I was raised to be frugal. I'm comfortably financially, however.. I probably wouldn't be if I didn't take economic-short cuts as I like to call them.

Some of the things I do:

Never buy holiday candy, wrapping paper, bows etc until AFTER Christmas when it's at least 50% off.

Use of coupons on some of the more expensive items that I buy. (If they are readily available that is.)

When going to the movies (which I hardly ever do) I always stop by the store first and get drinks and candy for whomever is with me and put it in one of the huge purses I normally carry.

I go to garage sales and thrift stores. (I've gotten a lot of beautiful vintage items for far far far less then I would in a vintage resale shop.)

Cutting corners in some places leaves me more money for things like vinyl, vintage clothes and accessories I can't find on my own.. etc.

Is there anything you do to save money?

I live under a rock.......and
I don't go out much.....
other than that....
No....not really!!

soooooooooooooooooo.....................

what exactly is it you do with the...........vinyl??????

Lol. listen to it.
PVC on the other hand I wear.

I buy cheaper brands of cigarettes; especially those that give coupons.

i.e. Malboro L&M's are almost a $1 cheaper here; plus they usually have a coupon with them (buy one get one, 1.50 off a pack etc)

I limit the usage of vehicles; as in don't drive often.

I keep in shape through walking, or taking the bus. (win-win)

I buy groceries for a week, not a month. I prefer not to waste or have stuff go to crap on me.

I only go to bars, clubs, etc, during 'Happy Hour' or specials; it's crazy that a coca-cola will cost $3 some nights and 50 cents, others. Same thing goes with alcohol. Also, I don't pay cover charges.

I also don't associate with 'high maintenance' people.

I don't even really ever turn on the heat in my house, unless it's unbearable. I just cover myself in one light blanket and one extra heavy; with a third in case its needed (which it rarely is)

I join almost everywhere's stupid card clubs. Although, I say stupid, they actually do benefit you in the long run.

i.e. I get free stuff all the time from Coke Rewards, Gamestop, and even CVS.

Not that many care, but I just ordered a limited edition Duke Nukem Figure for free. >.< ..and you say you're nerdy? xD

OK, I believe that's all I can think of off the top of my head..

I haven't even had my pilot light, lit yet. I'm trying to go through the whole winter without it.

I can't skimp on my cigarettes though. it's always marlboro red 100's.

I don't even go to bars and clubs, so that's a money saver.

I'm a member of all the card clubs too. Along with different restaurant clubs.. like Ihop, Steak and Shake.. etc.

:O

steak and shake?

I also have limited family/friends; so when it comes to Christmas, my list is usually quick and easy...
Well, till we get to my son. :O

Such expensive tastes. :/

The ways I save money:
I wait untill my nieghbors throw out thier Christmas tree so my tree for is free( I celabrate Christmas late ).
Next day they usually throw away the old that got replaced with the NEW Christmas gift. So, I retreave some of the old. Fix it/and or clean it. Then wrap it in the wrapping paper that I took off the gifts I gotten last year.
For my smoking habit, I buy Bugler in a can and roll my own cigarettes.
For my coffee. I reuse the coffee grounds. Just adding a new scoop full each time I make a new pot.
I only buy clothes at second hand stores. Or at yard sales or swap meets.
I use extra blankets instead of a heater in the winter.
In the summer when it really hot. I go to stores like Walmart or Kmart to watch tv and hang out. Dont have to run my cooler at home exept a little bit at night.

Are you a loner? A know a guy you might be interested in meeting if you like California.

I can not say I am frugal. I live life to the best of my ability. I will not have a second life to go back and do it better later.
If I want something ..I work for it and acquire it.

I roll my own cigarettes and can no longer stand the taste of the name brand crap. (2 cartons= $36)

I need to pull an 8 hour drive to Louisiana for a trunk load of tobbacco (2 cartons= $9)

I LOVE hitting thrift stores for great slacks and dress shirts and ties. 50 cents to $2 a pop...my favorite is thier sales for filling a bag for $4 (Not Good Will....those A-holes charge more than what new crap costs)

I love Dollar Tree (everything is $1)...I get all my laundry and cleaning supplies and they are all name brand. I also stock up on dog treats....sausage gravy, mackeral, chorizo and polish sausage.

One of our Dollar Trees has a really good frozen foods section too!

I disconnected my central heat and air...what a money sucker!!!!

Now, I use energy efficient window units for ac and space heaters. Running my central heat/ac for a month would tack on an extra $180+. With the energy efficient units, I can run em for a month and it only adds $20.

Am I in your budget??????????

Money management is not my strong suit. But, I'm getting better and I try to be frugal by getting the most for my money and not buying unnecessary things. That and trying not to eat out so much especially at work.

People who know me (my peeps ) say I can stretch a dollar around the world twice! I learned this from my mother....I agree with Pix, when I want something, I work to get it...Eating out is not high on my list because I know it is all about taste, not health....When I do, I avoid fast food and go for quality...I love to cook !.... I make big portions and freeze things like sauces and soups...It's nice to pull something homemade out of the freezer!!

Dollar Tree really is an awesome store.
Not too long ago, I actually ended up finding one of my favorite movies : Punch Drunk Love, for a dollar.

I grew up in a climate that was 70-80 degrees all year round, so sometimes the air-conditioner and heater is a necessity.. but I've done good so far this winter.

I'm with everyone on GoodWill. They sometimes charge far too much money. i've gotten new clothes cheaper than what they sell things for, however Goodwill and Salvation army is still a good place to find actual vintage clothing, because in resale vintage shops, a dress can run you over $100. So when I find one for 8 dollars i'm happy.

Also, consigning clothes sometimes helps pay for more clothes. There is a resale vintage shop here that will consign clothes and I've made around 40 dollars for an 8 dollar dress.

I work hard for the things I want as well, however I find nothing wrong with saving money here and there.

I also make my own pasta and sauces and various dishes, that I double up on the recipe and then freeze. I live alone so it helps also to just be able to pull something out of the freezer.

I think I'm confused. I'm not sure what saving money has to do with being a loner, and meeting someone.

I used to only smoke that same thing....... until they came out with the Marlboro Special Blend 100's. They're not much different at all, but $1 less a pack.

I am told That I squeak when I walk.
I work very hard for all I have, so I am careful how I spend.
It helps to have some goals as well......
For me......
Retirement in a warmer climate!!

They used to have those here, but they're no longer cheaper.

Well, you all know my hatred of marketing driven consumerism

Like you, Vintage, I do the thrift store and garage sale thing. Almost all my clothes and shoes are big name brand or label and they are all bought used. I used to do vintage when I was younger and I had a sewing machine to fix and alter but not anymore.

I love the dollar stores. I dye my hair with two boxes of $1 hair dye. Yep a whopping $2. Nobody has noticed the difference.

My underwear comes from the dollar store a lot of the time. I have some really cool stuff that is fake Ed Hardy that came from there with skulls.

I pretty much don't buy any toiletries not from the dollar store except antiperspirant. I am picky about that.

I love Walmart. I get tons there. I frequent the "hooker underwear section" for lingerie as my one friend calls it. LOL.

I buy books, DVDs, CDs, etc. used on Amazon.

Sometimes for fun, I will buy bulk lots of make up on eBay. I donate what I don't like to charity.

I just flat out refuse to pay for software. I use open source or freeware.

Of course, I hit the 50% off after Christmas sales and buy tons of those toiletry gift sets and perfume gift sets. Merry Christmas to me as I say.