How to save money

[nitwit]

Here are my ideas.  Please add your own!

• Never buy toilet paper or paper towels again.  Buy a key to the paper towel and toilet paper dispensers used by whoever you want to steal it from: http://www.dispenserkeys.com/



• Acquire a hand dryer from a building that is about to be demolished, clean it up, figure out a way to plug it into a wall, and then screw it on a wooden box and put it in my bathroom or kitchen.  Haven't done this yet but I want to.  Maybe I'll ask a building contractor about it the next time I go to a hardware store.



• If any light fixture has more than 1 bulb, remove all but 1 of the bulbs and paint the inside of the glass casing (if the casing covers the bulb completely) white, using spray-paint.  The white should make it less obvious that a bulb is missing, making your apartment look less sketchy to - let's be honest - women you bring home.



• Protect your important papers.  Right now I want to find a solid oak or ash trunk or cabinet and install light steel plating and locks on the outside of it.  Also a good place to keep your gun away from your kids, idiot friends, drunk people, high people, and crazy people



• Learn to cook a few basic meals.  Spaghetti with sauce and cheese, scrambled eggs, pancakes, stew with beans and vegetables.  Along with this buy the ingredients as they and the electricity used to cook them are always cheaper than buying pre-made meals.  Make sure you buy used cooking utensils and that those utensils are large enough that you don't need to watch them too closely, as this allows you to multi-task so you don't need to spend so much time cooking.



• Electricity is usually more expensive during peak usage hours.  In most places these are daylight hours, when everyone is home running their air-conditioners, TVs, computers, or heating systems.  With that in mind, try to do your most electricity-intensive things during times when most people are asleep, which is usually after 11:00 PM and before 7:00 AM.



• Don't buy things you don't need.  Pirate software, books (especially textbooks), movies, and games (use virtualbox and a linux iso to protect yourself from malware while doing so, and first run the software or keygen on a linux machine using wine to make sure that it's not malware).  Borrow DVDs from the library or friends and make your own copy.  Borrow books from the library instead of buying them.



• Only buy things that use things you already have.  If you already have a micro-usb cable, only buy things that use a micro-usb cable.



• Only buy things you can repair yourself.  No apple products.



• If you want to buy used, go to a flea market instead of a pawn shop.  Flea markets also aren't required to record transactions so be aware that what you're buying may be stolen.

[Kaijyuu]

Chili is a food that can be made in bulk relatively cheaply and easily, if you don't mind eating the same thing for 4 days straight.

[Dome]

Dont stress yourself
Stress leads to more dangerous stuff that needs to be cured with money and time

So, live by the day and never get stressed, no matter how much shit life throws on your face

[Kaijyuu]

That's good advice even if you're rich. Seems a lot of people don't quite understand that one though.

[nitwit]

One more thing: make friends.  If you don't feel lonely and unwanted you're less likely to use food, drugs, alcohol, sex, or wasting money to make yourself feel better.

[skiploom188]

Stir Fried instant noodles always wins when it comes to saving. (but with all those preservatives, well... :p)

Maximize the use of desktop computers. Believe it or not they can still run even after 10 years of use. This is proven... I can prove it.

[Angel]

This is true, if you aren't interested in new games. But things are somewhat complicated in this regard, because some hardware just 2 years old has immense trouble running Firefox and trying to browse most any major website, especially youtube.

[TristanBeoulve]

Don't use internet

[Celdia]

http://imgur.com/gallery/tBe5F

[Ryqoshay]

 

Dont stress yourself
Stress leads to more dangerous stuff that needs to be cured with money and time

So, live by the day and never get stressed, no matter how much shit life throws on your face

Stress is not the problem, it is how you view stress.

[Boco]

I hope this is relevant to the topic. Here are a couple of ideas:

1. Install a bidet. Have a cleaner behind as a result and buy/waste less toilet paper. Good for septic tank?
2. Install solar panels if in sunny climate. Hopefully would pay off within a few years and increase energy independence.
3. Wear warmer clothing instead of cranking the heat up to max. Take off clothing instead of cranking up the AC.
4. Turn the shower off when you are applying body soap and shampoo. Resume water only to rinse off. No Meditating!
5. If allowed, start a compost pile for all your biodegradable waste, like banana peels. Use that compost later for gardening. Use less trash bags.
6. Don't water your lawn to make it look greener.
7. In sunny weather you can hang your clothes out to dry instead of using the dryer.
8. Drop useless gym memberships and go jogging in the fresh outdoors (if you don't live in a polluted city). As a bonus you don't have to be in a workout room smelling other people's post-workout stench.
9. Try to drop drug habits (including alcohol and smoking). It costs to buy and it costs your health long-term. Or use sparingly.
10. Don't speed or be in a rush. It barely saves time and increases risk of accidents, which are costly.
11. If you care what people think about you/your appearance, you might be more likely to be influenced into making rash purchases or costly decisions. Expensive brand items are often available from cheaper brands too, or have the same function/purpose.

[Angel]

In regards to number 4: my water is included in rent, and I have a flash heater. I'll enjoy my 2 hour showers, thank you!

(seriously, it costs me more money to have a PS3 hooked up.)

[Ryqoshay]

You may also consider halting your consumption of food, or at least reducing your intake and thus reducing your monetary expenditures by utilizing Soylent.

I am patiently awaiting my first order, but they are a bit backlogged at the moment. Apparently, they have been come more popular than they had anticipated.

[Kaijyuu]

I'd get some myself if there was a vegetarian option. All it has in it they'd have to replace is fish oil, iirc.

[Ryqoshay]

Update on Soylent: They are on version 1.2 which no longer uses fish oil. The oil is a mix of canola and some algae that provides the omega-3. As such, the current version is said to be completely animal free.
I just received my first order today and made a batch. The texture is reminiscent of thinned pancake batter and they must have toned down the original vanilla flavor I read about in reviews, for it is quite bland. However, this allows all manner of possibilities for adding my own flavors like sweetening it with honey or adding chicken bouillon and a sprinkle of curry. Time will tell how my system handles it as part of my caloric intake, but so far, so good.

[Boco]

I was reading the comments on that video from above, and one person said to just make my own shakes (less than 5 bucks a day) using:

Brown rice 4 cups cooked
Kidney Beans (canned) 1 can
canned Crushed tomatoes x 1/2 cup
potatoes 2 medium
soy milk 1 cup
carrots 1 medium
romaine lettuce, one head
oatmeal 1/2 dry
bananas 1 medium
almond milk 1 cup
mixed frozen veg 1/2 cup

Total calories 2000
Protein 69g

I think I'll add some spinach, some yogurt, natural peanut butter, and berries. It sounds good except for the beans, but maybe they'll blend in with everything else for a good flavor.

I'm not much of a cook, so I am looking for some kind of replacement for fancy meals. I want something cheap, easy to prepare, easy to eat, and sustains my health into old age. Long shelf life isn't a concern for me since I'll be eating this stuff up everyday, and my plan is to buy a house within walking distance to a grocery store.

[Dokurider]

Sorry Ryqo, but I'll just stick to canned soup.
Speaking of:

• Buy Canned Soup. It's cheap, comes in wide, wide varieties (so you're not eating the same thing over and over again, see Ramen Noodles) and savory. All you need is a container and a microwave to cook it in. Oh and a can opener (some come with an easy open top, though). You can buy the basic for under a dollar, or for 1.50-ish, you can buy the Campbell's Chunky varieties or Progressive cans.


• You'd be surprised what you can fix on your own with a little bit of google searching and the right tools. A screwdriver set, wrench, and duct tape are minimal requirements. Note that you might have to torrent some manuals to do so.


• In that vein, car repair manuals (known as Haynes Manuals) are surprising cheap and easy to understand if you're mechanically inclined, and you probably are given the nature of this site. Combined with some tools (socket wrenches are a must, some bolts can be insanely difficult or impossible without them) and some willingness to get down and dirty, you can troubleshoot and replace some parts yourself. Hell, some manuals are online on Haynes' own website or you can torrent them.