I recently participated in the FIRE Insights Survey over on Accidentally Retired. One of the questions was about the weirdest things I’ve ever done to save money. I was so inspired by this question (and had so many good answers) that I decided it deserved its own blog post. So without further ado, here are the strangest ways I’ve tried to save money over the years.
I Almost Moved to Mexico
Before my partner and I moved to rural Michigan, we contemplated relocating to Mexico to experience a new country and enjoy a lower cost of living. We were fed up with paying nearly $2,000 per month to rent a small one-bedroom apartment over an hour away from Boston. We realized we could live on less than what we were paying in rent if we moved to Mexico.
We mainly considered cities that are popular with expats like Puerto Vallarta and San Miguel De Allende. We even visited Puerto Vallarta to see what living there would be like firsthand. Mexico is beautiful and we had a great time there, but ultimately we decided it wasn’t the right place for us.
I got very bad traveler’s sickness on our vacation even though I was careful about what I ate and drank. I have chronic health problems including IBS and was worried I’d have trouble adjusting to the new food and environment.
Additionally, climate change is expected to hit Mexico pretty hard. We didn’t want to put down roots in an area we might be displaced from in the future due to rising temperatures or natural disasters. My partner is also dyslexic and has a lot of trouble learning new languages, so that was another barrier to moving there.
Although our monthly budget is higher in rural Michigan than it would’ve been in Mexico, we’re pretty happy with our life here. So we feel like we made the right choice.
I Wore Holey Shoes for Months
Another weird thing I did to save money was wearing holey shoes for months. I had a black pair of Vans I bought in high school that I loved and wore almost every day. I paid about $50 for them, which was a steal considering how many years they lasted.
Sadly, one day a hole started forming in the top of the shoe right where my big toe was. It kept getting bigger and eventually became pretty noticeable. But I kept wearing them, because besides the hole, they were perfectly fine. I didn’t want to spend $50 or more to replace them when they were still (mostly) functional.
A few months later the other shoe developed a hole in the toe as well. I finally gave up and begrudgingly got a new pair of slip-ons. But I saved some money by putting off the purchase and waiting for a big shoe sale at Meijer. So it was worth walking around in holey shoes for a few months.
I Set My Thermostat to 63 Degrees in Winter
Where I live it rarely gets above 80 degrees in the summer, so we don’t have to turn on the air conditioning often. As a result, our utility costs are very low in the summer, but they do shoot up during the winter.
To try to reduce our heating costs on below-freezing days, I set the thermostat to around 63 degrees. It’s the lowest temperature we’ve found to still be reasonably comfortable. Any lower than that and we’d be shivering even if we layered up on sweaters and blankets!
In the future, we plan to reduce our utility costs even more by using wood from our property as our main heat source in our wood-burning furnace. However, wood takes a long time to dry, and we don’t have enough of it ready yet to rely on it entirely.
I’ve Tried Dumpster Diving
Dumpster diving isn’t illegal where I live, so I’ll occasionally take a peek in grocery store dumpsters to see if I can save anything. It’s sad how much good food grocery stores throw out. It’s estimated that about 30% to 40% of the US food supply is wasted.
I would love to be able to reduce food waste by getting some of my groceries from the dumpster, but so far I haven’t found much. I’m very picky about what I’ll grab to avoid contamination. I want to help the environment, but I don’t want to get sick while doing it.
Have you done any weird things to save money or help the environment? Let me know in the comments section below!
Read More
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Vicky Monroe is a freelance personal finance and lifestyle writer. When she’s not busy writing about her favorite money saving hacks or tinkering with her budget spreadsheets, she likes to travel, garden, and cook healthy vegetarian meals.
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