Cheap Living Tips

Through the course of my 60 plus years I have experienced various degrees of affluence.  There were years when I was broke and years when I was blessed with a good income.  I don’t think I was ever poor or rich, always somewhere in the middle.  During my broke periods I learned some habits that stayed with me even in the more affluent years.

Don’t Shop

• I make a great effort to not shop for entertainment.  One of the biggest drains on our budget is cruising Costco because we are bored.
• I don’t read catalogs, they go directly in the trash or in a drawer for future reference.
• I pre-record shows and skip the commercials, if they are not recorded I will pause them until I have enough time built up to skip past the commercial.  I use to consider satellite or cable a luxury but this ability to live without commercials has put it closer to a necessity for me.  Commercials are designed to get you thinking you need something that you don’t.
• When I need clothes for a trip or special event, I shop discount stores.  I have found most of my nicer evening ware and even my “mother of the bride” dress at Ross for a fraction of the cost others spend.
• I love yard sales.  There was a time I spent foolishly at yard sales and accumulated a lot of junk but I finally learned to “shop” them for items I was in need of, instead of just buying things because they were such a good price.  I have however been known to make a healthy profit on some items I bought a yard sale and turned around on Ebay.

• Trade books with friends.  With paperbacks starting at $6-10 dollars my reading habit could put a big dent in the budget.  This is one of the reasons I have stayed clear of the digital readers (until recently).  Ebooks cost nearly as much as a paper book and prior to the Nook, you could not share them with your friends and family.  I think they still limit the sharing too much but at least it’s a start.

Shop Prices Not Stores

• If your cell phone breaks, research models online before you head for the cell phone provider.
• Decide which features are important for your lifestyle and which you can live without.
• Once you pick a model, check the price on Ebay before heading to the store.  Granted your cell company may offer you the phone “free” or at least discount it drastically, but accepting such a deal will most likely lock you into a one or two year contract.  Be sure that’s where you want to be before committing.

Don’t Buy New When Will Used Do?

Many items we buy drop in value drastically when they leave the showroom or storefront.  Is that new car or washer/dryer combo really worth that much more than the year old model?  I’ve traveled both sides of this road and found that my “brand new” Maytag washer and dryer gave me less years of service than the used sets I bought through the classifies or at a yard sale.  The used appliances were bought at about 1/6th of the price of the new model.  The new washer lasted two weeks past the extended maintenance contract (which cost more than the used appliances).  Overall the used appliances I have purchased have lasted 3 to 4 years minimum.  Do the math yourself.  $1800 for 5 years or $300 for 4 years.

Don’t Buy to Impress

I have known folks that insist on buying Designer Labels or lookalikes because they are concerned with their image.  A purse is a container for carting your stuff around.  If it is sturdy and attractive, what difference does it make what the name on the label says?  Is it lighter or more comfortable on your shoulder?  Will the contents fall out when you lay it down?  Get real.  Buy what you need and forget the image thing.

I should have perhaps titled this article my pet peeves about shopping.  I realize that this may be more my personal opinion than sage advise.  Take it or leave it, your choice.

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