Do you live frugally?

[Ronin De NiroParticipant 200]

If you do, can you give a few useful details about how you do it?

[RusskyParticipant 13503]

I could probably write theses on how to live frugally. The only problem is beer at about 60 per week and weed 200 per month. Otherwise I could live off scraps

proud carrier of the 'why?' chromosome

[AnthonyParticipant 2281]

Eggs.. keep a pot of boiled eggs around.
Basic foods. Milks, cheese, chickens…roast them.
Sandwiches and plenty of good trimmings.
You spend money to save money.

Live life like a cheap bastard Jew…as a good Jewish pal told me.

Get good lifelong habits and just stick to them.
Then study your ass off for a better job.
Make work your life….dig in.
Get a better gig and then kill more debts.

Say to yourself… I will not be able to work forever…so I need to save money…I do NOT need that s~~~.

I live exactly like this. I’m a cheap bastard and proud of it. If I do spend money on something major, it’ll usually last me a good 10 or more years. Otherwise, I avoid spending my money as much as possible.

Russky wrote:

I could probably write theses on how to live frugally. The only problem is beer at about 60 per week and weed 200 per month. Otherwise I could live off scraps

Beer is definitely expensive. I live in Vegas though, so it’s pretty cheap. I could even walk up to the strip right now and buy a beer for 99%. Which is pretty great.

Not to mention you can always put a dollar in the penny machines and act like you’re gambling a few pennies at a time. Then have the waitresses bring you free drinks.

Once you have a Fleshlight real vaginas become worthless.

[RusskyParticipant 13503]

I live so frugally, that if I started spending 0 money on liquor and weed – I could probably live off welfare or social security. It’s not like I will or I want – but it’s a good feeling when you downsize to the point where you don’t need much money at all – it’s a relaxing feeling knowing you don’t have to worry about surviving tomorrow. It’s almost like if you’re rich.

proud carrier of the 'why?' chromosome

[BeerParticipant 11832]

Russky wrote:

I live so frugally, that if I started spending 0 money on liquor and weed – I could probably live off welfare or social security. It’s not like I will or I want – but it’s a good feeling when you downsize to the point where you don’t need much money at all – it’s a relaxing feeling knowing you don’t have to worry about surviving tomorrow. It’s almost like if you’re rich.

Haha yeah…the average social security check in 2016 is 1341 dollars a month. I’m like 90% frugal…I know I could cut expenses more if I had to but I don’t want to totally deprive myself of all things I enjoy…and my average monthly budget is less than 1341 a month. If America gets universal healthcare at some point in the next 30 years I’d be able to survive retirement just fine with 0 dollars in savings.

Meanwhile…there are plenty of consumerists out there living in a McMansion with a BMW parked in the driveway and a file cabinet full of maxed out credit cards who can’t figure out how they’ll ever survive retirement.

[ILiveAgainParticipant]

I’m lucky as my job feeds me and puts me up between 30 – 50% of my working month.

When home I eat what I bought on the way home. When I leave for work again, all that food is in me. Nothing left to rot.

My bills are very minimal….. laughable in fact.

I own a very very small car (Citroën C1) and it runs on nothing and cost minimal insurance etc.

I ride my bike for most short trips and being in london I can use very good public transport.

I worked out a while ago that I am now savings approx 70% of my take home pay. That is after all my bills and holiday money.

Buy fresh, no tins or packets. Cook your own food. Waste nothing.

I wear jeans, Ts and hoodie most of the time. Nothing with fashion lables.

That and my silly car keep me under most females radar … thus time/money saved.

I’m getting to the point where I’m feeling like something I’ve done is wrong. Like I’ve robbed a bank and keep having to hide the money hahaha

I’ve been thinking about getting married again so I can give it all to a woman that hates my guts ….

I just can’t find one that’s angry enough hahaha

[DarkRyuParticipant 2354]

I think that ALL men are naturally frugal. Men are intelligent, logical creatures. We don’t waste resources. That’s why like 80% of purchases are made by women. In a relationship, it is ALWAYS the woman buying stupid s~~~. You always “need” something, no matter how much money you spend or how much s~~~ you buy. It’s never enough for her.

It’s funny how a woman will go out and blow $200 on new throw pillows for the couch, then get all p~~~y when the guy doesn’t even notice them. “Honey, do you notice anything different? I bought these throw pillows a week ago and you haven’t even noticed?!”

No bitch, I haven’t noticed. The only thing I notice is how my bank account is constantly being emptied and how whenever some important bill comes up, we always have “no money.” Men notice IMPORTANT s~~~, not stupid s~~~. Women will replace your perfectly good curtains because they’re “old” when she just bought the f~~~ers last year. What’s worse, your old blinds were absolutely fine, but they were “ugly” so we “needed” to go spend $100 for some ridiculous curtain in the first place. And now you want to replace them again?! For what purpose!?!?!?

This is why I never married.

[Anonymous 17]

Yes. I just spend a few dollars a day and I live very comfortably. Read my introduction.

[NerevarParticipant 8040]

I feel like I’m living frugally. I am on welfare, about € 950 (which is $ 1081) a month and I always have some extra to save after all is paid for. Mind you that rent is € 550 (I pay about half of that, the rest is covered by the state), which leaves me with 675 to pay for all other bills and groceries.

I always buy good food (cheese and various sorts of meat for my sandwiches, eggs, milk, vegetables, etc) and spend about 80 a month on tobacco and 50 a month on liquor (wine and rum). I can’t eat fastfood, can’t order anything from a restaurant or go out for dinner due to my condition, so all I gobble up is my own cooking. At the end of the month I have about € 100 saved, so total spendings are around 850 including all bills. Pretty neat.

I don’t care much for luxuries, never did, just my computer and internet, a decent looking tv with a bluray player, a good fridge, you know what I mean. Last week, after 10 years, I bought a new bike because I needed it. Those are the things I save money for.

It’s funny that I’m actually under the minimum wage, yet I save more money than “regular” people.

"One of the best things internet exposed is just how insane women are." - Freeman_K

[TaxGuyParticipant]

Most people’s #1 expense is the roof over their head. So, keep that as cheap as possible. Get a roommate to spit it with if you can. Those were the cheapest days of my life, having roommates. The second largest expense is most likely transportation. On that one, it depends on the situation. If you have to have a car, then get something fairly cheap that will last forever, like a Toyota or a Honda.

After that, your biggest budget buster is probably entertainment. Bars, women, eating out. When I had roommates we usually stayed home, BBQ beer and a ballgame on the weekend. Much cheaper than going out to a sports bar.

If you have those three things down, then you are well on your way.

To your question, personally yeah I live pretty frugally. As frugal as you can be with kids. My car is paid off. I only ever go to a restaurant if it’s with them. My main entertainment is my $35 a month gym membership. I have a decent camera and like to go hiking and take pictures. Can’t remember the last movie I went to the theatre to see. And when I’m meeting up with friends it’s usually at one of our places. We just want to catch up on what’s going on with each other, so we’d rather have the privacy. Plus, the booze is cheaper and the line to the bathroom is much shorter!

Order the good wine

[xenonParticipant 2007]

Totally. I keep mostly a veggie diet, but I will eat meat on occasion. I am big on black beans and pinto beans. I buy bulk bags and soak them overnight before boiling them and doing whatever else needs to be done. I make all my own bread products. No TV, so no bill. I do have Netflix. I have no debt and resist it easily. If I consume alcohol, it is done at home. My car runs well, but is not expensive and was paid for on day one. I fix s~~~ well and have added to my tools and experience over the years. Now I am called on to get my friends and neighbors boilers and such working right. Movies suck, dates suck, bars suck, restaurants are a waste of time and money and my own cooking rocks, so zero funds wasted in any of those areas. I avoid spending on items I don’t absolutely need, and when I do buy something it is going to be made to last. I own a couple houses, so paying taxes are unavoidable, but I do manage to avoid a lot of the sales tax just by being frugal and the things I do buy are usually acquired online and from out of state sellers. As reciprocal sales tax laws have come on the books, I avoid sellers in neighboring or participating states as well. They can have my sales tax dollars when they start behaving.(politicians, not sellers) Not likely. I cut my own hair and grow vegetable gardens. I don’t at all mind second hand cloths, as long as they fit. Goodwill has been a particularly good spot for me lately. If it is fashionable or trendy….I can do without it. Living within your means is like any other habit, good or bad, it builds momentum as you go. The less I spend and the more I save, the more I want to save. I want my next big ticket item to be this sweet apartment house at the end of my street. Been watching it for a couple years go through various refinancing schemes and finally bankruptcy. Maybe it is waiting for me, maybe not. It will be a deal if it is…..and I will be redoing all the wiring and plumbing myself. Or it could be another nice old Fender bass. They have proven to be a pretty good investment over the years if you can get them at a decent price and don’t beat the crap out of them.

[Anonymous 54]

Become a musician.

[Anonymous 42]

Dogs get the bones and leftover meat, goats get the greens then mows the shrubs, where I can plant more stuff to eat under the blue sunny sky that once was trees, but now cut down for next year’s heat, where I burn used motor oil and plastic in a hot water rocket stove I made for almost free.

I believe I lived up to my part of this economic challenge in this new eco’no’money.

I love a f~~~ing challenge! My house is still standing, not like the one caving in down the street! F~~~ YEA!

P.S., The chickens clean up all the crumbs!

[Solo MAN’S WisdomParticipant]

I do it by never getting married or siring offspring.

When women lead, destruction is the destination. -- Me.

[Anonymous 54]

@Yww. I have a 65 p bass i bought in 1979 for 500.bucks.Ive worn the finish off playing it for a living all these years,but it’s still worth plenty. 1965 and older are the collectable pre CBS years. They will only keep apriciating. Best elec Basses ever made!!

[xenonParticipant 2007]

Hey O.S. How is it going man? Totally agree that an older bass need not be in great shape to be valuable and that the 60′ (and 50’s) Fenders are where the big bucks are. I have beaten a couple up pretty well myself. I am currently playing a ’79 fretless P-bass, and a 76′ fretted tobacco sunburst Jazz bass for louder type bands where I make more noise. Mostly these days I am spanking the plank of a 68 German upright bass and leaning to play a 60’s German cello. My first Fender bass at around age 13 changed my life. I am very into old Ampeg gear too. That Fender/Ampeg tone. Yipee-yi-yo. The hardest part of buying and selling this gear has been getting attached to it. Be well man, I would be happy to talk about gear or anything else if you like.

[RedPillBonerParticipant 541]

Ever since I went Red Pill I have become so much better at being frugal. I have paid off more debt in the past two months than the past two years. That is with a lesser salary than before. I pay 1K in child support and that is my biggest bill. I have a roommate to split the bills and I recently bit the bullet on my BMW to get a car with 200K miles. I pick up as much overtime as I can and have also enrolled in college again. I figure this will keep me busy and the boredom down so will not be tempted to blow money. I also have the post 9/11 GI Bill from my military service so the college is free. I also get 125 dollar stipend per class for books. I can rent the books for about 30 bucks so I get to pocket the rest. My one thing I love to do is play golf. With that I look for deals and play mostly during the week. It is something I am passionate about so I don’t mind spending money on that. I don’t just go out drink beer and f~~~ off. I constantly work to improve and am in the mid 80s now. That’s kind of my story.

[KeymasterKeymaster]

Solo MAN’S Wisdom wrote:

I do it by never getting married or siring offspring.

That totally justified ANY purchase.

You could buy yourself a new Mercedes and tell the world you “saved money” because it’s cheaper than a wife.

+10 that answer.

F~~~ it. This is not the time to be frugal, so +100.

If you keep doing what you've always done... you're gonna keep getting what you always got.

[RusskyParticipant 13503]

being frugal is a good survival strategy, but shouldn’t become the means to itself – it could if that’s what you’re into, but why bother?
it’s like a being a millionaire who is into hypermiling, so he drives his prius 50mph on a freeway. If it’s more fun to you than driving a supercar – whatever floats your boat, but it’s also ass-backwards.
It only makes sense if you’re a masochist of sorts

I do, however, advise to have as little overhead costs as possible. Overhead costs – is precursor to stress and anxiety about long-term stability

proud carrier of the 'why?' chromosome

[MadmanParticipant 772]

I have been frugal my whole life, with only one non frugal purchase recently, a new car. Other than that I wear my clothes till they fall apart, eat at home, I have always had roommates to split rent with, but this can backfire if you get s~~~ty roommates so be careful.

I got the new car recently, when I was younger i drove throwaway s~~~ty cars that I got from friends and friends of friends. The car I traded in was a 1992 honda civic with 240,000 miles on it I paid 600$ to my friends idiot girlfriend for it. She wanted a new car and then buried herself under the payments.

I have NEVER paid for cable TV why pay for my own brainwashing?

Keep all receipts for stuff, it comes in handy later. I had Comcast try to double charge me for the modem, but i had paper and email copies of my first receipt which saved me.

When moving into or out of an apartment/rental take extensive photos and even video of the walkthrough and document everything. The last apartment I lived at tried to bill me for carpet damage saying I had a cat. I never had any pets in that place they are just crooks. But I showed them all my video and photo evidence and they had to backdown.

Hit your debts hard. I paid off my student loan in 2 years due to being frugal. I have been 100% debt free for 14 years. Once you get used to your cheaper lifestyle, saving money becomes super easy. start investing it on a schedule and ignore all market news and sensationalist stories. Every day theres a new story saying the market is going to crash. Ignore that s~~~.

Lastly, check out Mr. Money Mustache hes a dude that retired at 30 because he saved 80% of his income.

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