economy/price increase spinoff

i was wondering...

what do you guys do to curb spending/increase saving in your home?

what are your best tips/hacks for stretching a dollar?
do you garden? buy a half of a cow and freeze it? etc.

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

I am not particularly cost conscious but I do plant all of my own flowers because my gardener charges an exhorbitant amount and it saves me like $1000 to just do it myself. Not to mention I actually love the feeling of planting them myself and watching them grow throughout the summer.

I am trying to cook more because we order in so much but that is both a cost thing as well as a health thing.

I have been going thru my CC and trying to cancel any unnecessary subscriptions.

We travel a lot so I am always booking things way in advance. You would be shocked at how much you can save by travel planning about a year in advance.

I'm not a big spender though. I rarely by clothes or bags anymore. Only what I need. And my house could use some new furniture but then I'm like who cares? Why bother. What we have is fine. I will wait until my kids are out of the house and then redecorate or sell.

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

I really don't but when I saw the prices in Stop and Shop yesterday (DH usually does the shopping so I hadn't seen the insane prices!) I said we are shopping more at Lidl when possible.
The prices at S&S were even more out of control than their norm (which is high anyway) and nothing was on sale at all.
I feel like every item I wanted from a pint of ice cream to a box of granola bars was between 5 and 6 dollars!

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

I have always been a frugal person and can stretch my dollar.

I have been shopping at Walmart and Meat Farms for year now as it is so much cheaper.

I use coupons as much as I can, anywhere.

We do without for many things and always have. We sacrifice and always have if not going out, or not going away, or not buying things.

I always wonder if everyone just makes so much more than we do or they live on credit or don't pay their bills. I do know that from some I have spoken to, they do the above but it looks like they have tons of extra money and really don't.

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

I definitely think the answers will vary based on what's important to each person as well as their financial well being. When we were younger and especially when we bought our first home we were much more frugal. Now, we're more lax with certain things. That being said, we still love a deal and hate to waste money.

I always pay attention to sales when I'm shopping and I'll never purchase anything online without first looking for a promo code of some kind. I also like to shop in bulk for many household items as it saves money in the long run.

DH and I are always big researchers so before we make any big purchases for the house we like to do our due diligence and shop around.

I do DETEST anything related to gardening, especially in the heat, so I'm willing to pay whatever amount of money necessary for the landscaper to mow, weed, clean up, and keep the outside property looking nice. Plus, it frees up my DH's time on the weekend and quite honestly, time is the most precious commodity IMO so paying for landscaping is really worth it for us.

My DH is extremely handy and we've always been big DIY'ers, so we save a lot there when it comes to house projects. Although as we're getting older, I'm not quite as opposed to paying people now. Again, time is everything so I try to be more balanced now about what we'll DIY and what we'll spend on.

It's all a balancing act, spend your money where it matters to you and save everywhere else as best you can.

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

economy/price increase spinoff

Unlike some people on Long Island that have the luxury of throwing cash all over the place, we do not. So we live quite well within means and not buy of spend on things just because.

We do our own lawn. We don't have alot of grass so its easy to upkeep.

We look at the supermarket circulars and shop only sales and hop from one store to the next once a month. By doing that we save hundreds of dollars a month. We also have wholesale memberships and buy lots in bulk. Our pantry is stocked to the gills.

My husband is incredibly handy and does all repairs in the house as well as a majority of car repairs. He is also an IT by day so all computer and electronic work is done by him. I tell him that if ever leaves this earth i will be clueless.

Since my husband is an IT, he knows how to get any movie out in theatres through a special website only a few know. Not so legal but saves movie theatre money.

I buy a majority of my childrens and my clothes on sale. My daughter is also a brand rep/influencer on instagram so lots of clothes and accessories are sent to her for free.

On my computer i have Rakuten, Honey, Swag, Capital one Shopping extensions on at all times and they search for all available promo code as well as given me a percentage back every time i shop online.

By night, my husband is a singer in a band so we get freebies (dinner, tickets etc) from that.

Message edited 4/29/2022 6:21:05 PM.

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

I feel like we are super cheap with some things and extravagant with others , again it comes down to priorities.
DH hates cutting the lawn all summer but when I suggest a landscaper he balks saying he can't justify it when he has so much time on his hands being retired. So he sucks it up and does it as a necessary but hated chore.
I needed 2 new tires recently and he ordered them from tire rack and mounted and balanced them himself. Saved a ton. Same with oil changes, breaks etc. Only when it's freezing out will he take it to.a mechanic because he hates working outside in sub zero Temps.
He does all home reno, plumbing, electrical etc. Rebuilt our entire deck board by board last summer when i begged him to pay someone to do it Because it consumed his Summer.
But when it comes to restaurants and hotels we splurge. I like fine dining and luxurious hotels. It's our splurge. I like feeling spoiled when we go away because we don't go away often.
I also order from Amazon like I have 2 assholes with reckless abandon. Lol.
And I have a Starbucks habit that can feed a small family I'm sure.
But we have no debt and never have and have a healthy savings so...i figure you have to do things you like, within reason.
It's all about priorities. Everyone values different things.

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

As we get older we have more time but am getting tired of taking care of things and renting looks nicer and nicer each day. Maybe once the kids pay all their bills we can afford to pay for more things to be done but a house is such a money pit and non stop. My mom mowed her lawn until 70 and then said she was done. She does have people do many things and honestly the amount she spends makes me sick sometimes because if we lived closer we could help. The more money you have, the more you are willing to spend and not be as frugal.

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

Re: economy/price increase spinoff

Things have gotten very expensive and investments are not doing as well. We have not gone on a real vacation since before the pandemic. And we basically stayed at home for two years. Our big expenses are food. We have been donating money to the local food pantry. I try to take advantage when I see a sale and stock up.

economy/price increase spinoff

I’ve been doing BJs curbside pickup. You can still apply coupons and it keeps me from mindlessly grabbing things during my stroll through the aisles