/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>815898
don't do things very much

>>815903
Already the case, reading a lot. No bullshit expenses.

>>815898

A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter feeds you for a few days for a mere 3 dollars. Fucks with your mindset though and makes you depressed as fuck.

Source: poor college student

>>815921
>Source: poor college student
Eat dark chocolate.

>>815926

Does it help with mood or something?
I hate dark chocolate

>>815935
Scientifically proven.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/26/health/upwave-food-mood/

if you're a gamer, try playing flash games instead. There's hundreds of sites where you can play them for free and there's plenty of entertaining ones. There's a lot of variety in them if you look around
befriend the workers at your local coffee/donut house chain, (Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons, etc.). depending on how busy they are, they can have massive overstock to get rid of at the end of each night. come in at the right time of night, 2100-2300, and the workers will be happy to give you much more than you pay for. Some folks have gotten 2 dozen bagels for the price of one, with a 50-count box of munchkins on the side. If it's time to change out the iced coffee or tea, even better! Day-old donuts and bagels are actually much less stale if you toast them, and the filling in donuts is quite shelf-stable so there's no worries about spoiling. substitute any bread for sandwiches with old bagels, even pb&j works if you're clever about it.

>>815898
i never shook off the lifestyle i had at uni; i value my time more than money and i cultivate activities that i really like that are affordable. the hightest and best things in life to me are in art appreciation and books, for an example.

some frugal concerns i have recently: i spend a lot of time at work late at night and use the internet so i save phone+net at home but i would need to be reachable soon... will try to get the workplace to pay for a cheap cellphone. i tried to reach the wifi network of my workplace from home but failed, even with a hawkwind little dish thing. anyone have a recommendation for this, would rather buy something that works well than waste my time trying to do it myself.

All these poor fags and wage cucks

Focus on increasing your income exponentially rather than wasting your life with loaf bread and sitting in the dark

>>815921
>A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter feeds you for a few days

Nice macros and calories.

What is that like 1500 calories per day and like 50-60 grams of protein?

>>815967
>All these poor fags and wage cucks
>Focus on increasing your income exponentially rather than wasting your life with loaf bread and sitting in the dark
Warren Buffet is living frugally you shit head.

>>815959
>if you're a gamer, try playing flash games instead. There's hundreds of sites where you can play them for free and there's plenty of entertaining ones.

This is fucking retarded because there is plenty of free games, besides at most a subscription is $15/month or hell even a one time payment of $60 for some games.

>Heating up stale pastries

This may work if you're homeless but why would the heck would you ever do this if you have a job? You might as well re-use toilet paper and wear second hand clothes as well.

>>815972
Not everybody worries about their macros you retarded shitstain. Go back to /fit/, the endless mostly naked male pictures are calling for you. Faggot.

>>815987
They made a point though. It is a cheap food that as the anon said is nutritionally dense. This is important.

>>815898

Frequent trips to second hand stores + Ebay for clothes (you can find nice things for very good prices).

Don't buy it unless you can pay for it in cash

10x rule (buy things at a price that would provide 10 times the value for you).

Cook your own food (it's okay to eat out if you can network from it)

Work out (being healthy and fit can save you money in the long run)

>>815993
This.

My current expenses are :

Health care : 30$
Netflix : 10$
Rent and food : 200$
Telephone : 2$
Bank fees : 9$

Et voila.

Already have an iMac, Blacberty Q10, iPad Mini 3.
Savings around 7000$.

>>815987
>Not everybody worries about their macros you retarded shitstain.

So you want to look impoverished and have terrible health?

Alright bro. Sure you'll save some money now but how about the many thousands you'll have to spend when you're as sickly as an African? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure or whatever they say.

>>816001
where the fuck do you live?

>>816004
France, why ?

>>816001
>netflix
>bank fees

You could cut down on these.

Pourquoi paies-tu autant en frais bancaires ? Il y a des banques sans frais de tenue de compte (au moins la BNP).

Et par quel miracle paies-tu si peu pour le loyer ?

>>816028
Netflix c'est pour mes soeurs.
Je suis à la BNP et j'ai le pack Esprit libre.
Si je résilie je perds quoi ?

Pour le loyer je vis actuellement chez mon oncle.

>>816004
There are places in the US you can live similarly. I was in Buffalo for a couple of years and rent+util for a very good place would be around 350, and shitty places were 250 but even then not so bad.

My frugal tip is to get your cell phone via one of Sprint's MVNO carriers (or similar), rates are ~$10/mo depending on which you use.

>>816039
In France cheapest is 2€ with Free, 2hours call unlimited SMS and 50 mb internet.

>>816035
Je ne connais pas cette formule de la BNP, peut-être y a-t-il une assurance qui fait monter le prix ?

À la BNP, on est censé payer 42 € par an pour la carte bleue (- 50 % si tu as moins de 24 ans), et c'est à peu près tout. Regarde leur tarif pour les particuliers.

>>816047
Assurance en cas de décès, kek, et pour mes moyens de paiement.

Sans le pack tout est gratuit ? La consultation en ligne etc ?

Je pense résilier et prendre que la carte Visa Classic.

>>816008
because rent and food is only 200$

I live in Belgium and renting an apartement (in a ot so large city) is ±500-650€ (750$)

Get a hobby that requires time instead of money. If you get good enough, it could even turn to a source of revenue.

Example: Playing an instrument over joining a Golf league.

>>816051
Oui, les services de banque en ligne (consultation, virements...) sont gratuits, comme le relevé mensuel sur papier, etc.

Même en ajoutant une assurance sur les moyens de paiement, tu devrais diviser la facture par deux.

Le tarif est là :

https://www.secure.bnpparibas.net/banque/PA_CanalnetApp/documentum/canalnet/public/PDF/PDF_Tarifs_Mai2015_20150507042603.pdf

>>815921
> Fucks with your mindset though and makes you depressed as fuck.

But I love peanut butter and eat it 5-6 times a week...

>>815921

ITT: How to be miserable.

You can still be frugal without killing your health and living like the 15th century.

>>815959
>>815979
It's not always stale; Panera Bread tosses their baked items each night.

Well, they technically donate them, so they tend not to give it away to customers late at night, but they aren't tossing old moldy crap, just stuff they're already gonna make a shitload of fresh tomorrow.

>>816063
Merci, je résilie dans la semaine.
En cas d'utilisations frauduleuses de nos moyens de paiements on est remboursés ?

>>815959
Nice, but stop playing vidya and read books.

>>816075
Ça dépend de quelle utilisation frauduleuse on parle... mais dans la plupart des cas, l'assurance supplémentaire à 26,50 € est inutile :

http://www.capital.fr/finances-perso/actualites/les-assurances-moyens-de-paiement-des-banques-sont-tres-souvent-inutiles-906747

http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2013/01/21/en-plus-d-etre-chere-l-assurance-moyens-de-paiement-est-inutile_1819930_3234.html

>>815987
>You seem very well versed with us here at /fit/ no need to fight it anymore.

>>816089
:)

Où places-tu ton argent ? J'ai une assurance-vie chez Mutavie ainsi qu'un porteufeuille CIF à la BNP qui comprends 4 OPCVM.
J'hésite à tout balancer sur un mutual funds S&P500 chez Vanguard France.

Take care of your body now so you don't have huge health-related bills in the future. Make sure you brush/floss your teeth, exercise, and eat healthy.

>>815987

#REKT

rice n beans is cheap and healthier than peanut butter and bread. not canned beans cook them yourself

>>816001

Not sure why you're paying bank fees. Join an online bank like Ally or CapitalOne360 (usually a promotion for joining too). They usually reimburse atm fees monthly too.

Besides that nice budget. Not sure how your rent and food is so low but hey, keep on keepin on.

>>815926
>>815935
or get cocoa power and add hot water like the aztecs used to

>>816167
Living with uncle. In a realistic way it would be 500$.

>>815987
Fucking fat neck beard stfu lol

I bet you're a fat slob that gets his panties set over the sight of McDonalds.

>>816214
>stfu lol

PRO TIP: NEVER LIMIT YOUR FOOD EXPENSES.
Eat your respective macros to be healthy, please. Ramen and sandwiches won't do it.

Buy store-brand items if possible.

Dollar store for cheap essentials.

Maximize your drive time by making a route that uses the least amount of gas.

Buy gas sipping car. Used, never new or lease (unless you can write it off if you use it for business).

Stream movies off of apps like Showbox because fuck Netflix. There are many more but I'm selfish.

Avoid relationships unless she agrees to the frugal life. Srs. Or else all of your time spent saving will go down the shitter, aka her.

Turn AC off when not home or at night if you're manly enough.

Find a side job, start a side business to earn extra income.

Save gift cards for emergencies. E.g. Craving Starbucks, use gift card.

Do your own cooking. Stupid easy. Doesn't have to be chef graded, just edible.

the most important thing to being frugal isn't trying to pay less, but knowing how to price items. you can spend too much time and money on cheap shit when you're better off saving up for a solution that will last decades.

learn what's a need and what's a want. more an art than a science

>>815898

Wash your tennis shoes with clothes detergent and a toothbrush. then rinse them, take out the soles, and sit them in the sun to dry.

Then your Nikes will look brand new.

I've been wearing the same pair of Nikes for 3 years. They still look like I just bought them.

>>816293
More details as to what gets actually soap vs no soap. Interested.

How do you fix scuffs? Currently have black Nikes with scuffs in the front making them look ugly

>>815921

bruh. thats pretty horrible.

fruits and vegetables bought in bulk are not that expensive, and would be exponentially better for your health and well being than this shit.

>>816214
And I bet you spend the majority of your day looking at mostly naked men. "oh man I wish I looked like him n-no homo though"

Fuck off retard.

>>815967

Very true. As much as my obsession with being organized and efficient runs deep, a person is better off concentrating on making as much as possible, instead of saving.

I had a roommate who's hourly wage was like $30/hr. She would do things like search for coupons, cut them, and use them so she could save like $1 on soap.

The time spent saving is often not worth it.

>>816108
I was "well versed" with /fit/ when it wasn't filled to the brim with faggotry. Now it's essentially a gay porn board.

>>816264

> NEVER LIMIT YOUR FOOD EXPENSES
agreed. food is so fucking key to body and mind.

> Avoid relationships unless she agrees to the frugal life
So long great sex with hot women

mostly good suggestions though. For ex, you can have a date over for fucking steak and lobster and only spend like $40 if you buy the food yourself and cook it.

>>816296

This is very simple. I'm shocked more people don't do it.

Just take out the soles
get a toothbrush and some clothes detergent (Tide, Arm & Hammer, etc..)
pour a bunch of soap on them
brush everywhere except bottom of soles, the soap will clean basically everything including the side part of the sole
let the soap sit for about ten min, then do a final scrub
then rinse them in the sink for a few minutes with cool water
then put the shoes, and soles in the sun for a few hours until dry

voila, your Nikes will look brand fucking new. I swear.

>>816348

If it's not sunny out (or is winter)

you can stuff the inside of the shoe with paper towels
(it helps if you whip the shoes around for a minute with your arms in a fast circular motion to whip water out)

so put the paper towels in, wait like 1 hour, then replace, replace, replace, until the shoes are dry (you have to go through about 10 - 20 paper towels) still cheaper than new shoes.

>>816341
Don't ask how, but I managed to sleep with a few girls last year without dating them. Some even bought their own food when we went out because I said "I don't buy the girl food unless we're on a date" and usually they'd know I wasn't out looking for a relationship. Worked very well.

This year focusing more on self, business and whatnot so I skip the bs and go straight to any sort of quickie.

>>816355

It can be played right I admit.

Depends on how good looking you are I suppose.

>>816360
Or confidence/the way you talk.

I have a quality that makes people very comfortable around me. (Always been told that). Use it to my advantage for emergencies. Haha

God damn I spend so much money on beef jerky it's insane. Where the hell can I get some that is cheap and isn't sketchy as fuck horse meat.

>>816369
Make it yourself.

>>816369

I met a guy who made homemade beef jerky, and holy shit was it delicious. It blew the store bought stuff out of the water.

So i'm thinking homemade is def the way to go.

>>816373
Waiting on homemade beef jerky thread.

Need recipe with low fat (tracking macros) yet stupidly delicious

>>816375

He used saffron and Italian herbs during the drying process. It was savory as fuck.

>>816001
what do you eat?

I budget each paycheck individually in a txt file because they can vary.
I indent them forward as they are spent, and update it with subtractions every day.
Upcoming:
----------
July 17) Income: 540
- student loans 212
- food and groceries 60
- gas 60
- city tax payment 43
- credit card payments 117
- wedding reception shopping budget 40
----------
July 31) Income: 540
- rent 275
- bills 50
- gas 60
- food and groceries 60
- credit card payment 40
- student loans 30
- reception stuff 20

Pretty much covers everything you need to know, and more importantly how you need to start viewing things: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com

>>816039
>get your cell phone via one of Sprint's MVNO carriers
Holy shit, this. My family of 5 has a Verizon "family plan" which I'm almost positive just means we have to pay more. My dad throws almost 300 fucking dollars in the trash for that shit every month, and one of the lines doesn't even include data.

Literally spending almost $4000 a year just to have shit data limits and poor text service. It makes me fucking sick how much money my parents waste.

Here's the kicker: they're set to inherit somewhere around $400-$600k from a grandfather's passing. Their first move? They want to buy a fucking cabin for almost four fucking hundred thousand dollars a few hours north of here. They literally want to throw all of this money straight into the trash for another house that they won't maintain. And when they die I'm gonna get jack shit.

Hurr durr, I know, "you're so entitled". But if I got that money I would 1) never have to work a day in my life and 2) grow it more than they could even IMAGINE. But they're gonna piss it away for a fucking house they'll use 3 weeks a year.

Makes me sick.

>>815898
Live with parents - zero expenses

>>816428
So my contribution to this thread: don't be like my fucking parents. If you have money, don't piss it away like a retard. Don't buy shit you aren't going to use. Don't pick stocks (dad and mom both literally do this, already down something like $10k "hurr but we picked some winners too"). Don't drive big retarded vehicles. Don't pay $215 a month for fucking cable TV. Keep your fucking house clean, free of junk, and FUCKING MAINTAIN IT. Yes, that means the single paned chunks of glass that DON'T COMPLETELY SEAL THE WINDOW are not fucking okay anymore, get dual paned windows installed by a professional. Even better, learn how to do it yourself and do it fucking right for a fraction of the cost and be a more useful and educated human as a result.

Holy shit I've never thought about this. My parents are the exact type of idiots that modern America prays on. They piss away money like fucking hood rats.

>>816432
You're not alone bud. My parents are the same way.

>>815973
>buffet lives frugally
sauce?

>>816001
>rent and food 200
in other words: rent is like 100$ ?
do you live in namibia?

>>816364
mfw i'm always talking self-confidently and am good at job interviews but fail at social interactions with other people, especially women. i always sound cold and arrogant but don't even want to

>>816431
1. this is mostly wrong
2. it sucks and lower your life quality. i wouldn't feel comfortable

>>816534
Already answered.

>>816264

>frugal
>having a car

lel

>>816543
Gotta find a way to tone it down. I did the same for a while until I got tired of coming off as someone 5hat I'm not

>>816630
How will you get to work at the last minute? Uber? Public transportation? Nope. Uber costs more than owning a vehicle then public transportation is on a set schedule.

Be frugal not eliminate everything

>>816656

enjoy that accident with injuries. I am sure the court costs can be made up by increasing the ac temperature two degrees

>>816682
You lost me

>>816682
Fucking kek.

>>816058
It can be hard to get extra money playing an instrument depending on the one you choose. Unfortunately some of the most in-demand instruments are the most expensive to get into, like oboe and bassoon. I also noticed after high school with trying to get into local shows that music directors tend to like choosing the same musicians every season, and most of them turned out to be teachers or had music degrees from uni. One of the directors also tried to pay us with dinner at a decent restaurant instead of money (and then he quit the show a week before its premiere so the musicians didn't actually get anything from performing).
Tutoring can be really good for getting extra money though. There are also some community bands that pay its members a little bit at the end of the season but you have to remember that you're also paying to drive yourself to the venues, which can be far from where you live. Most of mine are 40-60 minute rides to get to because I live in the middle of nowhere.

tl;dr learn how to play tuba instead of a wind instrument

>>816428
>400k $
>buy a flat in a growing city for cheap
>rent it to other people
>get $$$
>if you picked a good city, prices will rise, because they do like so since fucking 1945
>get more $$$
>buy another flat thanks to benefits from your first flat
>after 15-20 years, enjoy endless benefits
>become a real estate mogul

>>816334
fatties gonna fat

>>816735
How to get 400k ?

>>816278
>the most important thing to being frugal isn't trying to pay less, but knowing how to price items
This so much as well as being aware of what will actually bring value to your life. I've only recently stopped being an idiot with my finances, but it's amazing how much money you save once you start trying to be aware of what things are actually valuable to you.

For example, getting a $10 burrito every day for work at lunch adds absolutely nothing to my life compared to bringing a home made lunch of rice and chicken or a sandwich. Or buying random games on Steam that I'm likely never going to play vs practicing guitar or just watching netflix.

Spending $200 to take out my friends for dinner and drinks once a month (obviously with them footing the bill themselves for other activities on other days) does add value to my life in the connections/memories I'm fostering.

My friends wonder how I can afford to take them out so often and still have enough to put away in savings, while they're constantly broke despite not making that much less than me.

>>816739
Retards gonna retard.

>>816740
Ask your parents.

1. Don't spend money on consumerist gadgetry shit. That iPhone is not going to make you life any better than a $100 smartphone. That's one month of rent wasted for nothing.

2. Buy a cheap used car with a small efficient engine. It will get you wherever just as well as any other car. Never got into debt for a fucking car.

3. People waste way too much money on accommodation. If you're really going to be at home, no more than 5 hours a day and then only to eat and sleep, does it really make a big difference whether you live in a 50ft vs 30ft apartment? It only makes sense to pay more for better location as it saves on transportation costs.

4. Don't waste too much time being frugal on things that aren't going to be saving you that much money such as: >>815921. You goal, after all is to gain wealth. So it's better to invest that time in learning, studying or working. In particular don't compromise on your health and nutrition as you cannot fix those things, no matter how much money you have got later on.

>>816761
> Cheap used car
> inexpensive to own and maintain

Choose 1

A cheap used car will typically be old. That means you better be ready to sink money into it for maintenance, both corrective and preventative. Things like:
> Tires
> Brakes
> Timing Belt change

That doesn't include things like oh shit, my AC compressor blew and it's 90 degrees and the mechanic is charging $650 to repair it.

>>816761

Couple more:

5. It's very unlikely that you'd ever need a cellphone plan. Pretty much everywhere there is wifi and you can use whatsapp or the like to contact people without costing you anything. You can then just have a prepaid plan that doesn't expire.

6. Don't buy brand name clothes. Buy smart clothes that fit well but you really don't need to be paying $50 for a hoodie or some such shit. However you need to have good looking semi-formal and formal wear for those special occasions and you cannot cheapen out on those. It's only a one time expense so you shouldn't worry about spending a bit of money there.

>>815898
> Bring your own lunch to work.
> Make your own coffee at home (or just bum it for free at work).
> Get an apartment within 3 miles of both work and entertainment, so you rarely have to drive.
> Share said apartment with roommates.
> No cable. Get a 'dumb phone' for like $20/mo.

But under no circumstances should you cut costs in either of these categories:
> Groceries
> Your mattress

That's not to say you shouldn't find the best bargain you can, but you shouldn't be foregoing a juicy steak and a good night's sleep for a few extra bucks in your bank account.

EAT WELL

>proteins
>vegetables
>seeds

>do NOT eat cheap fast food
>do NOT eat sugary stuff

Why ?

>you'll get fat & ugly
>diabetes, obesity
>dependance to sugar
>it takes a lot of time and dedication to go back
>medication cost a lot

>>816763

I know my shit around cars.

Tires usually will be OK. In any case you can easily know what you're buying in that respect so factor in the cost if you find them worn. Brakes are a $150 job at max. Timing belt maybe another $200.

Other things that can go wrong:
>fuel pump
>transmission
>AC
>some random control box IC

Yeah maybe another $1000 in repairs.

Of course if you are careful in buying you won't run into so many issues but being generous: worst case scenario is $1500 in expenses.

So yeah, that still makes a 10 to 15 year old car at $2500 to $4000, way, way cheaper than a 5 year old car or newer that is going to run you $8000 to $15000.

And remember depreciation as well.

A 5 year old car at $10000 is going to lose about $5000 in another 5 years.

A 10 year old car at $4000 is going to lose $2000, max, probably less.

Financially speaking, you cannot make a case against buying a 10 to 15 year old car. They are the best deal you can buy.

>>816775
> Timing belt is $200

Just for parts. For labor that will run you about $700-900 total.

> Transmission
> $1000 repair

Try $2000-3000, depending on vehicle.

> Tires will usually be okay

Not when you are buying an old used car privately and the guy selling the car doesn't want to sink $400-600 into a new set of tires + alignment.

> Brakes are a $150 job at max
Only if you don't need new rotors. Although I will throw a bone and say that every man should know how to do his own brakes and rotors, it's as simple as turning a wrench and will save you on a regular repair that mechanics use as a big money-maker.

Other things you didn't include:
> Transmission fluid exchange - when do you think that thing was last done by the previous owner?
> Random oil leaks that require extensive labor costs
> Relatively low fuel economy from cars built 10-15 years ago.

You are also not factoring in the fact that most of the people ITT are working wage jobs where if they don't make it to work, they don't get paid. Even if you do have a big boy job, how often do you think "my car broke down" is going to fly as an excuse for you being late to work or taking a day off?

>>816785
tl;dr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence

>>816785

Factor in your inflated costs. It's still going to be cheaper to buy 10 year old or older. You need to have some $4000 in repairs for it to suddenly become better to buy newer.

And that is of course the worst case scenario which only happens if you bought something without understand shit about cars.

And millage is not that predictive of reliability. If you buy a shit car known to have troubles it will give you troubles. If you buy a reliable Corolla it will run just fine with minimal maintenance.

>>816761
>That iPhone is not going to make you life any better than a $100 smartphone.
iPhones have a much better resell value. for example, I bought a used, 6 months old iPhone 5S for 350€ a year ago, and I could still get something between 300-350€ for it.
Your $100 cheap android phone will be worth $20 in a year. Sounds like a good investment?

>>816336
Something to remember. Say you make 1000/mo and spend 1000/mo.

If you cut your spending by 10 bucks, you are at 990/mo expenses with 1000 per month earnings, meaning 10 bucks saved.

Now, let's try to do the same with increasing earnings: You earn an extra 10 dollars per month. But it gets taxed 3 dollars at the marginal tax rate of 30%. What you'll need to earn is 10/(1-.3) =14.29 to save 10 dollars as you would before.

Just remember this: Sure, earning more should be your main focus. However, if you can cut back a little on your spending, it will have a larger effect on your net savings than earning extra money will when taxes get figured into the equation.

>>816532
I heard a story about how he told his wife off for buying 10k worth of drapes for the house. Sure, 10k is a lot, but not when you're the 4th richest person in the world....

>>816791
My costs aren't inflated at all. This is personal experience from owning used cars. Actually, one of the vehicles I've had the most trouble with is a 2003 Honda Accord.

> Friend drives the car, electric seat randomly binds. Cost to repair seat so I can fucking reach the pedals $1k.
> A/C randomly blows in the summer. Needs new compressor. $800
> New tires: $600 minimum. There is a law stating that you have to use the minimum spec listed, and Accords use higher quality tires
> Brakes and Rotors from the car being driven in the northeast during the blizzard: $250
> Timing belt and tuneup @ 100k miles: $750
> Transmission exchange x3 because the previous owner never did it and I'd like my transmission to last: $300

This is on top of the $6k I paid to acquire the vehicle.

>>816806
1998 Chevy Malibu:
> Oh shit, my head gasket randomly blows while I'm on the interstate in the middle of fucking nowhere
> Car starts over-heating. Fuck.
> Make it to a gas station in an hour driving at 10 minute increments.
> Stop every 20 minutes to refill coolant that is leaking through the gasket
> Get to a mechanic, $1200 repair that takes 10 hours of labor.

At least that car I inherited from my grandfather who passed away, but took pristine care of the car.

Yea, cheap used cars are the way to go!

>>816794

Fair point, but you must also consider the risk of damaging it. Realistically, your use will wear the item to way below $100 of what price you initially bought it at, plus of course it only takes a drop to reduce that $350 to almost nil.

Not sure if you have a point.

In any case my smartphone expenditure is pretty predictable and risk free: I bought it for $90, it's an OEM no-brand but has pretty hefty hardware and the latest android version. I can easily keep it going for 3 years. It has no further expenditure except for my prepaid plan. It's about $40/year (handful of emergency international calls). So that about $210 over three years. And of course if I damage it in the last two years (outside of warranty) that's another $90.

I have a hunch that that is still going to be cheaper than trading used iPhones but maybe not. Haven't looked into that. Can you even get an iPhone with a prepaid plan?

>>816794
Cell phones aren't investments. Way to be a sucker. 500 dollars new - 350 dollars resell is still more lost than that 100 dollar phone would've cost you in the first place.

>>816794
Don't kid yourself, you will never resell your used technology for the amount you bought it for. Personal tech is not an investment.

>>815898
Steer clear of women.

>>816806

1. You bought that for $2k above market value for whatever reason. Consider the problems and the lack of service it was worth even less.

You other options aren't going to be cheaper.

As it stands, you are going to spend $8k over five years.

If yo bought new, you'd be spending $13k minimum over the same period and of course you'd need $25k upfront instead of just $6k.

If you bought used but newer, you'd still have almost the same risk of running into all such mentioned issues and you'd be losing more money because depreciation levels off, the older the car is.

So despite paying $2k too much you still haven't really lost any money.

>>815959
You really don't have have to hobble yourself:

A) Emulators 100's of classic games out there for free that have stood the test of time for free.

B) Set up a list on paper of games you want to play and wait till you see them on steam/ 2nd hand etc for 1-5 bucks.

>>816735
Wait, you mean invest the money? Like, turn it into an income-earning asset?

Oh, no no no. That's ridiculous. You're asking way too much. They need to buy a cabin in the fucking woods with that money. And then there's the headache of, god forbid, about a week and a half of maintenance work every year with rentals.

That's literally how my parents responded to my "buy a fucking rental property or 5 so you aren't poor when you're old" pitch.

>>816806
>>816807
That just sounds like you don't know what to look for when buying used or you just got unlucky. Besides, with your accord: over however many years you had it (let's say 5) you spent just under $10,000 in total. A brand new car, the cheapest possible one you could buy which is an absolute shit heap Nissan Versa for about $12,000. Plus title, tax, dealer and doc fees. And that doesn't include any maintenance after you buy it. And it'll be essentially worthless by the time you try to sell it.

Spend $5k on a reliable used car and factor in, shit, another $5k for any necessary repairs that you overlooked when buying, and you will still be at least $2k under the CHEAPEST new car you can buy. That's in the absolute worst case for a used car and absolute best (cheapest) case for a new car, and I can just about guarantee you will still come up in the black by a significant margin.

It all depends on how much time and effort you're willing to devote to learning how to properly check out a car.

>>816076
If you read a book a day it will turn into a Lamborghini, and that Lamborghini will turn into a Ferrari.

I've read green eggs and ham 15 times this month alone.

>>816805
you can you be happy in life, if all you think about is money as a number. we poorfags have a reason to live frugally, but he fucking doesn't. even if he spends 100k a day, it's practically nothing, but would make his life more worth than the mere earning of money. his wife must be a sad woman

>>816129
>Où places-tu ton argent ?

Dans des banques suisses. ;-)

Mais ce qui compte, c'est 1) que les frais ne soient pas trop élevés, 2) de ne pas payer des impôts délirants le jour où l'on retire son argent.

Je ne sais pas si Vanguard France est bien au point concernant les PEA, assurances vie, etc. Si tu détiens des ETF en direct sur un simple compte titres, tu risques de payer des impôts délirants quand tu feras un retrait dans 15 ou 20 ans.

Je conseillerais plutôt de détenir des ETF de BlackRock, Amundi, SPDR ou autres (en attendant que Vanguard ait fini de s'installer) dans une banque traditionnelle.

Et pense aux actions européennes (Stoxx Europe 600 ou MSCI Europe), car le S&P 500 commence à être un peu cher, en plus de ne pas être en euros !

>>815959
Holy shit this so much.

I can never for the life of me stress enough the importance of having a constant supply of stale bagels. I don't know where would I be if I hadn't made friends with this bagel & bagel cashier. To make them taste less like dry carton I bought Clover Valley peanut butter. It tastes like shit but surprisingly when added on the stale bagels it's as if the bad properties of both neutralize eachother, so when you're eating it you can't even tell how stale the bagels are or how bad the peanut butter is.

If you're socially retarded like I am you can do what I did before that fortunate friend I made, which was lurk the back alleys of bagel shops. They will literally discard boxes full of stale bagels. Most of the time they left them near the trash can, but if you can't see any don't give up. Occasionally (and sometimes always, depending on the specific shop), they would throw the old bagels away in a trash bag right into the trashcan. So you'll have to look inside them too. I suggest waiting until the shop is closed to do that because otherwise they might call the security. At least they threatened me but I didn't really get into trouble. So to minimize the risk you'll have to look up the garbage truck schedule and sweep the back alleys right before they come. It's usually twice a week so each night you get to go to a different place to get the most of your time. For nyc you can look up the schedules at http://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/2320/recycling-or-trash-collection-schedule

Contrary to what you'd think IT IS POSSIBLE to get punished legally for doing it. You'll have to look closer at your state laws to be sure. Often they'll try to get you convicted on something else that may not even have anything to do with what you were doing, so you'll have to look up all the appropriate laws, not just those concerning garbage rummaging.

Most back alleys are public area regardless of what they look like.

>>817110
>/biz/ - Bums & Bagels

>>816355

I'm currently in a relationship and so far she has proven to be quite frugal and she even pays for her own meals even after I offered to pay. Did I find the perfect girl?

>>817130
>mfw when she consists only of bone and skin
>mfw your tits and ass are probably bigger than hers
>mfw horse-face
if this is your kind of "perfect" ...

>>816337
>Now it's essentially a gay porn board.
problem?

>>817133

She's none of those which is why I'm wondering when the problems are going to start.

>>817148
there must be some bug in universe.exe then.
>I'm wondering when the problems are going to start
at least you figured out yourself. there WILL be some shit - even if you have to wait 4 years for it.

>>817152

Another thing that helps being frugal is to never depend on someone else for anything that comes to personal finance. Never give your SO the opportunity to fuck you over and they never will, basically.

>>816130
Haha, Americans... Free health care, here. Feels gud

Go minimalist. I have 300 bux listed on ebay after cleaning out my house, and a donation slip from goodwill for that which had no value to sell.

Buy secondhand, shop curbside, make it yourself, do without, etc. Never buy new if you can help it, unless it's for hygienic reasons.

Don't buy shit.

Cook at home.

All you need to clean everything is baking soda, vinegar, and/or lemon. Never buy those expensive cleaning poisons.

Sell your TV, cancel your cable. Sell your dryer, use a laundry line. Unplug everything when not in use.

Get a bike, bike commute when possible. Only have an older car, never buy new. If you paid more than 8k you're an idiot, and that's for a NICE used car. Get a fuel efficient model.

Your rent is the biggest part of your budget. Move somewhere cheaper.

Pay off your fucking debt and don't get any more. Every cent of interest paid is a flush of money down the shitter.

If you have a backyard, put in a vegetable garden. Exponential financial rewards from the $ saved from the grocery store, AND it's fresh, local, and organic. Start a compost pile to gain fertilizer for the garden.

Don't overjew. The point of life is to enjoy it.

>>816369

Stop eating beef jerky. It's fucking expensive. Eat offal.

>>816264

I like this guy. Seconded. I spend 30 a week on food. I could halve that, but I like my produce based, low grain, no processed shit, clean eating diet.

>>817187
>Free health care, here.

Health care doesn't fall out of the sky. You pay for it indirectly with your taxes, and you pay for it for all of those somalian immigrants who are raping your sister too hard and need a salve for their dicks.

Now, mine is free because I'm an ameriburger poorfag. Literally thanks to Obongo. Feels great. By the time they make me pay, I'll have plenty of income.

>>817217

>Don't overjew. The point of life is to enjoy it.
that's about exactly the opposite to everything you listed above. but eh

>If you have a backyard, put in a vegetable garden
this one actively offends
>Your rent is the biggest part of your budget. Move somewhere cheaper.
either backyard or cheaper rent. ofc you can go full jew and count every cent you could save from your vegetables and compare this to your extra rent. but im about 100% sure you'll lose more than you gain.

The rest i totally agree with you

>>817238

I'm a rentfag and have a garden, and this was the cheapest place that wasn't a roach motel on the market. It just depends on the area and how rural or urban it is.

The garden has saved me substantial money. My groceries are normally 30 a week, but they're now roughly 20. That's about 200 bux over the course of a summer, revenue from a very fun and rewarding hobby. Compared to vidya I'd say it's a great thing to get into. Plus homegrown taste better.

You know why people had lawns back in the day? To show they weren't so poor as to need farm their land. Hence, you grow your own, don't need to buy, and save substantial dosh.

Or turn up your nose at it.

>overjew

I think my lifestyle is pretty luxurious, despite following all of the previous post (except some food out with friends/family.) Once in a while I buy something nice for myself, like a new sweater or a piece of tech, if I saved enough money to more than cover that expense. People have different comfort levels. I technically am under the poverty line, so some would call me poor. But I find it cushy and comfy. Depends on the individual.

>>816758
>calling people retarded for paying attention to proper nutrition and exercise

jesus christ people like you should be gassed

though of course you will die soon of malnutrition or cardiac failure anyways

"local idiot dies after consuming inexpensive bread and peanut butter only diet"

>>816825
I bought the car two years ago. A 2003 Honda Accord EX sold for around $8k in fair condition at the time. Got it checked by a mechanic and everything. You simply can't predict random repairs like that with old cars.

Also, you guys do know that new cars have re-sale value, right?

>>816986
First, there's such a thing as resale value.

Second, you pay tax on every car you buy, regardless of whether it's new or used.

Third, wtf are 'dealer fees?' I've also bought new cars and I've never encountered this. They charge you for the registration and taxes. And if you know how to play dealers against each other, you get them to pay that for you and deduct it off the price of the car, in addition to getting the car 20-30% below sticker. So realistically I could drive away with the same Accord model new for around $20k final costs, drive it for 8 years, and sell it for $10-12k if I keep it in good condition.

>>816769

> Never skimp on Food or Sleep

Completely agree with you.

>>816769
>>817567
Today's culture has come up with this really bizarre idea that food can be cheap.

Food was never cheap. It was never meant to be cheap.
If it is cheap, odds are it's not really food.

>>817636
>Today's culture has come up with this really bizarre idea that food can be cheap.
only comprable to most other expenses, people will saddle themselves with debts
and pay outrageous amounts for their phones/cars/premium brands ect. Spending
30 usd a week on food is much smaller.
>If it is cheap, odds are it's not really food.
While not nearly as nutritous as some other products, most things stacked on store
shelves will give enough nutrition to satisfy the average consumer and some things
like veggies and potatoes are always cheap and can be bought in bulk/kept long ect.
Unless you live in a country with shit tier health regulations for food.

life tips

>>815898
>eating for $3 per day
http://www.miketuritzin.com/writing/eating-healthily-for-3-a-day/
>Always buy things off of ebay instead of amazon for competitive prces.
>Costco is a great place to shop if you don't want to pay for the card just go with a friend who has one.
>Quit playing video games, subliminally they urge you to spend the whole point of a game is to market.
>Walk places.
>Don't talk too much, talking a lot makes you insecure and men of frugal nature keep to themselves.
>Make a grocery list and actually stick to it!
>For productive frugals there is something called soylent.
>Get rid of habits like smoking and drinking.
>If your in a relationship make her pay for rent and expenses. If she cant handle that move on bieng rich is more important then feelings.

>>816001
>bank fees
Why are you paying bank fees?

>Netfilx
So unnecessary Television that you can find on the internet?

Price is what you pay
Value is what you get
-Buffet

>>816008
>France
good luck with that if you're not black/brown/musli...

>>816350
wear plastic bags if you're so cheap then - free at your local shop, will save on water, paper towels, time...

>>817259

Nothing wrong in buying something nicer if it provides great value to you. That's the definition of frugal.

People ITT:

> Gf: "you want to go out for dinner tonight?"

No, let's eat the disgusting shit from our backyard for the 6th time this weak. Mmmm potatoe with spinache and the cheapest garbage meat I could find at the discount supermarket.


> Gf: "you want to go do something fun like have a drink in town or go to the cinema?"

No, let's sit at home and download the movie instead and enjoy filtered rain water

> Gf: "Could we turn up the heating a bit, I'm cold, it's like fucking 10°C in here"

-Shut up woman and wear those 5 smelly blouses I took from the homeless help shop

> Friends: "Hey man, it's been so long, wanna go out with us and party tonight?"

-No but you can come to my place, bring your own food and drinks and listen to music on this shit ass radio I built myself. Also pls bring 5 blouses.

>GF: Let's go to the seaside today!

-I don't have a car cuz it's too expensive. Let's walk there for 200 km. Don't wear shoes though as they will wear. We go barefoot. Pack enough filtered rainwater and raw potatoes for on the way.

> Gf: We're invited to a wedding next sunday!

- Let's go! Take all self-made hennep bags you can find.

> GF: Oh nice, we can finally go somewhere! Can i buy a pretty dress?

-No, make one from dirt and hennep. Fuck you woman.


Conclusion: Forever alone.

>>817903
I don't think you understand what frugal is, kiddo.

>>817903

>the value of my life is measured by mindless cunts

>>817905


>A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter feeds you for a few days for a mere 3 dollars

>Ebay for clothes

>Rent and food : 200$

>In France cheapest is 2€ with Free, 2hours call unlimited SMS and 50 mb internet.

>Panera Bread tosses their baked items each night.

>Living with uncle

>Turn AC off when not home or at night if you're manly enough.

> Avoid relationships unless she agrees to the frugal life

>- wedding reception shopping budget 40

> having a car lel

> Or buying random games on Steam that I'm likely never going to play vs practicing guitar or just watching netflix.

>does it really make a big difference whether you live in a 50ft vs 30ft apartment?

> seeds

> Steer clear of women.

> Emulators 100's of classic games

> I can never for the life of me stress enough the importance of having a constant supply of stale bagels

>If you're socially retarded like I am

>Sell your TV, cancel your cable. Sell your dryer, use a laundry line. Unplug everything when not in use.

> I spend 30 a week on food

>If your in a relationship make her pay for rent and expenses. If she cant handle that move on bieng rich is more important then feelings.


All these are quotes from posts within this thread. Summed up that's actually a worse version of the person I described in the post you commented on.

The only 2 possibilities are that you're the only one in this entire thread who really knows what frugality means. The other one is that you're retarded and can't read.

>>817907
To make things even easier for you: The profile of a frugal /biz/

I eat peanut butter and stale bagels that I found in the trashcan.
I use a nokia 6510 with GPRS connection and limit my calling time to 2 hours per month and 5 website visits.
I live with my uncle and whenever he turns on the AC I call him a faggot and tell him to man up.
I don't have a relationship because no one wants to eat stale bagels with me.
When I want luxury food I'll go to the park and steal seeds from the birds.
I only play free classic games so I have no friends to game with and can't talk about the topic
I am socially retarded. I have no tv and I dry my wet clothes inside because I love to breath damp air
I spend about $30 a week on peanut butter.

>>817907
Yeah you must be incredibly happy eating seeds mate. You can be as rich as you want by 40-50 with that lifestyle but at least I'll have actually lived while young.

The most valuable thing, and this is agreed upon by people in this thread, is health. You have a huge chance, regardless of how many seeds and peanut butter you eat, that you'll be a lot stronger, healthier and mobile during the first 30-40 years of your life than after that.

Living frugal up to a certain point is understandable but not enjoying some luxuries, even if they aren't "investments" is just ridiculous.

Inb4 you get cancer at 40 and die or get parkinsons at 50 and get stuck inside your 30ft appartment.

Yeah and about that. WHAT THE FUCK was that post about a 30 sqft appartment vs a 50 sqft one.

THATS 2,7m2 vs 4,6m2. HOW CAN ANYONE LIVE IN SUCH A SPACE. Hahaha holy fucking shit guys, pull yourselves together.

don't eat. you'll get hungry again anyway.

>>817930
>I live with my uncle and whenever he turns on the AC I call him a faggot

keked hard

the dream life !

>>817930
>steal seeds from the birds
Why seeds? Just eat the birds. Go to a park and yank some goose out of the ponds.

>>816751
>For example, getting a $10 burrito every day for work at lunch adds absolutely nothing to my life compared to bringing a home made lunch of rice and chicken or a sandwich.

for me the value of time eating out for lunch every workday is far worth it.

i spend $8 on food that takes me 10 minutes to get compared to spending $3 to make something of equivalent quality that will eat up an hour of my time.

for $100 extra a month I basically save myself half a workweek in time spent just from food prep. then again this is a lot easier to prepare for if you're getting food for two people. living on my own I tend to avoid getting portions that are of worthwhile value since they'll spoil before I get to use them (fruits and veggies anyway).

time >>>>>>>>> money. this the only frugal tip one needs

From someone who works as a RN... Outside of work dress like a bum. I walk around in a white t-shirt and pajamas. I try to play games... But I end up playing RS in my free time and browsing 4chan while grinding. I also have a daughter who I don't spend tons of money on. Maybe like $150 extra month in all my expensive which is like $900/mo.. I save over $2k/mo.

>>815898

I've quit smoking 1.5 years ago, I never eat out and cook all meals mostly from scratch (vs buying canned, pre-made or frozen), I buy baking supplies in bulk and bake treats to keep me from offing myself, I brew my own apple cider, and I have a girlfriend who I psychologically mess with her so we fuck all the time.

>>817943
>Why seeds? Just eat the birds. Go to a park and yank some goose out of the ponds.
Why not eat both? Double profit?

>>817955

>I walk around in a white t-shirt and pajamas

One to add to the list guys. This profile of frugalbizman is getting extremely awesome.

>>817970
For that matter.... any artists around who could make a drawing of how frugalbizman lives, using >>817970 and >>817924

Then we can stop making these threads and sticky the frugalbizman as mascot of this board.

>>817970
>2015
>Not okay to dress in pajamas and walk around in your own house in them

I'll cut you bitch.

Otherwise going outside in PUBLIC is blue jeans and white t-shirt.

>>817975
>Outside of work dress like a bum. I walk around in a white t-shirt and pajamas

Too late to take it back now pajamaman.

>>817977
You're right... I only own 24 white t-shirts, 15 scrubs, and a huge assortment of pajamas especially ones with pokemon/digimon characters on them.. 1 pair of blue jeans I bought at Walmart a couple years ago, 2 pairs of shoes both of which are 4 years old, and 2 collared hollister shirts.

>>817953
I don't know why it takes you an hour to make a sandwich, but I typically make a sandwich in less time than it takes to wait in line and receive my order for a burrito.

>>817982
Take the collars off and sell them for money, you make a little profit and save money because you're not using as much water/soap to wash your collars.

>>816008

lol France hates people getting rich, you might as well not even try

>>817985
I may wear bum tier clothes but I'm not going to scrooge for cash. I'm too fucking lazy to shop for clothes and everything fancy is uncomfortable as hell. I spend more on my yard and computer in 1 month than I spend on clothes in 5 years.

>>817998
Why do you have a yard? Dont you live in a 30sqft appartment like advised by others in this thread?

For younger biz in USA: don't go to private colleges/spend over 7k a year on tuition alone.
Also, go for them scholarship. I go to school in NYC for 2 grand a year.
Even if your parents pay for your college, they're gonna die one day and the money they saved will likely mean more money in the will.

>>818082
>2015
>parents are expected to die when you're 60

Maybe stop being an egocentric little shit and allow your parents to spend a gopd their money during the good years they still have.

By the time they die you should be fine already anyways.

>>818090
When did I say anything about dying at 60? I never said they couldn't spend it if they wanted to, either.
You reading shit that ain't there, homes

>>818094
To clarify, I meant I never said anything about age in general. It's just that it will happen. Being 60 doesn't mean you don't need money anymore.

>>817280
Look at the post IDs you fucking moron.

>>815898
Go to Safeway/some other store at 9:30-10PM and ask them if you can get a discount on bagels/donuts. If you have a card, you can get them a dollar a dozen. I got 60 bagels for 5 dollars the last time I went, and I've been eating 2-4 a day.

>>818094
>>818096

No but if you haven't sorted out your own finances at 60 you might as well give up.

You'll have lived an entire life full of frugalbizman nonsense and enjoyed nothing and somehow you seem to indicate that you'll still need money from your parents.

Congratulations.

>>817805
he didn't say he payed for internet though, assuming hes leeching off relatives. Overall his expenses are outstanding, except for food, but bringing you from 100 dollars a month to 50 a month is a big decrease and may not be worth it.

Bank fees are concerning, must be a shit bank.

>>817903
Reminds me of this guy from some shitty TLC show.
Specifically the "Roy" segment.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xwh58j_extreme-cheapskates-s01e06-roy-ben_shortfilms
see also
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WMOtwiTBPg

Extremely frugal living does not mix well with relationships.

>>816369
just steal it from gas stations you pussy

>>818150
>Bank fees are concerning, must be a shit bank.

It's insurance pack that I'm paying. I'll take that off and pay 3$/month for debit card.

>>818273
Where are you that having a debit card isn't free?

Any major bank will waive all their fees for having a minimum balance in the account (usually like $30 maximum).
That shouldn't be happening at all.

>>818301
>Where are you that having a debit card isn't free?
BNP Paribas.

You can't spell Frugal without Stale Bagel.
Oh wait, you can, but you should still get mold infested bagels or you're not frugal enough.

>>818307
Right, I forgot you were in France.

Shit's fucked then.
The structure is way out of wack from back when you guys rushed on those stupid chip things.

$3 a month is about as good as it's gonna get.

>>818322
I could pay 0$ for debit card, but it's online banking, is it worth it ?

>>817800
>Don't talk too much
But I like talking to people when I'm out buying stuff, it's fun.

>>818147
>lived whole life
What says who
>still need money
>need it
Says who

Who said any of this stuff m8
I never said I'll need it
But if you don't think about managing your money even if you don't NEED the money, then you're gonna be hurting in your wallet one day

>>818301
In Belgium/France there can be a small fee if you want to be able to connect a credit card to that account at some point. If you tell your bank you won't be needing one, they can drop the charges.

>>818362
you're even worse than pajamaman at dodging stuff you've said before.

>>816988
Doesn't work like that Tai

>>815979
>not buying second hand clothes
it's like you can't fashion or something, anon

>>818379
>hurrf trust me ur wrong ok I don't gotta back myself up keke

>>817903
>kneejerk reaction to being a minimalist rather than a consumer whore
>"hurp that'll show them"
I know you don't actually believe that stuff, but you gotta be careful because if you don't start treating money with respect you actually WILL end up poor and in debt.

>>817964
>I have a girlfriend who I psychologically mess with her
best way to do it

>>818950
That's not an outright disagreement though. A lot of the stuff in this thread is stupid, unnecessary bullshit. Going with a cheaper carrier like AT&T or Cricket, rather than getting fucked in the ass by Verizon every month? Good idea. Very good idea, actually. Nobody gives a shit what carrier you're on, all that matters is that it works. Eating bagels for every meal? Unhealthy as shit. Absolutely horrible for your body, in fact. You should be eating a good mix of vegetables, fruits, meat, and some (not a lot!) grains/carbohydrates.

>educate yourself and buy a used car instead of new
Good
>buy a shitbox for $500 off craigslist because you think you just saved a couple thousand dollars
Not good. You will get fucked by maintenance and then die in a collision because your car has no safety features.

>Try to avoid buying name-brand clothes, most of which don't fit well anyway, and instead buy clothing that first and foremost, fits
Good
>buy used clothes on craigslist or get them from a thrift shop
Outside of the very rare /fa/ leather jacket or other "durable" article, bad.

continued

>>818960
>cook your own meals FOR THE MOST PART, but still go out to eat occasionally for dates and friends
Good. Guys who are able to cook are fucking sexy. Guys who are in good shape and know how to cook make girls drool. In two places. See what I did there.
>cook your own meals and only eat rice/beans/broccoli/3 varieties of food
Not good. 1) you probably aren't getting everything you need and 2) going out occasionally should not be a big fucking deal. If your friends want to get shitfaced on $7 beers at the bar every night, you need new friends.

Another consideration is diminishing returns. If you're pissing away money like the consumer whore America wants you to be and you cut back on your expenses to a reasonable (and therefore, well below average) level, you're good. Say, $2500 a month to $1800. That's great. But excessive saving will only waste your time and health. Rather than trying to save another $700 a month, try to increase your income by $700 a month. You gotta push on both ends of the financial spectrum. That's the right way to be financially independent.

>>818960
>>818950

Second poster here gets it. I was merely performing a satiric version of what a summary of this thread could be. Obviously I used the most extreme quotes but as I showed in the post below the one you replied to, it's still pretty conservative compared to what I could've written, basing myself on this thread.

>>818950
There's a difference between being careful and being frugalbizman as described in >>817930

I always make sure that my living standard allows me to save a decent amount every mount. I own an appartment (no mortgage) which I could resell for quite a bit more than the purchasing price, basing myself off current average prices in the neighbourhood for similar places.

Other than that I have enough savings to maintain my current standards for 3 years.

I chose the cheapest telecom/internet/tv/electricity/gas provider twice a year by doing a detailed comparison, yet I don't choose for some shit ass 2 hour per month 50mb contract for my phone.

I cook my own meals at least 5 times per week but I have lunch with clients often and I can't really offer them stale bagles if I want to do business. I also eat out +- once per week with my girlfriend and once a week I visit my parents (who will then feed me).

I drive a modest, relatively new second hand car (I buy 2-3 years old as in Belgium cars depreciate the fastest during that time after which it goes a lot slower). I have a professional fuel card and I only get gas at stations without a shop to get the best prices.

The high price clothes that I have do seem to withstand time a lot better than the €10 t-shirts I get from H&M. A lot of my white shirts still look the same as 5 years ago.

I have a gym subscription (€20/month) to stay healthy and a rowing machine at home.

Travelling is one of my favorite things so I try to do 5+ city trips every year and 1-2 longer trips (max 5-7 days though as it's hard for me to stay away from work longer than that as self-employed person).
These cost quite a bit but imo it's worth it as it's a big cultural enrichment and gives me things to talk about when dealing with high-end clients.

I just find it stupid to live like a hobo just so you can be a millionaire when you hit 50 but have no friends, no wife and no cultural baggage.

A few ways I've cut expenses:

Utilities) Unplug items not in use. This even applies to coffee machines, microwaves etc. My entire entertainment center is always unplugged unless I have company over. Make sure you turn off lights when you're not in a room. For gas - turn down your hot water tank. It uses more gas than your furnace does in the winter over the course of a year.

Food) First off - don't shop while youre hungry. Second, plan your meals. Plan out an entire weeks worth of meals on paper and each thing you will need to make them. Buy those things and only those things. Bring your own lunch to work. Stop eating out all together.

Going Out) Bike rides, walks in the park (taking the dog on more walks if you have pets). If it's cold out find cheap indoor hobbies. One of mine I picked up is making soap, which also saves a ton of money.

Toiletries) As I said above, I make my own soap so I save a ton there (both bar soap and laundry soap). Buy a set a dish towels, use them to clean up minor spills or while cooking and add them to your wash when dirty. Move paper towels out of sight in a cupboard or something so youre not tempted to be wasteful. Buy the cheapest acceptable quality of all other products (shampoo, disposable razors, q-tips etc). The dollar store is great for this. From $200/mo to $90/mo after modest changes.

Communications) Cancel cable TV if you have it. Keep internet but get the cheapest plan available. Right now I have time warner cable everyday low price internet - $14.99/mo. Buy your own modem and wireless router (can be found used for cheap on ebay and craigslist). When I say $14.99 - I mean literally $14.99 - no taxes, modem fees etc. All in cost. Cell phones - cancel high priced 'post-paid' plans you may have with major carriers. Get a cheap budget carrier with a phone you own outright. I went from $114.50/mo for two phones with Sprint to $55.00 for the same plan/quality phones via Walmart Family Mobile (t-mobile).

>>819041

Transportation) Buy a newer, reliable and gas saving used car (less than 6-7 years old). Cash outright. If you can't afford it, buy one cheaper/older. The idea is to eliminate monthly payments.

Savings) Use the savings from some of the above categories to eliminate debt. It's a slow process and requires a lot of discipline. Which is why most people live check to check and in debt. Stick with it and it works. Anyhow - apply the monthly savings to outstanding debts (credit cards, student loans, payday loans etc).

Debt) As I noted above, pay these off with the savings. Start from smallest balance to largest without being concerned about interest rates so you see results to keep yourself motivated. When one is paid off - allocate of the money not used to make that payment the next month into paying off the next.

Sanity/Whatever Fund) Add it to your budget. It could be $100 or $1000 - just keep it reasonable relative to your income. Basically a 'im losing my mind I want X item so bad'. Buy it. Just make sure it's budgeted.

Using the techniques above my g/f and I paid off $19,000 in debt since last September on a 40K/year household income. Yes I'm poor at the moment relatively speaking.. long story - coming out of a bankruptcy. But it works.. never been happier in my life. Happier now with a sane budget than I was making 95K/year. Shooting to buy a home cash outright in three years.

>>819048
You should paid the debts with the higher interest first, pleb.

>>819050
Being frugal is about behavior modification - not mathematics.

>>819053
>Being frugal is about behavior modification - not mathematics.
kek ?

>>815987
>not everyone worries about their macros you retarded shitstain
It's the number 1 point of eating, you retard

>>819041
>>819048

Meh at least this is more moderate and livable than most advice in this thread.

Stop eating out alltogether as in really never ever is kind of exaggerated imo.Yes it's expensive but if you've got a girlfriend or friends that you haven't seen for a while. It's considered a bit rude if they invite you to have dinner with them in a (non-exuberant) restaurant. I value my friends higher than the $20 steak I pay at the locak restaurant.

How much does soap even cost? $2 per 2 months? If it takes you longer than 5 minutes to make your own soap you're losing too much time on this. Time is money friend. Then again if you REALLY consider soap-making as a hobby I guess you're right. Holy shit though.

Like i said before I'm not a fan of the "cheapest internet/phone/tv plan". You want to get everything YOU need, which could be a product with more features, and THEN you check which provider can give you what you need for the least amount of money.

-Transportation: I guess it depends on country/car but over here it's often cheaper (TCO) to lease a car than buy it. Even getting a cheap loan for it can be worth it if you're someone who invests most of his assets in stocks.

You don't always have to pay off debt. For example I got a €30.000 so-called "green loan" for my solar panels 8 years ago at 1% interest. Sometimes you get a deal/government aid which simply makes it worth it to take out the loan as you'll make more money by investing your savings.

Overall seen you seem to be doing well though. Congratulations.

>>816806
>Buy $1000 SUV valued at 2k in perfect order.
>Have friend fudge the inspection paperwork(needs a few fixes, 1k total)
>Drive only when I need to.
>Dont give a fuck if it gets scratches or dings.
>Engine light came on twice, it's a sensor issue.

Your fucking problem is that you dropped 6k on a vehicle. I paid $1000 for a 2001 blazer, if something shits out the parts are cheap, I can pay a friend in homebrew beer if I can't fix it myself, and it will last me for years.

>>819107

>SUV
>$1000

So it has to be old with a fuckton on the meter. I understand you don't drive a lot but that thing probably uses 25-30 liters per 100km if not more. Dunno how that fits frugality.

(P.S. that's 7-8 MPG)

>>819100

My advice is more specifically for people that are building wealth and stability long term - not people that have 'made it' so to speak. Although it's applicable on a smaller scale across the board I guess.

Being invited out to eat for a special occasions is different. That can go in the 'whatever fund' part of a budget. Beyond that, it definitely adds up. Even a pizza every other Friday @ $20 almost $500/year. That's a small credit card balance that could be paid off for most people.. or be put in savings if an unexpected expense comes up.

I make a years worth of laundry soap for about 7 dollars. A years worth. All you need is coconut oil, lye and washing soda. It takes about 30 mins of actual work. Same goes with bar soap, only that costs about $20 for a years worth. Total savings of around $130/year vs store bought. Time is money and $130/hour isnt too bad.

Combine that with $120/year on paper towels alone.. $750/year right there with three simple things. Small cuts like that add up quick - thousands a month in bankable free and clear cash every month. Then buying solar panels for your home, motorcycles, cars, boats - anything cool you want - the cash is there to buy it outright.

With the exception of mortgages, I disagree with you on the debt part. Anything that carries an interest rate directly steals from your wealth long term. Unless it's absolutely necessary, there's no reason to carry a loan balance of any kind. With a proper emergency and savings fund - you don't need to. I understand the concept of investments vs loans balancing each other out or coming out ahead, I just think it's flawed.

Especially here in the US. Everyone likes to peacock but in reality they probably have a near zero or even negative net worth while they drive their overpriced car the bank loaned them.

>>819115

> Eating out

Totally agree with you. Eating out is a large part of my budget. Adds up fast

>Soap

When it's laundry (maybe dishwasher too), and handsoap (maybe shampoo/conditioner as well?) I guess it's actually worth doing then. Might give that a go.
I don't exactly understand what you mean with the paper towers though.

> debt

If you can get practically free money (1% interest like I said) why wouldn't you do it? If you spend it in cash you stop making money on the amount you paid.

Mathematical examples:

€30.000 solar panel installation

1) Get green loan for €30.000 over 20 years.

I'll be paying €6605 in interests over these 20 years

BUT 30.000 will be either:

A) On my savings account. Generating 2% per year if not more (very conservative if looked at long-term) this means I'll have (compounding interests once a year over 20 yaers) €44,578 20 years later on that account.

€14578 - €6605 = €7943.

Since you like €130 a year saved on soap I'm sure you'd be ok with €397,15 average yearly profit over 20 years in the scenario where you take the loan.

Now imagine investing that 30.000 for 20 years offensively in stocks, regenerating a historical return of 8% a year average.

Value after 20 years: €139,828.71 or a profit of €133223. That's on the average €6661 a year!


So, whenever you're absolutely sure (savings account interest rate) or very confident (stock market long term) that your money is going to generate more money over time than the interests you'll be paying, you should ALWAYS take the loan.

>>819115
The thing you seem to misunderstand is that you think it's about the usefulness of the goal of the loan but this is a constant factor regardless of paying in cash or getting a loan.

The only factors that matter when deciding whether or not to get a loan is the % chance you'll be able to generate more income out of the money when keeping it in stocks/savings.

If you can pay off all the interests on your loan with money generated by the same amount of money on your savings account, you get the loan.

>>819125

Paper towels.. pic related. As far as shampoo and conditioner - you can, yeah. There are certain things my g/f refuses to compromise on though, that's one of them.. hah. So, we buy that.

>Mathematical examples:

In that specific example I'd agree. Although with interest rates here being at 0 basically - still doesn't make much financial sense to do that. Stocks aside of course. Even then it's locking up any liquidity you have. While the solar install begins to provide savings immediately, on a monthly basis. Plus if the markets take a turn and you needed that money, oh well or take it back out with a loss. Then you're still stuck with the loan. I guess what I'm trying to say is I view it at a leveraged position basically. Which carries the same level of risk as any leveraged position does - if something takes a dive, you're in the hole.

Here in the states arguments are made why paying off your mortgage is stupid because of tax credits. 'The 10K in interest you paid is tax deductible!' - but if you do the math it's like a $2500 tax deduction. So basically you can pay the bank $7500 vs $10000 - or - abandon that concept entirely and save $10000/year.

There are CPA's that actually teach/advise people with this kind of bullshit here. That's more of what I was getting at.

>>819148
I understand. I'm working in the financial sector as asset manager so I guess I'm a bit more keen on taking risks to outperform my loan's interest rates.

I don't have a mortgage as it would've been at 3,5-4% interest rates which I can't beat with a top-end online savings account. Investing pretty much my entire savings in the stock market was too big of a risk.

So yeah it all kind of depends on the amount of risk you wish to take.

Thanks a lot for the advice on shampoo/soap etc. I'm kind of "lucky" there too as my girlfriend is a fashion/lifestyle journalist (not blogger, like real journalism for existing magazines) who gets sent tons of cosmetic products / shampoo and shit like that for free.

Guess it "somewhat" evens out her ridiculous taste in furniture (not really).

Last week she was drooling over some battered old super-uncomfortable black leather sofa. Price? €6800. Kill me.

>>819156
Ah.. yeah I think that was covered somewhere else in this thread.

>avoid relationships

Haha..

>>819060
No, no its not. Some people derive enjoyment from food. If you're so retarded as to not know that, get the fuck off the internet and go hang out with people. The great majority don't count macros, and you not knowing this only demonstrates your ignorance.

>>817800
>Spending on videogames ever when you can pirate.
>Relaying on friends
>Walk aka Get mugged
>Eating soylent
>Dividing your expenses from your SO (enjoy being single forever)
>Don't talk too much, talking a lot makes you insecure and men of frugal nature keep to themselves.
Are you autistic? Do you think we are looking for frugal cred?

>>819060
Not to mention, macros don't matter nearly as much as calories in + protein intake. Get back to /fit/, man lover.

>>816740
>>816968
Even easier than this though, is investing inREIT funds, about the same return as buying a place and renting it out

>>819408
Bit late with the rate hikes coming up and global interest rates in general starting to recover.

Not just bonds but real estate is gonna get hurt badly in the coming few years

>>817903

Well to me, I spend when life calls for it. Like if I'm out with a lady the sky is the limit. Pussy is worth it.

But other stuff I skimp. Like the shoe cleaning thing is a simple as fuck way of always having new looking shoes. Using fans instead of AC is a simple way to keep cool. Using leftover oven heat is a simple way to heat a home in the winter.

etc... It's worth doing a few simple things to save $500 - $1000 per year. That could get you 3 sessions with a decent prostitute.

>>815921
get strawberry jam or preserves or something to add to the pb to make pbj's. tastes much better and is worth the extra $5/week

>>816369
>>816371
>>816375

/diy/ here. Get a box fan, and some 20x20 furnace filters. Stack thin strips of high quality meat on them, give a lot of room for air flow. Let this run, jerky.

>>817903
>Yes, give in to the social pressure to spend money, you wouldn't want to be embarrassed!

>You need to find a nice girl, settle down, get a mortgage, take to fancy dinners, buy her purses, she's worth every penny!

>>815898
RICE AND BEANS
I
C
E

A
N
D

B
E
A
N
S

>>815967
Why not do both for maximum financial gains?

>>817953
Idiot, I make 16 meals every 3 weeks on Sunday's and freeze them. Takes me literally 2 hours

>>815898
Hungry?
Eat your boogers, they offer plenty of nutritional values.

Thirsty? Go to a busy public swimming pool and drink the pool water.

Sleepy? Take a nap.

>>816407
This post is severely under rated, this website is very helpful for people new to finances.
Also, to anyone considered poor, as many in this thread would seem to be, I'd reccomend utilizing gonverental assistance. I'm a commissioned salesman, with a very high earning potential, but I collect 200$ a month from food stamps and I'm fully medically insured for free, all thanks to burgerland.

>>816794
Why would you be selling your phone in six months or a year unless you didn't download the upgrades or take good care of it like any responsible adult?

>>819781
SQUATS AND OATS

>>816763
>Or not be completely useless and be able to do all of those repairs yourself

>>816785
DO YOUR OWN FUCKING REPAIRS YOU RETARD IT ISNT HARD

>>819911
STALE BAGELS

>>820037
>buy stale bagels
>put stale bagel in microwave next to a mug of water
>heat for ~30 seconds
>remove warm, fresh bagel
>add oats to water
>enjoy /fit/ breakfast

>>819571
I like the way you think.

>>815973
>lived frugally
>frugal not poverty tier

>>820033
>>820036
Are you guys for real? You need special equipment to be able to remove/place tires around a rim or to install a transmission.

Timing belt and fuel pump assembly replacement is like 4 hours of labor for an experienced mechanic, and fucking it up would blow out your engine.

Read 12 USC 95a

>>815973
Warren buffet share owns a private jet. Holy fuck you're retarded

Read title 12 USC 95a (2) then read the first 6 words of title 15 77b. Read it again. Then read title 5 551 and realize you are a federal agent by going to 28 usc 2671 (1) and (2) then file intent to sue for compensation and accept the offer to settle out of court and resign. This is not legal advise if you need legal advise seek competent licensed attorney, for entertainment purposes only.

>>815967
this. Cutting $10 here and there can help, and you should probably do that anyway to get rid of shit/services you dont need, but the only way to get rich is to decouple your time from income earned.

They coerce business owners to apply for business license creating a federal agency then all employees become federal agents without compensation. In law dictionary application means to beg. When you beg it is assumed you know what your begging for and what your willing to give up. Flex your rights and be free or continue to live as a debt slave.

>>820374

Well if you can find some easy ways to save an extra $100 every month and you invest that for 40 years at a 8% return then you'd pocket another $337,000. I'm sure there are some things in your life that you could cut out or reduce that you don't really need so that you could do this. Seems pretty reasonable, doesn't it? Cut out the things you really don't need and only spend money on things you think add value to your life.

>>819383
>don't matter nearly as much as calories in + protein intake.
But those two things are literally what the poster you attacked highlighted you fat shitstain:

>>815972
>What is that like 1500 calories per day and like 50-60 grams of protein?

>>820036

When it comes to Major engine components, anything transmission, anything AC/Radiator internals or anything suspension, I'd leave that to the pros.

Everything else on a car is 8-year old easy to do.

>>815898
just like you can with zip-loc baggies, you can wash and reuse condoms!

>>820536
>you can wash and reuse condoms!
you too!

>>820401
No, he stated macros, which refers to macronutrients, you know, like fat, carbs, protein and alcohol?

Oh wait I forgot, you're fucking retarded and need this shit explained to you. Seriously, just end your life now.