Money-Saving Tips from Tibs and Shell

[Tiberius]

I'm pretty sure we average $35 a month in cash back usually, if not more.

Oh, and I forgot about this one I did the other day. If you use GEICO for car insurance, they will give you a discount if you pay the full policy up front rather than doing monthly payments. This is one of those situations where you have to have money to make money unfortunately.

We renewed our insurance and saved $40 by paying the entire policy at once.

[Shell B]

Also, dumpsters make for affordable temporary accommodations.   Mind the pickup schedule though.

This is so fucking true. My father works in an area with a high homelessness rate. Dude fell asleep in the dumpster out back and was dumped into the back of a trash truck. The driver shut it off when he heard him screaming. His hand was crushed. My father was on the news about it. Weird, the older ladies in my family were all like "haha, you're on t.v. look at the celebrity." I thought it was kind of an odd reaction.

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Oh, as for an SUV, I'm going to need more space than that. I'll definitely want the bed. I'll probably pick up a cover for it, in case I need to move shit in the rain, but I definitely prefer the bed. I have friends with motorcycles, we plan on buying dirt bikes at some point, etc. When I say camping, I mean a lot more than a cooler and a tent. Haha. Also, I had an SUV for a while and hated having to fold the seat down. I preferred my old pickup tremendously.

[Jackalope]

Plant a culinary herb garden. Have you seen the price of fresh herbs? Grow that shizz and omnomnom the savings.

[Jackalope]

Install a smart thermostat on your furnace. Some locales offer rebates for energy efficient upgrades, and if my experience so far is anywhere near typical, it pays for itself quickly. I never have to set it back when I'm not home, it does so automatically.

Sometimes it takes some capital expenditure to improve cash flow.

[GUBU]

My dad is in the business, so no matter what I do car wise, I do it through him.

Even if you pay outright for a vehicle, it is a major asset that only depreciates, unless you happen to hang on to a car for 30+ years that happens to turn into a classic, and there are good arguments to be made that this will never really happen anymore.

I treat transportation instead as a utility cost. When I lease, I pay less than I would pay for a normal car note, and the end of the line is that I haven't paid $25k with interest for a vehicle that is worth $8k when I'm done paying for it. Instead, I get a brand new vehicle with all the bells and whistles I want for the same lease payment.

I understand the risks of mileage overages and dents, but if you have one of those issues, you haven't found the right lease, or you haven't managed your miles properly. My father will always make sure I am well taken care of as far as not being taken advantage of by a dealer, as I'm working through him. I know how many miles I put on a car per year, and I also have a guy who will fix dents for cheap.

Overall, I would just rather have the newer car than a constantly depreciating hunk of metal.

In that case then, you're very lucky. Because you've someone to turn to you can ensure a fair deal. Someone like me without that advantage, though is generally safer to buy outright and keep the car.

As regards depreciation consider that the acknowledgement of the use you've gotten from the car. Yes it does go down too quick, but after six or seven years you're probably starting to edge ahead in utility.

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I'm pretty sure we average $35 a month in cash back usually, if not more.

Oh, and I forgot about this one I did the other day. If you use GEICO for car insurance, they will give you a discount if you pay the full policy up front rather than doing monthly payments. This is one of those situations where you have to have money to make money unfortunately.

We renewed our insurance and saved $40 by paying the entire policy at once.

The way it happens in Ireland is the insurers add about 7% onto the bill for monthly installments, which would have mean an extra €50 for me if I went dd.

[Joods]

I'm pretty sure we average $35 a month in cash back usually, if not more.

Oh, and I forgot about this one I did the other day. If you use GEICO for car insurance, they will give you a discount if you pay the full policy up front rather than doing monthly payments. This is one of those situations where you have to have money to make money unfortunately.

We renewed our insurance and saved $40 by paying the entire policy at once.

Progressive does that as well. Also, most insurance companies will give you discounts if you bundle home + auto or renter's insurance + auto or you have multiple vehicles on one policy. That's what we do. Even though we only have one car, we combine our auto with our renter's insurance and we save big.

[AceBoogie]

@operator

If you are in that kind of position, get a cash back credit card and use it. Credit cards are only scary if you can't pay them off each month. If you pay them off in full, then you don't get charged interest, meaning your cash back is free money.

Also, keeping a credit card active and paid off will improve your credit score which will be important when you actually need to borrow money, like with a mortgage.

Thanks I will look into that ASAP.

And I can't say I've ever thought of credit being "scary" I just never had a legitimate need for it and I've never really bought into the whole idea that you need credit to live. I think it's a luxury that we have in today's age but I honestly think it's a huge fucking scam and credit card companies have convinced everyone in the country that you need a credit card to live the American Lifestyle and I just don't buy into it.

I would honestly never buy a house until I had the cash up front.

[SteelCurtain]

Plant a culinary herb garden. Have you seen the price of fresh herbs? Grow that shizz and omnomnom the savings.

I love the fact that you needed the adjective culinary... [emoji14]

[Seraphina]

Those are some good suggestions, Shell. I'm a single parent and the sole breadwinner so I keep close tabs on my budget.

The best thing I've done is cut off my cable and satellite - too expensive and not worth it. Now I only watch tv online or with my antenna. I bought a Roku for about $80 and that has a ton of free channels.
I get SlingTV for CNN as I have a massive crush on Anderson Cooper (started before I knew he's into men, not women, alas).

I also drink tap water instead of buying bottled water, I believe Alasdair mentioned this too.
I get some strange looks when I go to the kitchen at work and down a glass of water from the tap - almost like I have an extra foot growing out of my head.

[Joods]

I get some strange looks when I go to the kitchen at work and down a glass of water from the tap - almost like I have an extra foot growing out of my head.

bold mine

You mean there's already one foot there now?