months.
No rent or utilities to pay. Just gas. "saved" like 15-20k on hotels + rent + utilities doing that. But did blow about 5k on gas and car maintenance.

Renting a room atm for 750 when the going rate to live alone would be 1800+ here. I like to imagine it lowers my quality of life, but it really doesn't lol.
Since moving here this probably saved me 25-30k in cold hard post-tax cash.

I never buy anything new if I can help it. New furniture is possibly the dumbest purchase possible. I bought a desk with a retail value of >1500$ on marketplace, cost like 150$ and I resold it for like 100 later on. I was lucky to not have to pay to dump it. Rich friend bought a couch for 10k. No. No stop. No. Please. Stop. Buy a used one and throw a 9000$ party instead.

Treedream

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2023, 11:35:08 AM »
I guess its in order:

I don't have a car, or a drivers license.

I don't have a television.

I don't eat or drink out, unless its a special occasion for myself, my family or a close friend.

I knit clothes and accessoires.

I dug up 2 butterfly bushes out of someone's garden, so I could take them for free and plant them in my own garden.

Villanelle

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #11 on: May 02, 2023, 11:36:59 AM »
Love this thread.

I recently started sprouting at home. I used to be part of CSA that often included a tiny packet of mixed sprouts. The farm sells individual packets for $5(!!!). I can grow twice as much from organic seeds for under $0.50.

I also make my own refried beans. They are better than canned, cheaper and only take a few minutes of active effort.

I'd love your recipe for refried beans, plus any tips or tricks you might have.

Villanelle

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #12 on: May 02, 2023, 11:40:54 AM »
It's interesting (to me, at least) that this thread made me realize there are several things I do that I don't even think of as frugal, but that probably are to an outside.  For example, I use my phones until they are nearly unusable.  Currently an iphone 8 that I got when my iphone 4 bricked.  I guess I don't even think about this as frugal, because I don't care, at all, about my phone so it doesn't feel like a sacrifice or a conscious 'frugal' choice.

I guess this is the very best kind of frugality--something that doesn't even register or feel frugal at all. 

GuitarStv

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #13 on: May 02, 2023, 11:46:13 AM »
I dug up 2 butterfly bushes out of someone's garden, so I could take them for free and plant them in my own garden.

People do this sort of thing in our neighbourhood, but usually at night . . . and without permission.  :P

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #14 on: May 02, 2023, 11:56:44 AM »
Yesterday I came home from dropping the kids off at school on the e-bike (frugal thing 1) with two grocery bags of dug up plants given to us from other peoples gardens (frugal thing 2).

From a cost saving perspective, probably DIY home improvement projects. Though processing my own chicken meat saves us maybe $1,000 a year.

Or is it saving in index funds rather than spending?

Omy

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #15 on: May 02, 2023, 12:01:41 PM »
It's interesting (to me, at least) that this thread made me realize there are several things I do that I don't even think of as frugal, but that probably are to an outside.  For example, I use my phones until they are nearly unusable.  Currently an iphone 8 that I got when my iphone 4 bricked.  I guess I don't even think about this as frugal, because I don't care, at all, about my phone so it doesn't feel like a sacrifice or a conscious 'frugal' choice.

I guess this is the very best kind of frugality--something that doesn't even register or feel frugal at all.

Forgot about that one. I had my last Nokia (android) for 9 years. My current phone is almost 4 years old.

lutorm

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #16 on: May 02, 2023, 12:19:21 PM »
It's interesting (to me, at least) that this thread made me realize there are several things I do that I don't even think of as frugal, but that probably are to an outside.  For example, I use my phones until they are nearly unusable.  Currently an iphone 8 that I got when my iphone 4 bricked.  I guess I don't even think about this as frugal, because I don't care, at all, about my phone so it doesn't feel like a sacrifice or a conscious 'frugal' choice.
I also replace my phone (and my computers) much less frequently than seems usual, especially for someone who works in software. But this is not out of frugality but just because it's so immensely painful to migrate to a new one...

I'm almost clinically unable to pay for people to do work for me if it's something I could even conceivably do myself. Partly this is because I enjoy learning how to do stuff, but partly it's also because I've found that people you hire to do stuff almost invariably do a crappier job than you would yourself.

Case in point, I just spend a few days pressure washing and repainting our roof. Shortly after we moved in a decade ago we hired someone to paint it because we were going to put PV on the roof. I don't know if it was the paint or the work, but that paint was terrible, it had a porous, chalky surface that grew algae and crap and looked awful. Now I spent $150 on roof paint and a corrugated roller, took care to not paint in the sun, and it looks and feels so much better.

Anyway, stuff like that.

Raenia

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #17 on: May 02, 2023, 12:26:53 PM »
It's interesting (to me, at least) that this thread made me realize there are several things I do that I don't even think of as frugal, but that probably are to an outside.  For example, I use my phones until they are nearly unusable.  Currently an iphone 8 that I got when my iphone 4 bricked.  I guess I don't even think about this as frugal, because I don't care, at all, about my phone so it doesn't feel like a sacrifice or a conscious 'frugal' choice.

I guess this is the very best kind of frugality--something that doesn't even register or feel frugal at all.

Forgot about that one. I had my last Nokia (android) for 9 years. My current phone is almost 4 years old.

That's a good one too, my current phone is the first smart phone I ever got (also Nokia), three years ago, and it was refurbished. Before that, I never replaced a phone that was still working. And it was only pandemic issues that made me move to a smart phone - needed an app to get onsite at my work, and the absurd work-around they came up with for people without a phone was driving me up a wall.

My current laptop was free, DH's work was decommissioning it and he got permission to take it home. It's running Linux because a Microsoft license is too expensive, and not necessary for the stuff I use it for. We got that one because my previous computer's screen broke - totally black display, broke. For a few months I just used it hooked up to an external monitor that we had lying around, then it stopped recognizing the monitor and I had no way to see anything, so I really had to replace.

Serendip

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #18 on: May 02, 2023, 12:28:34 PM »

I also make my own refried beans. They are better than canned, cheaper and only take a few minutes of active effort.

I'd love your recipe for refried beans, plus any tips or tricks you might have.

I’m not the poster but recently I tried this recipe and they turned out wonderfully. Froze them in small containers so I can pull them out for burritos, etc.
https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-refried-beans/

Metalcat

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #19 on: May 02, 2023, 12:29:02 PM »
Food:

Thanks to @Lews Therin we are now getting the majority of our groceries from a service that collects food that would be waste from grocery stores. We get more than enough food for a week for the two of us for $40, often very expensive cheeses and meats.

I normally only cook vegetarian, but I find it easier and quicker to cook with meat, and with my leg still fucked up and produce so expensive, cheaper, easier to make meals is very, very nice right now.

I'm going to sorely miss this when we go back to Newfoundland where food is more expensive than our mortgage. Because it's so expensive there, we bring an enormous amount of dried beans, rice, spices, and sauces from Bulk Barn with us, which dramatically cuts food costs. Local cuisine there focuses on root vegetables, so I factor that in to my meal planning.

On the bright side, seafood is dirt cheap there and seafood makes me very, very happy, so that's a major benefit.

Housing:

Okay, so we're not exactly frugal on this front because we own 2 houses and keep them empty half the year, which is inefficient and wasteful, but that's temporary and just because of my surgery situation and never knowing when my dates will be until a few weeks before. Being able to get away from Ontario between surgeries is kind of key to my sanity right now.

That said, the combined cost of our 2 homes, both of which we bought recently is less than 30% of the average home cost in Canada.

For our Ontario home we chose a 1 bedroom condo in a 50 year old highrise in one of the highest crime, working class neighbourhoods in the country. It's not a typical high crime area though, we never feel our personal safety is at risk. But that doesn't stop people from thinking we're absolutely insane for living here.

For our Newfoundland house, we got a screaming deal because unlike the rest of Canada, NL real estate plummeted during the pandemic. Also, houses are usually listed there for well over a year and the sellers urgently needed to sell. It's actually in a highly desirable area. It's one of the most beautiful locations on earth and a bucket-list travel destination. The property was purchased for either personal use or as a vacation rental.

For now, we own it as an alternative to taking vacations, which I can't really do because of my legs, so it adds months of adventure for a very affordable price, especially for a location where travel is expensive.

Once the surgeries are done and I can leave the Ontario healthcare system, we plan to save quite a bit by living full time out there for awhile. This is an extreme move because there are reasons almost no one has the stones to move there full time. The weather is literally terrifying for 8 months of the year, it can snow in June, access to healthcare is abysmal, and I already mentioned the food, right? Well it's not just expensive, getting decent quality is hard, especially produce.

Giving up the Ontario home to live out there full time is pretty intense, but we're keen to try it out, at least for awhile after all of these surgeries are finally done.

Plus certain types of weirdos love living there year round despite the total insanity of it, and we think we might be that brand of weirdo.

What I love most about it out there is that the culture is naturally mustachian. No one is impressed by expensive cars, houses, or even fancy jobs. The lifestyle is very casual and outdoorsy (well, when the weather lets you leave your house), and I have a hard time even getting people to charge me for services.

My neighbour built a deck for me for free, my contractor (also a neighbour) just did a towing job for me and refused to charge me, the furniture store manager (also a neighbor) and my contractor had to take apart my sliding door to get a sectional into my house while I was away and they didn't even tell me, much less bill me. They'll tease me about it for the rest of their lives and then their children will take over teasing me and I'll be forever known as the silly Ontario girl who bought a giant sofa for a tiny house, lol. Note, they had each only met me once.

When anyone does charge me for anything, it's very cheap compared to Ontario because labour rates are lower, but also, they give me these totally ridiculous discounts sometimes for literally no reason.

Car:

The usual: we own a small, used, compact car that we barely drive except when we drive out to Newfoundland. It's a 2017 Chevy Sonic and I love it SO MUCH. It's my favourite car I've ever had, and I've had a few because I have exceptionally bad luck with buying lemons. Like, I bought probably the only Corolla lemon that has ever existed, lol.

DH bikes everywhere, even in super harsh winters. On the rare days it's too harsh to bike, he'll run.

Clothing/beauty:

We admittedly spend A LOT for a number of specific items, but we own very minimalist capsule wardrobes of primarily merino wool items that rarely need to be washed. I wear quite literally the same basic outfit 99% of the time. I can pack my entire core wardrobe in a small carry-on.

We use minimal products: water-only haircare, coconut oil for face cleansing, a bit of plain yogurt with honey or overly bruised avocado for face masks. I rarely wear makeup and when I do it's typically just eyebrow pencil and some cheek stain. I use a few beauty products (retinol, glycolic acid) from The Ordinary, which are cheap and last forever.

We get cheap haircuts at a barber when I'm not just shaving my head, I do on and off colour my hair, but I've always done it myself.

Household:

We buy as much used as possible, and I'm quite handy at DIY. We also embrace the dated elements of our homes and also try to cater our style to the age of the home instead of updating the home to suit a pre-defined taste.

Leisure:

We highly prioritize free/cheap outdoor activities. With my legs fucked this has been really hard/impossible for me. But DH is very into mountain biking and hiking. His mountain bike is 20+ years old.

We also attend a lot of community events, free concerts, university lectures, that sort of thing. There's a community center lecture tonight about local natural history from one of my former professors, all about invasive species in the area.

One of our favourite activities is seeing live streams of world class theater performances at the movie theater. We've seen live streams of shows we wouldn't otherwise have access to, like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan in No Man's Land on Broadway. This is particularly amazing for ballet, because the view is so much closer.

Our quality of leisure activities increased DRAMATICALLY when we started prioritizing cheap/free things to do. Back when we were spending on leisure it was much more boring, but focusing on free/cheap started getting us outside a lot more and engaging a lot more creatively.

Even if I was painfully rich, I would still put an emphasis on free/cheap activities because our lives have just become so much more fun since we made that change.

In certain ways this is easier in Ontario because there are so many options in our city, but in other ways it's easier in Newfoundland because that's the cultural norm. Restaurants and shops are for tourists.

Tech:

I only added this after the other posts. We really don't care about tech. We buy the cheapest phones, we have very cheap plans, and we didn't pay for our laptops. I have a Fire tablet I got on prime day many years ago for watching movies when I travel. DH has an ancient iPad mini with a cracked screen that he uses to stream Pilates videos. We get software licenses through work/school

The exception is that we have a lot of expensive pet tech, but this isn't the thread to talk about that.

Other:

We convinced our families to stop exchanging gifts for birthdays and Christmas. We still give gifts to the kids, but there are only 3 in the family.

We don't drink alcohol or pop and we don't buy any "snack" foods, which tend to be disproportionately expensive.

Until the surgeries, I groomed the poodle...that said, now that I have access to a cheap groomer in Newfoundland, I doubt I'll ever do it myself again. It's a fucking horrible job.

I brush all of the pets teeth regularly. This can save a fortune in vet care.

We specifically seek out working class places to live to lower the social expectations in terms of lifestyle. A lot of our friends are high income, but the day to day people we live among are working class.



« Last Edit: May 02, 2023, 12:34:27 PM by Metalcat »

Metalcat

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #20 on: May 02, 2023, 12:29:44 PM »

I also make my own refried beans. They are better than canned, cheaper and only take a few minutes of active effort.

I'd love your recipe for refried beans, plus any tips or tricks you might have.

I’m not the poster but recently I tried this recipe and they turned out wonderfully. Froze them in small containers so I can pull them out for burritos, etc.
https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-refried-beans/

For anyone who wants cheap legume based recipes, there are 150 on the first page of my journal

Fru-Gal

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #21 on: May 02, 2023, 12:35:32 PM »
Take Amtrak, bike and bus long distance. Got my Amtrak rewards card and am going to try to manufacture some spend to get 20k points in the first three months (may not succeed since I keep forgetting to use the card for non-train stuff).

Currently annoyed at response to my sharing that I took those three modes of transport to a stunning wilderness area currently being destroyed by excessive auto traffic. The response was “eh, it’s not worth it to me”. I guess I would prefer the lie of “wow, maybe someday I’ll take the train too” to “nah. Gas is cheap.” (To be clear, gas and car ownership are most definitely not cheaper than a $35 train ticket.) Another argument that occurred to me (that I won’t make) is that I am FI so slow travel and transit is not a burden, it’s a pleasure. Finally, I @$%# love the train.

But I’m not an absolutist, I do have a very old car. Also, since the return trip by train sometimes feels a little boring/like a slog, it occurred to me that one could train out and fly back.

Also, knowing how to use transit is part of it… my family and I are very comfortable with the slow, relaxing pace of trains, buses, ferries, bikes, etc. People with car-brain are not.

But I have long realized that by being a woman cyclist and someone who uses transit often I am simply unusual. Sad but true.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2023, 12:37:37 PM by Fru-Gal »

Fru-Gal

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #22 on: May 02, 2023, 12:43:49 PM »
Quote
water-only haircare

Me too!!! My hair is in amazing shape since starting no shampoo 5-6 years ago and I have saved so much money/bathroom clutter.

I’m literally afraid to use shampoo or conditioner since my scalp does the job so well now and I don’t want to mess up the balance it has achieved.

StarBright

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #23 on: May 02, 2023, 12:45:57 PM »
I don't do anything out of the ordinary but the thing that has been really helpful the last couple of years has been being an active participant in my local Buy Nothing Group. I give away plenty and have often been able to get things I need just by asking.

In the last year we have gotten:

  • All of my daughter's clothes for the last two years have been buy nothing hand me downs.
  • Many of my son's clothes have come from buy nothing (but there just aren't as many boy clothes on there).
  • I put out a request for a book series my son wanted to read and received it.
  • We got a ton of PS3 games to try out.
  • We've received art and crafting materials for school projects.
  • Gotten some new board games.
  • A side table that I refinished
  • Gave away StarGirl's old bike and got a new one that fit her better

It is a wonderful site to give and receive consumer goods. I always try Buy Nothing before even thinking about shopping. 


Metalcat

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #24 on: May 02, 2023, 12:47:15 PM »
Take Amtrak, bike and bus long distance. Got my Amtrak rewards card and am going to try to manufacture some spend to get 20k points in the first three months (may not succeed since I keep forgetting to use the card for non-train stuff).

Currently annoyed at response to my sharing that I took those three modes of transport to a stunning wilderness area currently being destroyed by excessive auto traffic. The response was “eh, it’s not worth it to me”. I guess I would prefer the lie of “wow, maybe someday I’ll take the train too” to “nah. Gas is cheap.” (To be clear, gas and car ownership are most definitely not cheaper than a $35 train ticket.) Another argument that occurred to me (that I won’t make) is that I am FI so slow travel and transit is not a burden, it’s a pleasure. Finally, I @$%# love the train.

But I’m not an absolutist, I do have a very old car. Also, since the return trip by train sometimes feels a little boring/like a slog, it occurred to me that one could train out and fly back.

Also, knowing how to use transit is part of it… my family and I are very comfortable with the slow, relaxing pace of trains, buses, ferries, bikes, etc. People with car-brain are not.

But I have long realized that by being a woman cyclist and someone who uses transit often I am simply unusual. Sad but true.

This is so weird to me. Everyone here seems to love the train. Also, in my area I would say that I see equal men and woman biking, but I'm in a VERY pro-bike area.

It just goes to show how different communities value such different things, which was a lot of the focus of my very long post.

I'm more and more valuing living in communities that cultivate my values and lifestyle. I affectionately refer to places I feel at home in as "wool sweater" places. I picked this up from the Danish habit of wearing a lot of wool and going outside in poor weather.

I do well among people who throw on a wool sweater and go outside.

Metalcat

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #25 on: May 02, 2023, 12:49:53 PM »
Quote
water-only haircare

Me too!!! My hair is in amazing shape since starting no shampoo 5-6 years ago and I have saved so much money/bathroom clutter.

I’m literally afraid to use shampoo or conditioner since my scalp does the job so well now and I don’t want to mess up the balance it has achieved.

It's crazy how much easier my hair is since giving up hair products. It used to be frizzy and difficult and require heat styling to not look stupid. Now it's always soft, shiny, and super manageable. If it looks stupid, I just need to wet it and put it where I want it to be and then it just dries nicely there.

My scalp used to be an asshole too because I have psoriasis, but now it's usually fine.

Fru-Gal

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #26 on: May 02, 2023, 12:59:01 PM »
Yes, and I suspect the beauty industry has noticed the drop in shampoo sales or the trend towards no-shampoo, because beauty influencers at the beginning of the year were touting “scalp health” remedies and saying this was a huge concern for people.

The beauty industry does come up with some good stuff but so much is obviously just trying to create and then capitalize on a new insecurity. For instance, I lost respect for a young YouTube influencer recently who claimed that the first step in her “no-makeup” beauty routine was to use special whitening eye drops. Now I have seen these drops recently making the influencer rounds so I knew what was up. But it was just so phony, no way was using these drops her daily routine.

redhead84

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #27 on: May 02, 2023, 01:05:10 PM »
Here are the biggest ways we stay frugal.

Housing: We've stayed in the "starter" home for 15 years. We don't chase the latest décor trends and rarely buy new things unless something is broken. The house is small and easy to maintain. The mortgage is paid off.

Transportation: Our cars are 10+ years old and no plans to replace them until they no longer safely operate . We've had some larger maintenance bills over the last year, but we're still coming out way ahead.

Adventine

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #28 on: May 02, 2023, 01:10:09 PM »
I cut open toothpaste and sunscreen tubes to use up every last bit of product.


I haven't worn makeup in 7-ish years. But I am religious about sunscreen. That plus an alcohol-free, low-stress lifestyle mean I look younger than most of my peers.


I don't buy jewelry. I got my silicone wedding ring on sale ($12 for a four pack) online.


I have never bought furniture in my life. My favorite piece of furniture is a nice comfy chaise that we found on the curb in our neighborhood and hauled home.


I'm sure I'll think of a few more :)

Metalcat

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #29 on: May 02, 2023, 01:18:15 PM »
Yes, and I suspect the beauty industry has noticed the drop in shampoo sales or the trend towards no-shampoo, because beauty influencers at the beginning of the year were touting “scalp health” remedies and saying this was a huge concern for people.

The beauty industry does come up with some good stuff but so much is obviously just trying to create and then capitalize on a new insecurity. For instance, I lost respect for a young YouTube influencer recently who claimed that the first step in her “no-makeup” beauty routine was to use special whitening eye drops. Now I have seen these drops recently making the influencer rounds so I knew what was up. But it was just so phony, no way was using these drops her daily routine.

Yeah, the beauty industry always finds a way to monetize everything.

The curly hair method used to be about minimal products and now it's all about crazy expensive products.

The rise of influencers has also created rapid-fire micro trends in beauty, which means the cycles are now a few days or weeks where they used to be months or years.

I can't go near any online beauty content without feeling kind of I'll because it's just so out of fucking control.

LifeHappens

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #30 on: May 02, 2023, 01:53:12 PM »
Ok, I am loving reading and nodding along to so many of the posts. "Do that. Oh yeah, I do that one. Haven't tried that. Good idea!"
Love this thread.

I recently started sprouting at home. I used to be part of CSA that often included a tiny packet of mixed sprouts. The farm sells individual packets for $5(!!!). I can grow twice as much from organic seeds for under $0.50.

I also make my own refried beans. They are better than canned, cheaper and only take a few minutes of active effort.

I'd love your recipe for refried beans, plus any tips or tricks you might have.
I, uh, am not much of a recipe cook. Basically I cook a cup of dried pintos in the crock pot until they are pretty soft. Then I drain them, add a bit of broth, some chili powder and cumin and mash them with a potato masher. I guess that technically makes them Mashed Beans, not Refried Beans :)

AMandM

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #31 on: May 02, 2023, 01:58:16 PM »
Mine are boring.

Have one old car, don't drive it much. DH commutes by bike.

Cook at home from scratch.

Cut our own hair.

Shop only when necessary, primarily at thrift stores.

Live in a neighborhood with an active freecycle type of culture.

Catbert

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #32 on: May 02, 2023, 02:03:47 PM »

I also make my own refried beans. They are better than canned, cheaper and only take a few minutes of active effort.

Another recipe:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/not-refried-beans/

I do on the stove rather than slowcooker.
I'd love your recipe for refried beans, plus any tips or tricks you might have.

I’m not the poster but recently I tried this recipe and they turned out wonderfully. Froze them in small containers so I can pull them out for burritos, etc.
https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-refried-beans/

getsorted

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #33 on: May 02, 2023, 02:05:29 PM »
special whitening eye drops

What fresh hell....

I love makeup and jewelry... but I can't for the life of me understand how much people spend on them. But one of my oldest friends is a makeup artist whose brain is an encyclopedia of drugstore dupes, preservation tricks, and multi-use items.

All my jewelry is from yard sales. I am convinced the only good jewelry is at yard sales. I never see anything in a jewelry store that I actually like.

That said, I don't have very much of either. The most I have of any one product is three lipsticks-- the everyday one, the date one, and the one I normally regret buying, but it was in a clearance bin for less than half price and I think it frightens men, which occasionally is just the kind of mood I'm in.

Zikoris

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #34 on: May 02, 2023, 03:54:38 PM »
The things that seem to stand out most to other people are:

1. Not going to restaurants or drinking alcohol
2. Being VERY low-tech - I have a nine year old flip phone, my home computer is a several-year-old basic Chromebook, we don't have a smart tv/television service, and don't do apps or much social media etc.

Dreamer40

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #35 on: May 02, 2023, 05:13:07 PM »
My frugal practices are pretty typical.

DH and I have always shared a car and we keep them forever.

I cut my own hair and don’t do any of the other salon stuff my friends do like manicures and eyebrows and whatnot.

I bake most of our bread and grow some of our food. The best money saver for food is the epic amount of raspberries I grow every year. We eat as much as we want fresh and freeze enough for overnight oats the rest of the year.

I workout at home with a set of resistance bands and a set of adjustable dumbbells that I’ve used for years. No gym membership or fancy equipment needed.

Ron Scott

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #36 on: May 02, 2023, 05:16:15 PM »
1. Don’t drink alcohol
2. Buy good cars, maintain them properly, and keep them for a decade or 2.
3. Dislike restaurants in general so.
4. Tiny WR in retirement. Giving $$$ annually to daughter & co. Plan to leave a nice inheritance with step ups.

seemsright

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #37 on: May 02, 2023, 05:18:07 PM »
My kid got into the Highly Competitive Early College High School. She will get High School and one year free at the local community college paid for by the district. This years seniors got 7 million in scholarship funds. With there being about 60 students that is an amazing amount of scholarship money.   

vand

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #38 on: May 02, 2023, 05:18:28 PM »
In the grand scheme of things, probably being a DIYer and being able to fix and improve our home over the last few years has saved me the most $$$... doesn't feel like it when you are still spending money on tools and materials down at the DIY store though!

Its not just the money savings though, its the self-sufficiency and life-skills that make it worth it.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2023, 05:21:32 PM by vand »

getsorted

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #39 on: May 02, 2023, 05:26:13 PM »
I got caught up in the discussion and forgot to answer the question.

I feel like I used to be so much more frugal, but some things I do:

-getting nearly all of my furniture for free by stalking the free sections of Marketplace and Craigslist
-buying nearly all clothing, shoes, and accessories used
-having a sub-$200 grocery budget
-cutting my own hair & kid's hair
-line-drying clothes
-mending and tailoring clothes myself
-using a prepaid mobile phone plan, paid annually, and buying refurbished phones that are a year or two old
-drinking alcohol at a rate of approximately one bottle of gin per year.

Most of this combined won't come close to the savings on not carrying debt and having bought a house for 20% below listing at a good moment in interest rate history.

AMandM

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #40 on: May 02, 2023, 05:29:54 PM »
My kid got into the Highly Competitive Early College High School. She will get High School and one year free at the local community college paid for by the district. This years seniors got 7 million in scholarship funds. With there being about 60 students that is an amazing amount of scholarship money.

Oh, that reminds me of another:

Sent 5 kids to the college where DH works, so they all got free tuition. That saved us (on paper) something like $1,000,000... though only on paper, because our EFC was usually low enough that we wouldn't have had to pay the full price.

Cranky

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #41 on: May 02, 2023, 05:39:14 PM »
We’ve been a one car family for 45 years. (I don’t drive.) Before I retired I walked to work.

We almost always eat at home. I like to cook but keep it pretty simple.

I’ve cut dh’s hair for 25 years, though I do get my own hair cut at CostCutters.

I mostly buy stuff at thrift stores. I mend and upcycle and knit.

Most stuff just doesn’t seem that great. It’s pretty easy for me not to buy it.

Ron Scott

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #42 on: May 02, 2023, 05:41:19 PM »
In the grand scheme of things, probably being a DIYer and being able to fix and improve our home over the last few years has saved me the most $$$... doesn't feel like it when you are still spending money on tools and materials down at the DIY store though!

Ugh…you were doing great then you ruined it with your attitude!
[MOD EDIT: I know the Internet gets like this, but we try to keep better manners on this forum]

I DIY for most things, except serious plumbing and electrical and I don’t get on the roof anymore. I remember when I bought my first gas chain saw. A tree died and the guy wanted $350. No thank you. DW asks what’d spend on that? I said I made us $220 on it.

The right tool, good-to-better quality, is not a waste of money.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2023, 05:20:17 AM by FrugalToque »

seemsright

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #43 on: May 02, 2023, 05:44:20 PM »
My kid got into the Highly Competitive Early College High School. She will get High School and one year free at the local community college paid for by the district. This years seniors got 7 million in scholarship funds. With there being about 60 students that is an amazing amount of scholarship money.

Oh, that reminds me of another:

Sent 5 kids to the college where DH works, so they all got free tuition. That saved us (on paper) something like $1,000,000... though only on paper, because our EFC was usually low enough that we wouldn't have had to pay the full price.

congrats.

vand

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #44 on: May 02, 2023, 05:58:17 PM »
In the grand scheme of things, probably being a DIYer and being able to fix and improve our home over the last few years has saved me the most $$$... doesn't feel like it when you are still spending money on tools and materials down at the DIY store though!

Ugh…you were doing great then you ruined it with your attitude!

I DIY for most things, except serious plumbing and electrical and I don’t get on the roof anymore. I remember when I bought my first gas chain saw. A tree died and the guy wanted $350. No thank you. DW asks what’d spend on that? I said I made us $220 on it.

The right tool, good-to-better quality, is not a waste of money.

You are right. My point is that it still costs something, and sometimes quite a lot, in outright terms. Thousands saved can still mean thousands spent.

curious_george

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #45 on: May 02, 2023, 06:18:15 PM »
Super cheap housing and cheap vehicles, basically.

Also - All of the furniture, besides a bed, in my current 3,000 square foot house was free.

If you move into a house and do not furnish it at all, free furniture just shows up over time from family members getting rid of furniture, the side of the curb, helping people move and them giving you first dibs on their unwanted furniture, helping clean out foreclosed properties, etc.

deborah

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #46 on: May 02, 2023, 06:27:03 PM »
Not drinking alcohol. I didn’t think this was much, but a friend and I went away together and she commented on how much less my bills were than hers.
Not having a tv.
Not working (being retired). Both of these are full of ads. Fellow workers are amazing at getting you to buy things without you realising it.

Zikoris

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #47 on: May 02, 2023, 07:07:20 PM »
Not drinking alcohol. I didn’t think this was much, but a friend and I went away together and she commented on how much less my bills were than hers.

I eventually realized this is probably the sole reason my trips are substantially cheaper than most other people, despite that I always get hosed on flights. I think a lot of people on vacation drink some amount of alcohol literally every single day of the trip. Not necessarily getting sloshed, but just a steady thing.

Adventine

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #48 on: May 02, 2023, 08:08:42 PM »
Not drinking alcohol. I didn’t think this was much, but a friend and I went away together and she commented on how much less my bills were than hers.

I eventually realized this is probably the sole reason my trips are substantially cheaper than most other people, despite that I always get hosed on flights. I think a lot of people on vacation drink some amount of alcohol literally every single day of the trip. Not necessarily getting sloshed, but just a steady thing.


You probably also go easy on the souvenirs?


I come from a culture where it's expected that, if you went out of town, and especially overseas, you would bring home souvenirs for family, friends and even coworkers. Not doing that is an incredible faux pas, almost like you weren't raised properly. I was glad to leave that custom behind.

Valley of Plenty

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Re: What's the most frugal thing you do?
« Reply #49 on: May 02, 2023, 08:25:28 PM »
I house hack a triplex which brings in rental income equal to approximately 4x the mortgage cost.

My vehicle is 10 years old (and paid off, naturally), and I only go through a tank of gas about every other month due to close proximity to work and carpooling with a coworker.

I recently started cutting my own hair at home, and was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out.