Is it better to invest in high quality clothes or buy cheaper clothes when required?

I'm coming close to the limit of the free space in my Google account. I realize a subscription is just a few dollars month, but the thought of paying Google a few dollars a month indefinitely (for the rest of my life?) is not sitting right with me. Wondering if anyone has any ideas for frugal cloud storage? I'm okay with paying a fee, but would prefer a flat fee over recurring subscription.

Here’s the story: 27F single, living in Paris. Take home 2,800€/m but pay about 700€ for rent and 607€ for a loan repayment every month.

Recent changes that I consider “frugal”

1. I changed my phone plan and pay 20€ a month now instead of 30€. That’s a 120€ savings every year.
2. I quit ballet which costed 22€ a class, and I was going quite a bit. Now I joined my local triathlons club for 400€/year which is close to 35€ a month if you break it down, which means I’m making a huge savings because I can go to as many training sessions as I want. It’s also a social activity, unlike ballet where I was very much in my own little bubble. And the ROI in terms of getting in shape is much higher than ballet.
3. Instead of doing 40€/ hour singing lessons 1-2 a month, I tried out for choir and got in. We meet every week for 2 hours, and it’s 85€ for the semester, so you can easily do the math. In just one session with the choir, it’s like I would have paid for 2 singing lessons. Of course, I don’t get one-on-one training, but I get to practice in a social setting and learn with others. It’s a great opportunity and seems frugal to me! I also told myself, instead of paying €40 every other Tuesday for a singing lesson, what if I just blocked that time in my calendar and came home and did YouTube lessons for an hour? That’s FREE!
4. I get 6 weeks of groceries for a total of 66€. That’s 11€/week and it often can make about 10 meals depending on what’s in the vegetable box. This is through a program with my old university (thankfully they allow alumni to continue profiting from the veggie baskets!). It’s local and organic, amazing quality, and cheap. This is saving me from expensive grocery store visits, which would cost me anywhere from 20-40€ per visit. I still have to go about 1-2x a week for weekend food and other basics, but what a deal!!!
5. I shop for my clothes on Vinted. But the issue here is that sometimes I spend more than I realize I’ve spent - so I’m putting a pause on that. I removed my debit card so I can’t make purchases with my eyes closed, so to speak. The problem is that sometimes you just don’t know how it’s going to fit (especially with shoes) so purchases here are kind of a hit-or-miss situation. I’m almost thinking that it’s better just to invest in nice clothes I know will last in the long term. Anyways, I haven’t made a purchase on Vinted in over 70 days.
6. I quit alcohol! This has obviously saved money. And I don’t make silly drunk purchases. I also find I have more time to enjoy life and hobbies without alcohol. Since I stopped drinking, my desire to consume and spend money has also declined, bizarrely!

Those are things I imagine will pay off in the long term, and bring me lots of joy. What about you? What are you doing? I want to get inspired!

What kind of food do you eat or feed your kids instead of crackers, chips and other packaged snacks? I have three kids (7, 5 and 2) who snack A LOT, and it's way too expensive. I've tried making different kinds of crackers and they never turn out well.

I have a dehydrator and have been taking advantage of all the cheap apples to make apple chips. Unfortunately no other fruit really seems worth it for the price right now. I grow strawberries and raspberries, but only get a handful of each at a time. I also have 8 fruit trees in my yard that haven't started producing yet. I'm hopeful next year they will.

These are my alternatives so far, but I'd love more suggestions.

Apple chips

Popcorn (I have a ton of kernels)

Fresh fruits that are on sale

Carrots

Bell peppers (some homegrown, but it's dropping off now that it's colder)

Fruit cups

Applesauce

Homemade muffins

Homemade cookies (more of a treat than a snack)

Thanks!

Edit: formatting

I'm going to propose to my girlfriend. I'm thinking about something in the $1000-$1500 range.

How can I find an engagement ring at a good price and not get ripped off?

EDIT: I'm just going through all the responses now, and just wanted to say thank you so much for all the input I really appreciate it!!

Any advice for me? Perhaps a way to organize everything?

For example, most of the pairs for my socks are missing its twin. Or, some of my valuables go missing, so I just end up buy them again. But then a week or a year later I find out it's been in hidden in my room the whole time lol...

I also tend to be very forgetful, be not attentive to where I put everything as my mind is focused on other tasks at hand. So even if I do clean up...I forget where multiple things are.

What's a strategy of organizing that worked for people like me? Forgetful/Inattentive

All strategies are welcome...but I'd love help especially with not losing my socks lolol...

I’ve got an 06 Toyota tundra with 260k miles averaging 16.5-17.5 mpg on my commute. The truck has a solid engine and transmission, but I’ve already spent about ~$4k in repairs/maintenance in the last year and likely have another $1k bill to replace upper ball joints and potentially the carrier baring. I’m pretty handy and have worked on my own cars for over a decade, but anything that requires special tools or more than hand tools, I usually have the mechanic do it.

I have an opportunity to buy an 08 Toyota Tacoma base model with 150k miles for $4,500. It should average at least 25% better mpg, is overall a bit more simple engine and transmission design to work on and maintain, and has 100k less miles.

The tundra is already paid off. If I bought the Tacoma I’d pay cash and list the tundra for sale. Am I crazy for considering getting rid of a running full-size truck that I’ve already put some money into?

Edit: I use the truck bed regularly on the weekends for hobbies and home projects. A comparable Toyota Corolla or Yaris would cost me around $5k in the local area, so I don’t think getting a sedan makes much sense in my situation.

I need more cheap things to add to the list. I am only able to do two shops a month but with only one pay. I enjoy the things that can stretch over the next month

I’ve (35F) been going to the gym regularly for over 4 months now. I’ve also been taking magnesium (mag soothe/ muscle recovery/sleep) zinc (helps with my adult acne) vitamin D (work office job and not always outside) Cod fish oil, colostrum (gut health) - I do feel like these supplements have improved my health.

I don’t currently use protein powder or creatine but I think these could be equally important for gains and muscle building. As you can imagine all of these add up $$$ on top of also trying to eat clean and healthy. I work 2 jobs and I still don’t feel like I can sustain these expenses for long but as I get older they seem to be very important.

Can a woman build muscle while being frugal and not supplementing with powders and creatine? Does anyone have any YT channels that might help me educate myself on this subject?

The reason I’m asking: I’m trying to shift back to more sustainable shopping habits. My second-hand clothes purchases haven’t always worked out for me, but I buy my smartphones used, and it’s been totally worth it. I’d love to hear about your success stories and what’s worked for you!

Anyone travel for work here? I just started a new job that requires me to relocate frequently to a completely different location (once/twice a year). What are some items that would help me be frugal when considering that I will be traveling so often? Any ideas are welcome.

Does anybody have any good recommendations for a simple budgeting app? I currently use YNAB and it is far more complex than what I thought it would be. I want something that simply let's me connect my account and allows me to see how much money is going in vs how much is going out and ultimately let's me see how much I have left over at the end of the month.

I happen to be able to get this phone for 150€ and considering whether or not its worth it. I have not looked into how big the hardware differences are between this and the 24 flagship models - how long do you think it would be before this model is going to be outdated?

In college, I inherited a nice gaming laptop from a family member. I used it a ton and brought it everywhere, and eventually the hinges wore out and the screen broke off-- but the display still worked perfectly.

I made a new hinge out of duct tape and used duct tape to make a brace that held the screen open at the right angle. The computer still functioned exactly as it had before, and saved me a couple hundred dollars getting the lid replaced. It was so ugly and drove my friends crazy, but I didn't need it to look nice, and it still played games just the same as it had before.

What do you do to save money that the general public finds weird but doesn't bother you at all?

Does anyone have tricks to save money on stamps? I'm looking to get maybe 100.

Maybe there are promo codes or rebates or something out there?

Sorry if this is mentioned already, it's hard for me to search stamps since there are different kinds.

DIdn't really know what to tag this.

So my household all shares expenses and we all want to get into better shape so we were looking into the YMCA. I saw a section of “multi adult household” and am curious it’s $75 base for the first two adults and $10 each per add on. Do you think it’s a good idea for us? We aren’t related and it’s my husband plus our other two co-owners of our house, so it’s not like it’s some temporary roommate situation, we all own and live in a house together. Would it be smart and possible to do this? Has anyone else tried? I want to save as much as possible!

My wife and I lease is ending right around time we are about to go on 3 week trip

Is it worth putting stuff in storage for 3 weeks while gone and lining up place to move in for return date to save money?

Or am I being too cheap?

Seems like a big hassle but would save around $500-$1000

We are 28 with good net worth no debt ... but I hate wasting money

Please be brutally honest.. wife doesnt love the idea

My husband and I are about to get a puppy! We do intend to crate train him but when he gets older and bigger (golden retriever) we want him to have his crate and a small room to roam in whenever we are not home. Our dining room is perfect for this, as right now it’s not really a dining room. It has our China hutch, wine fridge/cart, and coffee bar but that’s all. We moved the table to the kitchen for convenience reasons and don’t need tables in both rooms. We already have a pressure mounted baby gate in the doorway to keep our toddler out of the dining room. The dining room connects to our den, and we don’t want the baby OR the dog in there as that is where we have our vintage video game collection and our books, things we have been collecting since we were kids (before they were “vintage” 🙃)

I don’t really want to invest $50+ in a huge baby gate or doors for that doorway. It’s wide, probably 66-72 inches or so. Any DIY hacks? I’ve already tried Marketplace but people in my area seem to think people won’t Google the original price of something and realize they’re being scammed 😶🙄

My mom and I were talking and I mentioned how I don't like to accept the giveaway items at work for Christmas and how I won't go this year. She called me a tightwad, but I explained that the company makes us pay the taxes (puts it on our W2 as a gift) for crap I don't want and if I wanted it, I would buy it.

Last year, I won a large pasta bowl with a few types of pasta, some horrid sauce and a sampler of olive oil costing 53.99: mind you, I don't eat pasta, I make my own sauces, I have no room for the large bowl, and the olive oil is still not even open. So basically, I won something that I didn't want and was forced to pay the taxes on the gift while my company most surely wrote it off.

In reality, I saw nothing I absolutely wanted that they were giving away. Does this make me a tight wad?

In my case, this is a car. I have a 2018 Honda Civic that I still owe about $8k on. It has some semi-significant body damage from a “no fault” accident in a parking lot a few years ago that I never paid to have fixed. Would probably be about $700-800 to fix and MAY change my overall attitude on driving the car every day.

I would love to have a new car. My son is getting older/playing more sports/has more things to lug around. Every time I see a parent pull up in an SUV, I’m so envious. Of the extra space. The extra safety. And the nice looking vehicle.

When you find yourself semi obsessing over something you want like this, what do you do? Could I get a new car? Yes. Would the payments be much higher than the very affordable payment I have now? Also yes.

But it’s SO tempting.

How do you talk yourself off the ledge of an unnecessary purchase? Or do you not talk yourself out of it, and instead make a plan for attaining it wisely?

Fiancé and I bought a giant freezer cause we want to stock up on the staple protein when on sale. we’re torn between the Caso VacuChef 40 or Caso VacuChef 50.

The first has a max width of 25cm (9.8 inch) the latter has a max. width of 30cm (11.8 inches)

if you have a chamber vacuum sealer, which size do you have and are you happy with its capabilities or would you wish to have a smaller/bigger one?

My friend is throwing a party in a week and as the title suggests, it’s a potluck that’ll consist of about 15 people. I really want to participate and I want to bring something everyone will like but money is tight and I’m so bad at coming up with ideas. What’s something easy, inexpensive, preferably on the healthier side (but it doesn’t have to be), that I could make or bring for everyone to enjoy?

I’ve been changing my oil on my vehicles for decades. Often my wife and daughter will help out.

My daughter has become particularly helpful. The last time she helped me with a car repair I was completely amazed at how helpful she was. Even though she’s only doing the basic tasks like handing me a tool or a part, she’s become very good at it. This is also a way to spend quality time with my daughter as I change her oil as well.

So I have the tools and knowledge to do oil changes myself. The amount of tools you need are minimal and you can get everything at your local auto parts store or online.

The minimal amount of tools that you need are:

1. a decent jack
2. Jack stand (never lift a car without using one)
3. A ratchet and a socket set
4. Oil catch can
5. Funnel
6. Some rags

I’m not going to do a step by step how to change your oil here. But I’m sure most people could learn it quickly.

How did I change my oil for $10? Auto zone gives you $20 off for every time you spend $20 five times. The filter and oil combo was on sale for $30. It was STP filter and synthetic oil.

I never paid much attention to what brand of oil or filter I buy. You can certainly spend more money on filters and oil. But I’ve done many oil changes and have never noticed a single difference.

I always recycle my used oil by taking it back to Auto zone. They take it for free.

I’m not just saving money here. I’m saving time. My friend just got her oil change at the dealership and she said it took two hours!! I could go to auto zone, get the oil and filter, and change my oil in less than an hour.

And this way I know I’m doing it right. I’m making sure that I don’t over tighten anything so I can get it off next time. I make sure there are no leaks. I make sure I use the correct oil type. And I get to do a quick general inspection under my car. If I see something that looks odd I can inspect it more to see if I need any more repairs.

You can do this too. If you want to change your oil for $30 (and occasionally $10) and save yourself time, then consider learning how to change your own oil.

Washer needs a new control panel. Until I can get it repaired I am taking most clothing to laundromat for wash and bringing home to dry. Big items cost three times as much to wash. My two cats have favorite blankets that need cleaned. I put them in the dryer but the hair is still there. What is a cost effect way to clean blankets?

(edit) not sure why this is being downvoted. I'm trying to find a way to not spend as much money and still be clean.

(Background info: She lived in a ghetto area of a rundown rental until her parents divorced, and I bought a beautiful house for them in a good area.)

I gave a grandchild (16) $200 to cover a nail salon visit for a formal dance ($100) and hair ($60 to a family friend hairdresser). (These are not routine expenses but are a splurge for a big event.). I repeatedly said that the money had to cover both expenses, and she could save anything left over. After the nail salon visit and the hairdesser, I asked the hairdresser if she had been paid. No. I asked the grandchild to pay her the $60, and she said she couldn't, because she only had $35 left, because she had tipped the nail salon $40!

Then, I find out that she no longer had most of her birthday money because she paid her sister $30 to drive her classmate home after a football game, because she needed a ride home several miles away. She also bought McDonald's for several friends after a game.

I have tried to teach her about money and avoiding waste. What can I do? Both her parents are bad with money and never save anything.

I'm sure most of the folks in this thread are good about waiting as long as possible to upgrade their phones but I wanted to share something that I've always done to help make my phone feel new again. I tend to take really good care of my things so when I do get a phone in addition to getting a screen protector I'll get a few different cases. What I've found is after months or even years of use, if you replace the screen protector and throw the phone is a very different style case it really can feel like a new phone. Hope this is helpful, especially as we move into the holiday season and will be bombarded with phone upgrade/trade-in advertising.

One thing I will add, depending how extreme you want to get is change the theme, wallpapers, etc.

I asked this question in last winter and got no answers.

Resources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/1anl4ib/home_too_cold_anything_better_than_getting_an_ac/

I don't want the solution to be "too frugal". I am ready to spend some money on it.

I know most people here won't trust that 15 degree celsius can be called as "cold".

Here's a westerner's experience about Nepal. https://theroofsofkathmandu.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/shocking-discovery-it-gets-cold-in-winter/

https://amandacoxdesign.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/absolute-essentials-spending-a-winter-in-nepal/

The blood flow in my feet decreases in winter and it gets too cold.

Some westerners seem to have weird perception about Nepal. they think "nothing" is available in Nepal. And we're living under a rock. We're not just himalayas. We've cities, schools, businesses etc. So, yeah they import a lot.

I am looking into ways to insulate my room from cold that's fire-resistant as well.

Looking into buying a vacuum chamber and I’m trying to learn all the do’s and don’ts.

I understand that with most veggies, unless you’ve flash frozen them, they’re bound to give off water thus forming ice crystals inside the bag, spoiling the food quicker.

My goal is to cook full meals, including veggies, and freeze them for months. What is the proper way to do this with veggies?

I think being frugal is fun. Anyone else feel that way?