Least frugal thing you do?

[joeswife]

lets see..im a newbie..and i do alot of things thats not too frugal.

my satalite and cell phone cost me almost 200 a month just for thoes 2 things. i use moms dsl ( we live next door to my folks) and i use my ac alot..but i think the least frugal thing i have....

my 3 horses. they cost alot, they need alot of working and i love them to death. lol..

thanks for makeing me feel a bit better for wanting the things i do have tho.

ericka

[JBinKC]

Mine is racing sailboats for a hobby.

[Bluezy]

I have my hair professionally coloured and cut every two months. I also have my nails done every three weeks. It costs more, but for work and interviewing clients, I have to look as good as I can.

Best,

Bluezy

[zacsmum]

Another newbie here...
My least frugal thing would be buying lunches at work. After that it's buying junk food, disposable nappies, baby wipes, takeaways, going to the club on Sundays ($80), ooh and the list goes on...
My partner and i have a ten month old son and have been living with my parents since he was born but are moving back out on our own in 2 months, so right now i'm here to learn so we can lead a frugal lifestyle and save for a house. I do make my own baby food though, that's a start isn't it?

[Razzy]

yup it is a start and you can make your own babywipes as well.


Razzy

[zacsmum]

I'm planning to do that Razzy as well as put him into cloth nappies. My partner and i are going to have a fresh start financially once we've moved out.

[Bluezy]

Bless hun! Homemade foods (especially when you make them make them with organic foods) are the best. If you have time, you will save even more by growing your own vegetables. But if you are in the US and not in a rural area, it's not always convenient.

My footies hooligan is now 17 months old and we are making it just fine...and I have no partner. So with or without one, mums can make it in this day and age.

Cheers hun!

Bluezy and Wee CJ

[Razzy]

I think you will save alot of money doing both and I think you are on the right path to saving money.


Razzy

[Luv2shop]

Dunkin donuts everyday (atleast $5.00)
I smoke ( a pack a day )

[Marilla]

Taking so long to finish graduate school! (Extra tuition, fees, lower income until done, etc.)
:-)

[BillsGirl]

Originally Posted by Marilla

Taking so long to finish graduate school! (Extra tuition, fees, lower income until done, etc.)
:-)

Maybe but I have one thing to say to you... keep with it!! My husband is 35 and just graduated on monday!!!!!!!!!!!!! before you know it you'll be done too!!

[lrjohnson]

I guess my travelling isn't exactly frugal; I've gone to Europe twice in the last 2 years, and Mexico twice in the last 3 or 4. I am going to Atlanta in January. I am fantasizing about China!

However, I am childfree and debtfree, and always travel "out of my checking" which means savings does not get touched). People wonder at me washing ziplocs and using cloth napkins and clotheslines and going to thrift stores, and then jetting off to Budapest. But I get very good value out of traveling-I absolutely love it. So it's not frugal, but to me it's not wasteful.

The least frugal thing I do that I actually feel some guilt about: I go out to eat too much. I have cut down some-when we're lazy we get the "luxury" of a can of good soup or a premade homemade frozen casserole, but I still end up dining as a way to socialize with friends. Even if I do drink water/no dessert or appetizer/etc., it's still a lotta dough -that I could be using to see China! ;-).

I really like how on this board there is no chastising-a latte may be a waste or may be a loved and valued treat. (I don't drink them because they don't give *me* good value, not because it's forbidden under frugal rules!) It seems like on this board people see shades of gray and don't expect everyone else to have the same definition of need or luxury.

[Razzy]

For some luxury is using your dryer instead of hanging clothes out to dry...........Or buying books from the bookstore instead of the thriftstore........My point is we all have different definintions of luxury and we should not chastise others for things we don't agree with or believe in.

If traveling is something you enjoy then do it......At least you are doing it debt free.


Razzy

[locolorenzo24]

I wish I could travel debt free....planning to use my first years vacation after college to go back to mexico and revisit some old haunts.

Least frugal thing...Well, eating out once or twice a week, due to not feeling like going home to make something at lunch. I wish I had a washer dryer in my apartment, but I have to go to the laundromat to take care of clothes. Also, gambling is something I have to stop doing...It's been a problem in the past, but at least I'm not spending bill money!
I got a 2nd job to save some, but that's for after xmas. These last two checks went mainly to presents.

[charleen]

take a bath. ew, i take a bath at least twice a day. i read in some post that some people take a shower twice a week to save money. i cant live with that.

[Ima saver]

I eat out almost every night. I do not order expensive meals, but I hate sitting home. We can usually eat out for under $20 a night.

[locolorenzo24]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I eat out almost every night. I do not order expensive meals, but I hate sitting home. We can usually eat out for under $20 a night.

Ima, two thoughts after reading this:

1) You have no debt and can afford to do this and still eat healthy.

2) You don't know how to cook.

Just my opinion, but eating out everyday puts a paunch in your pants and a punch in your wallet. $20 a night at max times 7 days = $140 a week times 4 weeks = $560! That's enough to pay my electric, gas, cell phone, internet, car gas, food, and auto insurance each month, and you're spending it on food.

By your philosophy, I'd be in the dark, cold, using pay phones, unable to visit this fine forum to learn about saving money, walking everywhere, and have low emergency savings, just so I'd be full...

Do you eat out EVERY night, are there one or two where you are home? What about breakfast or lunch? Do you eat any of those meals out as well?
What does your budget look like?

This may seem a bit harsh, but you are in for a dose of reality before much longer! don't take this post personally, but I'm just injecting a dose of a "been there, done that" to it. Let us know. I, for one, am curious.

[Ima saver]

Loco, I understand where you are coming from. First of all, we do not eat breakfast or lunch out ever, my husband takes his lunch to work.
We do not eat out on sundays, sometimes not on Mondays either.
I have always been on a budget. I have no debt except for my car. My houses have always been paid in full. I have close to $600,000 in different types of savings. Plus, don't forget, we don't have to buy much in groceries. We do not go to movies, concerts, etc., this is our form of entertainment.

[locolorenzo24]

Ok, I understand a bit better now...Sorry, but as a newbie, You have to give them a bit of a hard time...and having 600,000 in savings isn't so bad either! You really have to be disciplined to still live pretty frugal!

[Ima saver]

I do live pretty frugally. I have no cell phone or any of the fancy things added to my phone bill, like call waiting, caller id, etc. I never go to malls to shop. I only shop when I need something. I don't get my hair or nails done and I spend about $5 a year on make up. Going out to eat at night is a date with my DH and is something i look forward to, all day long. It is my one big splurge! Plus, my husband works 7 days a week and it is a good way for him to relax at night! When we stay home at night, he often does the cooking and always does the clean up.