I love my ’95 Buick Century. Most reliable car I have ever owned. The major repair in 15 years of driving … an alternator. But, for a small 6 cylinder the gas mileage is crappy … 22mpg. So, I let the gas tank run down to near empty. It was just shy of SIXTY DOLLARS to fill it up!! Ouch, man! That hurts. Bad. So, I’m looking for ways to stretch muh Dollahs. Perhaps you are also? Maybe we can learn from each other.
Folks, there are tons and tons of web sites and articles out there that addresses ways to save on expenses. What I am interested in, however, is in real-world-real-people experiences. In other words, what YOU, my fellow TPBers, are doing. Thank YOU!
Q: What are you doing to “pinch pennies”?
(P.S. Fact is, I have enough money to last me until I die. As long as I die before the beginning of spring.)
========
Me?
1)– Trying to balance this ….
… and this AT THE SAME TIME
2) I haven’t had a haircut since the beginning of Covid. Saved a lot of money, plus I look more like Jeebus every day.
3) Haven’t bought trash bags or had garbage service in several years. Have a 10-gallon trash receptacle in the kitchen. I line it with the plastic bags from the supermarket. Yes, it fills up every day. But, I generally shop every day (for fresh veggies needed for that day) anyway, so I just deposit the small bag in the trash bins in from of the market. No big deal. Hundreds of dollars a year saved.
4) I wash and re-use aluminum foil. Can make a 100 foot roll last half a year. Do the same with baggies and parchment paper. Not recycling used toilet paper. Yet.
5) One of the very biggest savings I have experienced? PLANNING MEALS. Planning meals has virtually eliminated a huge wasting of money (at last, for me) …. IMPULSE BUYING. Now I pretty much buy what I need, and nothing else. Savings must be hundreds of dollars per year. Although there are still two things I have a hard time passing by even though it is never on the list; ice cream and cheese cake.
Looking forward to what you guys do!
THE END
This may seem like a dumb question but, why would anyone share, “on line”, something these control freaks can read? This is like posting a battle plan on every pole and post for the other side to read. I’m not saying we shouldn’t share information, I’m saying be careful how you share it. Just say-in
If I were that important they would have already given me the “Talk”.
“They” already know I drive a 94 Ranger and my spit can no longer clear the door even at a red light. It’s built up on the door like candle wax. They know where I live and how much silver I’ve bought and what groceries I buy.
Good point actually. I was posting on a political forum some years ago (here I am!) , one that if you disagreed with TPTB GOPers your opposing views were often removed. I made a comment once about political hypocrisy of a politician a poster seemed to worship and he became highly irritated saying he would “move heaven and earth” finding me. I’m still shaking in my boots some 5 yrs later! Everyone in Texas is a bad ass. And especially behind a screen name I suppose.
#1 Eat more beans and greens and save on both healthcare and groceries.
#2 Buy a pair of hair clippers and never pay for another haircut again.
#3 Find a rich fat girlfriend. They’ll always have nice minivan to ride in and keep a well stocked fridge, and probably can’t out run you. The cakes and cookies section of your local super market is the best place to look.
Glad I could help.
Too much protein is baaaaaaad …
Mushrooms are good too.
Thanks for the mushroom vid. Funny the difference in English language accents, the woman’s voice how she pronounces vitamins. In Texas we talk like our throats are full of gravel.
I’d like to be consuming more mushrooms and have very carefully entered the forage activity of mycology with lots to learn yet from more experienced , seasoned mycologists before consuming wild mushrooms. I have many of them in this neck of the woods and some I feel confident are edible being very common ones . For instance, Lions Mane would be difficult to confuse as they love to grow on the side of pine trees. Still, more education desired for a most beneficial food source and certainly “savings” over store bought.
Definitely more beans.
One of the funniest movies ever made.
“These days” it ain’t hurt nothin’ to have some laughter even from 1974 when I’m assuming some here were not even born. I don’t know, even with the tragedy of Vietnam things just seemed a little more “relaxed”.
I bought that movie three years ago to watch with my two boys , they laught their asses off
Sadly, you got the rich, fat girl thing right, they will even pay the rent or let the guy be Mr. Mom.
Cuck’l’doodle’do y’ll be so sad playing second fiddle and servant boy if you put your shoes under her bed
I keep trying #2 but my friend tells me I look like I have a shock treatment haircut from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Fat women represent sloth, ignorance, gluttony, wastefulness, untidiness, liberalism, odors and for sexual intercourse: can’t go there with the lights off holding my nose; there is a point where it becomes hard to look and to hold my food down. Please say you meant with just extra soft padding or something sensible.
Stucky,
What happened to that Mercedes Benz you got at a steal of a price a few years back?
Still have it. Had 32k miles when I bought it …. it’s now at 33k miles. Still in showroom condition. When I move to Arkansas I’m gonna look to trade it in on a nice used pickup. Really.
Of all 50 states why Arkansas?
Two cars is a devastating money suck. Sell the ego stroking status symbol now!
1.) Quit smoking a few years ago.
2.) Started cutting my own hair a couple years before the pandemic.
3.) I switched to drinking my coffee black.
4.) Intermittent fasting alternating between 16:8 and 20:4 fasts.
so many benefits to IF, and it is NOT as hard as you might think
try a 3-4 day when you get used to that, huge benefits for your immune system and cells
Be been doing 16:8 for a couple weeks. Surprisingly easy. I’m pretty sure that 36 hours would turn me into an axe murderer. So I’m going to try it.
Good for you, Stephanie! Now take the training wheels off and do extended fasts.
I do 3 days a week, eat 4. Every couple of months, I do a 5 day healing fast or a bit longer if I need to lose weight. This is now my 40th year. Age 71, feel great, no medical issues, zero meds.
Plan to live forever. So far, so good. 🙂
I don’t know what a “16:8 and 20:4” fast is.
But, for almost two years now I’ve been eating just two meals a day …. breakfast and supper. Much easier to do than you might think, big money saver, and losing weight is a side effect.
Do I snack in between or after supper? Only sometimes …. ice cream or cheesecake/pies.
16:8 means you fast for 16 hours and eat all your meals within a 8 hour window, 20:4 means you fast for 20 hours and eat all your meals in a 4 hour window. Those are just two fasting options but there’s others including alternate day fasting. The idea behind intermittent fasting is after 12-14 hours of fasting your body enters a state of autophagy (self-eating) where your cells begin to repair damaged cells.
I like Flash’s #1 and #2, of course his #3 negates the healthcare aspects of #1 since, if you eat like the girl in #3 you won’t stay healthy!
We do #1 and #2 but, perhaps oddly, pay a fair bit more for some food we get direct from a local organic/natural farmer. It tastes notably better and we expect we will be healthier in the long run, thus more healthcare savings.
Also, we keep our cars indefinitely, like you. They seem to last ages as long as you maintain them and much cheaper than a new car or changing used cars for problems unknown vs what you know about with your own car.
We also roast our own coffee beans, cheaper than the better store bought types, fresher, etc. Not as cheap as Folgers and other less expensive coffee though.
We make our own yogurt, much cheaper than store bought and only two ingredients: milk (from the farm I mentioned previously) and a little left over from the older batch from for the culture. Compare that to the crap in virtually all store bought yogurt these days.
I try to drink 1-2 quarts of KEFIR per week …. live enzymes and probiotics lead to a healthy gut …. and a healthy immune system pretty much starts in the gut.
But, damn! Store bought kefir is pretty damned expensive …. minimum of $4 and almost $10 if it’s all organic and shit.
Then I saw an article in Reader’s Digest a few weeks ago on making your own kefir water. Bottom line: it’s cheap, cheap, cheap and fast!!
The link below spells it all out. Instead of regyoulah water I use organic coconut water. Takes all of 5 minutes to prepare.
Too good to pass up, folks …..
.
.
Thanks, will check out the Kefir info!
#1. Buy used vehicles and equipment for the farm.
#2. Investing in classes for planning and managing animals and crops.
#3. Cooking at home in large amounts to give 3 or 4 meals instead of one=less oven time.
#4. Buying new quality clothing that will last, every 2 years.
#5. Making a shopping list. When I rum out of something, immediately put it on the list. Also, buy 2 or more of everything I buy so only need to shop for fresh stuff which makes less driving.
#6. Using Youtube videos for simple home repair jobs.
I keep a shopping list, too. And I watch for sales and add to my pantry and freezer from those sales. And I buy used vehicles – my ole 86 Toyota pickup is still going strong and I will never replace it, although I did replace the motor a few years back.
Let’s see. I get advice from people who are smart with money, not from people who are dumb with it. I keep my little house cool and wear sweats and leggings.
Eating out is a rare treat. I never buy coffee at Starbuck$ or places like it. I brew at home with beans I grind myself and put thru a filtered melitta. The hot coffee goes into a thermos so I can have second and third hot helpings. I buy coffee by the pound at least.
My cell phone is a pre-pay, which saves a lot. I do have DISH, but a low-ball program and I am thinking of cutting the cord and getting a hi-def antenna.
I have zero debt and I like adding to my savings. Debt is slavery.
My little ranch is off the grid and I have solar power there plus a small propane fridge and a big woodstove.
If I had a partner who was a spendthrift, I would seriously consider cutting the cord, and if I couldn’t bear to do that, I would ruthlessly separate our funds and turn a deaf ear when my partner ran out of dough.
I am on my third year of gardening. Living and learning. I lease pasture at the ranch and get paid in beef. I don’t hunt, but I would if I had to. I do work a bit at being OK with firearms and I have learned carpentry and I am not too bad at building things like sheds and decks and small additions.
Best way to save money?
Die.
Some people are actually worth more money dead.
Spend it all. Don’t be worth more to someone (or some company) dead than alive.
Seriously we seem to have evolved a thing where we keep building, feeding various entities, and mostly putting it back into businesses (which we enjoy, and make money at). Then we never have ‘extra’ money and thus are naturally frugal with other stuff. One our sayings is, it’s only zeros.
People looking at us may think we’re well off, but for instance we spent everything on the the place of our dreams recently (that houses our life) and have very little real money but it’s enjoyable. Bad things happen in either case- retirement saved, or not.
…”Don’t be worth more to someone (or some company) dead than alive.”…
Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley would strongly disagree.
I want to die completely broke. You know what that’s called? Perfect timing.
Mourner: BooHoo! Muh daddy was worth a million dollars when he died!
Me: Ummm, no! When you’re dead you ain’t worth shit!
Yep, then often times seemingly “loving” “survivors” become complete monsters toward each other. Skeletons in the form of “butt hurts” from 50 years ago come out of the closet and next thing you know, bloodbaths. Certainly this is not the case with some families, just saying $$$ and possesions tend to chnage things real quick.
A gas moped, scooter or electric bike with a rack, basket or saddle bags for three season travel
Be sure to smile as you go under a motor vehicle driven by someone texting on their phone.
It’s amazing “statistics” of vehicular deaths pointing to phone use surpassing those of drunk driving.
Black woman killed a White boy on straight clear Tram Road in broad daylight here; his mother built a memorial for him at the spot and painted the bike white. I would have put her in prison for life just like the judge did the three men in Georgia.
We con ourselves by rationalizing daily spending habits. It’s the one time purchase of Girl Scout cookies or this week’s DD latte, or let’s take so-and-so out for their birthday, justifying it’s just this one time. Go to Staples and purchase an accounting pad. Keep it open and in a visible place. Jot down every single purchase from gas for the car to those little extras. At the end of the month, calculate all of the purchases-mortgage or rent, heating oil, gas for car, monthly bills, home repairs, the little sparkling thing from CVS. Between 20-25% of expenditures were probably unnecessary and that’s more money that could have been saved.
It’s the wanting to spend versus having to spend that’s helping to keep Americans poor.
You remind me, I still remember the “Your Money Or Your Life” series from the early 90s. That set me on the path I am on today.
Alfreda, I seem to have lost the thread discussing equal pay etc. I don’t subscribe so don’t get notification when some may have responded to a post. I bookmark those threads I may want to come back to. Bookmarked that thread but evidently boo-booed as it only takes me to the home page. I’ve dug deep and unable to find the thread.
Sorry–did not mean to send anyone down a fruitless search. This is what I am referring to:
Enjoy! Although T-Bonds have been reduced to worthless junk now as far as interest yields. When this book came out, yield was around 11%. Thank the Fed and its partner in crime Treasury for them being around 2% now. Still, the principles are sound, and will lead you in the right direction.
Stop eating out and buying name brand items
I agree in principle, JGS, but you don’t want to squeeze a nickel till the buffalo craps…
Squeeze a penny until Lincoln bleeds.
Anonymous-I agree regarding squeezing the nickel. To work and never enjoy is no way to enjoy a good life. However, the system programs people to live beyond their means. When we overuse credit, and purchase items not really affordable, who exactly are we playing to? Friends? Neighbors? Gotta keep the kids happy? Take a look around the house. How much stuff can we do without? Would five blue shirts suffice rather than ten? That sparkly thing…what is it that money is being wasted on? The $12.99 bargain sweater on credit now costs around $35-50.00. We are living in historic and unprecedented times. If we are placing our trust in material things, higher education, and institutions, we might consider adjusting our thinking. An unaffordable lifestyle might work in younger years but not now. Long-term unemployment, illness, divorce, etc. are all financial game changers-as is the current administration in Washington.
Well,to save money first off,do NOT let your car get near empty,you will end up pumping sludge/other crap into your fuel system and will unless mechanically inclined with tools have a bill!
I turn inside out ziplock bags ect,wash and reuse.
I use rice and beans/pasta ect. as a base for most meals,add some veggies and a small portion of meat and have a nice meal at reasonable price .
I when see meats at near sell by date with huge price drop buy up and stock in freezer till needed.
I look for real sales on groceries and again,really stock up.
Smart folks really loaded up on ammo at the beginning of scamdemic for great savings(and closets you cannot see the ceiling of).
I use these saving to buy tools/clothing ect.
I actually till the dollar collapses am pretty set financially(preps and metals for collapse)but was always a thrifty type(will spend whatever it takes on quality items)and always was a how can I reuse this sort of person.
Oh and;
Truck goes “Honk!Honk!”
Canadian Goose also goes”Honk!Honk!”
Stucks old Buick must not feel the possible detriment of almost empty gas tank. Actually my wife mentioned that 25 years ago when we met so since then I’ve concentrated more on the possibility.
On ammo, I saw the light in 2007. Also purchased some military surplus rifles in Mosin Nagants with accompanying surplus ammo, CHEAP. They shoot good. I went to a “gun show” over the previous summer and likely the last time I’ll go to one. It was not a huge show like those in the DFW area. I was not looking to buy because I know how outrageous prices are, ammo, firearms, horrible. I saw one Mosin 91/30 the “dealer” was asking $650. HUH?!!!! I purchased two of them just when Obama became #1 narcissist at the time for $100 each. Nice shooters. Oops, Red Flag, Red Flag, Red Flag.
For me recreational shooting now is mostly .22LR. Get .22 while one can at Wallie Worlds that stock it (limited purchase) , 6-8cents per round turnkey since that retailer began stocking it again. It was not too long ago retailers could not get the .22 and online gougers were asking upwards of 25 cents per round for a little ol .22LR. “Gun shows” the same way. To heck with those shows!
James,
I thought you were a trustfunder.
Keeping the car, bought a 40mpg small car new, but have 100k miles on it and now w/ replaced timing chain good for another 100k.- Buying many things used: Goodwill, Restore, and other secondhand stores, clothes, kitchenware, tools, anything I need is looked for there first. e.g. gas grill, stainless, + 2 half full propane tanks for $40.
- Buying things that last, like the car, and taking care of them.
- Doing things yourself. Car work, oil changes, plumbing, electrical, etc. Dad taught me many things and there are books & on-line to learn most things.
- No debt. If you can’t afford it you can’t afford it.
#1 and #4! Absolutely.
Let me add another item for #1: furniture. You can buy better quality furniture at a better price, while helping a charity or local small business (not a fan of Goodwill, however).
1,2, and 4 for sure…Be careful about 3, because mistakes by amateurs can end up costing your family a lot of money…
I like the simplicity/profundity of #4.
I hesitate to post some of the commie-pinko things I have to do here, but here goes–judge me if you need to:
–I can’t afford a car and live in hilly terrain with little bus service, so I have a Trek Electra bike. Going on two years, summer and winter, I am ecstatic about the way it has eased my life, with a couple of charges a week at most, and a little trailer for shopping. It was $2100, less a $400 rebate from the electric company, so $1700, no insurance cost or gas. I do have to worry about crazy impatient drivers, so I go at light traffic times.
–Cut my own hair finally, and I can’t tell the difference from a salon, frankly.
–Make meals from scratch, ferment my own veg.
–Buy my food in bulk at my local pinko-commie food co-op, and use my own containers or bags. The choice and quality are amazing, the produce is mostly local, and no more expensive now than a chain grocery, and I don’t pay for advertising and packaging.
–Buy beef and eggs from local farmers. It costs more but the quality is so high I eat less of it. No extra fat.
–I am naturally private, so I don’t care about going anywhere any more and have no guilt about not spending to “support the economy”.
Just a few of the things I do.
Community is the way we will survive.
I have yet to find a good grocery store or co-op around here. This is explaining the higher rates of obesity compared to where we came from.
Buy lots of extra of unperishables when on sale – all personal and house soaps, sponges, dish brushes, laundry anything, shampoo/conditioner, coffee filters, tp/paper towels/tissues, foil/plastic wrap, baggies/bigger waste bags, bandaids, q-tips, paper clips, lots more . Goes for lots of kitchen stuff too – vanilla, some spices like dried mustard, honey, vinegar, more.
It’s a triple value – you have stock for a decade+, you got it at a great price the day you bought it and future saved a lot more for not paying the years later way higher price. I’ve also found that the quality and volume per item has gone way down from when I bought it years earlier. I even did it with favorite sneakers that discontinued stock on ebay was good for, I’m good for life.
My SUV weighs as much as my 65hp tractor and gets more than 22mpg on the highway.
When taking a woman out on a date, to save money, even though I promise dinner and a nice hotel later, I instead slip her a roofie, sodomize her in the car and drop her off in the ghetto.
I buy with cash mostly. If you have to pull out real bills, it sometimes makes you think twice, or maybe even three times about whether you really need something.
Also, especially when shopping online, if I get an idea of something I want to get, I wait a day or two before I make the purchase. It is amazing how the passage of time will make that genius idea go away.
For those who aren’t coffee snobs, it’s quick, efficient, and less than 10 cents a cup:
I AM a coffee snob. But even I will admit that the quality of instant coffee has come way up in the past fifteen years.
HEB organic instant coffee is bad ass, and I have yet to have a fellow coffee snob do anything but ask for a second cup.
And in a pinch, you can just pour it straight into your mouth and gobble the crystals!!! Just like Popeye with his canned spinach!!!
Can’t beat camp coffee… even better with chunky bits of ash and charcoal…
8 oz of Beaumont instant from Aldi: $2.89.
Reply to undeniable: Not only is the coffee OK, soak the labels off and the jars make great storage containers for seeds, dried veggies or anything else you want to be able to see at a glance.
The world is about to go blammo on so many levels, it is not a time to pinch pennies. What’s a few extra bucks as opposed to something you could actually really need and may not be able to get soon, at any price?
I just bought a freeze dryer and a heat-to-electricity generator, next up is a coop and chickens.
Not really a time to be sitting around watching.
Duke, I was making these for friends before they became cool. Cheapest and easiest coop and is all they need except some wooden 2×3 roosts across the back and 3 or 4 milk crates stuffed with hay or chips for egg laying. Don’t be a new yuppie pilgrm with your chickens and make them sleep on the ground. You can drag these to a fresh spot every day. I grew up on an old fashioned chicken farm and we pastured chickens in a wood version of this. They could be seen all over New Jersey in the 50’s.
The one on the top will house 10 chickens comfortably if they are moved every day, 6 or 8 in winter with plenty of fresh bark chips or peat moss to keep it dry and sanitary and chickens love to scratch. Buy some scratch feed and scatter a few handfuls into the bedding for them to find. Deep litter chicken bedding in winter produces badly needed vitamin K. Just let it pile up till spring then compost it with other debri to cool it off a little. It’s very high in nitrogen.
Heck yea, Fleabaggs! We are trying to decide on our chicken plan and I like both of these. We have a lot of turkey buzzards and hawks around here, so the top one may be better and I had been thinking about those for that.
The bottom one I think would work great when we get some other animals in there to keep the raptors at bay during the day. I have a little stock barn I could turn into one. I will look for plans.
Ken the first one is so flexible in size etc it’s hard to beat. It looks like the one in the pic is using plastic webbing. 1/2 inc pcv is a bit flimsy. 5/8 or 3/4 is very good and you can add more tarp to cover the whole area in winter to keep snow off scratching area. A cheap dust box for lice and your in business. Fine in the event you have no predators but useless for keeping out raccoons fox neighborhood dogs etc. You may want to also add a 2x4inc mesh wire fencing floor to keep fox and coons from digging under at night. They were never an issue back in the day because of trapping pressure. If you move it daily the chickens will get fresh grass and bugs to supplement feed. Set a bug zapper over the fence at night for free feed. Any lean to with fencing is fine. cold is no problem if you feed enough and make sure it is high energy. Hanging a wire basket with suet is good in winter. When I look at the yuppie you-tube and Pinterest pictures of chicken coops, I want to puke. Yuppies are this countries problem, not homeless bums or meth freaks.
Make a ‘maggot motel’ too. Use a 5 gallon pail with 1/4″ holes drilled around the base. Drill 1/2″ holes around the top of the pail. Put your table scraps in the pail and hang it a couple of feet off the ground in your chicken pen.
Flies will come in and lay on the scraps. The maggots will find the holes around the base and fall out for the chickens. Chickens love it.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=maggot+motel+chicken+feeder&t=brave&ia=web
Right. Forgot all about that. Saw it on yoo-toob. Grubworm mealyworm farming might work too. Yoo toob has videos but never tried it.
If you’re in the desert SW my chickens would pounce on any scorpion careless enough to venture out during daylight hours. Guinea hens will every tick in sight too.
What is a “dust box for lice”. I like chickens. Visited Joel Salitins’ Poly Face farm in 2003. Very interesting.
Chickens get body lice especially around the anus. A dust box of sove ashes and diamatacious earth(A type of lime) and sand will usually work. If you don’t object to chemical powders they make them for poultry lice and you can add that to the mix. They also use it to clean their feathers. They will thank you for it and you will know by how they sound and look and act once you get familiar with them. If you are not in a city I would recommend at least one rooster for 8 or 12 hens. He will keep the peace and act as a lookout. The hens like it. It’s the natural way.
The top looks exactly like the one we call The Summer Home. Too cold to leave in year round. Anything that touches the ground is PT lumber. The ribs are 3/4 pvc and it is netted with chickenwire.
It’s funny when a hawk sits on top once or twice a year. It’s great to park on the garden in spring before planting. Our beds are the same width as The Summer Home by design. The girls do all the tilling for me.
My baby sisters Rhode Island Reds spent 4 winters in just the top one using visqueen instead of a tarp in Pocono Mts of N. PA. Gotta feed winter rations. Their first year she tried to put them in a greenhouse. They rebelled and spent the whole winter in a large forsythia bush quite happily. The breed matters somewhat but feed for winter high in fat and calories keep them warm.
flea, the bottom picture looks exactly like what my wife built for the ducks and geese, half of which we processed this fall. the roof on ours is just tarps, we use hay bales and pallets inside to make insulated shelter that has worked all this january and feb with long stretches in the single and double digits below zero. highly recommended.
we used an old trailer and bought a well built 4×8 coop for the chickens to supplement the taj ma coop i built last year. so total about 20 chickens and 6 ducks overwinter.
last, for stuck, i’ve invested in tools and skills for my whole life. my vehicles all get near 300K miles, limited by the damn salt/consequent rust. anybody can learn basic maintenance skills from the huge resource of knowledge on the internet. i have a winter beater, nice summer car, VW camper van, and wife’s SUV. learn a car model with some legs, keep buying them and keep them running with preventative maintenance.
we buy everything with cash, and are almost out of debt on our investment property. home is paid off, kids are almost done educating.
share your knowledge with young people! nothing keeps tyranny back like a new generation that values freedom. slavery ain’t no bargain.
I am getting ready to build an A-frame for my giant backyard rabbits. I plan to lift the roof of the ground enough for a doorway, so I can let the girls out for a while, walk in and feed them to bring them in (with the big dog’s help… he has a herd now!) and then let the males out for a bit.
I love sitting on my back porch watching bunnies hopping around the yard with my Pyr.
My late wife and I had our 10 acres of paradise SW of tuscon and would sit in the swing after work and watch the chickens be chickens. Quite a show.
Also, tock up on canned food, salty preferred, and vitamins…
Buy everything in bulk, on sale. Invest in at least 2 chest freezers, and fill them slowly as you stock up during loss leader sales. When there is a great sale, buy even if you do not need it. This strategy not only saves money, it ensures that when the inevitable shortages come they do not affect you to a considerable degree.
Finally, keep your ego under control. It is the most expensive thing you will ever support.
Thats solid advice…
Ego control would really be a “great thing, a great idea, a wonderful great idea on my part and for great people”. Seriously!
On the freezers, only problem if no electricity for extended periods of time. My co-op electric company has been good despite opinions about co-ops. There was an outage here some years before I moved permanently to this location due to ice on power lines and some people were without electricity for two weeks, in fact not just some, it was widespread. I’m fortunate to have a whole house generator and the only thing that runs on a 330 gal propane tank . Got the tank that size because it was less expensive than a 250 gallon. I keep it about 60% capacity and that means buying 100 gal of propane every two years as its usage has required. Last purchased was $3 gal. Yikes. The thing is with any fossil fuel, gasoline, whatever one may not be able to purchase any of it. A luxury, yes. Around here during summers the heat and humidity can be stifling and momma, while modest about not “having” everything, is not into burning up in the house, not a MacMansion “dream home” btw, nor living under shade trees with horse flies biting and chasing one a lot. The generator is not designed to run for weeks on end. In fact, recommended oil changes are 100 hrs. So far ours averages about 35 hrs per year and cycles for 20 minutes once a week regardless.
As far as shtf scenario I opted for freeze dried commercial foods and bought the stuff when I had a good job and could afford it. No regrets, that stuff is through the roof now. To each his/her own and to each his/her own to prep.
When relocating, I made nat. gas a must have. Have a 3 way gen. that runs on nat. gas/ gasoline/propane. If the freezers are all you are worried about, running them a hour a day will keep everything frozen if they are full. Dry Ice is another alternative.
In the worst case scenario, you fire up the BBQ and start making jerky…
I hear you. Natural gas pipelines run through the area but no source for consumer use here. Small towns in our area have natural gas available. We don’t even have co-op water here, off the grid except for electricity and Verizon wireless internet which can be a PITA here when long winded in these posts! We in the boonies sort of. The GE is a 20kw model 613275 rated 83 amps at 240 v and transfer switch of course.
Just two of us, we considered a freezer but opted for the refrigerator/freezer alone. We have lots of dried beans of various flavor and rice. And the spring fed pond is full of Bluegill and Black Bass. I pray “it” does not get to that point. It would be a hell of a shock for many people.
That pond is worth it’s weight in gold!
Just for a fun project, you might want to look into building you own wind generator, it can be done very cheaply using a car alternator, and with a decent battery bank, can be a great back up. Utility companies use large 2 volt batteries for their back up in substations. They usually change them out every year or two and throw the old ones away. If you can get a connection with one of the workers, you can probably get some for free. I have a friend who has had some more than 10 years, and they are still working great.
Hum. Good idea.
A few solar panels couple of batteries and an inverter can keep a freezer cold. Around here we leave our chest freezer in the shed near the battery backup. But usually when the power goes off, it is deep into winter so things stay frozen until spring anyway.
Yea, I was gonna say areas with extended cold one could rely on mother nature in winter anyway. In Texas, the old saying , if you don’t like the weather today , hang around, it will change tomorrow. It was 70+ here yesterday. Today ( now 11:35PM CST) I believe the highs were in the 40’s, windy cold though. I could not rely on weather. Our summers of course are 90’s-100’s consistently day after day.
What is the outlay $$$ for solar panels that would keep a freezer COLD year round?
Better have a good generator and fuel for it…
Freezers are great. Electic backup a must For outages which last several days.
A few ways we saved recently.
– We smoke. Now we roll our own (RYO). Went from 11 bucks a pack, down to $0.60 cents per pack. Note that you need about an initial $200 investment in a good electronic rolling machine.
– Found cheap mobile. We use Mint Mobile. $180 per year.
– Also switched our web hosting. Went from about $1000 per year down to $50. We use SiteGround. Surprisingly reliable and fast.
– No TV for the past 10 years. Don’t use streaming either. Learn about torrents to find something if you need to.
– Instant coffee. ALDI has the best. $3.00 for 120 cups of coffee.
Now I just need to find a way to quit alcohol. The most difficult hurdle for me.
Ditto on the Mint Mobile cell phone plan. Can’t beat it.
What area? Not many options here. No cable or satellite TV for us. Cable is not even available , satellite ridiculously high. We get antenna TV with the crime shows the wife likes . Other than that the TV stinks. Ice Road Trucers, Storage Wars on Quest, yea! I’d be unhappy with at least internet. Right now Verizon wi-fi internet but gripes me the cost. Hughes satellite internet is available but less allowance than Verizon and they can stick it for what they charge. Verizon is “unlimited ” but they can throttle you down during peek hours.
The problem with our area is not all carriers work well here. I checked it out thoroughly years ago and all carriers at the time except Alltel ( now Verizon) said service was getting better in my zip area . I needed service , not service that was getting “better”. AT&T even said getting “better” which seems odd as my understanding towers are shared. Family out of major metro areas have visited and at first their AT&T was worthless here . AT&T has gotten “better” though at least the last time family visited.
I’m assuming Mint Mobile and T-Mobil are “related”. I know T-Mobil is worthless here but it works well in the larger towns within 70 miles of us. For grins I checked Mint Mobile with my zip. Bummer.
Aww, FOX
Although your Apple iPhone 7 is perfectly compatible with our service, the coverage at xxxxx is poorer than we’d like to see. It doesn’t look like Mint is right for you…this is us crying now.
Comparetively though for two phones , unlimited cell data, text , voice , all that typical stuff, a wi-fi hotspot device and wi-fi hotspot activated on my phone for our individual desktop internet access with unlimited , I probably should not squeeze the consumerism thing to death. It is what it is and getting away from the masses of traffic and people we cannot always have it both ways.
I don’t have to budget I’m just thrifty. Make lots of soups and stews while the weather is cold, they go a long way. (YUM)
A $4 can of quality Pink Salmon will make 6 excellent salmon patties. We learned to make awesome ham/chicken fried rice from a Jap on youtube, just add some cheap noodles w/green onions on the side (cheap dinner) .
Cheddar Brats from Aldis on brioche buns w. spicy mustard and a little kraut, baked beans and sweet potato fries w/spicy honey dipping sauce. (cheap dinner)
I could go on and on with cheap meals, also have lavish food ideas for little money but requires cooking time and effort if you are willing.
*** Eating in restaurants is way too expensive , eat at home and make restaurants a treat like in the old days. Don’t buy anything you don’t need, instead spend that money on food storage.
Mix a can of pink salmon with red beans and rice.
See what happens.
You’ll have to call a priest to cleanse your house of the worst gas you’ll ever have!!!
For the soups – I save all meat and veggie trimmings in ziplock freezer bags. Celery
, carrot and onion ends, pepper tops/seeds/membrane, chicken wing tips, , etc. When I want to make stock, I put a bag or 2 in my stockpot and put it in the oven to roast the ingredients a bit at 350. Then cover with water and boil a couple hours. Strain and then add soup fixings. Depending on how much meat trimmings I have in there I may need to add some Tones chicken base or better than boullion.
Was talking with a chef at a hotel one time, he told me he does the same thing, but had 5 freezers full!
Our dog food up 25% horse grain 25% bedding 12% yoy
Stand still at Tractor Supply long enough and you’ll see the prices going up.
Reloading.
Free food, there is so much free food available, dude, you need to hang out with some poor peeps to get pointers.
Free clothing, again, lots out there.
“The Look,” check out pan handlers for tips. Po Po avoid you, predators veer away yet we attract do-gooders.
Dog, got mine at a truck stop in Oklahoma, a babe magnet and a conversation starter, Fleabag is my body guard.
Hang out with poor people, they share. Give and you shall receive.
I am pinching pennies by buying the cheaper single malts.
Don’t go to gunbroker or the local gun shop. Hair clippers-yes. Buy in bulk and store well. Grind your own grains and bake bread.
Your #4 has to be a joke…are you really scrapped for a $2.49 roll of foil?
Cole, you may not have been here a few years ago when Stucky lost his dear beloved? He had some medical co-pays which caused a period of frugalness on his part. It is probably going to serve him well in the days and months ahead, if these truckers stand their ground or the government(s) do the wrong thing.
Since Governments seem predestined to always do the wrong thing, we are going to find out what JUST IN TIME delivery means when the delivery system just says no.
Even if they arrest the truckers and move the trucks, who will drive those trucks and deliver for anyone with them now?
Who would feel safe doing so?
I sometimes wash aluminum foil and plastic bags. It helps cover the tens of thousands of dollars I spend on on property taxes and tuition. I’m not what you’d call smart.
I wash plastic ‘ziploc’ bags and reuse aluminum foil too. No shame in that. I also sell scrap aluminum and copper to the scrapyard–helps pay for the hangar rent and Avgas for my plane. No joke.
Longagoandfaraway, old friend, I posted an essay here about how I built a college fund from scratch that I’d written in college and sold to some women’s magazine for $150. The article guaranteed me an A so I really quit trying to write this sort of thing, but should have kept at it.
I’m good at fiction, too, when I try, but I really like the short, simple and to the point of it.
And then the EYE of SAURON turned on me.
Answer: nothing. Life is too short. I am not extravagant, mostly, but I do not pinch pennies. Maybe one day, but not now.
Some of the things I do save me money, but it is not done for that reason: garden, fruit trees, brewing, etc. It is lifestyle choice with an added benefit.
Moved to California and just steal everything. As long as it’s under $900 dollars that is.
We buy 2 or more of pantry things when needed. It allows us to be patient and wait for sales. Also buy bulk when available. I didn’t think a sealer would get used but it does. Same with instant pot and air fryer. Small quick meals with little waste.
I introduced our daughter to coupons. She gets to keep 1/2 of whatever is saved as a reward. She matches sales to planned menu mostly.
Our vehicles are diesel. More $ per gallon but the fuel mpg always exceeds the % from gas price.
Fixed my car myself this morning and saved about $1500. So, I probably have todays bragging rights. I have to give praise to the commies at Google and You tube for the helping videos, and of course to the people who did not want to give Nissan the money to fix a faulty part that was recalled on some models, but not all. My wife is the queen at finding super deals and saving. We saved about $400 on our car rental, on our recent trip to Florida, just by picking up the rental car a 10-minute drive from the airport. Our two weeks at our hotels were basically free. We had lots of hotel credit card points accumulated as this was our first trip since the plandemic started.
The more you can DIY, the better. If you pay someone else, you don’t gain the knowledge and confidence to do future repairs. If you buy the tools, you’ll have them when you need them. I have a lot of tools I bought for a one-time job and found myself using them multiple times. The satisfaction of doing it yourself is, as the commercial says, priceless.
How did you find Florida?
I have been a big time do it yourselfer for a long time. It helps that I worked a variety of construction in my younger days. I also built my first homestead in Alaska before I was 25. The car job this morning only cost me the $49 a new dremel costs. Dremels are awesome. I can see using it for dozens of repairs.
In my eyes, Florida is very much Covid free. Saw lots of testing places, all empty. Never had to wear a mask though hotels wanted you to at the morning breakfast. I would say only about 20% wore masks. Less than in Alaska. No one ever commented on people wearing or not wearing masks. So, people are respecting others’ rights. The worst thing you see is propaganda. All the hotels have the commie news stati0ns. Schools have it’s safe to vax propaganda on their bulletins. It’s a very crowded state. Pretty much a continuous mall. We drove through a lot of farm country up north. But around any larger towns its always very busy traffic. I am in Alaska largest city, Anchorage. But we have way less traffic than many much smaller cities. Florida is an interesting state, but most people go there to die not retire.
“How did you find Florida?”…I turned south and just kept driving.
I am Dutch, you know, “The only ones that can buy from the Germans and sell to the Jews and still make a profit!” My wife is Croatian and is as thrifty as can be. My kids are 10 and 12, and the money we have spent on brand new clothes we have bought them since birth is likely under $1000. Goodwill and thrift stores and they are perfectly happy. I will say, however, washing the ziploc bags for re-use does gross me out. I toss them in the trash when when my wife is not looking. But both retired in our early 50’s…so discipline, hard work, and a sprinkle of good luck does go a long way. Libertarian Freedom Fighters and prepping for whatever the future might hold for us.
No Scot or Jew can hold a candle to a Dutchie for being FRUGAL sarc on heavy on the frugal.
Yes, it’s a magic formula and my wife and I also retired in the mid 50’s.
Me too. I retired in 1956!!!
I’m buying a $80k new Corvette, but not opting for the convertible model, saving me $7,000.
Does that count?
Having no mortgage allowed me to save to pay cash for the ‘vette.
But I am frugal with lots of things. Cut my poodle’s coat myself, do my own oil changes on our 11-year old Toyota, buy stuff at Goodwill when I find a bargain, mow my own lawn, try to use less electricity to lower the bill, don’t buy clothes very often (again, Goodwill sometimes).
My plan is to die penniless, but ensure the wife is taken care of with life insurance and the equity in our home. We also have an annuity that will pay her for life.
“Live your best life now.”
Paying off that mortgage ASAP is KEY to becoming financially independent. Good for you, Rise Up!
We all need to do so.
Well, let me clarify that…I have no mortgage payment, but I do still have a mortgage–a reverse mortgage. Don’t scoff, it’s a very wise financial option if you know how they work. As long as I keep up property taxes and insurance, there is no payment, and when I die, my wife can live there payment-free until she passes. We still hold title and any equity left after paying the mortgage balance can go to my one offspring. I actually have more equity now than I did before closing on the RM last July, because I went to closing with a bunch of cash. We chose an RM that gave us $130k in a line-of-credit, again with no obligation to pay that back, plus it earns interest at the same rate of the mortgage (2%). Win-win.
Riser- Who were you planning to pay the mortgage balance so your heirs will be left the property?
I’ve seen plenty of people die and the children don’t get zip because of the RM.
No mortgage here, just the albatross of property tax even with over 65 exemption. Burns my rear politicians like Dan Patrick in Texas campaign on property tax reform, nothing happens but tax valuations going up and the idiots here continue to vote for the guy. My taxable valuation is locked in with the 65 exemption but I still pay a few bucks more each and every year for county emergency services I don’t mind. At some point one might think older folks have paid enough especially the big one, school taxes. I’ve not had kids in public schools since 2000. Oh, its the “common good”. I feel for the kids but I’ve not seen a lot of “good” from public schools in a long time, only expensive architecturally designed school buildings and football stadiums. Keeping up with the Jones.
It took 3 yrs. of trial & error, but I’ve developed a green thumb. We plan on installing a 1,200 sq ft greenhouse in the fall, complete w/ a misting system. It doesn’t need heat, as there might be 2-3 nights in January where it gets below 32º. And never below 28ish. Lots of sun too, as we’re in a coastal area with, on average, at least 6 hrs of sunlight/day.
Raised lots of tomtoes, cukes, squash, rosemary, dill, peppers, basil, etc. Our broccoli crop is healthy, as are collards & cabbage. Planting cilantro, onions, & lettuce tomorrow.
As for haircuts, I’ll stick w/ Broad Street at $20 per. Plus, have “Property Carrying” tags in SC. So, no charge for parking at municipal meters. Scrimping fer sure.
See someone is talking about the stupidity of sharing what we do to prep. Hell, they already datamine us and can pull it up in a millisec.
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
Build/make your own doesn’t even get honorable mention, eh?
It should, and does, Red…I was just quoting that old depression era saying.
Bent and dent food stores, you know, where the forklift driver ran over the box of granola the fell off the palet, then backed into the other palet of canned peas and dented them…if you’re not too fussy you can get stuff cheap.
Yep–luv me some 99 cent stores.
A friend of mine bought 5 cases of #10 cans of powdered tomatoes. I was surprised how good they taste and are very versatile. I don’t have a need now or I would have copied them.
Saving money? Too easy. In fact it’s a Biblical Commandment:
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat”: and it was so. Genesis 1:29-30
The variety of edibles – even delicacies – available from neighbourhood gardens both public and private and from the wild is amazing, so whenever I’m out I’m ‘hunting and gathering’ and like any hunter gatherer worth his salt, I keep a constant eye out for fresh roadkill as well. Aside from saving more money than even I realise, by adopting a hunter gatherer mentality I am able to substantially reduce my carbon footprint, so I’m also doing my part to reduce Global Warming, which is as if not more important than merely saving money.
So to that end, I trap (mostly small) birds, mice and rats which I coax into my back yard. Unfortunately they’re mostly bones and feathers but this unfortunate reality can be remedied since, as is the case with birds, they can be relatively easily caught in often what are excessively large numbers. One of my specialties is what I call Rodent Ragout, but I also do a Starling Stew to die for.
I’ll occasionally ‘catch’ a neighbour’s dog or a ‘stray’ cat, but that is always contingent on whether I can get away with it. Although the primary purpose of this is to eat, I have a nice little side business making hats (mostly out of the cat pelts, but also any puppies when I can catch them) which get sold for cash at local markets. The large bones make wonderfully mellifluous wind chimes which I sell online through Amazon. Sometimes, for a little (easier) cash, if the local Korean restaurant doesn’t want them, I’ll just hold out for the inevitable ‘reward’ money – it’s like putting them back in the pantry for later. I enjoy seeing the joy on the faces of the owners when they’re (sometimes temporarily) reunited with their beloved pooch or puss. I like to do little things like that for my community whenever I can.
Clothes I procure from washing lines and from unattended dryers in various laundromats around and about, and fuel for my car is siphoned from the fuel-tanks of compatible vehicles in various parking lots, which is also where I procure spares – ‘new’ batteries and tyres as the need arises, for example. These exercises in frugality save me a lot of money, as you can well imagine.
For free entertainment, I watch people for when they leave valuables unattended – wallets, cameras, phones, that sort of thing. Anything of value that I don’t need or want for myself gets flogged down the pub. Of course, I’ll always max out the debit cards immediately which is about the only time I buy anything from a store. (‘Tap and Go’ is a Godsend for this). I find spending other people’s money a great way to save my own.
Compromising pictures or information stored on a phone are a virtual guarantee for a nice reward for ‘finding’ and returning it. If the person was of a similar appearance as me, I might keep their ID for future money saving ventures, otherwise it gets flogged at the pub as well..
I could go on but I think you get the idea..
Walt you’re a funny guy. Love it.
Libraries, hair clippers, used, keeping house at 58 degrees in winter and 78 in summer.
I’m cutting back on cows because it takes a lot of pasture grass and that takes a lot of fertilizer. I will plant more beans, more fruit trees, more vines, build a shed that is fire ant proof and raise rabbits again. Cows were easy but TPTB have screwed the producers out of any profit just like they did for hogs & poultry, and sheep and goats. Since there are so many unConstitutional laws, a small farmer can’t sell anything except on the Black Market; y’all city slickers better get some dirt and start digging either your garden or your grave.
I have a very rich landlady who really really likes me. Fortunately, she’s easily impressed. I can walk a block or two to whatever I need.
I can retreat to the nearby family farm if need be. There’s an old indian cave there no one knows about. Everyone who remembers it is dead. I think there’s still a couple of unopened cases of flintlock rifles stacked in the back from the 1790’s. A good pedalstone grinder, too….
For gift wrapping I use the Sunday funnies page or our children’s art work (especially for grandparents).
Or I cut up paper takeout bags (cut off seams and handles until you have a flat sheet), invert so that the writing is on the inside, wrap and decorate with a simple bow or ribbon, or write a personal note on it with sharpie.
Even though some people here seem to think it is extreme, I might start washing aluminum foil to reuse (thanks for the tip). I already wash takeout plastic containers and use them when taking meals to friends.
I also use scrap materials/trash for arts and crafts with our children. Today, since it is snowing, we will be making snow globes out of glass salsa jars (add figurine of choice, water, glitter, glycerin).
I would keep the car, although that is poor mileage for that unit. My mother had a ’91 Buick LeSabre with 237,000 miles on it when my older brother put her in a rest home 4 yrs. ago, sold the car for $600. It ran like a top, freeze you out a/c, and 30 mpg in town (all she ever used it for)
One thing I’ve not done yet, is send Mr. Quinn a dime-something I am embarrassed about. In a little over a month, I will be able to get some savings that I put into IRAs in years past.
When the amount of savings is relatively small, and your income is <13 per annum, 'saving' money is not a choice.
Eat one good meal a day (wife is still working so she will have some cereal/pancakes/waffles with some 1.38 maple syrup water from wally world…..I just have a piece of toast with some butter), and have a good breakfast on the weekends along with the good meal at evening.
Saving aluminum foil and baggies has just been a way of life for us, keep doing it. We get our beef from her son, who pastures a few cattle each yr. for consumption. The processing guy he has used for years now requires AT LEAST a year advance ……Do as BL suggested, more soups (although there are very few saltines in our two grocery stores for the past 3 weeks). We have been buying extra as we can for quite a long while now, and use the spare bedroom for a pantry.
I am still paying insurance for two small houses-ours and the one across the alley we bought to put her mother in ………(the son she was living with died in his bed the morning after I was discharged from a week stay in the hospital for a quadruple bypass I had. His two sons evicted her when they inherited his place less than a month later.) And full coverage on our two vehicles……
But I digress…….
The most sound advice I could offer? Look into getting out in Maggie's area, or somewhere similar. We are similar to her –in that we have financed nothing. (High deductible/copay medical costs have really hammered us in the past few years)
For those who live in ‘metropolitan areas’ 99 cent stores can be a boon for inexpensive items. A lot of stuff at the ones I visit is there because of packaging errors–lids on WAY too tight for example. Another reason is forklift accidents–a pallet of canned goods is dropped and a few cans are damaged, but most are ok. The warehouse manager doesn’t want to waste man-hours sifting thru hundreds of cans to get the good ones out so the whole lot is sold to the 99 cent store buyer. I’ve scored lots of bottled juices due to the whole pallet being doused with juice from a few broken bottles-the warehouse manager is not going to waste his guy’s time washing a palletful of bottles. I buy ’em and rinse them off when I get ready to open them. There are a lot of treasures to be found at these stores, it just takes some time and digging.
Sticky
Mr. Money Mustache
The root of good
Early retire extreme
Mad fientist
Check out these blogs.
Three basic principles
1. Live in a small house.
2. Live where you can walk or ride a bike to every thing you need.
3. Eat at home. Eat out never or rarely.
I still have a car but only use it once or twice a month. The car is a 2006. I have had it for mor than 10 years.
I went from zero to retired in 10 years.
I know your situation may be different but you may find some good ideas in the blogs above.