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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Don't waste virtue.
Seriously, I remember once when I was dieting I would go every morning to macdonalds and get coffee and a pair of egg macmuffins, which are suprisingly good food from a nutrition perspective for breakfast.
I didn't cook it for myself because breakfast is a slightly cheaper meal to buy than lunch or dinner -- so I saved more money cooking my own dinner (and controlled the calories better) than I would have wasted if in my busy day I spent the cooking time on breakfast. Various foods, carefully picked, and thrown in my hotpot the night before would give rise to most of my dinners, or soups and stirfries (the two often having the same ingredients) in my wok.

Even though it sounds virtuous to start off virtuous (by taking the time to get up early and cook breakfast), the economic activity of expense vs income is necessarily a long war exercise. You can't white knuckle down your expenses in a sudden sweep of magic and then expect level of personal effort and attention to sustain -- because many expense reductions will have a cost in effort and YOUR effort is valuable, and scarce.

All I am saying is imagine you earn a certain amount of money for your time. Maybe its not much, but factor that into your cost savings. Do you save 1 dollar on produce by going to the slightly better market, but it takes you an hour longer to get through the huge place and through the checkout? Bad idea -- you could have probably figured out a way to save more than 1 dollar with an hour of your time to use wisely. So maybe your time is worth (to you) on average 1/3 your hourly wage at work (reflecting your free time being fairly inelastic with respect to work income, sure) .. but suddenly, if you are earning 18 bucks at work, you should look at 1 hour of cooking and cleanup as costing (independant of all other resources) 6 dolllars of YOU.

If that makes sense.

Good accounting for real expense (including apparent externalities) compared to and allocated rationally to real income (including apparent externalities) is a key for small businesses -- and for you -- in figuring out what assets and liabilities are wise to take on. A too ambitious failure of a major project has been the ruin of many an attempt at home economics!

Also note that hunting and FISHING are on the same page of cost saving, and you can get to fishing rather cheaper than you can probably get to hunting in many states of the union (and perhaps of the UK)

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2020/09/15 02:08:54


Guard gaurd gAAAARDity Gaurd gaurd.  
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User





Loans are complete gak. Lol I haven't heard of these little washing balls, thanks for the information. Quite strange advice from people who say "watch your spending" it seems to me that this is done by people who do not stand out with huge funds
I don't really keep track of all my expenses during the month, but I understand how much money I have left after some major spending on something. I had a lot of free time and my brother recommended me yourmoneygeek.com on which I learned about various apps and installed a couple, now I spend my free time usefully and earn some money for various expenses, quite conveniently.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/02/17 01:19:12


 
   
Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut






Dump cable tv if you have it, get a digital antenna and maybe something like a roku, get internet tv.

My bill for cable, internet and home phone was 192 USD a month. I dropped bacle altogether, dropped home phone and switched to a roku for tv and magic jack for my phone.

My roku is basically free after buying the 20 USD module, and you cna have like 3-4 of them on one account. I pay 30 a months for sling and 5 for one add on.

My magic jack gives good phone service and it like 5$ a month as opposed to what i was paying for phone thru my 'bundle'.

my tv bill is like 35 a month now and yes i do have to switch inputs from the roku to antenna to get local shows but its easy.

So i went from 192 USD a month total to 75 for my internet (Yeah, they jacked it after i dropped cable and phone) and maybe 35 a month total for phone and tv. So it's down to like 110 a month. With the antenna, a one time 30 USD purchase i ge m y local news and shows free OTA.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Overread wrote:
On the subject of cheap goods - auction rooms!
You'd be amazed at the cheap cost of sofas, chairs, tables, wardrobes and even electrical goods. We've got a £30 fridge which has lasted for years and the only downside was the door handle was damaged when we bought it. An easy fix and now we've had good service for years. That's a vast saving over perhaps £300 or so for a new one. The only trick is having a vehicle/trailer/access too one big enough so you don't get stung on delivery costs; otherwise you can pick up a lot of household stuff very cheaply. Granted it might not be cutting edge new, but much of it will be functional.
Also do check out local ads for things like sofas - big bulky stuff is a nightmare to get rid of. There's also a thing with fire-labels in that auction houses won't take furnishings that don't have them unless they are antiques. So there's a body of sofas and chairs and such which are unsaleable through that avenue and yet are perfectly fine.

You do want to go a few times and spot some of the patterns, eg a pile of spades and shovels outside might sell for nothing; but cleaned up and polished they can sell for more when they are sold in the "modern interior design sale". So you do need to watch for patterns like that. You also have to decide the value of things to you and be firm on your budget and not get drawn into bidding wars. Sometimes you can do this by leaving a bid and not taking part in the auction itself (which might be what you have to do if time doesn't allow you to attend). Many are also well tied into live online bidding too.


Bran Dawri wrote:
On a related note, don't use your debit card to pay for everything. Get cash - say $/€/£100 a week and use that for groceries and miscellaneous stuff.


A good few superstores are now no longer taking cash and this will likely remain till health concerns about corona are gone. It wasn't even that they didn't want to touch money, but also because they weren't getting deliveries from the bank/doing runs to the bank etc... So whilst I do think this is sound advice its becoming harder to follow.

In the same line of thinking I've noticed its easier to monitor digital spending by doing digital banking. Don't rely on the monthly statement, get signed up digitally so that you can check your balance regularly


I don't shop at stores that don't take cash. A cashless society is a nightmare scenario.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/02/11 23:57:41


"But the universe is a big place, and whatever happens, you will not be missed..." 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






 Super Ready wrote:
Not to mention that hunting in and of itself is a hotly political topic over here anyway, even before you work guns into the mix.
I appreciate the sentiment though, and I can switcheroo it to make it a little more UK friendly.

Don't be afraid to try different, cheaper types of meat - not every roast has to be chicken or beef. Heck, not every meal has to have meat, there are plenty of other ways to get protein and you can open your eyes to some tasty dishes without necessarily going full vegetarian/vegan.
Here's your starter for ten - mushroom risotto. The ingredients should cost you no more than a fiver, you'll get enough to make dinner for 4 or 5 out of that AND you cook it all in one pot, so it's even easy to tidy up and wash up after.


On this one, do also consider investing in a Slow Cooker. They come in different sizes, so best to get one suitable for your home head count.

These are pretty easy to use, and can turn cheap cuts of meat into very tasty food with a minimum of fuss.

In terms of credit? It’s nothing to be scared of if you plan properly.

Overdrafts are probably the worst, as they attract high APR, and they’re easy to see as not being Credit. Once in place, it’s easy to forget they’re costing you every time you use them.

Credit Cards are a smarter option for flexible credit. Just be sure to make inroads to your balance each and every month. If you can only afford the minimum repayment, you’re in trouble (especially as they Jack up the interest rate unilaterally).

Loans? Well....they do have their uses. Provided you can afford the repayments, and stick to them, they’re a set expenditure. But do check the fine detail. Whilst a bank can’t increase the interest rate (ever), they do often attach onerous costs for early repayment. So shop around.

Each do of course have their uses in specific situations (an overdraft allows you to deal with unexpected bills, provided you’re capable of clearing it in the next couple of months etc). I won’t make specific recommendations, because I’m not a financial advisor.

But always factor in your repayments each month.

In the modern day, we’re also suckers for convenience. No need to leave the house to watch a movie, you can just get it on Prime. Decent bargains can be had, but remember to check other ways, such as online second hand stores. If you can wait a couple of days, you can get older films for dirt cheap. Just watch your postage!

Just be aware and honest about your finances. Me? I do pretty well. Between my wage and my flatmate’s share of the rent, I have a solid amount of money to play with each month. What I could do with doing is trying to get all my Direct Debits and bills coming out the week after payday. Firstly it’s a weight off my mind, as I know they’ll all be paid. And in case of financial mishap (overspending, and forgetting about a pending bill) helps to avoid fees and charges for missed Direct Debits (got my timings wrong last month, and my £40 car insurance bounced. This lead to a £30 fee, which I’m less than happy about! My own fault though).

For getting finances back on track, at least here in the U.K. your online banking should show you your existing Direct Debit and Standing Orders, including due date and amounts. Use that information to get a clear and honest picture of what your outgoings are, and when they’ll be taken. From there, cut down your take aways and “luxury” spending.

Also pay attention to changes of cost for existing stuff. Example? Because I rarely use my mobile phone, I’m on Pay As You Go. Maybe £10 per month, and that’s it. But recently, Vodafone in their infinite greed wisdom, changed so I’m charged £1 a day for near unlimited use..... I’m not having that, so am currently looking to change provider. What I’m looking for is to just load it with a certain amount, and that amount to wait for me to spend it, rather than have it spent on my behalf.

I’m sure Vodafone’s new deal will suit others (people who use their phone regularly), but it’s not for me.

Netflix is another sod for upping its prices. When I started, it was around £4.99. When I cancelled it last month, it had risen to £11.99 or so. It may not sound a huge amount, but over the year it’s still £144 saved. Always check your using your full package as well. You often pay a premium for multi screen viewing and HD. If you’re not really using that, go as basic as you can so you’re not wasting money.

Other basics also apply. Don’t leave devices on standby, switch them off properly. If it’s a walkable distance, do so. Very basic car maintenance (changing bulbs) can be done cheaply yourself, likewise changing wiper blades. When filling up, go to the cheapest petrol station, not the nearest (unless you’re running on fumes, when needs dictate otherwise). Shower, rather than bathe (less water, less water heating costs). Bit chilly? Put on a jumper before the heating, see how it goes.

Get energy saving lightbulbs. Sure, part for part they are noticeably more expensive. But they last a helluva lot longer, and use less electricity.

Need new electrical or white goods? Check the energy rating as well as the price. More efficient ones will probably cost more off the peg. But if you’ve got a family, the energy savings will likely justify that expense. Remember to check consumer guides such as Which? as well, just in case a more expensive model is still a steaming pile of poop.

   
Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut






Energy saving bulbs aren't that expensive if you know where to shop. I had this debate with a person who was absolutely incapable of changing his views no matter what once. He claimed that the new ES bulbs were too expensive for poor people to afford and ended with the line "I love using (Sociopolitical view group) arguments to prove (Sociopolitical view group) are wrong about everything." and show a bulb costing 7$.

There were 4 packs of some of the new ES bulbs on sale at my local dollar tree store for a dollar. I bought them, took a pic of the box in my hand and a clearly readable pic of the receipt showing the bulbs were a dollar for 4 and posted it in reply to his message.

These were the older CF bulbs, but they were still a lot more energy efficient than the incandescent ones and lasted longer.

You can get LED bulbs cheaply if you shop right.

"But the universe is a big place, and whatever happens, you will not be missed..." 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

LED bulbs can be more expensive, but their lifespan more than pays for it plus the savings in energy.

The real issues I find are a of (at least in the UK) the traditional household bulbs have got cheap, really cheap in how they are made. We've had many where when they die they pop-off their base. So when you go to unscrew them the glass comes off in your hand and you've got to make darn sure the power is shut down and then get some pliers to unscrew the base.


Meanwhile LED bulbs last a long time, BUT they do not like heat. This means they can fail more often in a hot/human environment (eg a kitchen).

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in pl
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Pyroalchi wrote:
Another thing: Baby/small children clothes.

Keep in mind that they grow so fast, that there are pieces of clothing they will only wear once or twice if at all. There are lots of people out there with loads of children clothes that are nearly new and that they don't need any more or at least not for the next couple of years. You can either buy them for cheap or try to find an "Exchange circle". We have something like this in the church my wife goes to. Besides from shoes I did not BUY any children clothes so far.

The same is true for baby buggies etc.


Or just don't have children. Saves a ton! And also helps the planet.
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut






Play a game for yourself. It's called "How long can I go without buying anything that isn't food." Perhaps imagine how folks would have tried to get by during the great depression. Putting your thinking, or identity into that space will drive a lot of discovery and behavior. Just be careful not to fill every other book in your house with cash "to keep it safe" like my grand parents did.
   
Made in us
Member of the Ethereal Council






Make big meals and save left overs for lunch for The day after next.
Or make a bulk lunch.

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Made in gb
Battleship Captain





Bristol (UK)

I normally cook a meal for 7 people and eat for a week
   
Made in gb
Calculating Commissar




Frostgrave

Bran Dawri wrote:
I'd go one step further than just paying off credit card debt. Stop using them altogether. The entire point of credit cards is for people to spend money they don't actually have.
Buy stuff in one go as much as possible, even if you have to save up to do so. Downpayments always cost more in the long run.
On a related note, don't use your debit card to pay for everything. Get cash - say $/€/£100 a week and use that for groceries and miscellaneous stuff. You'll have much better insight into what goes out than if you use the card for everything and only check what you have left every now and again.


There are benefits from using a credit card to pay for everything, assuming you clear it every month:
Some cards offer points/cashback. I get something like 0.5% back on my Amazon card which lands me maybe $50 worth of gift vouchers a year.
Tracking. You can see from your ownline statements where the money goes, and get alerts for exceeding thresholds.

I'm terrible with cash, that £20 quickly becomes £10 + change and then the change vanishes on micro transactions. Without a paper trail it's a nightmare trying to remember where it went, though it is a lot harder handing over a pile of notes than it is to just swipe for a big purchase.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I find stopping and thinking about purchases helps, especially if you frame it with a comparison.

Do I need that now? Can I wait?
Is that really worth 4 hours salary? Is this a better spend than that?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/02/15 11:59:51


 
   
Made in us
Member of the Ethereal Council






I used to do the salary thing, but as i got more an more per hour i stopped.
I did realize that mine feeling like i dont have much money was my feeling of FOMO with armies and games. I typically come to terms with stuff like i will never build my dinosaur orc army and i shouldnt do every army that pops into my head.

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Made in us
Rogue Daemonhunter fueled by Chaos






Toledo, OH

The biggest things with saving/budgeting is to know where you are, and what you can improve. If you don't make enough money to support the lifestyle you want, you need to improve your income.

Once you make enough to support yourself (however you define that), you gotta focus on debt. If you have a lot of credit card or other non-secured debt (payment plans, medical bills, even student loans) you're probably better off paying them off before anything else. Car loans and mortgages are okay, and in some situations student loans may be worth deferring, but in general, unsecured debt has such a high interest that they're a big bleeder.

In terms of saving, there are big things you can do, which usually include housing, transportation, or starting a family, that dramatically change your finances. Buying a house or renting an apartment at the lower end of your budget frees up FAR more money than skipping your latte.

that said, once you have the big things squared away, the little expenses will add up. For people with a middle class job, eating out is probably the number one true expendable expense, although for some people it's spending on clothes or toys.
   
Made in us
Member of the Ethereal Council






Oh yeah, for me i found out that for me my trips to 7/11 and eathing out where what where killing me.
The problem i had was if i bought the drinks i wanted i would drink way to many.
But with some discipline i got that down, no more trips to the store,
and i only eat out on payday!

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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Denison, Iowa

Here was my list of do's and don'ts.:

1.Don't make eating out a lifestyle choice. It's a treat. I eat out about once a month, if that.

2. Drop STUPID habits. I don't know how many people I know that "can't" find money for their kids' school supplies, but seem to have an endless flow when it comes to buying lotto tickets or cigarettes. Seriously, cigarettes can cost thousands per year, not to mention the added health care costs and missed work.

3. Goodwill stores (or equivalent second-hand store in your area). I've found name brand clothing that has the tags still on it for less than you'd buy a cheap version of a Wal Mart.

4. Hunting/fishing. Not just a hobby, this can literally put hundreds of dollars of food on your table per year.

5. Plan your meals ahead of time. It makes buying in bulk easier (and cheaper), and let's you buy when prices are low.

6. Realize you have to balance money flow in with money flow out. I once had a chance to switch to a job that would have increased my income by $5 per hour. I turned it down because my current job meshed better with my wifes (thus no daycare costs), plus my current job was a 2 minute commute, while the new job was 35 miles away. That's about 75 minutes per day driving that I'm NOT getting paid, while putting an extra 18,000 miles per year on my car.

7. Get handy with your own repairs. Minor plumbing, electrical, and car maintenance isn't really that hard to learn and will add up quickly.

8.Research your local area for entertainment. You don't need to cross the country when something cool is 20 miles away. I got into Geocaching years ago. Thousands of tiny hidden packages all around the world with their GPS locations listed. Free, you get to see areas of your local community (or anywhere really), gets you exercise, and will take you to spots you never realized were fun.

9. Get to know your neighbors. You'll never know when having someone watch your back will come in handy. You'll get free home security, free rides, free entertainment, and much more. Yes, you'll have to give back too, but that's well worth it.

   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Oh yeah, for me i found out that for me my trips to 7/11 and eathing out where what where killing me.
The problem i had was if i bought the drinks i wanted i would drink way to many.
But with some discipline i got that down, no more trips to the store,
and i only eat out on payday!


Also your lunch for work.

Before The Plague, I’d usually spend £3 on my brekkie, and £3.50ish on lunch (sometimes more, depending on what the staff canteen had on).

In the grand scheme of things, it’s easy to see those as good value. Sandwich, snack and a drink for £3 is certainly pretty good. But....when you total it up over the month? That’s £182.00.

We can do better by bringing lunch to work. Had a roast chicken for Sunday lunch? Strip the carcass. Make some cous cous using veggie stock, add in some fresh veg (peas, pepper and onion for me, thanks) and some of the stripped chicken. A decent, filling lunch for relative pennies. Just takes a bit of extra discipline and effort.

When I lived on my own, I’d do a Chicken for Sunday roast (frozen veggies, because they last longer, ideal for the singleton). Monday night? Using the remaining breast meat, Chicken Curry. Legs and wings could be a small dinner on their own, or a couple of lunches. Break the carcass right down, and then the couscous explained above. And if you’re really mad for it, use whatever remains to make your own stock (which can be used for the couscous as well).

From one meal’s outlay, I’m getting three or four meals, all of which aren’t massive bad for you.

For similar budget type meals, I can recommend The Wolfe Pit on youtube. None are gonna win Michelin Stars, but they’re all pretty tasty, and serve a decent number of people. His vids on budget meals assume the lowest possible budget - so if you’ve got more to spare you can tart them up and make them a bit healthier. But they’re good points of reference for making a meal out of Not Very Much.

   
Made in us
Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle






If my job pays me, say, 20 currency per hour, and I spend half an hour cooking my own meal from leftovers in order to save 5 currency of food, how much have I really gained there? Sure if I enjoy cooking it's great, but if cooking is just work to me...

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/02/16 14:22:10


Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page

I chose an avatar I feel best represents the quality of my post history.

I try to view Warhammer as more of a toolbox with examples than fully complete games. 
   
Made in gb
Battleship Captain





Bristol (UK)

Thr value of the time taken is definitely something that needs to be considered, but it's rarely that simple.
Most people can't just choose to work an extra half hour and collect the corresponding pay
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






Bran Dawri wrote:
I'd go one step further than just paying off credit card debt. Stop using them altogether. The entire point of credit cards is for people to spend money they don't actually have.


^There are two problems with this approach (from my own personal experience of having done this for years)

1) credit rating. If you use a credit card like a debit card, i.e. just set it to pay off 100% of whatever you put on it, and don't spend more money than you have, it allows you to build up your credit rating which is how you get to the real money-saving things...like paying off a mortgage instead of pissing away money on rent.

2) most credit cards offer some kind of 'rewards program' that gives you cash back on some kind of purchase.

For years, I was INCREDIBLY fastidious about having zero debt, basically after an extremely lucky college scholarship allowed me to avoid the huge wall of student debt my generation was typically saddled with. I've straight up purchased every car I've ever owned, never ever used multiple payment plans for any expensive item I've ever puchased, and when it came to buying a house, they were basically like

"Welp, you grew up, went to college and got a full scholarship and straight As, graduated with a job and you've been an engineer ever since, you have....nooooooooooooooooooo credit score my dude!"

After having to scrounge together every bill I'd paid and rent check I'd ever written to convince the bank to give me a mortgage, I switched over to a credit card in order to make sure I keep that rating just in case I need it in the future. And I've actually tracked my rewards from that credit card, and over a year I've gotten an extra 2k cash back for basically just...nothing. Buying what I'd normally buy.

So I'd modify this advice with:

-Don't spend money you don't have
-Do have a credit card just so you can keep a good credit score


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Matt Swain wrote:
Energy saving bulbs aren't that expensive if you know where to shop. I had this debate with a person who was absolutely incapable of changing his views no matter what once. He claimed that the new ES bulbs were too expensive for poor people to afford and ended with the line "I love using (Sociopolitical view group) arguments to prove (Sociopolitical view group) are wrong about everything." and show a bulb costing 7$.

There were 4 packs of some of the new ES bulbs on sale at my local dollar tree store for a dollar. I bought them, took a pic of the box in my hand and a clearly readable pic of the receipt showing the bulbs were a dollar for 4 and posted it in reply to his message.

These were the older CF bulbs, but they were still a lot more energy efficient than the incandescent ones and lasted longer.

You can get LED bulbs cheaply if you shop right.


Heck, in my state you can get them for free. There was a government program where if you let people come out to your house and point out all the ways you can be saving energy, they'll give you free CF bulbs for every fixture in your house and rebates on a gak ton of energy efficient appliances and stuff. I got 200$ off a tankless water heater, 150$ off some new insulation around my walls, 100$ off a new bay window to replace the old drafty one in the master bedroom, and enough CF bulbs that a year into owning my house I"m through like...a third of them.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/02/16 14:44:01


"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in de
Battlefield Tourist






Nuremberg

It's interesting how much of the advice here is about debt. Makes me feel really lucky to have gotten my university education paid for by other taxpayers and therefore be able to live relatively debt free.
Seems like a huge scam to start people off in debt to me. The main significant debt people take on where I am from is for housing. I still think it is often not a good idea, but probably better than being stuck with the landlord parasites forever.

I think the main way I save money is by liking cheap stuff. I like basic food, I don't eat out much, I'm not very interested in fashion, I don't usually play the latest video games. I've not got a TV or anything like that. I make my own tea and bring it with me in a flask. But really I save very small amounts of money that way. Most of the reasons people struggle with money are structural and are to do with fixed costs like rent along with low wages. Not everyone has the capability to educate themselves out of that, and it's a grim life to look forward to, always threading water and giving a huge chunk of your earnings to a parasite every month.

   
Made in de
Charging Orc Boar Boy





Germany

How to save a lot of money:

Get rid of needless luxury like apple products. The Android phone that came out 2 years ago is fine, so is that laptop for 250 $ instead of 1000 $.

Drink water at home, quit drinking sweet soft drinks.Stop going to fast food restaurants. Cook your own food.Keeps your long term health costs down and you won't miss fast food and soft drinks after your reception of taste is back to a normal human level.

Cook your own food.

E.g. make your own pizza. And not just the topping. I mean dough. It's so super easy and way better than everything you can buy to microwave or whatnot.

Per adult: 250g wheat flour, type 00. Crumble half a package of fresh yeast (20g) into lukewarm water, 0,1 l will do the job. Add a little bit of sugar to the water. Then toss it in the flour (gently ), add some olive oil and salt, knead it (or use a machine) for some short time. Should not be too sticky, homogenous mass. If it's to sticky, add a bit of flour, if you can still see some flour after kneading thoroughly, add some water.
Put it in a bowl
Now put a clean kitchen towel on top of that bowl. Start the oven. Very low temp, 40° C.

Let the yeast do its work for an hour or so, you will soon see the result and have a fluffy dough.
Form pizzas from the dough.
Make your own tomato sauce with Sieved tomato, a hint of ketchup, italian spices, garlic, salt, pepper, maybe a dish of red wine or marsala if you have.
Go crazy with toppings
. Set oven to hot as possible. Put in pizza, take it out before its burned to toast.

Granted, you need time for the preparation. But you know what? You can make some pizza dough disks and put in in the fridge and defrost them in no time. Cost of self made pizza is next to two cheeseburgers or less.


Don't be super strict, just strict. Meaning if you really really want to go to Burger King once in a month then do so.

Pay with hard cash whenever possible.
Have one credit card, stay out of debt. If in debt, cut costs down hard, really hard. It will pay off very fast.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/02/16 15:31:22


 
   
Made in us
Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle






Well when I take the time it costs me to make a pizza, factor in how much money I could have made working that time instead, then add in the cost of ingredients, it comes out as a hell of a lot more expensive than buying one.

I do concede the 'cook your own food to save money' argument is decent if one has the extra time & energy sitting around. But then, there's a ton of different things I can do in my own time to make money (painting for commission comes to mind) which STILL make the cooking of my own food ultimately detrimental to my budget.

The true factor at work is if cooking is work to you. If it isn't then that's great, if it is then that's generally more of a money losing tip than a money saving one, because it adds a middle man to the process of converting labor to money.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/02/16 18:13:42


Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page

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Charging Orc Boar Boy





Germany

The very, very best way to save money is then not spending time on 11000 posts in a forum and work during that time to earn money instead
   
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Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle






TBF the best way to save money is to live via foraging and never spend any--if you are dedicated enough to back up the above opinion I assume you won't be posing again

Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page

I chose an avatar I feel best represents the quality of my post history.

I try to view Warhammer as more of a toolbox with examples than fully complete games. 
   
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 NinthMusketeer wrote:
Well when I take the time it costs me to make a pizza, factor in how much money I could have made working that time instead, then add in the cost of ingredients, it comes out as a hell of a lot more expensive than buying one.


Problem with that line of reasoning is that you wouldn't have worked instead of making that pizza. You cook in your free time, not when you are working. I've been working from home since 2012 and never has there been a situation where I had to decide between cooking and working.
   
Made in us
Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle






If I am cooking it's work. I'm not getting paid, but it's still work. For some people it isn't, which is great for them and a good way to save money. But I, personally, would rather take whatever time I was going to spend making that pizza and do commission painting. In the same amount of time I would earn enough money to buy the pizza and have some left over.

The point is that if a given task is work to you, make sure it is worth your time.

As I jokingly referenced above the 'replace money with labor' line of thinking can be taken much further; why not save even MORE money by growing the ingredients for the pizza yourself? If you aren't in the right climate, build a greenhouse! Don't have glass? Gather some sand and make it yourself! Need wood for a frame? Get chopping! No trees for wood? Travel to where there are some! But don't use a vehicle because gas costs money...

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/02/17 03:45:29


Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page

I chose an avatar I feel best represents the quality of my post history.

I try to view Warhammer as more of a toolbox with examples than fully complete games. 
   
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[DCM]
Moustache-twirling Princeps





Gone-to-ground in the craters of Coventry

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
As I jokingly referenced above the 'replace money with labor' line of thinking can be taken much further; why not save even MORE money by growing the ingredients for the pizza yourself? .... But don't use a vehicle because gas costs money...
But, if you can create your own electricity, use an electric vehicle. Don't tie yourself to the extraction of a resource you do not have access to.

Seriously though, electric vehicles are becoming cheaper (see the other threads for that) The extra I spend getting an electric car will pay itself back in around 6 years, compared to the petrol version. That's at last year's prices, when batteries cost more, and petrol prices were what they were. 'Free' charging is a thing these days, and servicing is less than for a car with an engine. Pay more now, and the more you use it, the more you save (by not spending on fuel and parts).

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/02/17 12:08:09


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Upstate, New York

You don’t need to take everything to extreme situations to save some money. Just stepping down a little from the worst case scenario will add a few coins to your pocket.

I can’t remember the last time I ordered a pizza delivered. You can get decent frozen ones from your local grocery store for like half the price. (You can also get bad ones for even cheeper, but I want something that can be distinguished from the cardboard packaging) Less topping options, but still a range.

You can get the stuff to build your own. Blob of dough, sauce, toppings. This might not actually be cheeper then the frozen, but the quality is better, and you have more choices.

Or you can go full from scratch. I make my own red sauce in big lots and freeze most of it. Take it out as needed. Pizza dough is one of the simpler ones to make, just a little effort and time. Heck, you could try your hand at cheese making.

If you have your own garden, great. Nothing beats fresh ingredients. As the old saw goes, the two things money can’t buy are love and home-grown tomatoes. More savings.

It’s the dance of money, labor, and convenience. You can work your job for cash, which lets you buy nice things. You can work in the garden and kitchen, and cook nice things. But most of us are somewhere in the middle.

   
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 Da Boss wrote:
It's interesting how much of the advice here is about debt. Makes me feel really lucky to have gotten my university education paid for by other taxpayers and therefore be able to live relatively debt free.
Seems like a huge scam to start people off in debt to me. The main significant debt people take on where I am from is for housing. I still think it is often not a good idea, but probably better than being stuck with the landlord parasites forever.


Gwarsh, you think maybe?

Da Boss, I can't think of any potential pitfalls that might come from saddling multiple entire generations with 40,000$+ of debt on average just before they enter their peak spending years - why, that might result in zany statistics like 70% less wealth being in the hands of 20-40 year olds than there was 100 years ago, the birth rate cratering, more people working multiple low level jobs to try and stay alive, home ownership cratering, and entire business sectors being 'killed' by that younger generation not having any money to spend on anything but interest payments and rent.

It's so funny talking to people of my parents generation complain that so many young folks these days are living it up with these unnecessary luxuries like cell phones and netflix when I remember growing up when we had

-A phone plan
-A newspaper subscription
-Multiple magazine subscriptions
-2 monthly car payments
-Cable TV package
-Internet
-Car insurance, homeowners insurance, life insurance, health insurance

And young people these days have

-Cell phone
-internet
-Approx. one streaming service paid for per person on average.

But sure, buy a cheap cell phone, I'm sure that'll fix the problem

"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
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 NinthMusketeer wrote:
If my job pays me, say, 20 currency per hour, and I spend half an hour cooking my own meal from leftovers in order to save 5 currency of food, how much have I really gained there? Sure if I enjoy cooking it's great, but if cooking is just work to me...


I get paid for 35 hours a week, spread as 7 hours over 5 days.

The resultant hourly wage of roughly £19.61 doesn’t become the value of the remaining hours of the week - because I’m just, y’know, doddering about my own business. The only time that changes is if I’m doing “tasks per hour” overtime, such as overflow post (time and half, based on 4 items an hour is pretty tasty, spesh I average 6 per hour). Sadly said overtime hasn’t be available for yonks.

I have to say valuing my time according to my at-work hourly equivalent is really quite an alien concept to me. I mean, where does that logic end? If I’m spending time with my Lass and her daughters, does it set an hourly spend for an equation of that time being worthwhile?

I feel there’s a definite disconnect here between our viewpoints, and fair enough if so.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
One of the biggest issues I faced when living on my own (got a flatmate now) is most packaged food is packaged for four or more, or come in too small a portion.

This can lead to food wastage, especially if you get bored of eating the same thing.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/02/17 13:04:58


   
 
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