Best "lesser known" saving money idea

[bjl584]

Beyond the "make your own coffee" advice, what are you doing or have you done to save money over the years?

[disneysteve]

It's an old book now but find a copy of "The Tightwad Gazette". Your library may have it or pick up a used copy on ebay or Amazon. Tons of great frugal tips, including one or two that I contributed. The author used to have a monthly newsletter and she published a few of my letters over the years. The book is a compilation of the newsletters.

Where to begin?

Price comparison shopping is a biggie, especially on big ticket items and smaller items that you buy frequently. On a big ticket item, you might save hundreds or thousands on that one-time purchase. On the small items, you might save $1 or $2 but if it's something you buy weekly, that can really add up.

Buy in bulk when practical. For items that are non-perishable and you have the space to store, you can save a lot purchasing in bulk. Toilet paper doesn't go bad. It's a lot cheaper per roll to buy the 30 pack than the 4 pack.

Men at least can easily cut their own hair. Buy a Wahl clipper set for about $40 and get free haircuts for years. Depending on hair type and style, women can certainly cut their own hair, too.

Buy secondhand items whenever possible. Shop thrift shops and yard sales and estate sales for things you want. Pretty much anything you can think of can be found in these places, including mundane things like cleaning supplies. When I need a bottle of Windex, I pick it up at an estate sale for $1 rather than paying $4 at Walmart. Even if it's not 100% full, it's still a great deal. Need a desk? Nearly every estate sale has at least one. Need lawn decor? Estate sales are loaded with it. Coffee mugs, wall art, toys, puzzles, office supplies, whatever. You can find it all at estate sales and thrift shops. And of course, clothing is abundant in thrift stores and estate sales. Check it carefully for condition and you can save a bundle.

I'll stop there for now.

[Fishindude77]

[QUOTE=disneysteve;n754181
Men at least can easily cut their own hair. Buy a Wahl clipper set for about $40 and get free haircuts for years.
[/QUOTE]

Did this yesterday

[kork13]

I'm not sure entirely how money-saving it is ... But I rarely buy sandwich bread, because I make my own sourdough sandwich bread. At one point I went 3+ years without ever purchasing a loaf of bread. Plus it's just rewarding to see the bread actually work out. Flour is very cheap (especially when you buy it in bulk) and a basic bread loaf is just starter, flour, water, oil/butter, salt. It's more an investment of time than money.

My wife likes to make her own dishwasher detergent -- Baking soda, citric acid powder, and dish soap ... Press it into silicone ice cube molds, then let it dry a couple days. A batch lasts us for a couple months, and probably only costs about $5.

Just generally, most things are cheaper if you can make it yourself .... Food, clothes, decor, furniture, and everything else in between.

[QuarterMillionMan]

1) wash my car w/a 5 gallon bucket of water
2) cut my own hair
3) nail clipper to trim my own finger & toe nails weekly
4) cook my own food (buy take out once a month)
5) Two 5 gallon Igloo orange water coolers to refill 1/2 gallon jugs vs buying water bottles
6) unclog my drains (kitchen, lavatory, toilet)
7) replace Fluid Master (toilet tank float & valve), can replace entire toilet if needed
8) fix bike flat, replace brake calipers, lights, etc
9) replace car air filter, cabin filter, refill air in tires using portable compressor, etc
10) resharpen knives scary sharp
11) replace watch batteries
12) upgrade RAM, M.2 NVME hard drives, etc
13) use coupons (ie, 2 for 1, digital coupons, etc)
14) do my own taxes (software)
15) do my own revocable trust (software)
16) prepaid funeral plan, LTC insurance
17) health benefits of sunlight, cold water plunges, grounding on sand
18) fasting eating 2 meals a day and occasionally 1 meal a day
19) print my own greeting cards
20) sewing machine to hem or repair buttons, etc
21) exercise at home weights, sit ups, push ups, jog around neighborhood, etc
22) peace of mind, content with myself, financially stable & comfortable
23) buying dips on cryptos and HODL'ing

[james.hendrickson]

QMM - great ideas!!!

[ua_guy]

Lots of good ideas above. I think the over-arching mindset is to be open to saving money and being creative and useful where you can be instead of paying others.

Something I've done for a while now while shopping online - Try to never pay full price. Always first search for coupon codes, promos, "first order" discounts, discounts for signing up for newsletters, affiliate or membership discounts. I've had great success finding some savings, even if small. On Amazon, save it to your cart for later and watch the price for a sale or reduction. On eBay, save it to your cart and wait for a targeted offer. Both of those strategies are usually low-hanging fruit for saving money if you don't need an item right away.

[QuarterMillionMan]

My tires were in the 30 - 32 psi range. I brought them all to 35 psi as per the manufacturer's recommendations. It took all but 5 minutes to pop the hood, connect the compressor to the battery, and inflate the tires. When driving the freeways I notice less drag and better performance with properly inflated tires. People like to think they take good care of their cars, of even their own health, but it's all relative. Just like the majority of people "working out" at the gym. Are they really working out or just going through the motions?

[msomnipotent]

Hi everyone!

I can save a substantial amount of money by buying subprimals and cutting them up myself. It also forces me to use cuts that I never would have heard of or thought to use. I've also been cutting back on meat. I've learned to make a few pretty good stir fry meals with a wok and vegetables from my garden.

The downside is that I've kind of turned into a meat and soy sauce snob now.

[Stump1000]

I just switched my car insurance every 12 months. Takes 20 minutes online and usually saves me $200–300 a year.