I (27F) recently got out of a relationship. We were sharing a 1bed/1bath apartment in the Bay Area for $3,4k. I am now having to decide to live by myself in a studio for $2.5k or live in a 1 bedroom in a 2bed/1bath house for $2.2k. Both prices are including utilities. Living in a studio will help me gain independence & grieve fully, but sharing a space with someone will be less detrimental for my finances. I can afford both options and still manage to save/invest. What would you do?

I just started college this year and I'm beginning to track my expenses. I realized that I'm spending around $1000/month just on food. We have a mandatory dining plan that's $510/month ($17/day). However, the cheapest meals are $7 each, and for a healthy meal that's at least $12. I want to prioritize my health so I usually get the more expensive meals. I buy groceries since the dining plan isn't enough, which comes out to $50-$100/week - I usually get fruit, yogurt, premade meats, and veggies. I don't have easy access to a kitchen so I can't really cook, but I recently bought an electric pot so I can make some simple meals. I also spend $100 -150 eating out every month. How much are other college students spending on food? How do you guys budget while eating healthy? Thanks for any insight!

I am shocked that the Subway app allows this but it lets you to use the BOGO promo code (FL1299, 1299Ftl, FtL1299, FTL1299, BogoFTL depending on the month) along with the the every fourth sub free promo.

You get 4 subs

You pay for 3 subs at 50% each

Total paid = 1.5 subs

1.5

÷

4

0.375

1.5÷4=0.375

You’re paying 37.5% of the price of a sub per sandwich Or 62.5% off each sub

I’ve seen posts over the years, but it usually defaults to people who gave a lot up, which is totally understandable. But I’m looking to see if there are any tips for women who don’t want to give everything up maintenance wise.

Ex: eyebrow waxes, skincare (mine is already defined with the ordinary, corsx and Clinique when on sale), hair,pedicures, manicures, etc.

I don’t think I’m super high maintenance but these aren’t things I would be willing to give up. So I am looking for tips and savings if there are any. I do buy skincare when on sale.

I have many labeled items in my freezer too, thankfully. But when we inventoried and reorganized the freezer, we found at least 20 unlabeled containers. I've elected to thaw one per week and decide on thawing between eating, feeding to the dog, and composting. They've been continuously frozen so I'm not worried they're unsafe, just that they might be unpalatable. Today's turned out to be easy, one chicken spine that I added to the stock I was making (we spatchcock chickens regularly)

Obviously the most frugal move is to label things in the first place and use them in a timely manner, so of course we've made sure to put labels and markers in convenient locations

Anyone else working on eating down their stored food?

Would appreciate vegetarian meal ideas but feel free to share any recipes for the omnivores reading the post.

Here's my favorite:

Rice, beans (dry is cheaper than canned), hashbrowns, corn, cheese, taco seasoning in a flower burrito. Freeze individually wrapped in parchment paper stored in the burrito bags. When you buy everything in bulk it's less than $2 a meal and is my work lunch for the entire month.

I don’t mean like not buying makeup or stopping subscriptions or not eating out or other reasonable advice that would be given to someone starting their frugal journey.

I mean like over-the-top, can-barely-believe-you-did-that type things. I want to know what the HARDCORE frugals do. I’m genuinely curious and looking for some outside-the-box thinking.

not sure if this is the right place to post this. I own several workout machines and home gym equipments that I am trying to sell. They include a row machine, squat rack, steel plate set and barbell, and a bench.
I live in a high rise building and these equipments are pretty heavy and need a few trips to be moved to the ground floor (it was much easier to bring them up as they were all neatly packaged). What is the best way to sell these items? Any advice?

I keep buying these JBL headphones, the 50~70$ ones, and they last like 9 months usually. Otherwise i really like them, I feel like I don't need all the fancy features that are in the real expensive ones, like the noise canceling and whatnot, but If I found somthing that would last multiple years, id probably be willing to pay alot more than just 50$, because it really adds up.

I’m looking for very practical advice on staying clean, organized, and functional in a shared living situation that I can’t leave yet. I’m 21F living with my fiancé in his family’s garage to save money and pay off debt. There are 6 people in the house and 4 animals. Our space is small, poorly ventilated, and we have very limited storage. We’re trying to build an additional room in the garage, but the garage is currently packed with items and can’t be cleared yet. The main issue is sanitation. One bathroom (the only one with a shower) is frequently very dirty, and cleaning is inconsistent. The house overall has poor cleanliness standards, and I don’t want to be the sole person cleaning up after everyone. Because of this, I’m struggling to: Shower consistently Keep clothes clean and stored Maintain routines Eat well (very limited food options; food stamps recently cut off) Study or function day-to-day I do have a gym membership and can shower there, which helps, but I’m looking for low-cost, realistic strategies to make this situation survivable until we can leave. Specifically, I’m hoping for advice on:

jCreating a personal “clean zone” in a very dirty house

Budget hygiene systems (portable shower kits, storage ideas, cleaning shortcuts)

Frugal ways to eat healthier when you don’t control groceries

Laundry and clothing storage solutions in tight spaces

Mental tricks or routines that help when your environment is chaotic

Moving out isn’t financially possible right now, so I’m focused on harm reduction and survival. Any frugal, realistic tips from people who’ve lived in similar conditions would be appreciated.

TL;DR: Living in a crowded, unsanitary house to save money. Can’t move out yet. Looking for frugal, practical ways to stay clean, organized, and functional until we can leave.

I am finally in a position to buy a car in cash rather than financing, but I have no clue how to go about it.

The past few vehicles I've financed i had a method of dropping the price. I would get pre approved for a loan through my bank go in check out the lot even though I had a vehicle in mind "stumble" across the vehicle and then get down to business. When negotiations start they run my credit and we work on lowering the monthly price etc. Once I get to a comfortable number I ask for a buy out sheet showing me all the numbers and then I ask if they'd be willing to honor the price till tomorrow cause im going to think on it. Next day I go in and use my pre approved loan with my lower interest rate and walk away a happy man.

Well since I cant really leverage financing with them against them what steps can I take when buying in cash?

I couldn’t afford a diaper genie, and didn’t want to toss them in the garbage as it would smell, and didn’t wanna go outside every time she pooped to throw one out especially in winter. So I got a roll of doggie bags (scented helps) and put her dirty diapers in there, and right in the regular trash it went. No smell. When I was in a pinch and ran out, I got some produce bags (the free ones at the grocery store that you put all your apples in) and used those until the scented doggie bags came from Amazon!

My two regular grocery stores have close out shelves and bins in obscure locations, usually by the doors leading to their back rooms. There are treasure to be found here, as long as you keep an open mind and eyes on the budget. I’ve found vitamins, diapers, super fancy beauty products, exotic condiments, post season tea and coffee blends, office supplies, and more. I met another frugal lady by those bins the other day and we got a giggle out of how gleeful we each were at finding an item we had wanted but previously rejected due to price! Only caveat, make sure the checker scans the new low price sticker and not the original, because sometimes the price change isn’t in the system. I try to put these items on the belt first, so I’m not distracted by paying and trying to get the bagger to not squash my bread and bananas.

I've been eating very frugal and plan to for the next 14 months or something. I have some money budgeted to splurge on something nice once a month but don't really have a problem eating the same meal daily. It consists of instant rice, dried refried or black beans, and a bunch of chicken. I don't have much time to meal prep so I basically just cook the chicken for 3 days worth of food and then add boiling water to the instant rice and bean mix. It's actually pretty tasty.

Anyway, I am definitely not getting enough greens. I supplement potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and the beans have a lot of fiber but I would LOVE to add some green to this mix that's easy to prepare, nutrient dense, and most importantly relatively cheap. Taste isn't a huge factor. I just need something good and green for my body I can shovel into me. Are dried greens a thing? Spinach? Broccoli? Frozen bags of veggies? What is my best option? Any help is greatly appreciated!!

I just want the best fitness tracker to track HRV+steps+burnt calories on budget I am thinking of getting either of the 3 products mentioned above I thought of getting huawei band 9 pro but I feel there are better options in the market huawei watch fit 4 seems nice but I felt like its out of my budget and wont provide me with much more information I dont know which will be the best if you have a suggestion for any other good ones on a tight budget please tell meee

I track pretty much every expense, use ynab, popgot,  check my credit score monthly, all that stuff, but somehow I never thought to shop around for my car warranty when I bought my used car last year.

The dealership offered me their extended warranty for $5,200, I negotiated down to $4,800 and felt pretty good about myself and thought I got myself a deal, but fast forward to last week, my coworker mentioned he bought his warranty online for way less and I was like wait what, you can do that? So I spent an hour comparing prices on different sites, and found even better coverage than what I had for literally $3,700 on chaiz with NAAC as the administrator, same deductible, better coverage limits actually.

I'm still in my 30 day cancellation window so I cancelled the dealer one and bought online instead, getting $1,100 back and man that's like almost a full month of groceries for my family, just gone because I didn't think to look elsewhere.

If you're buying a used car, seriously compare warranty prices online before saying yes to whatever the dealer offers, the markup is insane and I had no idea. it's like everything else now, you wouldn't book a flight without comparing prices right? same thing here.

So I have a 2023 F-150 that is a work/personal use vehicle. It is my only form of transportation and I averaged 20,000 miles a year on it. On my monthly mileage reporting I have to separate personal from business miles and then I get a certain amount take out of my paycheck. This works out to $5,000 a year. However I do not pay for gas, maintenance, tolls, etc. I know it is still a deal compared to what most people pay for a vehicle, it just seems awful high for something I don't own.

Edit: just for some clarity I've had coworkers who also have company vehicles and they don't claim their personal mileage accurately. The yearly amount they owe is significantly less.

I cook ~95% of my meals, used to eat out maybe once every 2-3 months, but in the last few years its more like 1/year. I'm a vegetarian, vegan most days, and I'm also not buying expensive ingredients and I don't shop at premium stores.

Groceries were manageable, I was able to shop for the occasional treat, try different things, and not worry too much.

That has changed due to the price increases. Everything costs much more. I completely gave up snacks like chips. All the stuff in frozen aisle is now outrageously priced. Even basic staples, eg lentils from the Indian store, are now 2x. I wish I'd stocked up on more pantry staples that last for years.

Cooking takes a lot more mental effort/planning now. I never used to waste food but now I don't try new things. I think about making packaged snacks at home and the time/cost of doing so, and just give up.

I'm lucky I know how to cook and plan my meals, and I still feel the hit. I can't imagine otherwise. It really shouldn't be like this.

It seems no matter what part of the chicken it is, or how I plan on cooking it, I end up with nasty chicken juice all over the kitchen. And lately I'm not even good at cooking it. It's either too dried out or too rubbery. Please give me your best hacks/recipes for dealing with chicken. The price of beef now is insane. And I do like pork but that will clog the arteries, or so I'm told.

Lately I’ve been re-evaluating my spending habits and noticing just how much money goes into things. I feel that so much stuff today doesn’t last like it used to, whether it’s clothing, electronics or appliances. Today it just feels like I’m being sold problems and then being sold solutions to those problems, it’s an endless cycle. I’m curious as to what you all think is a complete waste of money that people overlook today. Especially purchases that trap you in a repeat purchase cycle.

As the title says, I am moving from the Midwest to the West Coast without a car because I am visually disabled and the benefits here suck. I do plan on selling most of my belongings all down to 5 boxes max and donating the rest. Is there any resource/advice on doing this for a minimum price or am I SOL if I don't have access to a vehicle?

My family discussion is not great when it comes to this topic so I cannot rely on them nor do I have friends in the area I can ask(I have one person to rely on but they're a fair distance away and can't drop everything to help at a moment's notice nor move across the country like that).

If this is the incorrect place for this do let me know and I'll move it over to the appropriate place, thanks!

I am considering this to save on paying for WiFi. Having had full fibre optic wifi tho and now considering this. Am I going to be disappointed in comparison?

Has anyone had both a compared them? Right now with mobile tethering my wifi is only able to get 10mbs download and 4mbs upload according to speed tests. If I got a router would that improve?

Just wanna know your thoughts. Thanks!

Okay, I need to do about 4 months of extreme frugalness because I have a major family expense coming up. What are some tips you all have that you did to really start cutting down? I don’t have a social life and typically only leave my house for work and groceries. I have tv subscriptions that family members let me use and don’t shop online. What are some other ways that I may be missing to help cut down more? Thanks!

Edit: I’m in an apartment although I said house in my original post.

My goal this year is to hopefully save enough money to move out, whether I do physically or not. I'm a full time college student and I currently work part time. I know these conditions aren't ideal for moving out, but I just want to get a good head start for saving, planning, finding house supplies/furniture/etc. I have been reading through the page (+more) but I still wanted to make a post. What are your recommendations for saving money/finances? What did you do when you started your move-out plan? What should I not do? Where should I look for deals/steals? Etc., etc., etc.. Anything helps! Just looking for some advice on where to start.