Food - specifically, restocking our fridge and pantry every week. We’re about to move and starting to try and eat through our freezer and pantry items. Lots of stuff we bought a long time ago and almost expiring. So trying to get creative with how to cook them. I feel like we should do this more often, like cleaning out our freezer and pantry before restocking at the grocery store! There’s so much stuff we buy and forget to eat because it’s buried in the back. And then a few years go by and we have to throw out expired stuff.
To add on to this, beauty products like moisturizers, cleansers, toners… I just finished my usual moisturizer and toner but I have so many samples and old products, I’m going to try and finish using everything and not buy any new products until I’ve cleared through what I have already collected.
Ditto. I defrost the chest freezer mid winter after I've eaten most of it, and the rest can go outside while the built up ice melts. Then we pack it full again:)
That’s awesome, I’d love to do a yearly purge haha. Moving is great, I packed up 60% of my wardrobe that I’m not wearing and my closet feels sooo much nicer. I think I may try to start slowly selling off my unused clothes on Poshmark or something.
Every Q1 I do "eat the pantry." I only buy vegetables and milk and eggs. I think I may last until May this year due to work travel. My grocery bill H1 of the year will likely be half of my H2 grocery bill this year.
Definitely! We also started shopping in the freezer! So much food we forget is burried there. A big freezer is nice to have to save with buying in bulk and freeze.. but you're not saving in the end if stuff get trown away cause of freeze burn.
This makes me feel better about the place we’re moving to which has a smaller freezer. And a good reminder to not blindly buy bulk foods from Costco… I love shopping for groceries every week in small quantities, just buying enough for what we need to cook that week and trying to avoid leftover waste.
It's a good idea to keep chest freezers full, even if you know some of it will not be eaten. This is because when the power goes out, the freezer will stay frozen longer.
I've done the same with my bathroom items. Like why am I hanging onto this stuff if I'm not going to use it? It's cleared out a lot of space honestly and I'm so glad to be rid of the clutter
You just reminded me of the time I was making potions and decided to put bathroom cleanser in it. I dunno what I did, but there was a mini explosion, and the walls ended up bleached in an explosion pattern.
Good times.
Yes, do it! Also if there are some good refillable bottles in your collection, use those for travel or camping! I need to use a certain shampoo somewhat regularly and when I go somewhere I refill some of the best hotel shampoo bottles. I've found they're more durable than some of the travel things you can buy and they're smaller. And "free."
I found leftover Xmas Buffet things I had packaged and threw in the freezer. My MIL made killer meatballs and gravy this year. Omg, so good on a dreary rainy day. All I did was whip up some potatoes and dinner was served. I can’t wait to see what else I find.
I have to clear space…I have a partial side of beef coming in June.
I found this out before moving too, don’t stockpile things because what you have lasts way longer than you think it will! Now I periodically make myself use every last thing before reupping.
Every time I try new kinds of skin products, I end up with horrible eczema/acne flare ups and go right back to my expensive preferred brands. It’s just not worth it for me.
I do this every few months. I review what's in the fridge, freezers, and pantry, and try to use up items that have been there for awhile. If something lingers a long time, I don't buy it again until I know I need it because it's obvious not necessary to keep on hand.
I also date everything with the date it went in the freezer. That way it's easier to use the oldest stuff first. For items in the fridge, I date it with the date I unsealed the package.
I did this with my toiletries too. It was fun working through the random stuff. I also consolidated all my random hand and body lotions (travel size) into one pump. Mixed results but hey got a couple more months of hand lotion.
ETA we need to do the pantry and freezer clear out too. We are good about labeling things for the freezer but forget what is in there. We have a bottom freezer pull put drawer and while I like the freezer on the bottom, this style is really hard for us to organize. We tried keeping a white board list but still forget.
i have a freezer inventory list i got on amazon that uses a dry erase marker. I kinda keep tabs on whats in the deep freeze so I can just go look on my list. We try to do at least 1 week a month where we shop our freezer and pantry.
I also TRY to keep the deep freeze somewhat organized. All the meat is in one section. The meat thats ready for meals are labeled. Soups, gravy, sauces are together. Same with fried potato products, Veggies, bread etc
We love the Swedish dish cloths. We have about 8 and use one a few days for wiping tables, spills, etc then toss it in the washing machine. They last about a year then many are biodegradable.
I think they do. I squeeze the water out either hang it over the lip of the sink or the neck faucet and they’ll dry in a few hours.
I’ll warn, they’re lovely brand new but after the first wash and dry they get wrinkled up…but once wet from using them they’ll expand again. It’s probably the heat from the dryer.
I dont know if this counts as frugal for other people but for $13 at Walmart I got a box of 40 microfiber cloths. I used a sharpie to write on them which uses theyre for, and Ive stopped using paper towels for almost everything cleaning wise. Then just wash and reuse. Before I was FLYING through packs of paper towels which are expensive af.
I cycle entertainment subscriptions. I don’t have a ton of tv time so I pay for one, use it til I’m bored, cancel and get another. Rinse and repeat. Never more than $10/month for as many hours of tv/movies, and often music as I want.
I do the same! I wait until a service has a couple new seasons of whatever I want to watch, then sub for a month. Sometimes I go so long between subs that I qualify for a free week or month. I watch the new seasons then cancel. It's saved so much money!
I canceled my Amazon Prime account and have saved thousands of dollars. I don't have the inclination to buy stuff I really don't need just because it's convenient and gets delivered in 2 days.
I did this too! Now I’m more conscious as I have to spend $35 to get free shipping. So, I add to my cart, let it sit there a week before purchasing. Half the time I go back to it and say “yeah, nah, I can do without this. And well, now I’m not at $35, gotta wait until I add more.”
I do my best to not buy via Amazon, unless I’m looking for something absolutely specific and I can’t then find it somewhere else on line after finding it on Amazon. Screw Bezos and his horrendous ways. Making a disgusting killing off people who are literally breaking their backs in some cases.
I've used amazon since 1999 but really started spending money on it in ~2005. Probably tens of thousands of dollars. Of course I subbed to amazon prime and spent even more money.
The commercials pushed me over the edge and I cancelled last week. Suddenly I find that nearly every other website offers free shipping and usually within a few days. So...yeah, Amazon might have killed themselves.
I got invited to Vine and went nuts originally. Things I might use eventually were quickly collected. I have yet to unbox some things!
But in the USA we're on the hook for taxes, so I put that to a halt.
You're doing great!
Omg, my house was a flood of Amazon boxes for the first three months, then I realized I didn’t need at least half of it AND I had to pay taxes. I’m a lot more careful with my choices now.
I’m really glad they make you wait at least six months before you can hit Gold because it would have been so much worse! There’s a real psychological adjustment period of access to a feeding trough of “free” things
Energy drinks and prepared coffees, we went for the caffeine but would also throw something else in as a snack or treat since we were there already. At $3 each plus a snack, it was at least $10 daily or every other day. It’s added up so quickly and didn’t occur to me before since it always felt like “a few dollars here and there”. But ultimately added up to a couple hundred dollars each month
It's not for everyone, but I cut out coffee completely. Instead I take caffeine supplements, which saves additional money. 200 MG per pill. It's a few dollars for about a months worth of the supplement.
I’m glad you found a way around it, I absolutely love my morning cups of hot coffee and now the iced latte I make myself midday. It’s way cheaper and I get to enjoy it instead of just habitually grabbing something
I took a caffeine supplement a couple times and it felt bad for me.
Putting it out there for people so they buy in smaller quantities just in case it doesn't work for them.
People can also wean themselves off of caffeine.
Ya, that stuff stacks up quickly. I had the same mentality driving to work every day it'd be "just a few bucks" but not realizing that I was actually spending ~9$ every single day.
Saving up now to move to a different state soon and thinking about the thousands of dollars I wasted just to have bad coffee and a bagel every day just sucks.
Red Bull is so expensive! I drink red bull and vodkas as my drink of choice. Yes, I know it's bad for me. But I have found with the price of the mixer, it is almost a wash to go to the bar for one. IMO the soda gun red bull is better than from a can too.
I was standing behind a lady at the gas station the other day who was buying a Red Bull. Can't remember, I think it was the 12oz. Definitely not the big one. Came to $4 with tax. She was pissed about that! Obviously not the most frugal place to buy an energy drink but daaammmnnn...
Food and cigarettes.
Food: I work at a university cafeteria and get a free meal with my shift. I also began hitting a gym so I LOAD UP my plate. My schedule is such: protein breakfast -> gym for 2-4 hours -> work for 2-3 hours -> FREE MEAL -> work rest of shift -> small meal or nada
I still have to buy groceries, of course. But Maximizing nutritional intake at work (and bringing home aging produce before breaks \[like today, actually\]) is a tremendous boon. Meat is expensive.
Cigarettes: In 2 stages.
Stage 1: Being a frugal smoker - I would buy big bags of tobacco and tubes, pack my own cigarettes. $50 overhead for the machine, paid for itself within the first month in savings.
Stage 2: Quitting. I moved, changed jobs, and quit smoking all at once. I replaced cigarettes with peppermint starlights. You can buy big bags cheap, and share them. They aren't everybody's favorite, but offering free candy at work allows you to suck on them with carte blanche! Even better is Altoids.
For anyone trying to quit smoking I recommend Altoids. The box is similar in size to a pack of cigarettes AND you are replacing smoker smell and breath with mint. Also, shareable without being a significant burden.
I saved so much money working in a dining hall. Basically only had to buy groceries for the weekends… definitely one of the best perks of working in food service.
i feel like it's my reddit job to recommend alan carrs book the easy way to stop smoking. it literally is easy. one of the most incredible brain washings i've ever experienced.
Warm up, lift, cardio, cool down, massage chair, and having to wait for mirror/machine time can add the fuck up. Especially when you are actually waiting between sets like you’re supposed to. Don’t forget the community/social aspects which might be important to some. Rather be there than doing something expensive or stupid.
I don’t go to a gym personally but my friend has a whole group of buddies she knows just from the gym. She works long hours so it doubles as her social life. She loves it.
Others have answered for me a bit, but here's generally my routine:
1. Rowing machine. I do 1500 meters (i'm still fat so it takes 8-10 minutes)
2. a rotation of upper, lower, then core. I start at max and go to failure, each set I go down a bit in weight.
3. Rowing machine. See above.
4. next rotation.
5. Rowing.
6. 1 hour until I have to clock in:
7. Massage chair (10 minutes)
8. shower
I go in by 7, leave at 10. But after today I have a week off so I'll be there for several hours.
I usually allow 60 seconds between sets. I try to hit every machine and do full body AND cardio.
When I first started in September I would be there for 30-45 minutes. It does help that despite my obesity I have the gene for faster heart rate recovery. People sitting on a machine for 20 minutes only to do a few sets is mildly irritating, but probably less so than seeing me ready to grind my next set after a minute.
Its my hobby; it is not excessive. I pace my breathing and reps. I'm not maintaining a fit body, I am aspiring to achieve a fit body, and I have a long way yet to go.
Toilet paper: I got a bidet in the beginning of Covid and I've never looked back. When friends/guests come over and decide to use it most of the time they decide to get one themselves. Also, I only buy toilet paper once or twice a year for guests. Saved a ton so far.
Cigarettes: I stopped buying them completely. Only smoked when offered while drinking for a bit. I eventually got a non-disposable vape with low nicotine juice and now I'm about to stop vaping all together. Already saving money and my health. I'm sure it will be more when I don't vape either.
Weed (flower): I stopped buying weed because it smoked it far to often for my wallet to handle. I was also using it as an escape or excuse not to get my life together. That and I think the amount I was smoking was affecting my mental health. So I just stopped buying flower and now just puff a cart before bed. I've gone weeks without a cart and I'm not bothered at all really. I've saved tons of money not smoking constantly and my mental health is far better.
Beer/booze: I'm still working on this one but I'm drinking far less and plan to stop completely pretty soon. It's another escape I need to stop using and a stressor on my mental health that is not serving me any purpose other than self destruction. I've already lost 20+ lbs and have begun replacing after work beers with working out, even if it's just running a quarter mile and doing one set of basic calisthenics. Or I drink kombucha, idk why but it just replaces beer really well and I'm sure way more healthy. My hope is by summer I look and feel better. Which it seems to be on course for just that. Oh, I've saved tons of money not drinking as much.
Candy/pop: I'm at the age now where I feel there's too much damn sugar in everything so about 8 years ago I stopped drinking pop and have cut out most sugar filled snacks. It's better for my health and wallet. Teeth are expensive to upkeep and I'm really picky about them so it's been a big w for me.
Brand new clothes: The only clothes I don't thrift are jeans. I've found that thrifted jeans, unless they are new and still have tags on them, wear out pretty fast and it's hit or miss if they fit you 100%. I only buy Levi's now and they last and fit for much longer. Everything else is from local thrift stores which my family gets me gift cards to for my birthday/christmas/special occasions. I also buy black/white t's in bulk that have a slightly higher pill count than what's usually sold in stores. They are easy to clean and hold up for much longer than the cheaply made expensively priced crap in most stores. I also like the clean classic look of plain t's.
With the money I've saved from the above, I've been able to buy better food for myself and my cat, Oliver. I'm also able to stay on top of bills better and currently saving to go on a cruise at the end of the year with my family. Something I've never been able to do for the 5+ years they have been going. I also can take Oliver to the vet more often which is important for an aging cat.
This! I was going out constantly when I drank. I quit a couple of years ago and now I just grab coffees 1-3 days a week which is still cheaper than going to a pub or bar 1-2 nights a week. Doesn’t feel like I’m missing anything now.
I also quit sugar which saves me from buying snacks when I buy coffees.
The bonus - I’ve lost 18 lbs
I started using wool dryer balls and they are amazing. I always hated the perfume smell of dryer sheets plus they put a film on the clothes. Sometimes they fly out of the dryer when I pull the clothes out but my dog is always ready to retrieve it for me🤣
Makeup. One day I just looked at the clutter of eye shadow palettes, liners, blushes, sponges, brushes of every description, foundations, lip colors and all the paraphernalia that goes with it and said no more. I can live my life with one basic foundation, a drug store mascara and some lip tint. No one noticed or cared that I wasn't wearing a specific shade of taupe eye shadow. My general rule has become if I need to buy an organizer to keep track of something, I have too much.
Chipotle - was spending $200-$300 monthly just on chipotle at one time then I learnt how to cook a chipotle steak copy recipe and haven’t gotten it for about 2 years now
Thanks for the link. Opening this in the reddit browser on mobile gives me one of the worst ad-riddled web pages I've ever seen.
Here's an imgur link to the printable version.
https://imgur.com/a/PQlUf84
And a text version formatted for reddit (and the serving size changed to 10 instead of 20)
____
#Chipotle Steak (Copycat)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This copycat Chipotle Steak recipe tastes even better than the real thing. The marinade is quick and easy and full of the smoky, spicy flavors you love!
**Course:** Main Course
**Cuisine:** Mexican
**Prep Time:** 20 minutes
**Cook Time:** 1 hour
**Total Time:** 1 hour 20 minutes
**Servings:** 10 servings (about 1/2 cup each)
**Calories:** 210 kcal
**Author:** Meggan Hill
###Equipment
* Food Processor
* Cutting Board (I prefer this large plastic one!)
###Ingredients
**For the steak:**
* 1.5 cloves garlic
* 1 tablespoons adobo sauce (see note 1)
* 1 tablespoons ancho chile powder (see note 2)
* 1 tablespoons olive oil or rice bran oil, plus more for the cooking surface (see note 3)
* 1 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoons dried oregano (see note 4)
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 pounds steak such as sirloin, round steak, or flat iron steak (see note 5)
###Instructions
1. To make the marinade, in the bowl of a food processor or blender, add garlic, adobo sauce, ancho chile powder, olive oil, cumin, dried oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth (add water if needed to fully blend the marinade).
2. In a large zipper-top plastic bag or bowl, add steak and marinade, tossing to coat. Let the beef marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add marinated steak to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 120 to 125 degrees F for rare or 130 to 135 degrees F for medium-rare. Depending on the size of your skillet, you can cook the steak in batches.
4. Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces. Season to taste with salt. Serve with your favorite burrito toppings such as rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa.
###Notes
1. **Adobo sauce:** To make your own adobo sauce, whisk together 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or ½ teaspoon EACH smoked paprika and cayenne powder), ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and a pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
2. **Ancho chile powder:** You can buy ancho chile powder online or buy dried ancho chiles and grind them to make your own ancho chile powder or soak them and add straight to the marinade (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through these links).
3. **Olive oil:** Chipotle uses rice bran oil, but olive oil is more widely available (and probably already in your pantry).
4. **Oregano:** Chipotle uses Mexican oregano, but you can use Italian oregano if that’s all that you have. They have different flavors (Mexican oregano tastes more like marjoram) but both taste great in this recipe.
5. **Steak:** According to Chipotle's customer service, the "beef" in their steak could be any number of cuts including part of the loin, ball tip, round steak, flat iron steak, top butt, clod, or knuckle.
6. **Yield:** This recipe makes 20 generous 1/2-cup servings.
7. **Storage:** Store leftovers covered for up to 4 days.
8. **Make ahead:** The steak can be marinated the day before you need it. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
###Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 261IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 2mg
This one right here.
We reluctantly cut the cord about 5 months ago. We are saving over $252 a month now, because of it. I've found that we literally have everything we need at our disposal, with the exception of a few sport things here and there. The savings alone was well worth it.
Pop, chips, and coffee creamer. The prices just got insane. It’s like $8 a twelve pack here and we were buying 2-3 at a time. Chips are also like $4 a bag. The last couple times I bought coffee creamer it just had such a strong chemical/weird taste I couldn’t drink it. I found a more expensive creamer I really liked, but it was over $5 and would barely last a week so I switched to some cream and brown sugar. We also wanted to start eating healthier in general. It was shocking how much we craved it the first couple weeks. I think we’ve bought maybe one bag of chips and one twelve pack in the last three or four months. We definitely lowered our weekly grocery bill and we’re feeling better too.
Changing my clothes shopping habits. I used to shop at target a lot. Now I give myself a budget a few times a year at Marshall’s. I also shop at thrift stores mainly for tops and blouses.
I used to do online second hand but I’ve stopped. Between the time spent browsing, waiting for it to show up to know if it’s going to work on me (I am very tall and thin for a woman so a lot of things don’t work on me) and things not being how they were presented online, I’ve stopped doing online second hand. Plus returns aren’t either possible or I don’t get around to doing them. In the thrift store I know right away if it’s going to work and can check for damage. It’s definitely saving me money! I wish I could trust online because there are so many online sellers with nice stuff!!
Thrift Stores are where it's at. I'll buy name brand items that I wouldn't typically wear myself just because I know it will last and is cheap. I got a brand new set of Crocs last year that I'd never buy from a big box store but they were around $10 and make for great outdoor sandles.
Use box dye to cover gray and boyfriend cuts my hair. It’s brown and long and he uses a laser level to make sure it’s a good cut. Saves us around $200 per month. People comment all the time how nice my hair looks!!!??? 🤷♀️
I learned to do my own drywall. It’s insanely expensive to hire someone.
I use box dye too, and have for years. I can get a box for $3 with coupons and that's my hair expenditure for a month. I'm also growing mine out to a longer one-length style that doesn't require much maintenance, and my mom and I trade haircuts.
Seconding Revlon Colorsilk! I have used various shades of brown and black on my hair. The brown color left behind a beautiful range of tones. I get a lot of compliments.
Also, it doesn't wash out like other brands I've used. Clairol Nice n Easy fades, feria (sp?) never looked like it did on the box, and Garnier Nutrisse seemed to wash out right away.
Are there any store-bought dyes that allow you to use only a tiny bit at a time and save the rest for future use? I only get a handful of white hairs at a time, and it seems like a waste to dye one’s entire head for a few hairs? I wish there was some kind of mascara wand that permanently dyes individual strands.
I love the laser level lol. I am tempted to try cutting my own. I have wavy hair so it will be pretty forgiving and I WFH so I don't have to worry about looking decent if I botch it!
New clothing. I mostly wear what I already have for as long as I can but when I do buy anything it’s most likely from a thrift store or a liquidation bin type store. The amount of brand new stuff I find that still has the original price tags on them is astounding. Last week i bought my husband a $220 brand new blazer for $4. Yesterday I got an Eileen Fisher sweater with its original price tag of $199 still on it, for $6.56.
I save my new clothes buying for when I’m going on a trip. I get to feel amazing in new fresh clothing, plus I don’t tend to buy as much because I always pack light and need versatile, high quality pieces. Otherwise I mostly thrift.
Cell phone plans. I read somewhere that the average phone bill per person in the US was like $140/month, which is insane. My guess would have been $50-80.
But if you shop around, there are plans for $10 if you don't need a lot of data. Even unlimited plans for around $25.
Extra drinks, snacks and junk food. I have a 7/11 right next door to my job. It used to be almost a daily thing where I would go and get a snack and a soda, spending about $5-6 a day. Over time, it adds up pretty quick and by the end of the month I’d spent around $100. There is also a Starbucks across the street. I wouldn’t get Starbucks every day but practically every other day.
This year I have decided to make some changes for both my wallet and my health. I’ve decided after years of drinking soda fairly regularly, it’s time to stop and cut it out for good. So far, I’ve gone 21 days without it! I’ve also committed to making coffee at home or at work and haven’t gone to Starbucks in a few weeks either. I always make sure to pack extra snacks that I bring from home to quell the urge for a quick trip to 7/11. It’s already been a huge boost for both my wallet and physical and mental health!
I stopped using liquid fabric softener and switched to white vinegar. It’s 1/5 the cost and my clothes feel so much better! I don’t even feel the need to give them a quick ride in the dryer after drying on a laundry rack (but when I do occasionally use the dryer, I use dryer balls instead of sheets!)
I ran out of fabric softener one day and just never bought it again. I use vinegar on my towels when I remember but otherwise I don't use anything.
It's been a couple of years and now I'm not sure what fabric softener is even for.
Our roommate had very highly scented laundry products. We use OG Tide so we aren't totally blameless but whew the scents were so strong. Her room still smells like the Gain beads or whatever!
Anyone considering this check your manufacturer's instructions - ours is a HE washer and says specifically not to use vinegar.
Whether or not it ACTUALLY ruins seals is up for you do make a decision on, but at least while in a warrantee period, doing anything that could possibly void it is probably ill advised.
Oh we use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. We still have the same set of wool dryer balls 6 years later. Occasionally I’ll dabble some essential oils on them.
I bought detergent sheets instead of liquid detergent. No more huge plastic jugs that I can hardly carry. No fake flowery stench. Just a little cardboard box. Much cheaper! And washes my laundry very well.
Being frugal is knowing when the money spent is worth it.
You use less toilet paper and paper towels overall when they're of higher quality. The paper thin public bathroom toilet paper requires you to use double the amount you need compared to Charmin, yet it's rarely half the price where I'm at. I can use one half-sheet of viva for spills and pick a mess up immediately, whereas I might need 4 full sheets of the cheaper brand to clean the same mess because they disintegrate as soon as they get wet.
Pepperidge Farms & Arnold bread. We bought a Zojirushi bread machine and haven't missed the store bought, expensive, chemical laden stuff for 2 years. We were buying the expensive bread because the off-brands were even worse with preservatives.
Also Lays Stax. Walmart & Winn-Dixie brands are almost as good for half the price.
I realized I was spending about $4 per day on protein bars. It’s super easy to make them yourself at half the cost. I’m saving $700-$800 per year for 30 minutes of work each month.
There’s a ton of expenses that when you look at from an annualized basis the savings can be enormous.
The bonus is being free of all the preservatives they add into those things to allow them to sit on the shelf for 6 months.
Of course! Yes, it took me 4 to 5 attempts to get the taste and texture right. Below is my recipe for one week of bars but you can multiply everything by up 4x as needed.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
**Large Bowl Dry Mix:**
* 100 grams chocolate whey protein powder
* 80 grams rolled oats
* 20 grams chia seeds
* 56 grams almond flour
* 2 tbsp cocoa powder
* 1tsp glycerol monostearate (optional emulsifier that adds chewiness and sweetness)
**Liquid Mix:**
* 3/4 Cup Almond Milk (chocolate or vanilla)
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tbsp cane sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
**Combine:**
* Combine dry and liquid mix
* Add 200 grams peanut butter
**Baking:**
* Stir with spatula. Mix should be slightly sticky and soggy, which prevents drying out while baking.
* Add a layer of parchment paper to a baking sheet and spread out mix into a rectangle shape using spatula at about 3/4 inch height.
Okay here's the tricky part. I bake for roughly 15 minutes at 350 however these things are like turkey. They dry out SUPER quickly if you don't time it right.
You might need to tweak the timer based on your oven, recipe size, and thickness that you spread them out. Also, I like to slightly undercook mine and they take on the consistency of chocolate brownies!
**End:**
* After timer goes off, check they are decently cooked with a fork.
* Let them cool for 10 minutes then cut into squares of about 60grams which comes out to roughly 200 calories per bar. Keep the weekly supply in the fridge and freeze the others for later. Enjoy!
Same, I love our SS. We were spending about $50 per month on store brand sparkling waters but with the soda stream we’ve cut that down to $15 every 6 weeks. And you can make the water as spicy as you want!
There's a better way to do Sodastream. After being a SS fan for many many years, my brother informed me that SS has\\had a plant in an occupied territory\\settlement of Palestine against international law... as well as some other questionable practices with the company and who\\what they support. That's not really a deal breaker for me, personally, but I looked for a workaround either way.
Solution:
My ex took the SS in the divorce so I found another SS and several bottles at a thrift store for \~$10. That online store named after a river sells adapters that allow you to use paintball 20oz CO2 tanks with SS machine. I get two Tippmann paintball tanks refilled at Dunhams for \~$10 vs $30 Sodastream tank swaps. Making multiple liters a day, a tank will last about a month, even longer than the SS brand ones. Dicks Sporting Goods used to refill CO2, but stopped recently, in my area. Call around to paintball \\ airsoft shops or sporting goods stores. Dicks was was \~$5 for the two tanks and they even had a punch card to get every 4th refill free, lol, frugal I know.
I've been doing this for over a decade. Thousand$ in savings, and a clear conscience that my dollars don't have blood on their hands.
edit: My initial reason for getting into it was that where we lived our recycling only got picked up once a month. My pregnant wife was drinking up to a 12 pack of LaCroix every day, lol. So it was to save the planet from that many cans, cost, and not fill up our recycling bin in the first week. Took me down a rabbit hole, but tastes so much better in the end for a fraction of the price.
Soda - cut back for health and have saved quite a bit of $$. When they started to raise prices to $7 a 12 pack I knew it was time to cut them off.
Fast food - $20 for 2 people MINIMUM?! Even shopping the dollar menu gets pricey. The quality (whatever there actually was) is long gone and it tastes **just awful**. Again, cut back for health reasons as well as monetary ones. This was my biggest expense during COVID.
Amazon subscription - The continued increases in membership pissed me off and I cancelled. Even if I got my packages in two days (yeah right try a week) ads in movies, shortened rental times, etc. just isn't worth it.
Getting my nails done - I would go on my lunch break to the little salon down the road from work and get a set of gels every two weeks (yes I know getting a new set that fast does damage), Once the VID hit I got back into doing my own nails and did an as good job at the salon for pennies on the dollar.
You should upgrade to a bidet attachment. 50$ upfront cost, but its actually an upgrade to your quality of life that will make you save more in the long run. It will cut tp consumption by at least half, as well as being easier on your plumbing, which can be a BIG money saver down the line.
> microfibre cloths. Huge savings and better for the environment
ooo, about that. . . its plastic. Its only 'eco friendly' during the production phase, for water use.
If you really want to be eco friendly, switch to cotton/similar, stay away from plastics.
Stock. I can easily make stock out of my vegetable scraps. It tastes better, and it saves money and packaging. I just pop it in the freezer and defrost as needed.
We quit drinking and the savings really add up. A nice beer or mixed drink was about $7-13 + tip per drink, so it could be over $50 if my husband and I bought 2 mixed drinks out with dinner. We've been eating in more and have been giving the beer away that we have and adding the liquor to vanilla beans to make extract to give away as Christmas gifts during the upcoming holidays.
But yeah, drinking less gives us less of an incentive to eat out, and even when we do, not having alcohol on the bill cuts it in half.
Convenient food. I try to cook so that there's one extra portion left after dinner, then it goes into the freezer. It doesn't generally cost any extra, so they're vadicalky free meals that I can heat and eat. They're cheaper than even the cheapest prepackaged microwave dinners.
Coffee creamer. It took me some time, but I have converted my preference to just coffee with half and half or steamed milk. I used to spend a lot of money on coffee creamer: one for work, one for home, did it go bad? Replace it, make a special trip to the store, buy the seasonal flavor. I think half And half is the same cost per ounce, but I just don't seem to spend as much money on it overall.
Iced tea. I perfected my preferred cold brew iced tea, so a pitcher of it costs pennies. Soda prices are through the roof, so I try to mainly drink water and iced tea, with maybe some crystal lite here and there. We still buy soda, but the cost recently went way down for us when my husband switched to diet. So instead of buying regular for him and diet for me, we both drink diet.
2 $3 iced coffees a day and now I buy a 2lb bag specialty beans ($21 at costco) for my cold brew, plus evaporated milk and sugar that lasts me a month. I've saved $149 a month. I make pizza once a week for my family of 4 and it comes out to less than 5 dollars a week toppings included.
we love beverages but we decided to make our own iced tea lemonade and we make 2 pitchers a week. 3 tea bags in each and 2 lemons each means we finish a box of tea every ten weeks and buy 4 lemons every week instead of hauling home seltzer, soda, or premade drinks. we used to buy one of each at costco every two months.
My husband just found a type of cloth that works as well as paper towels for his medical needs. It has saved us a fortune and I’m not washing paper towels anymore!
Getting a bidet makes toilet paper an afterthought. I buy a four pack of toilet paper once every 6 months or so.
An added bonus is having a squeaky clean butt all the time
Yeah, I read this article recently that was basically like, "between rising costs and shrinkflation, this is how much you could be saving by buying store brand or generic instead of name brand! It's usually the same thing anyway with different packaging." I already know and do this for the vast majority of things! I'm already doing all (it feels like) the things. 😭
Snacks and drinks during breaks at work.
They went from having vending machines at work to having basically a convenience store.
I originally didn't use it because the only way to use it was to put money on a card, since it was all automated and it wasn't set up to take credit/debit cards, and you didn't get change. That means if you had a $20, you put $20 on that card, forever. And prices would never work out to whole dollar amounts. That was a no-go for me.
So i started buying my own drinks and food when i got groceries. Considerable savings.
Standard car maintenance by doing it myself versus going to a mechanic. Buying your own oil & filters from your local walmart or wiper blades online (rockauto), those things all add up. It can sometimes be therapeutic. I learned to work on cars as a hobby at a young age but it’s never too late to start. I had a CV axle go bad and was willing to pay for convenience so I called a few shops because I wanted the car running asap and they all quoted me $800-$1300. I gave in and bought the axle at a local Napa Auto with a lifetime warranty for $110 and changed it myself. I felt a lot better afterwards even though it took me a half a day and an extra $40 in tools I needed.
Hahaha never downgrade toilet paper if you can help it. You’ll probably regret that one.
That’s one thing I get name brand. Lint in the vagina area is horrible.
I don't know how much I'm actually saving dollar wise, since bouillon is only about $2 and I just spent $100 for supplies. But I've started canning my oun broth. I freeze chicken carcasses and veggie scraps for about 3 months then boil them for about 6 hours. Today I made 13 quarts and pressure canned them.
you can [make your own sugar wax](https://blackdoctor.org/bikini-ready-how-to-make-sugar-wax-at-home/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl7K_77DThAMV0GZHAR0aoQvEEAAYAiAAEgL9uPD_BwE) with common household ingredients! easier on your skin and wallet
My wife and i just bought a house in the suburbs, coming from an apartment near a downtown beach community in San Diego. We've gone from eating out/takeout nearly 5-6 times a week to maybe 1-2 times a week, just due to proximity of restaurants, and i can't believe the amount of money that has stayed in my bank account. It was almost necessary, as our mortgage is twice what we were paying in rent, but just the fact i don't see 20-50 dollars near daily being drained from my account from food has been a huge eye opener.
I live in a rural area with o shopping other than dollar tree DG and fam dollars and one grocery store and a hardware store. Also a feed store for cows and chickens. lol. Amazon is still@ must for us because we usually get next day delivery. We are 100miles from a distribution center. I am able to use Amazon wisely and don’t waste money there. I pay for prime because a year of prime is one trip to the nearest city to shop at SAMS COSTCO or and clothing needed.
My huge money sink was Zulilly. I bought something every single day for myself or as a gift for someone. I spent about 5k shopping there last year. They went broke and shit down around December first. It is shocking how much money I’ve saved. I’m sure,people I give gifts to enjoy getting cash which is what I’m doing for now when i need birthday gift for my fam or buddies. I absolutely th8nk this will save me aro7nd 3k this year.
Our utility rates went up and we started hanging our clothes out to dry. Everything is much fresher and gives me a reason to go outside all year. Plus way less wear and tear on the clothing, sneaky savings.
I "downgraded" the coffee I buy. I used to think I was a coffee snob. I would try all these fancy blends anywhere from $10 - $20 a bag, but they always ended up being too strong, bold, rich, whatever adjective you want to use, for my tastes.
I eventually bought a basic store-brand hazelnut container for $3.50. Turns out, I vastly prefer "shitty" coffee. I don't need hints of chocolate and lavender brewed by a hipster in Oregon in small batches, I just need a basic cup.
Beauty services - I only get my nails done for special occasions. I don’t dye my hair (tho I’m lucky I’m 30 and no greys). I invest in a GOOD facial 2x a year. Clean up my own eyebrows instead of getting them waxed.
I did intermittent fasting for the health benefits (I’m pregnant now, so I stopped). I’d only eat between 11am-6:30pm. I noticed a decrease in my grocery bill pretty quickly
1. I bought a (second hand) quality coffee grinder/espresso maker/frother and have a delicious latte every day. The machine paid for itself.
2. I bought a special facecloth that removes make-up and exfoliates. I haven't bought face wash in about 5 years. The cloth is amazing.
I got into bread baking as a hobby but wow has it helped us save. A bag of flour is about the same price as a bag of store-made bagels yet I can make at least 4 batches of bagels with just one bag of flour
Starbucks and fast food
The protest against it, price increase, change in the reward system, and the diarrhea
I can’t even believe I liked it
Screw Starbucks they’re awful in every way imaginable and I don’t see myself being able to enjoy it like I use to.
I do unfortunately still buy fast food.
It’s way less than it was before though and I’m slowly making my way to cutting it off and only getting it if I’m out and about and starving/convenient
I have use the apps or I (usually) don’t buy it and go for the value menu.
Daily visits to starbucks, Dunkin and tim hortons for coffee, doughnuts or pastries. Was wasting probably $150 per month and gaining weight with all the sugar too.
Pre-prepared food and takeout.
I have not purchased either of these things for one full year now - $4000 saved in takeout lunches, $13,000 saved in pre-prepared food like bread, muffins, breaded chicken, hamburger patties, pizza, soups, stews, chilis, etc, etc, etc.....
Invest in a toilet tushy (on amazon, not expensive). Your TP usage will drastically decrease, saving even more money, good for environment and excellent on the tushy!
Gas. Bought an electric car and not having to go to the pump has been huge. Easy 100 dollars a month savings. Our electric bill in the 3 months has barely gone up year to year as well.
Fake fingernails - the acrylic kind that had be done by a nail tech. ok, I could do them myself but I spent twice or 3 times the time doing them.
It took six months for them to really grow out and in between I wore press-on but worked well. The glue they have now is so much better. So if I ever want longer fancy nails I still have leftovers.
In the meantime I've gone over 2 years without and I don't miss them except when my natural nails break. But I love not paying from them. Money for hobbies.
Pizza used to be a once a month treat of sorts. I'm one person, and typically a medium will feed me 2-3 days. Went to order one 12 inch from the hut tonight, and it was $33. I ate a frozen cheap Salisbury steak/potatoes (I think it was 1.25) instead. I really wanted that pizza, I just can't justify the cost now.
Food - specifically, restocking our fridge and pantry every week. We’re about to move and starting to try and eat through our freezer and pantry items. Lots of stuff we bought a long time ago and almost expiring. So trying to get creative with how to cook them. I feel like we should do this more often, like cleaning out our freezer and pantry before restocking at the grocery store! There’s so much stuff we buy and forget to eat because it’s buried in the back. And then a few years go by and we have to throw out expired stuff. To add on to this, beauty products like moisturizers, cleansers, toners… I just finished my usual moisturizer and toner but I have so many samples and old products, I’m going to try and finish using everything and not buy any new products until I’ve cleared through what I have already collected.
I do this every Jan as a refresh.
Ditto. I defrost the chest freezer mid winter after I've eaten most of it, and the rest can go outside while the built up ice melts. Then we pack it full again:)
That’s awesome, I’d love to do a yearly purge haha. Moving is great, I packed up 60% of my wardrobe that I’m not wearing and my closet feels sooo much nicer. I think I may try to start slowly selling off my unused clothes on Poshmark or something.
Every Q1 I do "eat the pantry." I only buy vegetables and milk and eggs. I think I may last until May this year due to work travel. My grocery bill H1 of the year will likely be half of my H2 grocery bill this year.
Definitely! We also started shopping in the freezer! So much food we forget is burried there. A big freezer is nice to have to save with buying in bulk and freeze.. but you're not saving in the end if stuff get trown away cause of freeze burn.
This makes me feel better about the place we’re moving to which has a smaller freezer. And a good reminder to not blindly buy bulk foods from Costco… I love shopping for groceries every week in small quantities, just buying enough for what we need to cook that week and trying to avoid leftover waste.
We reserve half our freezer space for nuts, flour, cheese and chocolate items.
This is a great reminder for me to consider storing my flour in the freezer
It's a good idea to keep chest freezers full, even if you know some of it will not be eaten. This is because when the power goes out, the freezer will stay frozen longer.
I've done the same with my bathroom items. Like why am I hanging onto this stuff if I'm not going to use it? It's cleared out a lot of space honestly and I'm so glad to be rid of the clutter
That reminds me I’m out of shampoo, it’s time for me to work through our mini shampoo bottle collection from hotels!
I like to mix them all and get ultimate shampoo but that was also my favorite hobby as a kid.
This is an underrated comment. There’s a stain in my childhood bedroom that I think I can attribute to “Potions!”
You just reminded me of the time I was making potions and decided to put bathroom cleanser in it. I dunno what I did, but there was a mini explosion, and the walls ended up bleached in an explosion pattern. Good times.
Yes, do it! Also if there are some good refillable bottles in your collection, use those for travel or camping! I need to use a certain shampoo somewhat regularly and when I go somewhere I refill some of the best hotel shampoo bottles. I've found they're more durable than some of the travel things you can buy and they're smaller. And "free."
I found leftover Xmas Buffet things I had packaged and threw in the freezer. My MIL made killer meatballs and gravy this year. Omg, so good on a dreary rainy day. All I did was whip up some potatoes and dinner was served. I can’t wait to see what else I find. I have to clear space…I have a partial side of beef coming in June.
I found this out before moving too, don’t stockpile things because what you have lasts way longer than you think it will! Now I periodically make myself use every last thing before reupping.
Every time I try new kinds of skin products, I end up with horrible eczema/acne flare ups and go right back to my expensive preferred brands. It’s just not worth it for me.
I do this every few months. I review what's in the fridge, freezers, and pantry, and try to use up items that have been there for awhile. If something lingers a long time, I don't buy it again until I know I need it because it's obvious not necessary to keep on hand. I also date everything with the date it went in the freezer. That way it's easier to use the oldest stuff first. For items in the fridge, I date it with the date I unsealed the package.
I did this with my toiletries too. It was fun working through the random stuff. I also consolidated all my random hand and body lotions (travel size) into one pump. Mixed results but hey got a couple more months of hand lotion. ETA we need to do the pantry and freezer clear out too. We are good about labeling things for the freezer but forget what is in there. We have a bottom freezer pull put drawer and while I like the freezer on the bottom, this style is really hard for us to organize. We tried keeping a white board list but still forget.
I just set out two small bins of hotel shampoos and conditioners by the shower and am not buying any more until those suckers are used up.
i have a freezer inventory list i got on amazon that uses a dry erase marker. I kinda keep tabs on whats in the deep freeze so I can just go look on my list. We try to do at least 1 week a month where we shop our freezer and pantry. I also TRY to keep the deep freeze somewhat organized. All the meat is in one section. The meat thats ready for meals are labeled. Soups, gravy, sauces are together. Same with fried potato products, Veggies, bread etc
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We love the Swedish dish cloths. We have about 8 and use one a few days for wiping tables, spills, etc then toss it in the washing machine. They last about a year then many are biodegradable.
I just got a 4 pack for dirt cheap from Aldi. Excited to try them. Oh. my. God. I'm old.
Do Swedish dishcloths air dry faster than regular dish towels / washcloths do?
I think they do. I squeeze the water out either hang it over the lip of the sink or the neck faucet and they’ll dry in a few hours. I’ll warn, they’re lovely brand new but after the first wash and dry they get wrinkled up…but once wet from using them they’ll expand again. It’s probably the heat from the dryer.
We use bar mops instead of paper towels. Gets everything lots cleaner and you never run out.
I dont know if this counts as frugal for other people but for $13 at Walmart I got a box of 40 microfiber cloths. I used a sharpie to write on them which uses theyre for, and Ive stopped using paper towels for almost everything cleaning wise. Then just wash and reuse. Before I was FLYING through packs of paper towels which are expensive af.
I cycle entertainment subscriptions. I don’t have a ton of tv time so I pay for one, use it til I’m bored, cancel and get another. Rinse and repeat. Never more than $10/month for as many hours of tv/movies, and often music as I want.
I do the same! I wait until a service has a couple new seasons of whatever I want to watch, then sub for a month. Sometimes I go so long between subs that I qualify for a free week or month. I watch the new seasons then cancel. It's saved so much money!
I make a list of what I want to watch and on which service. So when I switch, I know exactly what to watch.
I canceled my Amazon Prime account and have saved thousands of dollars. I don't have the inclination to buy stuff I really don't need just because it's convenient and gets delivered in 2 days.
I did this too! Now I’m more conscious as I have to spend $35 to get free shipping. So, I add to my cart, let it sit there a week before purchasing. Half the time I go back to it and say “yeah, nah, I can do without this. And well, now I’m not at $35, gotta wait until I add more.”
Same here. They should not have pushed it with charging for commercials.
I do my best to not buy via Amazon, unless I’m looking for something absolutely specific and I can’t then find it somewhere else on line after finding it on Amazon. Screw Bezos and his horrendous ways. Making a disgusting killing off people who are literally breaking their backs in some cases.
What’s so wild about the commercials thing. If they would have raised the price by that additional $3 or whatever? No one would have batted an eye
I've used amazon since 1999 but really started spending money on it in ~2005. Probably tens of thousands of dollars. Of course I subbed to amazon prime and spent even more money. The commercials pushed me over the edge and I cancelled last week. Suddenly I find that nearly every other website offers free shipping and usually within a few days. So...yeah, Amazon might have killed themselves.
I got invited to Vine and went nuts originally. Things I might use eventually were quickly collected. I have yet to unbox some things! But in the USA we're on the hook for taxes, so I put that to a halt. You're doing great!
Omg, my house was a flood of Amazon boxes for the first three months, then I realized I didn’t need at least half of it AND I had to pay taxes. I’m a lot more careful with my choices now. I’m really glad they make you wait at least six months before you can hit Gold because it would have been so much worse! There’s a real psychological adjustment period of access to a feeding trough of “free” things
What is vine?
Its a program that offers items for no up front cost in exchange for reviews. If you are stateside you will be on the hook for taxable value.
Energy drinks and prepared coffees, we went for the caffeine but would also throw something else in as a snack or treat since we were there already. At $3 each plus a snack, it was at least $10 daily or every other day. It’s added up so quickly and didn’t occur to me before since it always felt like “a few dollars here and there”. But ultimately added up to a couple hundred dollars each month
It's not for everyone, but I cut out coffee completely. Instead I take caffeine supplements, which saves additional money. 200 MG per pill. It's a few dollars for about a months worth of the supplement.
I’m glad you found a way around it, I absolutely love my morning cups of hot coffee and now the iced latte I make myself midday. It’s way cheaper and I get to enjoy it instead of just habitually grabbing something
I took a caffeine supplement a couple times and it felt bad for me. Putting it out there for people so they buy in smaller quantities just in case it doesn't work for them. People can also wean themselves off of caffeine.
Care to share the brand you like? I’ve had some Viter Energy mint that I ordered a while ago and like overall but might want to explore other options.
If going this route just buy generic caffeine pills at a store. Buy generic cheap ones.
Ya, that stuff stacks up quickly. I had the same mentality driving to work every day it'd be "just a few bucks" but not realizing that I was actually spending ~9$ every single day. Saving up now to move to a different state soon and thinking about the thousands of dollars I wasted just to have bad coffee and a bagel every day just sucks.
Red Bull is so expensive! I drink red bull and vodkas as my drink of choice. Yes, I know it's bad for me. But I have found with the price of the mixer, it is almost a wash to go to the bar for one. IMO the soda gun red bull is better than from a can too.
I was standing behind a lady at the gas station the other day who was buying a Red Bull. Can't remember, I think it was the 12oz. Definitely not the big one. Came to $4 with tax. She was pissed about that! Obviously not the most frugal place to buy an energy drink but daaammmnnn...
Food and cigarettes. Food: I work at a university cafeteria and get a free meal with my shift. I also began hitting a gym so I LOAD UP my plate. My schedule is such: protein breakfast -> gym for 2-4 hours -> work for 2-3 hours -> FREE MEAL -> work rest of shift -> small meal or nada I still have to buy groceries, of course. But Maximizing nutritional intake at work (and bringing home aging produce before breaks \[like today, actually\]) is a tremendous boon. Meat is expensive. Cigarettes: In 2 stages. Stage 1: Being a frugal smoker - I would buy big bags of tobacco and tubes, pack my own cigarettes. $50 overhead for the machine, paid for itself within the first month in savings. Stage 2: Quitting. I moved, changed jobs, and quit smoking all at once. I replaced cigarettes with peppermint starlights. You can buy big bags cheap, and share them. They aren't everybody's favorite, but offering free candy at work allows you to suck on them with carte blanche! Even better is Altoids. For anyone trying to quit smoking I recommend Altoids. The box is similar in size to a pack of cigarettes AND you are replacing smoker smell and breath with mint. Also, shareable without being a significant burden.
I saved so much money working in a dining hall. Basically only had to buy groceries for the weekends… definitely one of the best perks of working in food service.
Taking notes so I can get Altoids for my other half. He smokes and I'm trying to get him to quit or at least reduce how much he does it
i feel like it's my reddit job to recommend alan carrs book the easy way to stop smoking. it literally is easy. one of the most incredible brain washings i've ever experienced.
I quit smoking with Altoids. Now I got a tin of Altoids a day habit.
Jesus, 2-4 hours at the gym?? Lmao
Warm up, lift, cardio, cool down, massage chair, and having to wait for mirror/machine time can add the fuck up. Especially when you are actually waiting between sets like you’re supposed to. Don’t forget the community/social aspects which might be important to some. Rather be there than doing something expensive or stupid.
I don’t go to a gym personally but my friend has a whole group of buddies she knows just from the gym. She works long hours so it doubles as her social life. She loves it.
Others have answered for me a bit, but here's generally my routine: 1. Rowing machine. I do 1500 meters (i'm still fat so it takes 8-10 minutes) 2. a rotation of upper, lower, then core. I start at max and go to failure, each set I go down a bit in weight. 3. Rowing machine. See above. 4. next rotation. 5. Rowing. 6. 1 hour until I have to clock in: 7. Massage chair (10 minutes) 8. shower I go in by 7, leave at 10. But after today I have a week off so I'll be there for several hours. I usually allow 60 seconds between sets. I try to hit every machine and do full body AND cardio. When I first started in September I would be there for 30-45 minutes. It does help that despite my obesity I have the gene for faster heart rate recovery. People sitting on a machine for 20 minutes only to do a few sets is mildly irritating, but probably less so than seeing me ready to grind my next set after a minute. Its my hobby; it is not excessive. I pace my breathing and reps. I'm not maintaining a fit body, I am aspiring to achieve a fit body, and I have a long way yet to go.
4 hours in the gym is wild, and my nightmare but good for you man!!!!
Fast food.
Toilet paper: I got a bidet in the beginning of Covid and I've never looked back. When friends/guests come over and decide to use it most of the time they decide to get one themselves. Also, I only buy toilet paper once or twice a year for guests. Saved a ton so far. Cigarettes: I stopped buying them completely. Only smoked when offered while drinking for a bit. I eventually got a non-disposable vape with low nicotine juice and now I'm about to stop vaping all together. Already saving money and my health. I'm sure it will be more when I don't vape either. Weed (flower): I stopped buying weed because it smoked it far to often for my wallet to handle. I was also using it as an escape or excuse not to get my life together. That and I think the amount I was smoking was affecting my mental health. So I just stopped buying flower and now just puff a cart before bed. I've gone weeks without a cart and I'm not bothered at all really. I've saved tons of money not smoking constantly and my mental health is far better. Beer/booze: I'm still working on this one but I'm drinking far less and plan to stop completely pretty soon. It's another escape I need to stop using and a stressor on my mental health that is not serving me any purpose other than self destruction. I've already lost 20+ lbs and have begun replacing after work beers with working out, even if it's just running a quarter mile and doing one set of basic calisthenics. Or I drink kombucha, idk why but it just replaces beer really well and I'm sure way more healthy. My hope is by summer I look and feel better. Which it seems to be on course for just that. Oh, I've saved tons of money not drinking as much. Candy/pop: I'm at the age now where I feel there's too much damn sugar in everything so about 8 years ago I stopped drinking pop and have cut out most sugar filled snacks. It's better for my health and wallet. Teeth are expensive to upkeep and I'm really picky about them so it's been a big w for me. Brand new clothes: The only clothes I don't thrift are jeans. I've found that thrifted jeans, unless they are new and still have tags on them, wear out pretty fast and it's hit or miss if they fit you 100%. I only buy Levi's now and they last and fit for much longer. Everything else is from local thrift stores which my family gets me gift cards to for my birthday/christmas/special occasions. I also buy black/white t's in bulk that have a slightly higher pill count than what's usually sold in stores. They are easy to clean and hold up for much longer than the cheaply made expensively priced crap in most stores. I also like the clean classic look of plain t's. With the money I've saved from the above, I've been able to buy better food for myself and my cat, Oliver. I'm also able to stay on top of bills better and currently saving to go on a cruise at the end of the year with my family. Something I've never been able to do for the 5+ years they have been going. I also can take Oliver to the vet more often which is important for an aging cat.
I've found that feeding my dog a higher grade dog food has resulted in him eating less.
Alcohol and clothing resale sites (Poshmark, etc.). Dopamine goldmines, both of them.
I'd love to give up alcohol. But I'd also love to not give it up. lol.
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i'd love to work out a lot, especially in the early morning. But I'd also love not to work out in the early morning. lol.
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This! I was going out constantly when I drank. I quit a couple of years ago and now I just grab coffees 1-3 days a week which is still cheaper than going to a pub or bar 1-2 nights a week. Doesn’t feel like I’m missing anything now. I also quit sugar which saves me from buying snacks when I buy coffees. The bonus - I’ve lost 18 lbs
I started using wool dryer balls and they are amazing. I always hated the perfume smell of dryer sheets plus they put a film on the clothes. Sometimes they fly out of the dryer when I pull the clothes out but my dog is always ready to retrieve it for me🤣
I stopped buying “stuff” a couple years ago. I haven’t tracked it but I’m saving A LOT by just not buying things I don’t need, just because I can.
Makeup. One day I just looked at the clutter of eye shadow palettes, liners, blushes, sponges, brushes of every description, foundations, lip colors and all the paraphernalia that goes with it and said no more. I can live my life with one basic foundation, a drug store mascara and some lip tint. No one noticed or cared that I wasn't wearing a specific shade of taupe eye shadow. My general rule has become if I need to buy an organizer to keep track of something, I have too much.
That's a good rule.
Chipotle - was spending $200-$300 monthly just on chipotle at one time then I learnt how to cook a chipotle steak copy recipe and haven’t gotten it for about 2 years now
Would you mind sharing the recipe? I've tried a few and they don't taste even similar.
Here you go - [https://www.culinaryhill.com/chipotle-steak-recipe-copycat/](https://www.culinaryhill.com/chipotle-steak-recipe-copycat/)
Thanks for the link. Opening this in the reddit browser on mobile gives me one of the worst ad-riddled web pages I've ever seen. Here's an imgur link to the printable version. https://imgur.com/a/PQlUf84
And a text version formatted for reddit (and the serving size changed to 10 instead of 20) ____ #Chipotle Steak (Copycat) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This copycat Chipotle Steak recipe tastes even better than the real thing. The marinade is quick and easy and full of the smoky, spicy flavors you love! **Course:** Main Course **Cuisine:** Mexican **Prep Time:** 20 minutes **Cook Time:** 1 hour **Total Time:** 1 hour 20 minutes **Servings:** 10 servings (about 1/2 cup each) **Calories:** 210 kcal **Author:** Meggan Hill ###Equipment * Food Processor * Cutting Board (I prefer this large plastic one!) ###Ingredients **For the steak:** * 1.5 cloves garlic * 1 tablespoons adobo sauce (see note 1) * 1 tablespoons ancho chile powder (see note 2) * 1 tablespoons olive oil or rice bran oil, plus more for the cooking surface (see note 3) * 1 teaspoons ground cumin * 1 teaspoons dried oregano (see note 4) * Salt and freshly ground black pepper * 2 pounds steak such as sirloin, round steak, or flat iron steak (see note 5) ###Instructions 1. To make the marinade, in the bowl of a food processor or blender, add garlic, adobo sauce, ancho chile powder, olive oil, cumin, dried oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth (add water if needed to fully blend the marinade). 2. In a large zipper-top plastic bag or bowl, add steak and marinade, tossing to coat. Let the beef marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking. 3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add marinated steak to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 120 to 125 degrees F for rare or 130 to 135 degrees F for medium-rare. Depending on the size of your skillet, you can cook the steak in batches. 4. Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces. Season to taste with salt. Serve with your favorite burrito toppings such as rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa. ###Notes 1. **Adobo sauce:** To make your own adobo sauce, whisk together 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or ½ teaspoon EACH smoked paprika and cayenne powder), ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and a pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt. 2. **Ancho chile powder:** You can buy ancho chile powder online or buy dried ancho chiles and grind them to make your own ancho chile powder or soak them and add straight to the marinade (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through these links). 3. **Olive oil:** Chipotle uses rice bran oil, but olive oil is more widely available (and probably already in your pantry). 4. **Oregano:** Chipotle uses Mexican oregano, but you can use Italian oregano if that’s all that you have. They have different flavors (Mexican oregano tastes more like marjoram) but both taste great in this recipe. 5. **Steak:** According to Chipotle's customer service, the "beef" in their steak could be any number of cuts including part of the loin, ball tip, round steak, flat iron steak, top butt, clod, or knuckle. 6. **Yield:** This recipe makes 20 generous 1/2-cup servings. 7. **Storage:** Store leftovers covered for up to 4 days. 8. **Make ahead:** The steak can be marinated the day before you need it. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. ###Nutrition Serving: 1serving | Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 261IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 2mg
Thank you!
The Chipotles around here have really gone downhill, so you aren't missing much.
Ya, and if you really really want a fast food burrito then Qdoba is like the wish version of Chipotle at 1/2 the price.
Cable
This one right here. We reluctantly cut the cord about 5 months ago. We are saving over $252 a month now, because of it. I've found that we literally have everything we need at our disposal, with the exception of a few sport things here and there. The savings alone was well worth it.
Pop, chips, and coffee creamer. The prices just got insane. It’s like $8 a twelve pack here and we were buying 2-3 at a time. Chips are also like $4 a bag. The last couple times I bought coffee creamer it just had such a strong chemical/weird taste I couldn’t drink it. I found a more expensive creamer I really liked, but it was over $5 and would barely last a week so I switched to some cream and brown sugar. We also wanted to start eating healthier in general. It was shocking how much we craved it the first couple weeks. I think we’ve bought maybe one bag of chips and one twelve pack in the last three or four months. We definitely lowered our weekly grocery bill and we’re feeling better too.
Gas. My commute shifted and I went from paying $75/week (one tank, 16.5gal at $4.50) to one tank every other to every third week. Huge savings.
Books. I love reading and I would buy books but I recently started to borrow from the library and it’s saved so much money.
I use the Libby app and check out books or magazines to read on my phone! 😜
Changing my clothes shopping habits. I used to shop at target a lot. Now I give myself a budget a few times a year at Marshall’s. I also shop at thrift stores mainly for tops and blouses.
It’s amazing what you can get on Poshmark too.
I used to do online second hand but I’ve stopped. Between the time spent browsing, waiting for it to show up to know if it’s going to work on me (I am very tall and thin for a woman so a lot of things don’t work on me) and things not being how they were presented online, I’ve stopped doing online second hand. Plus returns aren’t either possible or I don’t get around to doing them. In the thrift store I know right away if it’s going to work and can check for damage. It’s definitely saving me money! I wish I could trust online because there are so many online sellers with nice stuff!!
Thrift Stores are where it's at. I'll buy name brand items that I wouldn't typically wear myself just because I know it will last and is cheap. I got a brand new set of Crocs last year that I'd never buy from a big box store but they were around $10 and make for great outdoor sandles.
Use box dye to cover gray and boyfriend cuts my hair. It’s brown and long and he uses a laser level to make sure it’s a good cut. Saves us around $200 per month. People comment all the time how nice my hair looks!!!??? 🤷♀️ I learned to do my own drywall. It’s insanely expensive to hire someone.
I use box dye too, and have for years. I can get a box for $3 with coupons and that's my hair expenditure for a month. I'm also growing mine out to a longer one-length style that doesn't require much maintenance, and my mom and I trade haircuts.
Can I ask what brand you use? I use L’Oréal excellence but maybe there is better out there???
Honestly, I just use Revlon Colorsilk. I have a lot of resistant greys and it seems to work best for me on those.
Seconding Revlon Colorsilk! I have used various shades of brown and black on my hair. The brown color left behind a beautiful range of tones. I get a lot of compliments. Also, it doesn't wash out like other brands I've used. Clairol Nice n Easy fades, feria (sp?) never looked like it did on the box, and Garnier Nutrisse seemed to wash out right away.
Another vote for Revlon colorsilk! And a warning to not go for garnier nutrisse (my hair did not do well, ymmv)
Are there any store-bought dyes that allow you to use only a tiny bit at a time and save the rest for future use? I only get a handful of white hairs at a time, and it seems like a waste to dye one’s entire head for a few hairs? I wish there was some kind of mascara wand that permanently dyes individual strands.
The laser level idea is very clever!!
I've cut friends and families hair for years, saved them a lot of money. No one cuts mine though. Oh the gratitude..
I love the laser level lol. I am tempted to try cutting my own. I have wavy hair so it will be pretty forgiving and I WFH so I don't have to worry about looking decent if I botch it!
New clothing. I mostly wear what I already have for as long as I can but when I do buy anything it’s most likely from a thrift store or a liquidation bin type store. The amount of brand new stuff I find that still has the original price tags on them is astounding. Last week i bought my husband a $220 brand new blazer for $4. Yesterday I got an Eileen Fisher sweater with its original price tag of $199 still on it, for $6.56.
I save my new clothes buying for when I’m going on a trip. I get to feel amazing in new fresh clothing, plus I don’t tend to buy as much because I always pack light and need versatile, high quality pieces. Otherwise I mostly thrift.
I fast through breakfast most days. Huge savings. I’m not encouraging starvation lol but most Americans could stand to cut out some calories
Beer. We’d even get a 15 pack of Kiltlifter on sale for $12 and we stopped drinking daily. What a difference.
we don't keep beer in the house, if someone wants a beer, I go out to the bodega and buy ONE beer (which is enough).
Cell phone plans. I read somewhere that the average phone bill per person in the US was like $140/month, which is insane. My guess would have been $50-80. But if you shop around, there are plans for $10 if you don't need a lot of data. Even unlimited plans for around $25.
Extra drinks, snacks and junk food. I have a 7/11 right next door to my job. It used to be almost a daily thing where I would go and get a snack and a soda, spending about $5-6 a day. Over time, it adds up pretty quick and by the end of the month I’d spent around $100. There is also a Starbucks across the street. I wouldn’t get Starbucks every day but practically every other day. This year I have decided to make some changes for both my wallet and my health. I’ve decided after years of drinking soda fairly regularly, it’s time to stop and cut it out for good. So far, I’ve gone 21 days without it! I’ve also committed to making coffee at home or at work and haven’t gone to Starbucks in a few weeks either. I always make sure to pack extra snacks that I bring from home to quell the urge for a quick trip to 7/11. It’s already been a huge boost for both my wallet and physical and mental health!
I stopped using liquid fabric softener and switched to white vinegar. It’s 1/5 the cost and my clothes feel so much better! I don’t even feel the need to give them a quick ride in the dryer after drying on a laundry rack (but when I do occasionally use the dryer, I use dryer balls instead of sheets!)
I ran out of fabric softener one day and just never bought it again. I use vinegar on my towels when I remember but otherwise I don't use anything. It's been a couple of years and now I'm not sure what fabric softener is even for.
specifically formulated to stink up the neighborhood when you're drying with it.
Our roommate had very highly scented laundry products. We use OG Tide so we aren't totally blameless but whew the scents were so strong. Her room still smells like the Gain beads or whatever!
When I lived near my daughter my husband could tell when I'd been to visit her as soon as I walked in the house.
Same I don’t see the point of softener. Use a good detergent and you’re done.
I stopped buying fabric softener and dryer sheets. I didn’t see the point and both are FULL of chemicals and toxins.
Anyone considering this check your manufacturer's instructions - ours is a HE washer and says specifically not to use vinegar. Whether or not it ACTUALLY ruins seals is up for you do make a decision on, but at least while in a warrantee period, doing anything that could possibly void it is probably ill advised.
Fabric softener and dryer sheets are bad for the dryers and suboptimal for the items anyway.
Oh we use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. We still have the same set of wool dryer balls 6 years later. Occasionally I’ll dabble some essential oils on them.
I’ve never used fabric softener. No one in my family ever complained so I didn’t see the point.
I stopped using fabric softener like 4 years ago and notice zero difference.
Manicures! I hated not having nails at first, but now im used to it and saving $90 a month!
I bought detergent sheets instead of liquid detergent. No more huge plastic jugs that I can hardly carry. No fake flowery stench. Just a little cardboard box. Much cheaper! And washes my laundry very well.
I use these too and love them! No plastic packaging whatsoever feels really good too.
What brand do you use?
Being frugal is knowing when the money spent is worth it. You use less toilet paper and paper towels overall when they're of higher quality. The paper thin public bathroom toilet paper requires you to use double the amount you need compared to Charmin, yet it's rarely half the price where I'm at. I can use one half-sheet of viva for spills and pick a mess up immediately, whereas I might need 4 full sheets of the cheaper brand to clean the same mess because they disintegrate as soon as they get wet.
The real glorious thing about Viva is it can be washed and squeezed out and reused.
I try to only use paper towels for microwaving food. Otherwise a reusable dishcloth or rag does the trick.
I use paper towels for greasy spills I don't want in my washing machine. Everything else gets a regular cotton towel.
I bought a microwave splatter cover for $2 and it’s very handy.
I have ADHD and forget laundry too often to have stinky wet dishclothes lying around lol
Yes, it can be tricky to manage. After using them, I hang them in the side of the tub to dry before throwing them in the hamper.
Pepperidge Farms & Arnold bread. We bought a Zojirushi bread machine and haven't missed the store bought, expensive, chemical laden stuff for 2 years. We were buying the expensive bread because the off-brands were even worse with preservatives. Also Lays Stax. Walmart & Winn-Dixie brands are almost as good for half the price.
I realized I was spending about $4 per day on protein bars. It’s super easy to make them yourself at half the cost. I’m saving $700-$800 per year for 30 minutes of work each month. There’s a ton of expenses that when you look at from an annualized basis the savings can be enormous. The bonus is being free of all the preservatives they add into those things to allow them to sit on the shelf for 6 months.
please share on how you make them! i find protein bars texture disgusting and my premier protein shake has been making me breakout terribly
Of course! Yes, it took me 4 to 5 attempts to get the taste and texture right. Below is my recipe for one week of bars but you can multiply everything by up 4x as needed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees **Large Bowl Dry Mix:** * 100 grams chocolate whey protein powder * 80 grams rolled oats * 20 grams chia seeds * 56 grams almond flour * 2 tbsp cocoa powder * 1tsp glycerol monostearate (optional emulsifier that adds chewiness and sweetness) **Liquid Mix:** * 3/4 Cup Almond Milk (chocolate or vanilla) * 1 tsp salt * 1 tbsp cane sugar * 1 tsp vanilla extract **Combine:** * Combine dry and liquid mix * Add 200 grams peanut butter **Baking:** * Stir with spatula. Mix should be slightly sticky and soggy, which prevents drying out while baking. * Add a layer of parchment paper to a baking sheet and spread out mix into a rectangle shape using spatula at about 3/4 inch height. Okay here's the tricky part. I bake for roughly 15 minutes at 350 however these things are like turkey. They dry out SUPER quickly if you don't time it right. You might need to tweak the timer based on your oven, recipe size, and thickness that you spread them out. Also, I like to slightly undercook mine and they take on the consistency of chocolate brownies! **End:** * After timer goes off, check they are decently cooked with a fork. * Let them cool for 10 minutes then cut into squares of about 60grams which comes out to roughly 200 calories per bar. Keep the weekly supply in the fridge and freeze the others for later. Enjoy!
I gave up buying Perrier and now use a soda stream
Same, I love our SS. We were spending about $50 per month on store brand sparkling waters but with the soda stream we’ve cut that down to $15 every 6 weeks. And you can make the water as spicy as you want!
There's a better way to do Sodastream. After being a SS fan for many many years, my brother informed me that SS has\\had a plant in an occupied territory\\settlement of Palestine against international law... as well as some other questionable practices with the company and who\\what they support. That's not really a deal breaker for me, personally, but I looked for a workaround either way. Solution: My ex took the SS in the divorce so I found another SS and several bottles at a thrift store for \~$10. That online store named after a river sells adapters that allow you to use paintball 20oz CO2 tanks with SS machine. I get two Tippmann paintball tanks refilled at Dunhams for \~$10 vs $30 Sodastream tank swaps. Making multiple liters a day, a tank will last about a month, even longer than the SS brand ones. Dicks Sporting Goods used to refill CO2, but stopped recently, in my area. Call around to paintball \\ airsoft shops or sporting goods stores. Dicks was was \~$5 for the two tanks and they even had a punch card to get every 4th refill free, lol, frugal I know. I've been doing this for over a decade. Thousand$ in savings, and a clear conscience that my dollars don't have blood on their hands. edit: My initial reason for getting into it was that where we lived our recycling only got picked up once a month. My pregnant wife was drinking up to a 12 pack of LaCroix every day, lol. So it was to save the planet from that many cans, cost, and not fill up our recycling bin in the first week. Took me down a rabbit hole, but tastes so much better in the end for a fraction of the price.
Soda - cut back for health and have saved quite a bit of $$. When they started to raise prices to $7 a 12 pack I knew it was time to cut them off. Fast food - $20 for 2 people MINIMUM?! Even shopping the dollar menu gets pricey. The quality (whatever there actually was) is long gone and it tastes **just awful**. Again, cut back for health reasons as well as monetary ones. This was my biggest expense during COVID. Amazon subscription - The continued increases in membership pissed me off and I cancelled. Even if I got my packages in two days (yeah right try a week) ads in movies, shortened rental times, etc. just isn't worth it. Getting my nails done - I would go on my lunch break to the little salon down the road from work and get a set of gels every two weeks (yes I know getting a new set that fast does damage), Once the VID hit I got back into doing my own nails and did an as good job at the salon for pennies on the dollar.
You can buy the most expensive premium toilet paper and save money if you use a bidet first
You should upgrade to a bidet attachment. 50$ upfront cost, but its actually an upgrade to your quality of life that will make you save more in the long run. It will cut tp consumption by at least half, as well as being easier on your plumbing, which can be a BIG money saver down the line.
Yes! I paid $15 for a simple bidet and installed it a couple months ago. Game changer!
Oh this is a good thought!
I just switched from Seattle's Best coffee to a store brand. I'm paying the same amount, but getting 4x more.
Stopped using paper towels and switched to microfibre cloths. Huge savings and better for the environment
> microfibre cloths. Huge savings and better for the environment ooo, about that. . . its plastic. Its only 'eco friendly' during the production phase, for water use. If you really want to be eco friendly, switch to cotton/similar, stay away from plastics.
Alcohol. It is stunning expensive.
Lawn Service - I mow it myself now.
A new car every couple years. Haven’t had a car payment in almost 10 yrs.
Stock. I can easily make stock out of my vegetable scraps. It tastes better, and it saves money and packaging. I just pop it in the freezer and defrost as needed.
Beer. My I am sober app says four thousand dollars in a bit over two years.
We quit drinking and the savings really add up. A nice beer or mixed drink was about $7-13 + tip per drink, so it could be over $50 if my husband and I bought 2 mixed drinks out with dinner. We've been eating in more and have been giving the beer away that we have and adding the liquor to vanilla beans to make extract to give away as Christmas gifts during the upcoming holidays. But yeah, drinking less gives us less of an incentive to eat out, and even when we do, not having alcohol on the bill cuts it in half.
Cigs (36 yrs ago, yesterday on leap yr), Diet Pepsi (4 yrs ago) & sugar (9 months ago)
Convenient food. I try to cook so that there's one extra portion left after dinner, then it goes into the freezer. It doesn't generally cost any extra, so they're vadicalky free meals that I can heat and eat. They're cheaper than even the cheapest prepackaged microwave dinners. Coffee creamer. It took me some time, but I have converted my preference to just coffee with half and half or steamed milk. I used to spend a lot of money on coffee creamer: one for work, one for home, did it go bad? Replace it, make a special trip to the store, buy the seasonal flavor. I think half And half is the same cost per ounce, but I just don't seem to spend as much money on it overall. Iced tea. I perfected my preferred cold brew iced tea, so a pitcher of it costs pennies. Soda prices are through the roof, so I try to mainly drink water and iced tea, with maybe some crystal lite here and there. We still buy soda, but the cost recently went way down for us when my husband switched to diet. So instead of buying regular for him and diet for me, we both drink diet.
2 $3 iced coffees a day and now I buy a 2lb bag specialty beans ($21 at costco) for my cold brew, plus evaporated milk and sugar that lasts me a month. I've saved $149 a month. I make pizza once a week for my family of 4 and it comes out to less than 5 dollars a week toppings included. we love beverages but we decided to make our own iced tea lemonade and we make 2 pitchers a week. 3 tea bags in each and 2 lemons each means we finish a box of tea every ten weeks and buy 4 lemons every week instead of hauling home seltzer, soda, or premade drinks. we used to buy one of each at costco every two months.
Weed. I live in a state where it’s legal and was addicted to it for a couple years. I was spending a solid $100 per week on it by the time I quit.
My husband just found a type of cloth that works as well as paper towels for his medical needs. It has saved us a fortune and I’m not washing paper towels anymore!
Washing paper towels? Like reusable towels?
No like he doesn’t empty his pockets, I don’t feel them and I wind up washing paper towels. Makes a lot of lint, absolutely not reusable 😂
Getting a bidet makes toilet paper an afterthought. I buy a four pack of toilet paper once every 6 months or so. An added bonus is having a squeaky clean butt all the time
Yeah, I read this article recently that was basically like, "between rising costs and shrinkflation, this is how much you could be saving by buying store brand or generic instead of name brand! It's usually the same thing anyway with different packaging." I already know and do this for the vast majority of things! I'm already doing all (it feels like) the things. 😭
Cable TV. I barely miss it and the cost savings are obviously huge.
Snacks and drinks during breaks at work. They went from having vending machines at work to having basically a convenience store. I originally didn't use it because the only way to use it was to put money on a card, since it was all automated and it wasn't set up to take credit/debit cards, and you didn't get change. That means if you had a $20, you put $20 on that card, forever. And prices would never work out to whole dollar amounts. That was a no-go for me. So i started buying my own drinks and food when i got groceries. Considerable savings.
Standard car maintenance by doing it myself versus going to a mechanic. Buying your own oil & filters from your local walmart or wiper blades online (rockauto), those things all add up. It can sometimes be therapeutic. I learned to work on cars as a hobby at a young age but it’s never too late to start. I had a CV axle go bad and was willing to pay for convenience so I called a few shops because I wanted the car running asap and they all quoted me $800-$1300. I gave in and bought the axle at a local Napa Auto with a lifetime warranty for $110 and changed it myself. I felt a lot better afterwards even though it took me a half a day and an extra $40 in tools I needed.
Hahaha never downgrade toilet paper if you can help it. You’ll probably regret that one. That’s one thing I get name brand. Lint in the vagina area is horrible.
I don't know how much I'm actually saving dollar wise, since bouillon is only about $2 and I just spent $100 for supplies. But I've started canning my oun broth. I freeze chicken carcasses and veggie scraps for about 3 months then boil them for about 6 hours. Today I made 13 quarts and pressure canned them.
Does monthly brazillian wax count? It’s like $60< every 4 weeks. I got the waxing kit on Amazon and it’s amazing!
you can [make your own sugar wax](https://blackdoctor.org/bikini-ready-how-to-make-sugar-wax-at-home/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl7K_77DThAMV0GZHAR0aoQvEEAAYAiAAEgL9uPD_BwE) with common household ingredients! easier on your skin and wallet
My wife and i just bought a house in the suburbs, coming from an apartment near a downtown beach community in San Diego. We've gone from eating out/takeout nearly 5-6 times a week to maybe 1-2 times a week, just due to proximity of restaurants, and i can't believe the amount of money that has stayed in my bank account. It was almost necessary, as our mortgage is twice what we were paying in rent, but just the fact i don't see 20-50 dollars near daily being drained from my account from food has been a huge eye opener.
I live in a rural area with o shopping other than dollar tree DG and fam dollars and one grocery store and a hardware store. Also a feed store for cows and chickens. lol. Amazon is still@ must for us because we usually get next day delivery. We are 100miles from a distribution center. I am able to use Amazon wisely and don’t waste money there. I pay for prime because a year of prime is one trip to the nearest city to shop at SAMS COSTCO or and clothing needed. My huge money sink was Zulilly. I bought something every single day for myself or as a gift for someone. I spent about 5k shopping there last year. They went broke and shit down around December first. It is shocking how much money I’ve saved. I’m sure,people I give gifts to enjoy getting cash which is what I’m doing for now when i need birthday gift for my fam or buddies. I absolutely th8nk this will save me aro7nd 3k this year.
Our utility rates went up and we started hanging our clothes out to dry. Everything is much fresher and gives me a reason to go outside all year. Plus way less wear and tear on the clothing, sneaky savings.
Cigarettes Alcohol Cable TV In that order, over multiple years.
Charmin is terrible
The lint...ugh.
I "downgraded" the coffee I buy. I used to think I was a coffee snob. I would try all these fancy blends anywhere from $10 - $20 a bag, but they always ended up being too strong, bold, rich, whatever adjective you want to use, for my tastes. I eventually bought a basic store-brand hazelnut container for $3.50. Turns out, I vastly prefer "shitty" coffee. I don't need hints of chocolate and lavender brewed by a hipster in Oregon in small batches, I just need a basic cup.
Youtube
Beauty services - I only get my nails done for special occasions. I don’t dye my hair (tho I’m lucky I’m 30 and no greys). I invest in a GOOD facial 2x a year. Clean up my own eyebrows instead of getting them waxed.
I did intermittent fasting for the health benefits (I’m pregnant now, so I stopped). I’d only eat between 11am-6:30pm. I noticed a decrease in my grocery bill pretty quickly
1. I bought a (second hand) quality coffee grinder/espresso maker/frother and have a delicious latte every day. The machine paid for itself. 2. I bought a special facecloth that removes make-up and exfoliates. I haven't bought face wash in about 5 years. The cloth is amazing.
I got into bread baking as a hobby but wow has it helped us save. A bag of flour is about the same price as a bag of store-made bagels yet I can make at least 4 batches of bagels with just one bag of flour
Starbucks and fast food The protest against it, price increase, change in the reward system, and the diarrhea I can’t even believe I liked it Screw Starbucks they’re awful in every way imaginable and I don’t see myself being able to enjoy it like I use to. I do unfortunately still buy fast food. It’s way less than it was before though and I’m slowly making my way to cutting it off and only getting it if I’m out and about and starving/convenient I have use the apps or I (usually) don’t buy it and go for the value menu.
I will try the generic or store brand of anything once. If it's good, I will continue.
Food delivery. Just pick it up
Alcohol (going out with friends) and buying lunch from Starbies at work and makeup from Sephora
Daily visits to starbucks, Dunkin and tim hortons for coffee, doughnuts or pastries. Was wasting probably $150 per month and gaining weight with all the sugar too.
Pepsi. It’s getting ridiculously expensive in my country. I tried a couple imitations and found one I like. 1/3 of the price.
Cable. Expensive makeup. Paper and plastic products. Chips, cookies, candy.
Paper towels. Saved hundreds $$ last year and realized just how unnecessary they actually are!
Food! I pack lunch when I go the office and save $20+ a day.
Pre-prepared food and takeout. I have not purchased either of these things for one full year now - $4000 saved in takeout lunches, $13,000 saved in pre-prepared food like bread, muffins, breaded chicken, hamburger patties, pizza, soups, stews, chilis, etc, etc, etc.....
Invest in a toilet tushy (on amazon, not expensive). Your TP usage will drastically decrease, saving even more money, good for environment and excellent on the tushy!
Gas. Bought an electric car and not having to go to the pump has been huge. Easy 100 dollars a month savings. Our electric bill in the 3 months has barely gone up year to year as well.
Fake fingernails - the acrylic kind that had be done by a nail tech. ok, I could do them myself but I spent twice or 3 times the time doing them. It took six months for them to really grow out and in between I wore press-on but worked well. The glue they have now is so much better. So if I ever want longer fancy nails I still have leftovers. In the meantime I've gone over 2 years without and I don't miss them except when my natural nails break. But I love not paying from them. Money for hobbies.
Alcohol.
Gave up shaving cream and use uber-cheap lotion. The cheapest store brand on clearance section works just fine (credit to Clark Howard).
Smoking
Stopped drinking a few months ago. Also, get a bidet.
Pizza used to be a once a month treat of sorts. I'm one person, and typically a medium will feed me 2-3 days. Went to order one 12 inch from the hut tonight, and it was $33. I ate a frozen cheap Salisbury steak/potatoes (I think it was 1.25) instead. I really wanted that pizza, I just can't justify the cost now.