Budget Tips that just aren't worth it?

[timmac]

For the sake of interesting discussion only, not at all intending to stir hostility or anything like that, rather to take a look at the other side of some suggestions a bit.

We discuss on this board often enough about ways to save a few bucks, but what about ways that just aren't worth it to us? For me, the biggest example is the phrase "time is money". In my case, I do a lot of side jobs and contract work (software/web stuff) from home in the evenings and/or on the weekends, and thus my extra time often has a very real financial value.

A few suggestions in particular that I find aren't worth it:

- "Don't ever eat out" While I agree that eating at a sit-down restaurant is expensive, grabbing carry out of some kind (and still allowing me to avoid a large tip, or having to buy drinks along with dinner, etc) more than makes up for in convenience what it costs for the food. Especially true if DW has been busy/out with one or more of the kids and things simply aren't as ready as we'd like.

- Cragislist/eBay. Unless the item is particularly valuable, and something I'm very confident can sell as such, I much prefer freecycle. Again, it's all about the time. I much prefer to see a miscellaneous bag of clothing go to someone who has the time to sort it, and the use for the items, than to go through the trouble of sorting it myself, having to take pictures, make a posting, possibly figure out a time to meet up with someone... all for a fairly small amount of money IF it sells at all.

- Coupon clipping. Don't get me wrong, if I see a good coupon, or hear of one, I'm all over it. On the other hand, I almost never go through circulars or anything else, or try to figure out which coupons in my "stash" match up with local grocer specials. I find no fault in those who do, but I've never been able to make it worth the effort.

- Planning meals ahead of time in order to make a shopping list. I always find at least a few of the "planned ahead" meals simply don't pan out (due to whatever reasons), and often require one or two special ingredients that I wouldn't buy otherwise, and likely won't use again for some time.

Again, I don't mean to stir the pot in a bad way, just wondering if anyone else thought about things like this. Any classical suggestions you've heard that just don't work for you?

 

[ZPT1022]

I totally agree with you on selling used stuff, only I never bothered with CL/Ebay. I did however, try a children's consignment shop. I found it really insulting to be offered $1 or less (usually much less) for a name brand outfit that cost me closer to $15. Don't forget that that place then turns around and sells said outfit for $9. I realize they have to make a profit but 800+ % profit is too much. I'd much rather just give the items to someone who can use them then make under $20 for a garbage bag full of clothes.

 

[ZPT1022]

Oh, at one point there was talk of strictly limiting family member's food intake to the serving size on a package and I just can't see doing that. No way am I going to tell my 6'4 DH that is about to head out to work on power lines in the cold that he can only have 1/2 cup cereal with 1/8 cup milk

 

[Carlyzmom]

Well, I will certainly agree with you!

eBay has become so competitive, that it is not really worth it to me. Also with the economy like it is, people are not really buying much now.

I also agree about coupon clipping! Like you, I will clip one if it is good, but I hardly see any that are worth it. Like saving 10 cents on somthing will make me buy it! It is usually cheaper to buy a generic brand than save 15 cents on a name brand!

I just stick to a strict budget. I even do envelopes with cash for my expenses. That's how I save money - by NOT spending too much!

 

[4Seasons]

I totally agree about giving away clothes and such. I have a friend who will spend HOURS taking pics of clothes, dividing them in lots, listing them, fielding ridiculous questions, etc. and make like peanuts by the time all is said and done. No way in the world it's worth it to me.

I've done freecycle but alot of times you get the flaky people who either A) want you to hold it for them for days/weeks or B) want you to DELIVER it to them, or C) say they will be there soon and never ever show, call or email you back.

So now I just take it to our local thrift store as I bag it up and everyones happy.

I used to coupon quite a bit years ago, but found that most coupons are for stuff I rarely buy and most (food items) are not the healthiest. We prefer natural, less processed foods.

 

[MoniqueU]

CVS tops my list. Maybe prices here in CA are just higher but very few things end up being free for me or are things I need. I have give up on that.

Also memu planning by the sale ads, I don't cook meat and have one vegetarian and one partial vegetarian and 2 other picky eaters. I wouldnt be able to come up with one meal doimg this that everyone will eat. As it is the only thing all 3 of my kids agree on is pizza and one has to be cheese.

 

[ZPT1022]

I totally agree about giving away clothes and such. I have a friend who will spend HOURS taking pics of clothes, dividing them in lots, listing them, fielding ridiculous questions, etc. and make like peanuts by the time all is said and done. No way in the world it's worth it to me.

I've done freecycle but alot of times you get the flaky people who either A) want you to hold it for them for days/weeks or B) want you to DELIVER it to them, or C) say they will be there soon and never ever show, call or email you back.

So now I just take it to our local thrift store as I bag it up and everyones happy.

I used to coupon quite a bit years ago, but found that most coupons are for stuff I rarely buy and most (food items) are not the healthiest. We prefer natural, less processed foods.

I've had okay luck with freecycle but I do notice the rudeness. People who email you and the entire email is "Give me directions to your house so I can come when I want to" Ummm........no Or "I want that, you better not give it to someone else" Okay, DELETE.

Generally I've had good luck getting rid of stuff though- just last week I got rid of a booster seat that was in my mom's garage and the neighbor's cat peed on. I was very upfront about that and still had lots of requests.

For the clothes I mostly give them to my cousin who has kids younger than mine- kids clothes and baby gear seem to really bring out the whacky people on freecycle- lots of demanding and entitlement

 

[IndianaJ]

I budget everything, and I give myself $120 a week for groceries for a family of four. Whenever I go lower, I find myself eating out more, or eating less healthy. Convenience food is cheap and usually bad for my girlish figure .

 

[FINFAN]

Grooming my dog myself! uggghhhh. I tried it twice, it took forever, cleaning up the place was crazy insane, added another hour to the project. The dog looked like he'd been thru a cheese grater... man I know when to cut my losses. totally not worth it to us to have me do it, best left to the pro's!
also, no offense to those who scored on the LMT $1 hotels, but if it took more than a 48 hours to achieve, not worth it to me considering everything elde that would have been neglected

 

[Cindy B]

Aldis! I hate that store with a passion. I find that "normal" supermarkets have the same or lower prices WITHOUT coupons.

I never thought that Wegmans (traditionally higher prices) would be lower than Aldis.. but it is.

 

[Shagley]

Never ever buy single ply bathroom tissue

 

[Green Tea]

I would never, ever take my own bun to a restaurant and order a double cheeseburger.

 

[MissyDVC]

I would never, ever take my own bun to a restaurant and order a double cheeseburger.

I agree Not knocking those that do, it's just not something I would do. I love couponing though so there you go

 

[here757]

I would never, ever take my own bun to a restaurant and order a double cheeseburger.

pure genius LOL

 

[Shawn429]

It's fine to have a budget. Going "out" or "splurging" isn't a bad thing. It's those of us who do it and ignore a budget or planning ... but to be fair, I can understand the "planning out meals" thing. For some people that could keep you on a budget. For a single person like myself, it could actually really be helpful.

For a family of 4-6-8, etc? Probably not a great plan

 

[Aimeedyan]

Coupon clipping - I flip through them and we don't eat any of those items. They are mostly name brand processed foods.

CVS - way too much work to collect a bunch of items I don't even use or need. I am bothered by the desire of some to clean out stores with products they don't need or use just because they can. We just don't use that many products I guess.

Packing snacks to take to the parks - it's vacation. I don't want to take time out of my vacation to shop for overpriced snacks that I now have to drag with me through the park and eat while watching others enjoying popcorn, pretzels, and other items that I'd much rather have. I'm not convinced any money is truly saved in the end if time is considered money (which it should be on vacation).

In reality, any budgeting strategy that takes a lot of time investment ($1 hotels, coupons, CVS, Ebay, etc) are things not worth it to me. My time is limited as it is and the value I put on it is more than the $4 I might save on a regular basis.

 

[Ephany]

I've always disliked those '15 ways to trim your budget lists' and they're full of tips like make your own coffee, don't buy Starbucks or cancel your internet service and use the library. I don't drink coffee anyway and I need internet at home for school. There's no way the public library would let me stay on the computer long enough to finish my homework. I need tips that are useful for people who have already trimmed the budget and cut off out the obvious stuff.

I've given up on ebay for awhile, too much hassle. Instead I've given DD's outgrown stuff to a good friend for her daughter and nieces and our stuff to charity. Heck, we listed something for free on craigslist last night and it was gone in less than 2 hours. We could have stored it for a week or two and tried to sell it, but it was really nice to just have it gone. I also refuse to buy some things generic, if no one in my family will eat it, it's not a savings. We also don't make large meals so we can store them and eat them later in the week. I don't do leftovers. I don't make my own laundry detergent or bake goods as gifts, I'm not crafty and I don't pretend to be. If DD needs cupcakes for school, Publix is just down the street.

 

[bavaria]

Cost vs Value.

An example is people who won't pay to check a suitcase, but then stress about taking carry on only, and ship a box ahead. By the time they pay for it plus consider the time they need to pack and ship, and possibly pay the resort for holding the box, they most likely have exceeded the cost of checking one suitcase.

As I get older I realise that my time is worth something, and I no longer just look at the base price. I weigh the value instead of just the cost.

 

[estherhead]

Hmmm....

I'm wondering if a lot of those on here have kids? I'm also not trying to start a battle however I:

Coupon
Shop at CVS
Shop at Aldi's
Sell baby clothing on e-bay
Make my own laundry detergent
Seriously restrict eating out

And the other things mentioned.

However, if I was not a mommy I'm not sure I would do any of the above things except shop at Aldi's. There produce is so cheap and nice I'd continue to do that. But couponing, for example, is only a benefit if you stockpile. For example, buy 20 boxes of Betty Crocker instant mashed potatoes. Now call me crazy, but if I was single/married no kids how long would it take me to eat all that? And why should I eat instant potatoes when I don't really like them? But at $.20 per box (last deal I got on them) and kids who love them, total worth the few minutes it took me to cut those coupons.

And eating out, also. If it is just me, it is ridiculously cheap to stop by Wendy's and grab a baked potato with water for $1.00. I would do that constantly. But it isn't just me. It's me & my family. We ate at Outback this week and it was $51.00 (we had a gift card so it was fine.) That is NOT ridiculously cheap. And I got a $7.50 chicken sandwich and a water with lemon. But dh got a beer and prime rib with all the extras, each kid got a steak and a drink...

And then we were feeling so great we took them to Toys R Us & got them each a $20.00 Nintendo game.

Hmmm.... a $1.00 for me to eat at Wendy's or $101.00 trip out to eat with the fam.

Ya know?

So I think a lot of the budget ideas are kids/no kids oriented.

Making my own laundry detergent too. I do 10 loads of laundry each week, minimum. In the summer with swimming it's closer to 15. Pre-kids I did maybe 3. Obviously, I didn't make my own soap when I was doing 3 loads a week. How much would that save me? Like $5.00 a year. Sorry, but my time is more valuable than that.

But I'm saving around $100.00 a year for about 15 minutes of time. My fifteen minutes is worth $100.00 for sure.

So with the giant list of budget things I do, here are ones that I can't do:

Line dry my clothes. I just like really fluffy, soft clothing.
Give up my high speed internet or my home phone line.
Use vinegar as my primary cleaning substance.
Garden.

I try really hard to figure out how much time spent vs. money saved. I try not to do anything that doesn't make me $20.00 an hour. I figure I'm worth at least $20.00 per hour.

As for planning meals ahead of time, this takes skill. But it isn't just about the money saved on that one. Planning & shopping for 30 meals a month saves me about $300.00 a month AND about 6-10 hours worth of weekly/daily shopping. Anything that saves me time AND money is a total no brainer. I will do this as long as I have kids at home and perhaps even after that.

And if half the meals are things that use freezer items or pantry items then if I don't eat 30 meals at home in a month, then they easily keep till the next month and make that month cheaper.

Hope this is what you wanted. I'm interested in what everyone else says because I know there are ideas I've heard on here and rejected as too difficult or not me at all, and then later decided to give it a try and realize that I can do it. And those that I tried and realized I am NOT doing (like the line drying and vinegar.)

 

[disneybridetobe]

Never ever buy single ply bathroom tissue

OMG so true!!