Sometimes investing in quality pays off. I’m curious: have you bought something more expensive upfront that ended up cutting costs over the years?

I've had my carry-on suitcase for about 5 years. It's held up great but I don't like it. It has 2 wheels so I "drag" it behind me and is surprisingly heavy. What I really want is one that has 4 wheels that you can just push next to you while you walk. But my current one is so adequate and nowhere near the end of its life that I can't justify spending money on another one. I can't wait until the day it dies so I can get one I really want.

What's your item that you're waiting to die so you can get the one you really want?

With the price of eggs going up I would like to know what substitute you might be planning to use or shift in plans you might have until the price goes down. I've already stocked up on egg noodles and pasta

I know that rit colour remover has mixed results. So I wonder as I want to redye it the same colour anyway.

Shall I simply just dye it right away with the same colour and hope it does a good job covering up the area that’s bleached or shall I try and strip the colour first with a colour remover dye (open to better alternatives to rut colour remover if they exist) and then redye it?

Or final method shall I just spot dye the affected areas? Someone suggested mixing fabric paint and alcohol and then rubbing that on. However I feel that won’t be permanent. Maybe just re-dyeing is the best method?

Please let me know what u think 🙏🏼

Where I live, it regularly drops into the teens a single digits with some very rare sub zero temps. I generally keep my house around 55 degrees. At night and when I'm at work and raise it to 60 while I'm home. Recently my Father in law came up from Florida and raised my thermostat to HOLD at 70 all day and all night. A bit annoyed, hot, and had to open some windows in my room to keep cool but he adamantly claims it saves money to keep the house the same temperature all day and that it needs to be over 60 in the winter to keep the pipes from freezing. I highly doubt this but I'm just bearing with it for now because they have an elderly person with them and it's only 2 weeks and then they will be gone.

So I love driving and right now I have an EV but I miss driving stick. I only have maybe $5k in my savings right at the moment ($30k in an IRA) and I really want a Miata or BRZ. What should I do?

Dishwasher soap powder:

borax

salt

washing soda

citrus acid powder

baking soda

(i shake it in an empty container - top off when low)

Laundry detergent

castile soap bar, soaked in hot water- gel skimmed off

baking soda

salt

citrus acid powder

borax

washing soda

(all whipped w a mixer, topped off when low)

I buy the citrus acid powder in bulk and use for a ton of things for house cleaning. But is this saving money? How can i calculate "savings"- forgive me i don't math super well.

So no buying endless containers, but do i save?

I'm not gonna post this to make myself look good. Few weeks ago one of my friends, who is in the frugality journey just like me, was shocked to find out that I help my relatives and family. They are living in developed country and I've moved to EU. I then calculated how much I spent, and apparently I send around €300 in three months. I sent the money to my parents, aunts, grandmother, cousin, etc. The cost is always varied and I don't do this monthly. Maybe couple times a year.

The most consistent ones is to my parents where I sent them money every month since so many years ago when I make my own money. Sometimes I give more if they really need it. But I'm trying to limit it as I don't want to spoil them.

Some relatives have started to ask for loan but I told them I'm struggling to survive and pay taxes here (which is true). When my friend asked me "why did you give your relatives money?". I can't give any good answer. It's not financially wise but they are way struggling than me and I just don't know how to help them other than sending tiny bits of money here and there. I barely visit my country so I can't offer any emotional support and they need these money more than I do most of the time.

I want to ask you if this lifestyle ruining my frugality journey that I plan to maintain and maximize in the coming years? What should I do then if I still want to support them slowly without ruining myself? Thank you 💜

Hi everyone, I’m currently 15 and have successfully secured myself a part time contract at a fast food joint with a garunteed minimum of 15 hours per week at around $10.34 an hour ($155/week). My only current expenses are phone bill (33/month), haircuts ($15 month) and any other expenses which I limit to $10/week ($40/month). I’ve then got extra expenses like gifts and if I ever want to spend a bit more cash on something like shoes or cologne but I generally wait until birthdays and Christmas to ask for them. And then on the other end of the spectrum there’s the extra income like call ins, picking up extra shifts and hours, penalty rates, ect. My question is, is this too much? Should I be allowing myself to spend a little more? I’d really like to have a newer phone with more storage and a better camera or a gaming pc, vans, ect but always talk myself out of it because I could save that money for a car which I’m planning on buying when I get my P plates in 17 months. If everything goes well and I stick to the budget I have figured out I would be able to save $12 000 based on if I was only getting the bare minimum 15 hours per week and stick to my budget. I want to get either a Ba,Fg or Au falcon, an Sv6, vy, vy, vz commodore, a gu/gq patrol, np Pajero, 90 series prado or a Colorado. These cars range from ~$2000 to ~$10000 in my area and I plan on heavily modifying them as it’s been my dream to do so and I have grown up around cars. My question is should I stick to my budget of only spending <15% of my income and save as much as I can for a car and mods or allow my self to spend a bit more and enjoy some more things seeing that there is about a year and a half until I get my P’s.

Sorry if this sounds like a pointless post but I’ve been heavily debating if I should stick to the budget for the next 17 months and be able to get a nice reliable car and mod it or allow myself to spend a little bit more and treat myself with something nice every once in awhile. I really enjoy saving and get very excited when I am able to not only hit, but surpass my saving goals. It also makes me really happy knowing that if I keep to the budget I will have more money than 90% of kids my age and being able to achieve that when you come from a pretty rough bring up is an incredible feeling.

I've been reading some articles about this and I feel like if I can save some money here I'd love to. Is this a good idea? Or are there any other ways you've found?

I got a dozen mason jars to make frugal presents but have no idea how to write “nicely” on them!?

Hello friends, I need urgent help please. My room reaches 6 degrees at night. There are many big windows in the room, but I don't know how to insulate them. I will share a picture. I tried using shrink film already but it doesn't work

I tend to find the best grocery deals at Target, but maybe I’m missing out on a better option in my area. What’s yours?

Hey everyone,

New here, and I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on the most cost effective way to move from South Georgia to Vancouver WA.

I am trying to weigh my options so I know what my budget would be and have the following different options I'm considering.

More information for clarity: I am renting a room currently, and so only have my full sized bed and bed frame, a computer desk for work, and a dresser as the main bulky items, but the dresser could be left behind for space if need be, as well as just some boxes with my other items. I have a cat, and a leopard gecko as well.

Here are the options I am considering.

Option 1:

• Ship my items via U-box with UHaul - Quote: around $1,900
• Ship my leopard gecko via Ship Your Reptiles - quote: around $60
• Fly there with my cat - Quote: around $300-500 (includes pet in cabin fee)

This will end up being close to around $3,000 dollars after everything is said and done, if not more.

Option 2:

-Rent a cargo van from Hertz - Quote: around $200, plus gas, and a hotel stay about halfway, if not 2 hotel stays.

This option will come close to probably $1000 or more, so it is the preferred option, but I'm not sure if all items will fit.

(I don't want to rent a uhaul to drive there because it was only about 300 less than having it shipped there, and the gas i would pay will bring it to more than it's worth.)

Does anyone have any advice on what you think would be the easiest option, or the money spent.

(I apologize if this is the wrong place for this)

Does anyone have tips for keeping a tidy fridge?

We’re terrible at packing it to the brim so that it’s overflowing and impossible to see half the food that’s in there.

Every couple of weeks, this forces us to do a big clean-out where we throw out so much food that’s gone bad.

Does anyone have a good system to help avoid this?

The waste of money is one thing, but I also just hate throwing out food. As a child of Irish immigrants, that is strongly frowned upon! 😔

I am new to these savings apps and notice they all want you to access online shopping through their site or preferably their app. I keep reading that there is a way to stack these cashback rewards/savings but don't know how to since they all want me to go through their web or app. Anyone know how to stack cashback/savings with sites/apps like; rakuten, ibotta, fetch, retailmenot, fab frugal, upside?

Bonus if it’s toddler friendly. I set a budget this month in an effort to see where my money goes and holy moly I spend way too much on takeout. 😭 but as a parent of two young toddlers who haven’t been sleeping through the night lately, man I’m tired.

Would you say post Christmas people might snag better deals than they are now? For example :- Christmas decor, gift sets, Christmas themed clothing and accessories etc?

Hi all, as above really, looking to buy new prescription glasses (no pun intended 😅). Don't want to spend too much, but also don't want to compromise on quality too much. Suggestions welcome 😊 Thank you !

Staying home and cleaning my house often has saved me money on having expensive hobbies. I’m more aware of the items I have and I don’t buy duplicates. It’s a sense of relief to know I’m waking up to a clean kitchen and an organized closet.

How do you feel about this?

I’ve changed my perspective on not having a big group of friends. Instead of wishing i had more friends I’m grateful I can save money on going out and Christmas presents etc

Hey friends! I’m planning to move into my first apartment in the new year. I don’t have a ton of stuff already (I can literally pack everything I own into a six suitcases), and have mapped out what essentials/basic items I would need to get started.

The biggest expense right now seems like it’s going to be a mattress and bed frame, which I’ve never bought before, and a good pot/pan/baking pan with some basic kitchen utensils. And then groceries.

Any advice for where to get these essentials at good quality for cheap? Any other essential items or unexpected / expected costs I should look out for as a first time apartment renter building their new home?

I’m all about living minimally and not owning a ton of stuff, so I don’t care about decorating, etc. right now. I also don’t like to buy secondhand or on FB marketplace - especially not for mattresses or cookware - I’m willing to buy new but not for $$$$.

Especially for cookware, need BPA/lead-free so I don’t have toxic materials leeching into my food. Love Caraway, but man, that’s $400 for a set.

If helpful, based in the United States, in a HCOL area. Studio apartment w/ no roommates. No pets or car.

Edit: WOW! Thank you so much to everyone for their responses. I appreciate the solid advice and perspectives. This is fantastic, and I appreciate every single one of you! 🤩

I wasn’t sure how to flair this, this is the closest I can think for groceries. As of right now, I have a maybe $200 per month budget for groceries, which equates to $50 a week. Groceries where I’m living while cheaper than most places often barely fit the budget. I recently saw Sam’s is offering a holiday deal of $20 for an annual membership. I grew up going to Sam’s once a month with my parents because the closest one was an hour and a half away from my hometown. Currently, I live 45 minutes from one. If I go once a month or once every other month, would it save me money on groceries? I have a two person household (partner and I) and 2 animals. We do not host a lot but do have a friend over every once in awhile.

While there are only a few places participating in my area, the deals are great! I hope more stores start participating where I'm at.

Hi folks,

I lost a lot of weight unintentionally (I wasn't actively trying to lose weight). A lot of my clothes don't fit me anymore and I tried to make them work for a while but it's getting obvious now that I need new ones and can't get away with wearing them anymore even though some of them are pieces I really adore and they have served me very well when they fit me. I was proud of my wardrobe and felt good about wearing them.

I'm kinda getting stressed about the money it's going to cost me to buy a bunch of new clothes at once to fit my body (and also just the whole process of picking out clothes). I did order some stuff at a store on sale recently and I feel good about the deals, but like... I need more. If anyone has gone through something like this when they had to buy a lot of new clothes please give me your frugal recommendations.

I'm thinking of getting rid of some of the clothes that no longer fit me but keep the ones I really like or used to wear very often washed and stored nicely in case I gain weight in the future.

A car is obviously a big expense in all our lives. For me my "frugal approach" was buying a new Honda CRV in 2016 and taking care of it and running it as long as possible. Well, yesterday it turned over 100,000 miles and still running strong. So, i personally am ok with buying new and taking care of it and enduring the car payment for a few years. My car has been paid off several years now and no plans to trade it or get anything else.

Do you have any frugal milestones?

I may need to purchase another vehicle because my accord was involved in a wreck. I’m not sure if it needs to be replaced.

After doing some research, I came across the ford fusion even on Reddit. From what I’ve gathered, people have been recommending on getting the 2018 to 2020 model years with a 2.5 L engine.

For those who have both of the above, has your Fusion served you well or should I reconsider it?

Whenever I go out of town , I need a minimum of $700 (not including flight and hotel which are paid before). It’s $200 lyft, $200 food, $100 hotel deposit, $100 resort fees, $80 seat upgrade. The seat upgrade is necessary for me because I always get stuck in the worst seats in the back near the bathroom. What are ways to reduce this or is this a good budget?

Just curious what cell phone plans people. I currently have tmobile and pay for me and my sister. Pay like 111 a month but it gives me unlimited data. Im not in contract but the plan seems kind of dated

My parents are amazing and wonderful and have been taking care of my dogs 2-3 times a week for the past 2-3 years. They never complain and are always happy to help. Are there any thank you gifts that would be good for this situation?

My dad recently had a heart attack and is really prohibited on what foods he can eat so I don’t want to gift anything food related.

I’m willing to spend up to about $100 or so. Someday I want to buy them a cruise trip or a really nice vacation.