Anonymous wrote:Or how about just stopping drinking coffee altogether, you bad-breathed addicted weaklings!

...NEVER! Mwahaha.

Bike isntead of Metro
I have to second only shopping with a grocery list, and doing an inventory of what you've got while you make it. Don't wind up with three bottles of dish soap if you're not almost out of it.

When you pack a lunch, make sure you pack ENOUGH lunch. Trips to the vending machine or the snack cart add up if you're still hungry, and lots of folks under-pack (and under-eat) thinking it'll do nice things for their waistlines.

Folks, the key to life is small nut. Either you get this or you don't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just buy less stuff. Seriously. I wear clothes until they are old. When I do shop for clothes, I invest in things that will last long in both quality and style.

We only buy electronics when the old one dies. We might be the last people in America to not own a flat screen tv.

I try to not spend money on things that don't last. For example, a vacation only lasts as long as you are away. But I enjoy my new bathroom every day.

the memories of vacations last forever.
I prefer to spend my money on experiences not "stuff"

Yes, you are so right. Children don't care about the size of their home, that their bathroom has pink tile but they will always remember family time and vacations. My best childhood memories are our vacations, not our one story ranch home in the midwest. My DH has begged me to move, yet my feet are firmly planted in our small home, because I like to make memories for my child, at home and on vacation. Fuck stuff - it could all be gone tomorrow.

Make more money

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hydrogen peroxide and Dawn get out every stain on any piece of clothing.

Rinse your hair in vinegar to get out styling residue and make it shiny and soft.
Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda make a good teeth whitener.

Like a PP said, vinegar cleans everything.

I have a question to vinegar-instead-of-conditioner users, if I may. Doesn't vinegar make your hair smell, even after you rinse it off? I'd hate to walk around smelling like that.

No, I haven't noticed that it does (and DH definitely would have let me know!). But I also use a leave in conditioner after I wash my hair that has a very pleasant smell so maybe I am masking it? I also use a baking soda rinse before the vinegar.

Anonymous wrote:Hydrogen peroxide and Dawn get out every stain on any piece of clothing.

Rinse your hair in vinegar to get out styling residue and make it shiny and soft.
Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda make a good teeth whitener.

Like a PP said, vinegar cleans everything.

I have a question to vinegar-instead-of-conditioner users, if I may. Doesn't vinegar make your hair smell, even after you rinse it off? I'd hate to walk around smelling like that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just buy less stuff. Seriously. I wear clothes until they are old. When I do shop for clothes, I invest in things that will last long in both quality and style.

We only buy electronics when the old one dies. We might be the last people in America to not own a flat screen tv.

I try to not spend money on things that don't last. For example, a vacation only lasts as long as you are away. But I enjoy my new bathroom every day.

at what point do u retire a certain piece of clothing?

Not that pp, but I am similar. If I don't feel comfortable wearing it outside my house because it looks terrible, it gets retired. Either I wear it in the house only, or I cut it up and use it for cleaning rags.

Anonymous wrote:We just buy less stuff. Seriously. I wear clothes until they are old. When I do shop for clothes, I invest in things that will last long in both quality and style.

We only buy electronics when the old one dies. We might be the last people in America to not own a flat screen tv.

I try to not spend money on things that don't last. For example, a vacation only lasts as long as you are away. But I enjoy my new bathroom every day.

at what point do u retire a certain piece of clothing?

Anonymous wrote:We just buy less stuff. Seriously. I wear clothes until they are old. When I do shop for clothes, I invest in things that will last long in both quality and style.

We only buy electronics when the old one dies. We might be the last people in America to not own a flat screen tv.

I try to not spend money on things that don't last. For example, a vacation only lasts as long as you are away. But I enjoy my new bathroom every day.

the memories of vacations last forever.
I prefer to spend my money on experiences not "stuff"

We just buy less stuff. Seriously. I wear clothes until they are old. When I do shop for clothes, I invest in things that will last long in both quality and style.

We only buy electronics when the old one dies. We might be the last people in America to not own a flat screen tv.

I try to not spend money on things that don't last. For example, a vacation only lasts as long as you are away. But I enjoy my new bathroom every day.

We are planning to make our dining corner into bedroom for our kid.Can't afford a 2-bedroom yet in NW DC.

small house = small utilities
Insulate walls and pt in new windows = lower utilities
when heat is on- lower your temperature
when AC is on - raise the temperature- buy a automatic thermometer to do it for you.

Do not go out more than once every two weeks.
brownbag lunches
buy what is on sale for groceries -plan your meals based on the flyers
buy the cheap meats and use a crockpot
wash only full loads
wash towels once a week- not after one or two uses - same for sheets
wear clothes twice before washing
do not use dry cleaners
eat oatmeal for breakfast
make your coffee at home- no starbucks
go to the library to get movies and books
drop the gym membership and walk outside
when it is time to buy a car, get the one with the lowest maintenance cost including gas mileage.
pay off any rolling credit (like credit cards)
behave as if you just received a 20% cut to your salary
mow your own lawn
clean your own house
better yet- get your DC to do it
have pasta one night
beans and rice the next
veggie stew the night after that
eggs and ham for dinner
have meat for dinner 2-3 times a week instead of 7.
No sodas, dessert on Sunday only
no chips and snacks packed in individual packets
walk/bike instead of driving
plan your errands and do them the same day plan a circle route
entertain by potluck
don't get any new pets
drink water from the tap
make your own pizza on Friday nights
make do
do without
get creative
go to thrift stores first (but not for shoes- buy high quality shoes that will last - used shoes will ruin feet)
by high quality that will last- cheaper in the long run

Just one family car. (We're city dwellers, might not work in the suburbs.) We walk, bike or take metro as much as possible, and use a cab or zipcar a couple of times a month. Adds up to MUCH less than a second car payment, insurance and gas.

For me, working from home has been the biggest money saver. I dont have to pay for transportation costs, work clothes, lunches, etc.
Other things for us have been:
-Not buying the latest electronic/gadgets. We don't have an ipad and I don't even have a personal cell phone under my name. I just use the one that my company gave me for work.
-Not buying breakfast cereals. Not a big fan of them anyway, but my husband was addicted. We use to buy at least 3 boxes of those per grocery trip. Now we do oatmeal- it comes a long way and it's healthier.
-Just cooking more in general. Not buying too many boxed things like mac-n-cheese, or frozen meals. I've found that cooking things homemade is actually cheaper than buying convenience foods.
-Buying fruits and veggies at the Asian food store.
-We drive old cars. Haven't had a car payment in 7 years and plan to drive our cars till they basically die.
-Giving up the cleaning lady.
-Giving up on Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc.
-Not going to the salon to get manis/pedis. I've also found an Asian salon that will cut my hair and do my brows, etc. for less than half the price of what I used to pay in a fancy salon. They do just as good of a job but without the New Age relaxation music in the background.

Don't spend money when you are feeling bored, lonely, friendless, tired....