Do You Go The Extra Mile to Save Money?

[wildcat03]

I'll search for a coupon and use a promo code. I'll fill out a little survey for 5% off a major purchase. I've heard people say that you should estimate your hourly rate at work and use that to determine whether it's worth it to spend time trying to find a discount. I make a good living and can easily pick up extra hours, but I choose not to because I like my work-life balance as it is - I'd prefer to be creative with my money than to spend more freely and work more to make up for it.

My boyfriend can stretch a dollar like no one I've ever met. He could probably feed the two of us on $40 a week with home cooked meals if I just let him do the shopping entirely based on what is on sale (I won't, much to his chagrin). If he's out running errands and is thirsty, he'll let himself be thirsty until he gets home unless he has water in his car. I'll buy a bottle of water for $1-2 and won't think twice about it. We just approach things differently.

 

[Jambalaya]

I have almost given up going out for meals, so that's a great saving. Eating out really adds up. Maybe I'm just getting old, but restaurants seem noisier and pricier than ever. In June, I went out for a meal, and this woman next to us made so much noise it was unbelievable. I would never have thought it possible that such a small person could make that level of sound. It was a mid-level fish restaurant which had had a price leap, and there were no entrees under $30, which didn't even include sides. So with a veg, drink, tax, tip, you're talking about $50 at least, and that's with only one drink. Doing that once or twice a week soon adds up! Again, I don't know if I'm just getting old, but I do think that people are much noisier in public now than two or three decades ago. Like, "this is a free society and I have the right to screech and scream and make animal noises in public as much as I want." I think years ago, there was more a concept of modulating your voice in public, at least somewhat, but that doesn't really exist now it seems. I'm often more comfortable eating at home these days. Great money-saver!

 

[iLander]

I believe DH has, over the years, saved us close to $100,000 by being handy. Installing wood floors, cabinets, tiling, painting, plastering, putting up drywall, building out rooms, etc.

He's my hero.

One hundred thousand dollars? Whoa. Nice work! I'm gonna ring the local construction company and ask who's single, hahaa!

My dad did all the maintenance on our home and cars when growing up, and never paid anyone to paint the inside or anything, and repaired any broken posssesions, too. Very handy. He must have saved him and my mom a lot over the decades, but I've no idea how much.

Easily. We got a quote for cabinet installation and it was $20,000. DH installed them himself, and that's just one example. Over 30+ years those savings really add up.

And, yeah, eating out is ridiculously expensive now. We used to take the kids out and all 4 of us could eat for $40. Now it's $40 for just DH and I.

 

[Jambalaya]

I'll search for a coupon and use a promo code. I'll fill out a little survey for 5% off a major purchase. I've heard people say that you should estimate your hourly rate at work and use that to determine whether it's worth it to spend time trying to find a discount. I make a good living and can easily pick up extra hours, but I choose not to because I like my work-life balance as it is - I'd prefer to be creative with my money than to spend more freely and work more to make up for it.

My boyfriend can stretch a dollar like no one I've ever met. He could probably feed the two of us on $40 a week with home cooked meals if I just let him do the shopping entirely based on what is on sale (I won't, much to his chagrin). If he's out running errands and is thirsty, he'll let himself be thirsty until he gets home unless he has water in his car. I'll buy a bottle of water for $1-2 and won't think twice about it. We just approach things differently.

My approach is quite similar to yours, I think, wildcat. You sound quite balanced about it, and the hourly rate thing is very interesting. I've known friends like your boyfriend and I do find it hard to be as committed as that. I hate being thirsty - I would totally buy the water! But super-frugal people like that must save a real fortune.

 

[iLander]

87,000?

I wish.

Seems like it

 

[CharmedOne]

I would love to save money but I'm my own worst enemy. I forget to use the discount or they expire. My oldest is in college and works at khols. I never shopped there until he worked there because I hate shopping. I even hate the grocery store. My husband put everything Nike on my 7 year old and they have Nike. So I always get khols cash back but it always expires before I remember to use it. I only go to khols when my husband asks me to get something for the little one which is why it always expires. My husband does all the grocery shopping because he is great at making the most out of his money. Me, I'm in the grocery store for an hour and I come out with 3 items and they will probably be snacks.

Gas is cheaper at the station near my youngest sons weekly appointment, so if I remember I get gas there but I hate getting gas lol. When I get gas, I fill my tank to the rim so I don't have to go back any time soon. You save 10 cents for every $100 dollars you spend at the grocery store but my card doesn't work at the pump, so I gave that up. My attempts to save are futile.

I do however enjoy finding deals online, eBay mostly. I buy a lot of jewelry on eBay. I know a lot of people don't trust eBay but I have only had 2 instances where I had to file a claim and eBay refunded my money. You can find anything there. I also buy jewelry at a few consignment shops every now and then. I take everything I buy to my jeweler to make sure it is what I purchased it as and I've been happy with that.

 

[baby monster]

I usually go with "penny saved is a penny earned" approach which translates into only buying things that are needed. I hate "stuff" in general. It suffocates me so I try not to bring anything into the house besides necessities. Long-term this works to save tremendous amounts of money. Occasionally, I'll clip grocery coupons for recreational purposes . The savings aren't material to bottom line but it's fun to see few bucks come off the total.

Saving on gas is a little craziness inherited from my father. I check gasbuddy every week to see which stations on the way have the best price. Today I drove 5 min out of my way to save 40 cents/gallon which translated into $6.80 saved on 17 gallon tank of gas.

 

[Jambalaya]

CharmedOne I also forget to use coupons sometimes. My drugstore loyalty card gives actual money coupons away - like, oh, you've earned $6 in free bicks this months - and when I get super-busy and stressed, I even forget to use those. It's so stupid because it's free money! Anyway, if you only come out of the store with snacks then you've saved money, right??

Babymonster, I agree about not buying random stuff. I try to clear my stuff out once a year. Spending money on things that are unnecessary or that you don't use is very depressing to me. I also find "stuff" suffocating.

 

[CharmedOne]

Jambalaya you saved me money! I remembered my khols cash because of this thread. I had no idea you could use it online either. I just bought me some really cute converse sneakers and they only cost me $5!!! So thanks a bunch [emoji6]

 

[Jambalaya]

Oh, cool!

 

[zoebartlett]

I'm talking about saving smallish amounts. For example, if you are spending $100 but can save 15% by signing up to a newsletter, and then the newsletter has a bunch of questions in the sign-up, do you do it? Or, if there are two similar jewelry items at two online places both for $800 and you save $40 by liking one of the company's Facebook pages, do you do that?

If you want to buy something now but it will be on sale in a week, and it doesn't cost you extra time or money to go back because you live near, do you wait an extra week to save $20?

I usually do go the extra mile to save money, even when it's small amounts. I think of how much I'll save over the rest of my lifespan because it must surely add up. But sometimes I wonder if other people don't bother saving $5 here or $20 there because it's just more convenient not to, and if I sound a little weird saying things like, "Target has them but if you get them at Costco after the 29th you can save $20." I wonder if people are thinking, "What he h*ll do I care about an extra $20? I'd pay $20 not to have to wait!"

So, what about you? Do you go the extra mile to save small-ish amounts of money?

It depends on what it is. In your first two examples, I wouldn't bother because I don't want more advertising in my life. I don't want to fill out a bunch of questions before getting something, and I don't want to be linked to certain things through FB. If I'm not in a hurry then I'll wait until an item goes on sale but if I need it quicker, I'll pay the regular price. I'm not really a coupon clipper. If I see a deal, that's great, but I don't go out of my way looking for them.

 

[missy]

I hate paying retail but I do for what I deem worth it for me and my dh. I go out of my way a little to try saving money but I won't go overboard.

I don't sign up for credit cards to save money no matter how enticing. I want as few CCs as possible (2) and will not add more. I don't clip coupons but we do get the Costco coupon book and they automatically take the discount off what you are purchasing. I go through the book to see if there is anything I want that is on sale and I will buy it if I need it in the near future so I can save some money.

We eat out a lot less than we did 10 years ago but mainly that is because I really prefer my dh's cooking. I also agree with the posters who said that restaurants are more noisy these days and not as pleasant an environment as they used to be. I agree with that unless you are at the highest end restaurants and then that is not really a problem. Eating out less is a savings that is just an added plus.

When we do eat out it is only at our favorite restaurants or promising new restaurants. I don't like most places and will not waste money going somewhere that I know is just so so average. I'd rather pay more and enjoy a better meal. So when we eat out it is rarely less than $120 for the 2 of us but it is worth it. And when we go to some of our very special favorite restaurants the bill is significantly more but again worth it and we don't do as it often anymore as we used to so I am good with that.

I love shopping at Costco and saving that way and I find most of their things are priced relatively cheaper than if we were to go somewhere else. However not everything but convenience comes at a price I am willing to pay so it is worth it to me.

I shop at Amazon (and use my prime membership) and find we are definitely paying for the convenience of having things shipped in 2 days to us. It is not cheaper for most things but worth it for us. I use my drugstore.com savings dollars and save that way too but again I don't think we are saving that much as the price of things are not cheaper than elsewhere. It's about convenience.

I tend to buy too much stuff and am working on that for sure because I feel the same way many of you do. Too much stuff is too much. It is a habit I have been working on for some while now and I am making a bit of progress in that department. Baby steps.

My dh is very handy too and does a lot of things himself but I am not sure how much money that saves us because he loves working on projects and making things and in the end it is very costly but we do have beautiful pieces to show for it so I am not unhappy about it. If we were to have these things custom made by someone else it would cost a small fortune but we wouldn't have them made by someone else so we are not really saving that way if you kwim. It's just dh loves to make things so we get to enjoy them but if he didn't we wouldn't seek someone else making them.

Here's an example of a piece he finished this summer. An outdoor table that can seat 12 people and benches made of Epay wood. It's beautiful in person. Really rich looking and very well made. The bench for the head of the table is for seating 2 and has a back which is very comfortable and he incorporated a tilt in the back support also a curve in the seat for comfort. He plans things very carefully and thoughtfully for maximum benefit and enjoyment.

So while I enjoy saving money I also enjoy spending it for what we feel is worthwhile and won't skimp on quality. It adds much enjoyment to our lives. Not just the product but the process.

 

[baby monster]

Missy, your DH did a fab job with that furniture. Looks great!

 

[zoebartlett]

Your husband's quite talented, Missy! Beautiful pieces!

 

[House Cat]

Yes. I have learned to live very frugally since childhood. My dad saves money to the extreme, while my mom is actually addicted to spending, truly. I have swung on both sides of the spectrum, learned my lesson with gargantuan mounds of debt and now live much more simply, according to my dad's example.


It isn't really about coupon clipping and such because honestly, when I watch those shows or read those blogs, they seem like a form of disordered spending in itself. These people are spending an inordinate time looking for a HUGE deal, they get a rush when they find and carry out the deal and if I can liken it to anything, it looks sort of like gambling. So no, I don't go there.

I do other things. First, I just don't spend the money in the first place. If there is something I *must* have, I wait. Usually, the feeling will pass or I can make do. If it is a necessity item, I will comparison shop until I have found the best quality for the best deal. I don't believe in buying crap several times over, but I don't believe in breaking the bank if a less expensive item will do the job.

Thrift stores, garage sales, and Craigslist really work out for me. My best furniture pieces have come from Craigslist. I get higher quality pieces for a better price. I also shop antique shops because vintage kitchen items and furniture items seem to be made better...vintage corningware, pyrex, etc...and it's way cuter.

I don't buy a lot of small crap, candles, air fresheners, knick knacks, snacks, bottled water, you know, just that little stuff that is $5 to $10 dollars that seems like nothing at the time but can really add up over time. I have a friend who's house is full of it. It really clutters up the home too.

I also don't buy a lot of stuff for my children. They earn their money and buy their own stuff. They get birthday and Christmas gifts from me. Rarely, I will cave, but not often. This is another way that the wallet will get hit and the house will get cluttered...and the child will become entitled...

I pretty much clean my entire house with vinegar. Costco $3.50 for two gallons. I have a couple of cleaners, but really, it's mostly the vinegar and water solution.


I drive a prius. I bought it used with cash. We bought our other car the same way. We will never make another car payment as long as we live. Frankly, I don't care what I drive as long as I never have to make a car payment again.

I just watched my frugal dad buy a house with cash. I am hoping to do the same in a few years. The house we bought was rather expensive. We will need to be here for at least 8 years because my son needs to finish high school. We chose this area specifically for the schools. Once we are done, we will move to the country, buy cheap and pay cash.

We have no credit card debt (anymore) and we have sworn it off like the plague.

I am getting ready to make a bulk meat purchase for grass fed organic beef and pork. Less that $8 a pound out here for the beef and a half a pig is even less. We have decided to eat smaller portions of meat to make it last. My husband hunts, although sometimes that doesn't exactly equate to less expensive. We will be trying to switch out duck for chicken. Chicken has become too controversial or too expensive. He and my son fish all of the time, which means a ton of trout and the salmon are running in the river one minute away from my house!

We love Dave Ramsey.

 

[Jambalaya]

Thanks for the fulsome replies, Missy and Housecat! It's so interesting to hear the ways others save. Nice furniture, Missy! Housecat, how do you bulk buy grassfed organic meat, and half a pig? Is there a company you order it from? Or do you just have to live near a farm - how does it work? I've never thought of doing this but it sounds intriguing. About duck - you probably already know this, but it's much fattier and greasier than chicken and turkey, just so you know!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Yes I do. If it's something that I know I can get for less with just a little effort I absolutely do it.

 

[jordyonbass]

I do in my day to day life, I find I usually buy whatever is on special or cheap for disposable weekly items and goods. The way I see it is if I save $5 x 100 times, that's $500 I wouldn't have had if I wasn't conscious about my spending. However when it comes to making larger, more substantial purchases I always try to find a balance between value and quality and get the very best that I can. For example my fishing and boating gear is all mid-top range stuff; better than cheap stuff but not quite the very top of the line. I find that investing those few extra $$ make the product of better value in the end and those little $5 savings I make throughout the week help to make it that bit more affordable.

I dunno, maybe I am just funnelling too much money into my passions and living off rice and water

 

[Gypsy]

No. I am too practical and self-indulgent to do that. The people I know who 'go the extra mile' to save money deprive themselves too much for my taste. And many of them are, in my opinion, penny wise but pound foolish and ignore quality.

I think life is for living, so I use money as a tool for enjoyment. Especially when it comes to food. We are foodies. And that's where we splurge.

That said, as I get older I have learned how to balance and compromise saving money with living. I shop for value now. I'm not quite to the right balance yet. But I am getting there.

I have learned of new ways of saving money. And I love to negotiate and get a good deal. And that thrill, of getting a good deal, adds to my enjoyment of my things. So... outside of food, there is very little I don't get a deal on these days.

For example, I wanted a new coffee table. And I wanted a particular style. I found one I liked but before I could pull the trigger the price went up and the free shipping promotion expired. So, I waited. Over a year. And just last month for labor day it was on sale and had free shipping, so I bought it. I had no problem waiting a year for it. I wouldn't have been happy with it if I hadn't it at the price I wanted, and since the goal of life is happiness, well....

 

[Gypsy]

I should clarify. I didn't need a new one. If I didn't have one or mine broke and.I needed one I would have sucked it up and paid full price. Or I would have fivured something else out. And I hunted craigslist the whole year long and would have happily bought from there.

I shop thiftstores, ebay and craigslist for tbings and have no issue with good quality like new preowned items. I went to a wedding in Sept. I bought a $250 dress for 35 bucks-- tags still on it. And a matching pair of 150 dollar shoes, once worn, for 15 bucks. Less.than 50 bucks for the whole outfit. I alao just bought a like new 1000 dollar handbag for 125 bucks. And I negotiated all those prices on ebay. I typically message sellers with prjces 70-30% below thier list. And am successful 1/2 the time. And that's the trick. You have to be flexible. If this seller won't negotiate, there is always. Another who will.

But I pay for a housekeeping service every two weeks. I have 6 cats and take good care of them. It's about priorities to me. I spend money where it matters. But don't spend it other places. And no, I wouldn't wait a.week or drive.out of my way to save 2 bucks on bandaids. Stuff like that, if get I a deal--great, and I might stock hp if it is a.staple. But on the fljp side, if it is a staple I won't not buy it cause its full price.
As for buying online, I always check for coupons and price check compefitors. Plus many places like Nordstrom and Sur.la.Table will price.match. But I.won't jump through more.that in terms of hoops. And I have a junk email account for things that say "20% off for.email sign up."

 

[zoebartlett]

House Cat, I love Dave Ramsay, and doing his debt snowball plan really works. I don't think we'll ever be able to pay cash for a house but it sounds like a great idea if you can swing it. Imagine not having mortgage payments! (We're renting right now so we don't either, but someday we'd like to own property again.) I'm hoping to pay cash (or close to it) when we purchase a new car, if it's possible. We're trying to aggressively pay off my student loans and save for a car and a house at the same time. I think we may have veered a bit from Dave Ramsay's plan in doing all three at once but overall, I really like what he has to say about consumer debt.

 

[MarionC]

I am totally loving reading the responses. I was just saying yesterday to a PSer that I am a little weird & old fashioned because I don't like to spend more money than I have to. [except for the obvious necessities of life, like diamonds & sports cars]. Turns out either I am not weird or you all are too LOL

87,000? haha

 

[Jambalaya]

Glad you like the topic, Jimmianne! I was feeling a little weird too, as I do try to save money, sometimes on quite small amounts. I buy generics where possible. I'm not as dedicated as some - I had a friend once despite having money, rented this horrible old place and wouldn't have the heating on in her apt, even in January, she hated so much to spend money on bills. I'm not as extreme as that - I'd rather be comfortable. But I do try to save here and there because it all adds up, and I'm convinced I have more bling than I'd have otherwise had. For example, I had a thousand-dollar gift for a significant birthday and I wanted to get a whole buncha pearls from Pearl Paradise, but I waited months for their 20% off sale. The coupon savings enabled me to get two pairs of pearl studs to match the necklaces, and enabled PP to color-match them to the necklaces, too. The savings account I buy my bling from has stretched much further by buying preowned, waiting for sales, negotiating, not paying silly prices, etc.