Ideas for expense reduction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For our family, eating out was the big "hidden" expense. It's just so convenient to pull up Door Dash and order what everyone wants, but then I have to stop and think about how that quick delivery from Noodles and Company of lunch for a family of 5 ended up being a hundred bucks.

yes, there are a lot of hidden fees at Door Dash/Uber Eats etc. delivery charge + service charge + tipping. Once I realized how much it adds (I'd say 20%), I started just calling and doing takeout. Less convenient, but if you stick to restaurants relatively close to you, it will be cheaper.

Funny, but for some reason, I have a habit of not including daily coffee and food deliveries as "eating out." In my head eating out consist of physically going to a restaurant in he evening and being served by a waiter, which is an uncommon expense for me. However, grabbing a salad from Sweet Green and daily coffee from Dunkin is common for me and quite costly.

[Anonymous]

switch to google fi or mint for cell phone

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a roommate

Amongst many others, roommates and catching Metro are dealbreakers for me.

[Anonymous]

I would create a budget, like through YNAB. Then you can see where your money is going. And if you should cut back anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the suggestion on looking at big picture stuff.

My biggest money savers are driving an old Toyota (paid 9000 for it 17 years ago, no car payment), and buying a house with a rental unit attached (basically had no mortgage payment for almost a decade.)

Everything else feels insignificant compared to those. I buy myself nice clothes/shoes/beauty products but it is totally outweighed by how much we are saving big picture. Spending $120 on 1 ounce of skin oil feels completely indulgent! But I know I am saving literally thousand every month from big picture items.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For our family, eating out was the big "hidden" expense. It's just so convenient to pull up Door Dash and order what everyone wants, but then I have to stop and think about how that quick delivery from Noodles and Company of lunch for a family of 5 ended up being a hundred bucks.

yes, there are a lot of hidden fees at Door Dash/Uber Eats etc. delivery charge + service charge + tipping. Once I realized how much it adds (I'd say 20%), I started just calling and doing takeout. Less convenient, but if you stick to restaurants relatively close to you, it will be cheaper.

I have never used any of the delivery services for this reason. It seemed like a slippery slope to me, plus the system is shitty for drivers and for restaurants. We pick it up from the restaurant or we don’t do takeout and find something in the house to eat instead.

[Anonymous]

Other suggestions --

-shop at Costco (even for a single person, who will get amazing deals on coffee/paper goods/smoked salmon/ other things that last)

-buy the best coffee and coffeemaker and make at home. More delicious and less expensive

-- never door dash or Uber for food. You are funnelling money towards unethical companies. The charges are insane. I also ordered directly from the restaurant and pick up.

-- consider secondhand clothing. You can actually find "new with tags" designer clothes for a fraction of the cost at places like thredup. Better clothes, less expensive.

-- switch your cell service to something like Ting. Look it up. I think we pay $50 a month for both phones.

[Anonymous]

look at your car if you are still making payments, can you get a cheaper one? Absolutely reshop all your insurance coverage. You can save thousands. Get a lower priced cell service, too.

I echo the other posters....really take a good look at your statements. 5 here and 12 there for coffee, lunch, parking really adds up fast.

I'm shopping at Lidl and Aldi mostly, but only sale items otherwise. Make your budget at the beginning of the month and tell every dollar what to do.

[Anonymous]

(basically, you can find ways to save money that don't have any impact on your quality of life. Sometimes your QOL actually improves. Yes I was very influenced by Mr money mustache at some point, though not as much anymore)

[Anonymous]

what are you paying for entertainment, cable, internet connection, streaming services etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:look at your car if you are still making payments, can you get a cheaper one? Absolutely reshop all your insurance coverage. You can save thousands. Get a lower priced cell service, too.

I echo the other posters....really take a good look at your statements. 5 here and 12 there for coffee, lunch, parking really adds up fast.

I'm shopping at Lidl and Aldi mostly, but only sale items otherwise. Make your budget at the beginning of the month and tell every dollar what to do.

That's true! If this person is doing coffee (5), parking (20?) And lunch (10) every day, that's 40x5x4 = 800 every month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of these sound less fun and more work than just earning a few hundred extra each month. I earn about an extra $2500 / year by doing website testing, product testing and focus groups. I'd say I do this about 3-5 hours per month for fun. I think most people could find extra income somewhere if they put in a little effort.

Where do you find this work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:look at your car if you are still making payments, can you get a cheaper one? Absolutely reshop all your insurance coverage. You can save thousands. Get a lower priced cell service, too.

I echo the other posters....really take a good look at your statements. 5 here and 12 there for coffee, lunch, parking really adds up fast.

I'm shopping at Lidl and Aldi mostly, but only sale items otherwise. Make your budget at the beginning of the month and tell every dollar what to do.

That's true! If this person is doing coffee (5), parking (20?) And lunch (10) every day, that's 40x5x4 = 800 every month.

OP here, coffee is $2.22 x 7 days a week. Parking is $16 x 12 days per month. I'm shopping for a cheaper lot, but not many exist downtown. I generally bring my lunch to work since I am weight-conscious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:look at your car if you are still making payments, can you get a cheaper one? Absolutely reshop all your insurance coverage. You can save thousands. Get a lower priced cell service, too.

I echo the other posters....really take a good look at your statements. 5 here and 12 there for coffee, lunch, parking really adds up fast.

I'm shopping at Lidl and Aldi mostly, but only sale items otherwise. Make your budget at the beginning of the month and tell every dollar what to do.

I paid cash for my car four years ago do not have a car note. I pay $97 per for full coverage insurance and considered switching to liability only but not sure it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what are you paying for entertainment, cable, internet connection, streaming services etc.

Cable/internet $200 month/Verizon
T-Mobile $160
Netflix, Hulu, and Prime subscriptions are about $30 per month