Quote :

" You're picking one example out of several dozen in this thread. There is nothing wrong or sad about packing your lunch for work. If I had the time to do it, then I would. But I have almost two full time jobs, and get very little sleep most nights...that extra 15-20 minutes that I stay in bed and hit the snooze button is well worth it to me if I have to leave the office to buy a cheap lunch. That's why I don't do it...but I wouldn't say that's sad at all..you just picked that specific example. What's sad to me?? Going around and unplugging almost all of your electrical devices before you leave the house for the day. Then having to plug each one in that you're going to use when you get back home. Or ordering water with every meal when you are really craving a sweet tea or soda...just because "that $2.50 really does add up!!!" Scrounging up dozens of coupons and only buying what's on sale at the grocery store. I buy what I need when I need it. I don't let coupons do the shopping for me. If it's on sale...GREAT...if it's not, oh well, I'm still getting it. And store brand shit tastes worse at least over 50% of the time. Same goes for coupons at restaurants. If you can't afford to eat out without a coupon...stay at home and cook...HEY...IT'S SAVING YOU MONEY TO DO THAT ANYWAYS!! Ya'll probably tip on the total after you use that $25+ coupon as well...cheap fucks. I'm all for saving money...but I'm not going to let it affect my lifestyle. I go all out on a few things. Mainly my jobs and my physical fitness. The rest of my life I want to relax and enjoy. Stealing internet?? If it means I can get a faster signal so I can download music and watch my Netflix without any interruptions...then I'm paying the $50. I love movies and football, so sign me up for the HBOs and Sunday Ticket package. And I rarely go to restaurant that has a kids menu...but if you do...just order an appetizer cheap-o. Kid's sirloin?? If you're craving a steak, you should be able to eat a whole one. Having the temp at 60 degrees during the winter while wearing sweaters inside?? I relax in a t-shirt and shorts...It doesn't need to be 75 in my house...but I'll be damned if I'm wearing layers inside my own house. I'll wrap up in a blanket at night, but not with a fucking hoodie on underneath."

To be fair, if you’re going to nitpick and say I only chose one example to support my argument, I’ll have to pick apart the argument that you are making. Most people in here just don’t understand how effortless some of these money-saving efforts are. You all think we are going out of our way to save money when in fact some of this stuff is actually MORE convenient while also saving us money. I’ll counter several points you brought up, while in many cases proving I am improving my experience, saving time WHILE saving money.

1. You are exaggerating the effort required to keep things from using phantom power when they are not in use. It is *not* about running around your entire house or apartment frantically unplugging 20 things and then just plugging them back in when you get home. I use powerstrips. One flip of a switch prevents my TV, cable box, receiver, DVD player from sucking phantom power when I am not using them. I do not have to go unplug each individual device. Want to hear something better? Its remote controlled. Yep. So, the same effort it takes you to press 1 button to turn off your TV (ie put it in standby), that is all the effort I need to completely shut all of my multimedia electronics down. Yours are sucking phantom power, mine are not. Same goes for my router, computer, printer, etc..all the computer related stuff. One press of a button and the entire collection of electronics are now at nearly 0 energy use. Have something you really don’t want to unplug like a DVR? Plug it in to the bypass slot on the strip so that it can still receive power while everything else is cut off. The best thing about them is that you can control the frequencies on them to shut down multiple strips with one remote, one push if you really want to. However, because I keep my TV setup and my computer setup separate, it takes me 2 remote presses to shut down all the major electronics that suck phantom power.

I spend 0 extra effort compared to you on the way out the door. Guaranteed. When i am done using the TV, instead of using the TV remote to turn stuff off, I turn all the power off. Same after I shut down the computer. I am not doing it as I head out the door. Simply doing it when I am done using the devices..probably just like you now.

For small stuff like a toaster oven, I just plug it in when I use it and unplug it as soon as I am done, as easy as that. No different than putting your dirty laundry in the hamper as soon as its off. I am never running around unplugging stuff as I head out the door.

2. If I am REALLY craving it with a meal, yes I’ll get one. I don’t deny myself pleasure. But unless I am really craving one, I stick with water. The other thing that my wife and I will do is get 1 soda and 1 water and then just alternate on refills. Works out well.

3. We don’t let the coupons do the shopping for us. Auto emailed coupons and some light adv. Browsing on Sundays is ALL we do. We are generally shopping for food one day a week and spend <1hr on Sunday mornings going through our emailed coupons and the Sunday paper coupons. We then head out to 2-3 grocery stores and get our groceries. It takes little to no effort to save a ton with coupons. I really do not understand why people feel like this is such a hassle! I guarantee you we spend <1hr per week looking at coupons and the two of us get quality groceries and do all kinds of cooking for ~$200 a month. My wife loves to cook and she isn’t getting crappy quality products for us.

4. No one said we couldn’t afford to eat out without coupons. But if there coupon is there are you really afraid to use it? Is it that hard to print out a coupon that got automatically emailed to you? The ONLY effort involved was printing and you just got a $35 meal for $20?

5. I don’t steal internet so I agree with you there. The hassle of an unstable connection is not worth it. I don’t go to those extremes.

6. The problem with your argument on the temperatures is that you focused on the time you are awake inside your house. Which, on M-F, for a full-time working person is probably around 15% of the hours in those days. The rest of the time, especially if you are gone for 8+ hours on workdays, you are wasting energy inside of your home. Yes, you would probably come back and complain similar to the “unplugging electronics” argument and say “I don’t want to have to adjust my thermostat when I leave the house, when I come home, when I go to bed” etc. The answer? Programmable Thermostat.

I can’t wait until we move into our house. During the winter, I will have the upstairs and downstairs thermostats set to probably 50 during the day when we are at work and just have it warmed back up to the temperature we want when we get home. At night, when we are sleeping upstairs, I can let the temperature drop to 50 and stay there until we get back home and want to be downstairs the next evening.

So, sure, while it doesn’t bother me to wear shorts and a hooded sweatshirt and keep our place at 60-65 in the winter (60 when sleeping and 65 when at home awake), I can understand why someone else would be too cold there. But, the real energy-saver with heating and cooling is the unoccupied hours and the wasted space conditioning energy. And programmable thermostats are yet another example of a way to save energy while actually decreasing the amount of times I am having to mess with the thermostat.

***
Not trying to be a dick, but saving money on most stuff is really not half as big of a deal as some of you are making it out to be. In most cases it just requires less ignorance and little to no extra effort or drop in quality of living. It seems like most people in here disagreeing did nothing but see a thread about "money-saving" and came in screaming "CHEAP MOFOS, I LIVE MY LIFE HOW I WANT..YOU ALL CAN SPEND 30 HOURS A WEEK CLIPPING COUPONS AND LIVING IN A CARDBOARD BOX WHILE I BALL IT UP" all the while being completely ignorant of how little effort so much of this requires.

I can completely understand not wanting to decrease your quality of life to save a buck. You only live once. But simply ragging on someone for saving money (when it is taking little to no extra effort or drop in quality of life) is just absurd. My wife and I both make good money, we take trips, I buy toys here and there (My live guitar rig is worth over $5000 easy, not including non-utilized equipment left at home). In fact, the reason I try to decrease the amount of money I spend on stuff that has such a small impact on my quality of life is so that I have more money to spend on items that do have a larger impact on my quality of life. A year of making our own breakfast, lunch, and dinner basically pays for an international trip for two.

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 1:54 PM. Reason : ]

3/23/2010 1:35:45 PM

Quote :

"The other thing that my wife and I will do is get 1 soda and 1 water and then just alternate on refills. Works out well."

Holy fuck. Unless you are dirt poor...this is one of the more sad things I've ever heard of. And one of the things waitstaffs do the worst jobs on are refilling drinks that don't increase the sizes of their checks. This would seem like a huge pain in the ass to me.

Quote :

"Browsing on Sundays is ALL we do. We are generally shopping for food one day a week and spend <1hr on Sunday mornings going through our emailed coupons and the Sunday paper coupons. We then head out to 2-3 grocery stores and get our groceries. It takes little to no effort to save a ton with coupons."

"Browsing" coupons isn't a lot of effort. Going to 2 or 3 grocery stores is. Sundays are my relaxing days. I go to brunch, have a few drinks, catch a movie, maybe go out to dinner later. I don't spend my Sundays browsing coupons and jumping around to different grocery stores. I stop by the grocery store after work and do my shopping. I have two grocery stories right across the street from me, and even that would seem like a pain in the ass to have to go to the other one just because I had some coupons for it. You are letting coupons dictate your shopping...plain and simple.

Quote :

"No one said we couldn’t afford to eat out without coupons. But if there coupon is there are you really afraid to use it? Is it that hard to print out a coupon that got automatically emailed to you? The ONLY effort involved was printing and you just got a $35 meal for $20? "

Not really arguing this point...because there is nothing wrong using coupons at a restaurant...I just FEEL cheap when I do. That's probably multiplied by the fact that I've worked in restaurants and bars all my life and I know that every time someone pulls out a coupon like that, they are looked on as being cheap by the servers/bartender/kitchen. And I hope you tip the percentage on that $35 and not the $20. You seem reasonable, so I'm going to guess you tip on the $35, but if you tip on the $20...then that is sad.

I also don't get emails with coupons for restaurants...

Quote :

"The answer? Programmable Thermostat."

I'm still renting in a house with an old-ass thermostat...so can't really fix that problem. I'm really not that bad with AC/Heat problems. I've always had roommates who knock it down to 60 in the summer and put it up on 80 during the winter. I'm fairly reasonable. But you should be able to walk around comfortable in your house with shorts and a t-shirt in the winter and summer. You can be a little chilly or a little warm, but you shouldn't be shivering in the winter or sweating during the summer. Comfortable is the key word. And of course, that's different for each individual.

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 1:57 PM. Reason : .]

3/23/2010 1:55:36 PM

^ Yea I worked at Carrabbas for a couple years so don't worry I tip on the full amount. And the only time I cared as a server if someone used a coupon or gift card was if they didn't tip on the full amount.

And I can understand on the thermostat, we have a crappy setup in our apartment too so right now I am turning it down when we leave and when we get home turning it up. In a couple weeks we'll have our programmables though.

3/23/2010 1:58:09 PM

It’s not so much the actual processes of shutting things down, unplugging things, programming thing, reusing things and not flushing things that bothers me. I understand the financial implications of all of those things over time, and while I don’t practice them myself, I’m not going to shit on someone for getting a water instead of a Pepsi or living by the “If its yellow, let it mellow” code of conduct.
For me it’s simply a matter of convenience and a lack of tangible evidence that the savings accrued from all these habits combined would amount to anything more than a couple ducats. I’m sure you can prove me wrong, and I’m sure some of you have spreadsheets detailing every cent you saved and the net cost difference a one degree change in your thermostat can save you, but it’s just not worth the effort to me. Call me an asshole, whatever. If I’m going to go to such measures to save a few bucks, it’s going to be for a something more than a couple extra dollars every month.


And yeah the 1 soda 1 water thing...jeez louise.

3/23/2010 1:58:32 PM

phantom power

3/23/2010 1:59:37 PM

lol, I'm not reading the first post on this page, that's for sure.

3/23/2010 2:00:45 PM

^^^As I said in another thread, my average monthly power bill for the past 3 years in my 1100 sqft apt is like $35 bucks. Its more than a couple dollars a month in savings. I've already demonstrated the amount we save per month on food too.

3/23/2010 2:03:31 PM

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

But even Barry Bridges thinks you're taking it a little too far.

3/23/2010 2:04:24 PM

I'm surprised some cheapass hasn't mentioned putting 87 octane gas in the car even if it calls for premium...

3/23/2010 2:10:43 PM

Obviously since they learned in Cheapass 101 not to ever drive a car that calls for premium in the first place

Wouldn't put it past them trying Kerosene, however

3/23/2010 2:12:03 PM

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 2:17 PM. Reason : damn double post]

3/23/2010 2:15:13 PM

^^lol, that is true. Hell, I haven't had a car that takes regular fuel since 1999...I barely remember what it's like

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 2:18 PM. Reason : ^]

3/23/2010 2:15:49 PM

haha, i do some of the things mentioned so that I can drive what i want

3/23/2010 2:22:03 PM

^I hear ya. Lord knows I'd be better off with a car payment half the size of my current one

3/23/2010 2:26:39 PM

I never thought I'd be adding a money-saving thread to my topics for just for its entertainment value

3/23/2010 2:27:38 PM

i also drive on dirt roads to save on wear and tear on my tires

3/23/2010 2:30:32 PM

Quote :

"I'm surprised some cheapass hasn't mentioned putting 87 octane gas in the car even if it calls for premium..."

That would be completely counterproductive to the purpose of this thread. Saving a few cents per gallon of gas doesn't net you any gain when you consider inefficient combustion and possible increased engine wear. I'm frugal, not an idiot.

That being said. I am not a car person (despite being an ME). I have no interest in having a "nice" car (though that doesn't mean I think it is stupid for someone to have a "nice" car). My car does run on 87, and I get 5-10 cents off every gallon when I fill up after I swipe my BiLo card at the gas station here

Also, to expand on an earlier point. I always tip on the full amount when using a gift card or coupon. I always tip at least 15% if the service was as expected, 20% if service and food exceeded expectations, and am not afraid to tip less than 15% if the server was a slacker. I don't undertip, I don't go around stealing stuff (I dl a lot of albums but buy nearly all of the ones I like), I always pick up my fair share of the tab when I'm out with friends. I simply exercise a few nearly effortless habits to save money that normally slips through most people's budget cracks without providing any real benefit. That to me is the difference between people who are "cheap" (ie george costanza) and someone who simply doesn't like to throw money away and would rather use the money towards something I want.

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 3:18 PM. Reason : ]

3/23/2010 2:54:04 PM

giving up cigarettes saved me $100 a month

3/23/2010 2:57:55 PM

I attempt to give blood even when I know I'll be rejected for iron deficiency just so I can get free cookies, crackers, juice and t-shirts.

3/23/2010 3:08:01 PM

and a cheaper bar tab that night

double win

3/23/2010 3:22:45 PM

i gank all my printer paper from the boxes by the copiers in DH Hill

3/23/2010 3:24:57 PM

mail stuff from work to save trip to post office

3/23/2010 3:30:39 PM

Thats not being cheap

3/23/2010 3:31:43 PM

I always take extra crackers from restaurants and then I use them to serve appetizers at my own dinner parties.

I also take ketchup packets from McDonald's so I can make tomato soup.

I send PM confessions to people to replace my shrink.

Instead of taking valium, I huff paint thinner until I pass out.

3/23/2010 3:32:23 PM

sure it is, saves gas

3/23/2010 3:32:30 PM

saves time too, which is much more important than gas, which makes it smart, not cheap

3/23/2010 3:38:08 PM

Quote :

"if you can't afford an adult's meal at a restaurant, you can't afford to go out to eat. stay in and watch american idol."

3/23/2010 3:41:03 PM

but i don't have a tv

3/23/2010 3:43:02 PM

you can just come over to my place then

3/23/2010 3:43:42 PM

3/23/2010 3:44:02 PM

what has this thread become?!?!

3/23/2010 3:45:45 PM

Some users making fun of other users for saving money because it bothers them

that and faces

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 3:47 PM. Reason : ]

3/23/2010 3:47:00 PM

the same thing that happens to every thread

EVERYBODY WHIP YOUR E-GAME OUT

3/23/2010 3:47:24 PM

3/23/2010 3:47:35 PM

8=======

3/23/2010 3:48:58 PM

Quote :

"but i don't have a tv"

hulu it from your neighbor's hijacked wireless

or do you not have a computer either and just post from the public library?

regardless, my view on eating out is you're out there to hang out with friends and have a good time and meal, which would be less than once a week (this is for an actual restaurant, not fast food). saving what, 10-20 bucks a month to eat like a hobo when you go out for good food just doesn't sit right with me, especially when you don't need to do that.

Other stuff that gets drastic savings on your power bill or bar tabs (pregaming, hell even brewing your own beer) is great. Actively being a jew to the point that it hinders how well you can socialize with people is aggravating as hell, if not to you then your peers. Asking a friend if they want to go out and eat should not turn into a game of "find the place that has the best special tonight AND coupons!!!11"

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 3:51 PM. Reason : damn, this blew up]

3/23/2010 3:50:24 PM

It's exactly what happens in every thread. Some users bash other users for thinking differently.

3/23/2010 3:50:55 PM

in my defense, i don't steal internet either

honestly, i stopped watching tv on the regular somewhere around 2000

3/23/2010 3:52:54 PM

Quote :

"It's exactly what happens in every thread. Some users bash other users for thinking differently that their odd lifestyles are completely normal and that an internet messageboard is a perfectly good place to validate themselves."

3/23/2010 3:58:44 PM

^^^^ yea, don't get me wrong. There are plenty of times that I, or my wife and I, go out to eat with friends where we don't have a coupon or gift certificate. I am not going to turn down hanging out with friends to save a few bucks. Now, I have some friends who go out to eat every day at lunch at work and I usually just go out 2-3 times a month with them. I also have friends that go out and spend $150 on a bar tab on the weekends. I don't sit at home playing dominoes instead of hanging out with my friends. I still go out with them but just make sure I am not racking up the same kind of bill.

Thats what I've been saying all along though. I think people are getting the wrong impression in here. The idea is to find the low-hanging fruit (low effort, low time investment) and take advantage of all of that (coupons, remote controlled power strips, programmable thermostats) with maybe a little extra effort (5 mins in the morning to make your own breakfast and lunch) thrown in adds up. I'm not talking drastic lifestyle changes. But everyone else wants to make it seem so difficult.

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 3:59 PM. Reason : ]

3/23/2010 3:59:13 PM

Quote :

"in my defense, i don't steal internet either honestly, i stopped watching tv on the regular somewhere around 2000"

Same here. TV bores me. And when I'm at home, I want to sleep, clean, read, wakeboard, lounge by the pool or paint. I don't have time for TV.

3/23/2010 4:01:34 PM

I ride a donkey to work to save on gas, it smells pretty bad but it's totally worth it.

3/23/2010 4:01:36 PM

Quote :

"1. You are exaggerating the effort required to keep things from using phantom power when they are not in use. It is *not* about running around your entire house or apartment frantically unplugging 20 things and then just plugging them back in when you get home. I use powerstrips. One flip of a switch prevents my TV, cable box, receiver, DVD player from sucking phantom power when I am not using them. I do not have to go unplug each individual device. Want to hear something better? Its remote controlled. Yep. So, the same effort it takes you to press 1 button to turn off your TV (ie put it in standby), that is all the effort I need to completely shut all of my multimedia electronics down. Yours are sucking phantom power, mine are not. Same goes for my router, computer, printer, etc..all the computer related stuff. One press of a button and the entire collection of electronics are now at nearly 0 energy use. Have something you really don’t want to unplug like a DVR? Plug it in to the bypass slot on the strip so that it can still receive power while everything else is cut off. The best thing about them is that you can control the frequencies on them to shut down multiple strips with one remote, one push if you really want to. However, because I keep my TV setup and my computer setup separate, it takes me 2 remote presses to shut down all the major electronics that suck phantom power. I spend 0 extra effort compared to you on the way out the door. Guaranteed. When i am done using the TV, instead of using the TV remote to turn stuff off, I turn all the power off. Same after I shut down the computer. I am not doing it as I head out the door. Simply doing it when I am done using the devices..probably just like you now. For small stuff like a toaster oven, I just plug it in when I use it and unplug it as soon as I am done, as easy as that. No different than putting your dirty laundry in the hamper as soon as its off. I am never running around unplugging stuff as I head out the door."

My TV and cable box are plugged into a switched outlet. The switch is right by the living room lights. Walk out, flip the lights and the TV off. Walk in, flip them on. Never had an issue. If I happen to forget and omg why is the tv not turning on? oh shit what's wrong?? then I probably also realize that the clock on the cable box isn't showing me any numbers. But I don't really have the problem of forgetting.
I don't know how much electricity or money it saves, but that goddamn DVR spins all the fucking time, whether I'm recording/watching or not. Damn thing spins up just for the hell of it for a minute every ten minutes all day long.

3/23/2010 4:23:25 PM

^whenever you're watching something on TV the DVR is recording it.

How does completely shutting off your cable box not annoy some of you guys? I don't feel like waiting 5 minutes for the box to start up and initialize every time I want to watch TV.

3/23/2010 4:43:36 PM

Maybe it has to do with you having a DVR box? I'm not really sure. My box turns on and off like a switch with no warm-up or anything but I don't have a DVR box which might be where mine is different from yours.

3/23/2010 4:48:31 PM

Which begs the question...with the exception of live sports and HBO, how can you watch TV without a DVR box?

I'd go mad

3/23/2010 4:49:23 PM

Just personal preference really. I don't really watch a lot of TV. The little bit I do watch is usually easily available online after the fact if I end up being busy at the time it is on.

3/23/2010 4:51:45 PM

Quote :

"Or ordering water with every meal when you are really craving a sweet tea or soda...just because "that $2.50 really does add up!!!" "

no craving for a drink is worth it if i can make 2 gallons of or get a 2 liter+ at the store of for the same price.

shit could be $0.50 and they would still make money.

and you always tip on the original total of the bill, never the discounted price

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 7:59 PM. Reason : jackassary]

3/23/2010 7:57:40 PM

Quote :

"Last month I paid the city of Raleigh water bill twice, just for the fuck of it. BALLER AS SHIT"

no you didn't! you forgot you paid it and paid it again a week later by accident and then was confused as to why you were in a negative balance when you got your next bill.

3/23/2010 8:03:27 PM

plant a garden
harvest veggies and fruits
profit/save on produce bill

3/23/2010 8:33:41 PM