Frugal Thread

>>1060393
>grow own food
>bulk buy staple/long life foods from wholesalers
>don't fall for /fa/ds
>DIY everything
>go to open parties and scavenge food
>sneak upstairs and steal people's RAM when they aren't looking

>>1060393
Stop dining out every day at work, save an easy $200-300 a month, and improve life. I don't eat breakfast the past 10 years, very healthy and fit weight class. Same with dining out on the road. Pick up some sardines/soylent for your car and store it there to avoid stopping and blowing cash on junk food.

kill your kids
feast for a week

>>1060393
told my wife she looks fat, saving grocery money every week

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>>1060454

>>1060393
>buy apple juice
>pour cup
>drink half
>piss in cup
>repeat

Infinite fucking apple juice

Problem, economy?

>live with parents
>out-frugal anyone attempting to be frugal

wow that was hard

Turn your underwear inside out for twice the use.

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Put your cash in bitcoin so that you can't spend it on anything

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kind offtopic but what are those bits of paper that wrap around notes you get from the bank and where can i aquire some?, thanks.

>>1060874
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=stack+notes+band

>>1060393
Eat canned cat food. Can get it for under 30cents per can if you buy in bulk. If you drink hose water, from public water fountains etc then you can basically eat a balanced diet for less than $1 per day.

It tastes pretty good too, you can warm it up a bit if you don't like the taste. I would recommend the shredded kind in gravy over the pate'

>>1060393
>learn to suck your own cock
>save $1 per day
>invest in memecoin.

In all seriousness, LEARN TO COOK. I live 10 minutes from my work and cook delicious lunches nearly every day, and dinner most days as well. Sometimes I'll make an omelette for lunch, sometimes I'll cook a sausage or 2 and heat up a sweet potato, steam some brocolli, make spaghetti with jar sauce, sautéed spinach, and cheese, all of these things can be made in roughly 20 minutes and are much tastier not to mention way cheaper and probably more nutritious than any fast food/quick serve food you'll find for under $10.

For dinner you can make nicer things that take longer to cook. Not only will you save tons of money this way and be able to eat incredibly healthy (i.e. get /fit/ if you so desire), but your cooking skills will slowly increase and soon you will be able to make panties drop with your risottos (true story *tips fedora*).

This is probably the most obvious thing ever but I really can't stress it enough. Once you start you will never look back.

Also, be a work leech. If you have a job where you're basically a glorified pencil pusher, use your time to do personal things. I can sometimes get away with playing RuneScape (EOC fags need not apply) since it involves repetitive clicking/AFKing. Also, take advantage of free snacks and drinks. I take a bag of trail mix probably at least 3 days out of the week and I just get my coffee fix at the office since we have excellent coffee.

>>1060426
>soylent
>frugal

Nope!

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>>1060941
This. I picked up cooking my senior year in college and now that im living alone in my apartment, this shit is easy. Satisfying (and healthy) meals everyday, and I've managed to average ~$120 per 2 weeks of food.

>mfw my friends still eat ramen every day

>>1060972
what kinda stuff?

>>1060976
I like to buy bulk, So what I do is shop around for large bags of frozen vegetables (mixed veggies, broccoli, etc), frozen skinless chicken, frozen tilapia (cheaper than dirt), giant bags of rice, pasta, and oatmeal. Now for fresh meats, What I like to do is if there's anything I find vacuum sealed, I take tons of, because that can last ages in the refrigerator (and an eternity in the freezer). Once I check out vacuum sealed stuff, anything else fresh meat related I will usually pick up on meat close to expiration. (stores like walmart and target will mark down meat, even tenderloin, down $3 or more because the shelf life ends the next day). Buy all of the markdowns you can, then shove those into the freezer first.

Also if you can get eggs in bulk, get eggs in bulk. Anything close to expiring you can hard boil, and hard boiled eggs are a killer snack.


Top that shit off with large bags of apples, a stock of bananas, baby carrots, and yogurt boxes. You're fucking set. All that's left is to buy whatever kinds of spices, oils, and seasonings you want and craft magic.

Buy LED lights
Always turn them off (almost never use them and they'll last forever)
Never buy any new lights for the rest of your life

Don't pay for a monthly cell phone bill, use prepaid minutes instead
Never use mobile data, always ask for the wifi password (most people never change the password and you can use it from outside their homes)
Use public electricity (sockets are everywhere in most businesses / libraries) to charge your phone

Invest in index funds

When taking frugal, most people think about the money saving/material side of things. Granted, it's the main reason to be frugal, to save your $, but it's IMO the simplest part of the equation.

Buy bland raw foods and cook, meat once a week, and voila , $30/week food budget. Move closer to work, even if it's an extra $100 in rent, it's cheaper than car+insurance+petrol+maintenance (especially in E.U, I know gas is dirt cheap in U.S).

The material side of things is just a matter of organization, there are loads of blogs on it (Mr Money Mustache, The art of Non-conformity, Early retirement extreme).

I think the overlooked part of frugality is the social/emotional side of things. Not spending is one thing, but it's not worth it if you're going to become that weird guy/girl who microwaves roadkill at the office and wears towel ponchos. I find outdoors activity are a great alternative to clubbing/bars. Get yourself a good mountain bike/hiking shoes/surfboard and surround yourself a social circle of people that enjoy the same activity. You can go hiking for a full weekend, have a few beers around a campfire, all for the price of a restaurant dinner.

Still a luxury/pleasure expense, but small, andI think there is a trap in isolating yourself for the sake of frugality. The whole purpose is to be able to retire early to enjoy life, that means not forgetting how to have fun with little money.

Any thoughts, experience, tips you guys have on this aspect of frugality?

>>1060407
>fall hard for /fa/ds
>go from 9/hr to 22/hr

Fuck you

>>1060393
Everyone here is concentrating on food, which isn't that much of an expense.
Lower your rent motherfuckers. Pay half in a shitty neighbourhood. One time investment in a top notch door and locks and you're set. If you want to, get insurance for your stuff if it's worth anything.

>>1060996
Yeah that's great for nice weather but what do you do in winter months? Especially in places where you get snow/extreme cold?

>>1061653
Drink shit beer in house parties on the weekends

>>1061636
Yeah, hopefully that $300 per month you're saving on rent will cover the hospital bills and the insurance deductible when you get stabbed and your house gets broken into

>>1060591
Good luck when they kick the bucket and your frugal muscle is non-existent, kiddo.

>>1060904
Most tap water makes you retarded

>>1062291
>source: the voices in my head.

>>1061653
I do this in Nova Scotia and I don't drive. The days the sidewalks aren't shovelled the roads are so bad I'm not the only one late to work.

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Soylent and its clones don't look cheap at the first glance but remember that
a) it doesn't spoil easily. You usually don't throw out a single gram.
b) save time
c) save hot water wasted with doing the dishes and/or electricity for the dishwasher

>>1060985
>anything thats close to expiring you can hard boil
thanks anon ill be sure to hard boil this cake I bought

Don't tell me I'm the only one who dips things in stuff to make them last longer.

>>1062484
Can someone list some products similar to Soylent? (Similar as in nutritious, low/no effort, cheap)

I'm going to try and find those NutriLoaf things or whatever they do in some prisons.

>>1062538
I'm in Europe and the Czech "Mana" is the best option here. A little cheaper than Soylent, more protein.
http://mymana.eu/

I imagine there are quality alternatives in the US too

>>1062533
>dips things in stuff
I have no idea what you are talking about. Do you mean food?

>>1062177
except i'll inherit a hefty sum plus the house

>>1060407
>sneak upstairs and steal people's used panties when they aren't looking
much more profitabe

>>1062543
Sure. Like when your bubblegum loses flavor and you dip it in coolaid to make it last longer.

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And what the hell, you guys dont Scroogepost anymore? I've been gone for awhile

>>1062542
That one looks great. Just have to watch for sodium (1300mg per serve I think)

I'm an Ausfag and I think I might get some.

>>1062578
I've eaten Mana about 50 times so far with no complaints. It tastes like oat meal with a hint of vanilla. You can pay with Bitcoin which is nice :)

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>>1062553
This guy gets it.

Buy a crock pot and look up recipes online.

Things you can make in a crock pot at the weekend or even while you're at work: stews, curries, chilli, pulled pork etc. Make that shit, decant it into tupperware tubs and freeze it - voila, you have a freezer full of your own healthy and nutritious ready meals. Buy a sack of rice to go with it because rice costs pennies.

>>1062557
>trying to save money on bubblegum
think you're better off getting a job m8.

>>1062601
but which one is easier

>>1062601
I seriously question your commitment to frugality. You're talking to someone who..
>buries frozen food in snowdrifts to save money on freezer costs
>lights candles to save on electricity
>dips candles in baconfat to make them last longer
>stripped 1 hinge and all knobs off my interior doors to sell for scrap metal
>gets free furniture on Craigslist to save money on firewood
>catches rodents and dries them for homemade jerkey (saves ~$20/month)
>rinses and reuses paper towels to save money on toilet paper AND flush water

Instead of throwing away old calendars, save them for re-use 7-14 years later.

>>1062620
It gets to the point that I'm not even sure if this is satire or not.

Identify your biggest expenses and attempt to reduce them from highest to lowest.

Housing is usually the biggest. Reduce rent by: living with a parent (if you never want to have sex), getting a roommate/s, sublet out part of your place.

I live in a duplex where we rented the bottom floor. There was a semi-finished basement below it that was communal space for the two units (washer and dryer down there) the girl upstairs never used it. So we rented it out to a buddy so he could have band practice down there. Lived in an odd location so we had no neighbors (businesses on both sides) so they could be loud if they wanted. Girl upstairs said it was fine and that she couldn't even hear them with her windows closed. The were only there like once a week and it reduced our rent by a quarter. Plus we got a bunch of free beer and scored a few times with girls they brought back to listen.

Utilities: Use them less. In college we shared internet with 2 other apartments. We go the fastest speed and split it 6 ways. Cost me like $10 a month. Other apartments were find with wifi only. Get a prepaid cell plan.

Food: Cook yourself, never turn down a free meal, learn to identify good buys.

Transportation: If you can walk, do it, if you can bike, do it. If you can carpool, do it. Take care of your car.

Sell your shit you don't need or use. Borrow shit from friends when you need it for a limited time.

Use free shit to your advantage: library, public wifi, free classes, government programs, free samples, coupons, and anything else you come across.

>>1062628
I saw a store on etsy that was selling old "vintage" calendars. Like ones from the 50's that worked with the current year.

>>1062631
This isnt a fucking game, kid, this is my life. Live on the Alaskan tundra for a year and we'll see how your habits change when you come out the other side. You wake up and spit your morning loogie down the sink. I swallow it for sustenance. You're the kind who throws away bad milk. I make sour cream. You tie your shoes before you leave the house. I use one long lace between them both to save $ on shoelaces, faggot. I shit in a diaper for a year cause I couldnt afford to flush. Ever heard of a lambskin condom? I fuck lambs with a condom.. cause women are just to pricey. I have a mustache, cause it gets me free hotdogs. You're up a paddle without a creek, richboy. Ill only tell you once: I keep my promises kid, cause I cant afford to lie.

>>1060904
This. Also when you go to the water fountains remember to catch and eat some birds for added proteins.

>Grow your own carrots
>buy $30/lb organic carrots
>swap carrots
>return
>make $30/lb

>>1062655
but why bother with the condom if you're fucking a lamb?

>>1062668
worms

>>1062665
curious, can you actually return produce?

>>1062668
You ever try to find penicillin in the Himalayan Andes, anon? There's a lot of things a man will do when he's alone on the mountain..

>>1062677
depends on the store, they'd probably want a reason beyond "oh i thought they were dicks"

>>1062677
grow shitty carrots and say they were defective when you turned them around