SAVE
- I bring my luch to work amost every day. I eat out once or twice a month for lunch.
- I make Z's lunch for him almost every day. He probably eats out 3-4 times per month.
- We go out to eat ~3 times per month.
- We have credit cards that save us good percentages on almost everything we buy- including gas & groceries. (We pay them off in full every month)
- I am a ridiculous sale shopper, when I shop. Try not to very much, but when I do, I get a deal.
- I do mystery shopping to make extra side cash, but refuse to waste my time on surveys and the like.
- I usually dye my own hair when it needs it.
- We do vacations on a serious budget, but we find deals and still have tons of fun.
- We're planning on buying a house that is well below what we technically could afford.
- We drive used civics- great gas mileage, very reliable, not expensive. We always buy used cars. A new car depreciates 10% the minute you drive it off the lot.
- We don't have cable, and we have Roadrunner Lite internet- still DSL, but not suupperr fast.
- We drink only water at restaurants, and often get some great coupons.
- I have become quite the thrift shopper- I save us tons on home furnishings.
- We're still on our parents' cell phone family plans (for now), and pay them our portions.
- We keep "date nights" cheap or free
SPEND
- I buy top of the line cosmetics- make-up, hair products, lotions, shampoo, etc.
- Now and then I splurge on organic or vegetarian groceries (It's my reward for cooking him meat, right?)
- We travel quite a bit.
- I put a lot of effort and time into decorating and improving our apartment. I do it cheaply, but don't skimp on making it look nice.
So what about you guys? Frugal at all? Where do you spend/save?
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5 comments:
I like to think I'm frugal. I save by purchasing a lot of store brand/no name products. There are very few items that I feel I MUST buy name brands. Like you, we pack our lunches most of the time and only buy lunch for special occasions. I also find that by making a lot of things homemade I save money.
Some areas where I spend - we like to eat out and so we probably spend more in that area than we should. I also get my hair colored professionally, although I go to my childhood hair dresser who charges WAY less than anywhere else I've ever seen (aside from somewhere like First Choice or Super Cuts etc).
I don't think I am frugal but I am smart where I spend my money...I like to buy quality groceries but don't always spend on the national brands. If we have to make a major purchase we will shop for a deal but will buy quality, except for cars, mine is used (but new to me!) I should spend less on myself, hair, waxing, polishing can get very expensive
We are seriously exactly the same with spending and saving, crazy!!
Wow- I need to take a page from your book! I am up and down in terms of frugality... sometimes I can be fantastic with it, while other times it is incredibly difficult to insist that my will-power appear so I can hold off on nonsense purchases. It's perplexing at times because I was SO good at saving and budgeting while in college and now... hm. I have a hard time buying food that is not from Whole Foods or other organic-based markets [which, as you know, is so expensive at times] but I have always thought that spending a bit makes me feel healthier. And in terms of hair, beauty, daily products, I never hold back... So, I'm not sure where I'm frugal. I very seldom go out to eat anymore, but when we do, we don't pay much attention to prices [oops]. I definitely can't consider myself frugal at the moment, but it's certainly something I want to work on! :)
Alicia
I'm pretty much like you when it comes to spending & saving. I love a good sale & deal, but I don't skimp on things that matter to me. I will buy store brands on some things, but not other things (like paper products). And I'm always looking at ways to save by doing it myself, especially in decorating.
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