What About Your Lifestyle/Habits Saves You Big $$$ ?

[dez1978]

I am a leather seat person.

Me too. So much easier to clean than cloth seats when your kid spills something.

 

[dez1978]

I must be missing something. I live in a snow belt area with very intense winters. Don't you guys have winter coats you wear when you are driving Nov-March? I wear a down coat that goes down to my lower thighs. My bum does not feel a cold seat underneath me. The fabric seats do not burn me in the hot summer months, either.

I am noticing that I am considerably less into cars and trim levels, though, than others on this thread. My drive to work is just about 15 minutes, so that may account for it. You guys may have to spend a lot more time in your cars. Even when I was driving my DD to school all those years, it was still about a 15 minute drive, one way, to take her, no matter which school she was attending. I will admit that I am a low-tech person and very frugal, though.

Until recently I drove about 45 min each way to work. I absolutely have a winter coat, but Its super uncomfortable to wear for that long. Its much more comfortable to wear a sweater out to my car for the drive and put my coat on for the walk inside to work than to be wearing a coat all bunched up around me. And apparently once you hit 40, everything starts hurting and that heated seat is awfully nice on my back lol.

 

[elgerber]

Until recently I drove about 45 min each way to work. I absolutely have a winter coat, but Its super uncomfortable to wear for that long. Its much more comfortable to wear a sweater out to my car for the drive and put my coat on for the walk inside to work than to be wearing a coat all bunched up around me. And apparently once you hit 40, everything starts hurting and that heated seat is awfully nice on my back lol.

Agree. I live in MN, I have one long coat, but I only wear it if I am going to be outside for a long period of time. For anything else I have a down jacket. I am not comfortable driving bundled up, on longer drives no coat, on shorter drives the down jacket. Heated seats are a life saver up here. I don't care if they are leather or cloth, but that is the one non negotiable on a car for me. Of course now I have heated steering LOL, so that might be on that list now too.

 

[808blessing]

Anybody watch YouTube shows like Minimalist Mom? If you want to cut down on buying things or cure yourself of buying anything (except awesome water bottles with exchangeable toppers from Disney) I watched these kinds of YouTube shows to rehab my “stuff” mentality. Voila! No more random stuff and more space in my small house. I would play the show real loud to inform family members as well. It led to less lecturing and more expectation that the Great Purge would be coming that week. It is part anti-consumerism part mental health and part organization.

 

[shawthorne44]

I try to Kondo stuff before I buy it. Not "Does it bring it joy in the moment?" but, "Will this still bring me joy in a year and while I am trying to find a place to store it?"
Lately, though, comfy cute shoes bring me lots of joy.

 

[tasha99]

I've wondered if the restaurant industry will have long-term harm from the people that just don't go back to eating out like they used to. I live in an exurb now, but in the big suburb we lived in before every person (including kids) there averaged around 4 restaurant meals a week. Then those people went without restaurants for awhile. New habits have been formed.

We used to spend $1000/month in restaurants according my my credit card summary. Likely more, because my husband often bought lunch on his card. We're fully vaccinated, and I was jonesing for fast food after over a year of no takeout or restaurant food. So for 3 days, we got takeout, and we were unimpressed. On day 3, my husband got what he thinks is mild food poisoning. So, yeah--we have new habits. DH works in a spare room and comes out for a homemade lunch during the day. And we will continue to eat (almost) everything homemade.

Eating out isn't really that much more expensive than just buying groceries. I find that if we eat out more, I need less groceries, so it kind of evens out. I don't buy cheap groceries, though, so maybe that's why it's like that for our family.

Eating at home for us is usually around 1/5 the price of eating out.

One thing that shocked me was just how much use I am getting out of Audible. You might wonder why I would be surprised since I knew how many credits I was getting. But the Plus catalog has been amazing! I'd only got it because the audiobooks I wanted weren't available on Overdrive and the the CD's were still expensive used. (The Honor Harrington series, and Will Durant's Story of Civilization series). So, the membership was a bargain. I've probably listened to another 50 books in the Plus collection.

I got audible, too, because there was a 25 week wait on overdrive for the James Herriot books. First month I did a free trial for 2 credits. Then I quit, but recently got an offer for around $7/month for 4 months. I took it--I'm really slow at listening to audiobooks, so I'll do my 4 months and buy books with a long waitlist. 6 books total is like a 2 year supply of listening for me. I wish I could use the Plus catalog--maybe I should do that while I have the subscription, then listen to the books I got with a credit afterwards.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

On day 3, my husband got what he thinks is mild food poisoning.

Honestly that can just be your body readjusting to food it hasn't eaten in a while. If your body went a full year without takeout or restaurant food it probably got quite the shock and 3 days worth. It's like people who don't eat McDonald's and then don't feel so good after eating it or people who rarely eat meat and then they eat meat.

I've had food poisoning, real bad, like I went to the hospital bad due to dehydration. I tend to error on the side of it probably wasn't food poisoning given the context and just your bodies trying to readjust. Not every body will feel the same so it's possible you felt fine but your husband well his body didn't like him lol

 

[tasha99]

Honestly that can just be your body readjusting to food it hasn't eaten in a while. If your body went a full year without takeout or restaurant food it probably got quite the shock and 3 days worth. It's like people who don't eat McDonald's and then don't feel so good after eating it or people who rarely eat meat and then they eat meat.

I've had food poisoning, real bad, like I went to the hospital bad due to dehydration. I tend to error on the side of it probably wasn't food poisoning given the context and just your bodies trying to readjust. Not every body will feel the same so it's possible you felt fine but your husband well his body didn't like him lol

You're probably right--he thinks any time he feels ill, it's from food .. We didn't eat restaurant food for a year, but that doesn't mean we always ate healthy. I fried more food last year than ever in my life--but it was occasional, and 3 days in a row of food that had been in a fryer was likely too much. And he missed day one because he was fasting, so to go from not eating for 30 hours or so, to eating fast food was likely too much.

 

[KittyKitty]

I have a 24 hour rule. If I see something I want(not need), I wait 24 hours. If I still want it then figure a way to pay for it. But 99% of the time I don't want it anymore. Of course I need to do that more at Costco!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have a 24 hour rule. If I see something I want(not need), I wait 24 hours. If I still want it then figure a way to pay for it. But 99% of the time I don't want it anymore. Of course I need to do that more at Costco!

I often do that with clothing though Costco is a bit harder because their inventory changes often and they typically don't get the same item (save a few) year after year. But I have scored some really good deals by waiting it out at Costco. Other places like JCP, etc if I want it but don't know for sure if I'll actually wear it I wait it out, if the next time I'm there it's still there with my size I usually take it as a sign lol (though not always gotta get the right price).

 

[barkley]

costco shoppers-remember that you can save after the fact with them. if something you purchase online or in the store goes on sale within 30 days of your purchase you can get a refund of the price difference (on-line there are instructions on how to do it, in store you just go up to customer service). i've taken to saving every receipt and checking once the new ad goes up just in case (it's rare something i bought doesn't go on sale the next month).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

costco shoppers-remember that you can save after the fact with them. if something you purchase online or in the store goes on sale within 30 days of your purchase you can get a refund of the price difference (on-line there are instructions on how to do it, in store you just go up to customer service). i've taken to saving every receipt and checking once the new ad goes up just in case (it's rare something i bought doesn't go on sale the next month).

We did that with masks last year bought online. Saved about $13 or so IIRC on two boxes.

 

[KittyKitty]

I have to say Costco has a great return policy. Neighbor bought expensive hearing aids there before Costco's own brand (rechargeable) came out. She was able to exchange and get refund for difference.

 

[jsmith]

Have a good financial advisor!
Save 10 percent of your income even when you think you can not afford it
Participate in your companies 401K-most match your contributions and that is literally free money that you are throwing away if you do not contribute at least the minium for the match.
We buy new cars and drive them litterally to death-in 38 years of marriage we have purchased 5 vehicles ( and we always have two). But we always know the complete history of the car and its maintenance. do routine maintenance as scheduled and keep good tires on them.
If you can not pay cash without putting stress on your budget you do not need it.
We are blessed that we have good long term health insurance for a low cost-this is huge.
We ditched our Costco and Sams memberships when our sons left home. the savings on bulk papergoods was more than offset by my husbands tendancy toward impluse buys of things that sat in the pantry til i tossed them out-removing the tempation was a win.
buy meat from a local rancher and grow as much of your own food as you can. Learn preservation methods-i freeze,can and make jam.

 

[MrsPete]

I am the same way with clothing and purses. I am not constantly buying new things.

Yeah, about a year and a half ago I did a major closet clean-out and got rid of over half my clothes -- I love that I like /enjoy everything in my closet, and I buy less than I used to: I don't want to go back to having too much.

@ruadisneyfan2 So true! Now, I would not be able to do my job if I weren't proficient enough with computer, software, and iphone. So, I must be drawing the line with personal gadgets and updates.

I have a good friend with an engineering degree and a super-techy job ... but she doesn't use /enjoy tech in her personal life. She says she gets "too much" of that at work, and she doesn't consider it fun at home.

@ruadisneyfan2I don't pay much for purses, either. For the life of me, I can't see paying many hundreds of bucks for a top of the line designer bag.

Yeah, I have zero interest in owning a several-hundred dollar bag.

What makes even less sense is my high school students who are into those designer bags -- weird that anyone would buy such an item for a teen, weird that a teen who has only a part-time job would spend $$$ on a bag.

For example, they buy 20 boxes of cereal at clearance

Cereal can be incredibly expensive for what it is! Some of it's $3-5 per box, and in reality you only get 5-7 servings per box. Eggs or oatmeal are less expensive.

20 years from now, your kid won't be happier because he/she had 2 gifts instead of 1 at Christmas all these years, but you'll have more money set aside for their college.

Yeah, college was important to us, and we saved early -- but we purposefully gave our kids less than we could afford; it was a values-choice. Our oldest especially was shocked when she realized that her classmates were freaking out about the cost of college /looking for loans ... and her tightwad parents were calmly writing a check. She's expecting her first child now, and she's already saying she intends to use the same philosophy.

Me too. So much easier to clean than cloth seats when your kid spills something.

Same thing's true of leather sofas. I'll never own a cloth sofa again.

And apparently once you hit 40, everything starts hurting and that heated seat is awfully nice on my back lol.

Eh, I'm 54 and feel great. No general aches and pains.

Anybody watch YouTube shows like Minimalist Mom? If you want to cut down on buying things or cure yourself of buying anything

No, I'm not watching that -- but I'm going to start now. Thanks for the tip.

I try to Kondo stuff before I buy it. Not "Does it bring it joy in the moment?" but, "Will this still bring me joy in a year and while I am trying to find a place to store it?"
Lately, though, comfy cute shoes bring me lots of joy.

Years ago I read something in the newspaper: any article of clothing you buy you should expect to keep 10 years. At first I thought, "No way!" But now I do try to use this philosophy. For example, I'm going to retire quite soon, and maybe two years ago I decided, "I will never buy another piece of clothing that I can't imagine wearing after retirement." This concept has stopped me from buying quite a few things.

I do enjoy cute shoes, and I really need a new pair of running shoes -- the sole is coming off.

Eating at home for us is usually around 1/5 the price of eating out.

I think it varies pretty widely; I mean, sometimes we just want Ramen, other times I cook a pot roast and veggies -- those prices are not alike at all. But, yeah, for an average, I agree that eating at home is about 20% the cost of going out.

I have a 24 hour rule. If I see something I want(not need), I wait 24 hours. If I still want it then figure a way to pay for it. But 99% of the time I don't want it anymore. Of course I need to do that more at Costco!

I sometimes use a similar concept: If I'm iffy on something, sometimes I'll buy it -- especially if it's the last one -- but I won't let myself take it out of the box for a week. Especially if it's clothes, I pretty often try it on again and say, "You're going back."

 

[iujen94]

Switching from cable to YouTubeTV. And negotiating a new rate with SiriusXM every time is comes up for renewal. But nothing saves me more money than the tricks I’ve learned from diving into the credit card thread here on the Dis. It was overwhelming to get started, but my family of 4 is going to Hawaii for 10 days next month and about 80% of the trip was free.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I cook & taught my kids how to cook.

Got used to having washcloths all over the place which have replaced paper towels 99% of the time, also no longer using plastic cups & disposable plates so now a 6 pack of paper towels and a pack of paper dishes can last a year.

Used Covid time to pay stuff down substantially so instead of picking up this or that or grabbing pizza for $25 here or there I redirect the spending to principal for cars and mortgage, and credit cards to reduce wha I pay in interest, in one year my refocus has had extraordinary results.

 

[scrapquitler]

Tell me - what are your lifestyle habits that save you big money?

We only have one car. (I don't work, and Hubby works at home) It's only an issue maybe two or three days a year. If we have a real issue, we rent a car for a couple days.

I don't get mani-pedis and I don't dye my hair, and I don't wear makeup. I know that saves a Ton of money. Hubby cuts his own hair and DS hair with the clippers at home. We don't buy a lot of clothes, and the ones we do buy are not designer ones.

No landline, no cable. We stream what we want to watch.

We don't carry any debt (besides our mortgage). Debt service is expensive, especially if you have credit card debt.

 

[Carol_]

I worked so much today that I didn’t have time to stop for lunch and was too tired to shop. I did grab a cup of free coffee at work… then kept working…

$$$ saved without even thinking about it.

 

[MKCP5]

Those people have it MUCH harder, but at least in America they get a free education, they can qualify for Pell grants, and they have a chance to work their way up the ladder. Not easy -- not easy by any means -- but possible.

"Those people" Where do they get a free education? K-12 yes, but in most places a high school education makes it pretty difficult to get yourself to a living wage. No one I know who lives in those circumstances gets a free college education. They may qualify for some grants, but rarely does anyone receive enough financial aid to go to school for free.
I have seen multiple references on here to things like "those people" or "I'm glad they get a handout" Can we try and remember that these are actual human beings who may struggling in ways that you cannot even imagine? Can those of us who are in better financial circumstances please remember that there but for the grace of God, you might be in their shoes before we make blanket statements about "those people?"