Barnorama All Fun In The Barn
“My mother-in-law is THE WORST with money. She has no idea how much she makes or how much she spends on essentials, nonessentials, etc.”
“The family basically lives on my father-in-law’s salary. This year for Christmas, my mother-in-law opened her gift from my father-in-law and read a note he wrote about how all year he took a little bit of her paycheck and moved it into a separate account for her and accumulated 5k with interest through the year. The note also said that she could go and do whatever she wanted with the money, including putting a down payment on a car that she’s always wanted but never had enough to be able to afford if she chooses. Not only was my mother-in-law in tears after reading the letter but now she’s talking to me about how much she can save in future years and how she can continue to make the right financial decisions in the new year.”
“Girlfriend and I wanted a large mirror on our wall but didn’t want to spend $$$ so we found 6 small closet door mirrors on sale for $4 each.”
“About 6 years ago, I ditched paper towels and switched to cotton shop towels. I bought 150 off Amazon for about $30.”
“They’ve been life-changing for staying frugal and eco-conscious!”
“As a child, I was with my dad at the store while he was choosing coffeemakers to purchase. He told me to always choose the option that had the fewest features and most basic design that still gets done what you want it to.”
“Even for the same initial price, more moving parts, especially electrical ones, means more chances for things to break or malfunction over time, leading to the need to replace them sooner. I find that I also save on maintenance and cleaning time/cost for these items, and I almost never need to replace things that I buy.”
“My shoes had become really worn out, and I was debating buying a new pair of shoes vs polishing them. I got them polished and they look like new!”
“I realized that ’Black Friday’ isn’t the best time to make purchases. I bought hand creams for $50 and next week they were just $23.”
“I grew new lettuce from old ones in just 2 weeks. An easy way to save a little cash!”
“I feel like a lot of people don’t know you can dye carpet.”
“My monthly grocery bill has dropped by about $100 since I started only buying groceries one day per week. I buy my groceries on Mondays and only the things that I need for the meals that I’ve planned.”
“No more impulse buys throughout the week or random runs to the store for treats.”
“Built a table out of shipping pallets left for trash outside a shipping center! Total cost: $23”
“On Christmas, we save a lot of money because we love the old Iceland tradition, Jólabókaflóð.”
“The only thing we give one another is a new book and a box of chocolate on Christmas Eve, then we stay in bed reading and eating. It takes a lot of stress away and is financially easy on the wallet.”
“A little effort can save a lot of money! Got this stool for free and used one can of spray paint, discounted remnant fabric, and new rubber feet!”
“I struggle with small impulse purchases (coffee, lipstick, little toys for my kids, snacks, etc.). I always justify small purchases by saying they’re not that expensive and it’ll make me happy…”
“So I set up a spreadsheet with a simple addition function to add up the cost of all my purchases I wanted to make but didn’t buy. I’m really excited to see it add up and become a ’significant’ number.”
“Never buying bread again. I realized I can bake about 50 loaves of bread from 50 lb of flour. Mega savings!”
“I know, flossing sucks, but you can save a lot of money on dentist visits.”
“I needed a new rug, so I made one! This is constructed entirely from old T-shirts, approximately 30 men’s XL shirts, that I’ve worn out over the years. Much better than tossing them into the landfill!”
“I read once that the easiest way to save is with change and $1 bills. Use it to start or grow an emergency fund, pay off debt, or for that vacation you might get to take next year.”
“Mental hack to avoid buying useless things: ask yourself why you need something.”
“Buying it will make my friends like me, respect me, or be impressed by the purchase. This is not a good reason. This strategy helps me avoid useless spending.”