How many people here live frugally?

amother

Mistyrose

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 1:01 pm

Op, I live frugally not because im in competition to see who can be frugal but because I dont want to be in debt and I do save some money only because I know we will have unexpected expenses like dental medical car repairs etc that are more than our monthly income can cover.

I grew up in poverty so I learned the value of proper budgeting and about necessities vs luxuries. I am forced to live frugally and spend very little on food, no hired help, no driving only buses/trains....but relatives criticize me but they dont know that it doesnt make sense to spend the 5000 I save each year and spend on daily life instead why? Because if we need to fix the car, the money comes from the amount I put aside. So too for diapers....and other extras that are not part of the regular budget.

I wish we would earn more money but with all hishtaflus to try to get better job, hashem decided the answer is no. I dont think its wise to live paycheck to paycheck and not put away in case of emergencies but I know some ppl cant put away bec they have less money and some ppl say they are going to spendvmore on food hired help....and its their decision. Regarding simchas I dont feel the need to make fancy like others and are making it as cheap as possible ....

My relatives who criticize dont know wat its like to need money for emergency car repairs...they earn much more than I do so they dont have to live frugally but im not comparing to them. My dh grew up with his parents spending on....and didnt save ....my dh didnt know how to budget and would spend his paychevk before paying rent....so I had a hard time teaching him budgeting...

Some ppl are in debt bec they live above their means and dont know how to budget and how to live simpler/more frugal. Others are in debt because they never even made enough money to pay for basic....

But, I hate living so frugally and always wonder how others who seem to make less than I do are able to afford all things I dont spend on. Nobody can say they afford x because instead of spending on y they spend on x. I dont spend on x or y!! I dont have an expensive shietel and dont pay to wash/style, no hired help, no takeout, no pizza, no vacations, no big simchas(I make cheapest possible), no own house, take bus/train to work..., no new clothes, cheap makeup from elf sale or dollar store..kids get clothes from others.....cheap suppers rice beans, lentils, cheap furniture, no expensive outings, no camp they are with babysitter...heat and ac is part of rent I dont control it...chicken only for shabbos...

I know that living this life is about accepting hashem gave us only this income per yr and for some reason decided not to give us more and yes im jealous of others who dont have to work (most in my family ) but im working on accepting that ultimately its all decided by hashem. But, 1) I hate living frugally and 2) its true that having more money in our frum communities gets u things money cant buy like getting accepted to schools, getting shidduchim....

I know that im grateful to hashem that we can pay for basics and we have insurance from jobs, so at the end of the day, I have to trust in Him. Its so hard being frugal.

mig100

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 3:35 pm

I made a very concsious and efforted attempt to b less frugal than I grew up. I don't penny pinch excessively or go very out of my way to save relatively small amounts.

I won't either b frugal on someone else's expense out of principle.

That being the case I live in a small apartment without any expensive furniture rarely eat out or by take out and I hardly buy clothing except basics.

We don't own a car eithet

I do try to stock up on groceries when in cheaper supermarkets or they r on sale. I do sometimes (often ) choose conveince over better price.

I could afford all the things mentioned that I don't have and much more. I just dont need them.

I feel I honestly have everything I need that money can buy.

Im not sure where I fit in. You tell me . Am I frugel?

amother

Maroon

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 5:02 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

It depends how old, and it depends how used. Since you are paying for the full value of the car as opposed to the value of only the time you are using the car, your monthlies may be higher. And you may not be left with anything at all by the time you finish paying - that's a risk you are taking.

A car that's eight years old doesn't break down... are you willing to stand behind that statement? My last car lasted about 10 years, and my mechanic said that that was basically on par for the course.

A flat tire is not the same as a transmission going, or brakes going Smile

. Your car has a donut that you can drive to safety. I blew out my last car's transmission because I was stranded, like I said, in Northern New Jersey and I drove the car home anyway.

Also, why do you think that convenience doesn't factor into a budget conscious decision? Lost time from work often translates into loss of income, and that is the last thing that a poor person can afford. Or if you are driving with a bunch of little kids in the car, breaking down is the last thing you want to be doing, anywhere.

Of course it depends how old and how used. You need to look for the sweet spot in terms of finding a reliable car that has plenty of life left to it. You can buy a minivan that's 8 years old and finance it for $250 payments per month for three years. That's definitely cheaper than a lease on an equivalent minivan. An Odyssey or a sienna has not reached the end of its life at age 11. You can almost definitely get another good couple of years out of it, and still sell it for $2k when it's 13 years old. The average amount in repairs you put in over the time you own the car will probably be in the $1.5-2k range.

We've done this numerous times with a variety of cars over the years. The numbers I gave are the highest we ever paid, because a high end minivan coats more than a sedan.

My4Jewels

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 6:33 pm

amother wrote:

With $0 down? I’ve not heard of that deal where I am from.

Also, 2 friends of mine their odyssey and sienna’s both died at year 10, one was transmission and one was something else that I can’t remember. So it’s not for sure that you always get more than 10 years out of those cars.

amother

Maroon

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 6:54 pm

My4Jewels wrote:

Yes, $0 down. Penfed loans are available nationwide. This may not apply to you with bad credit, obviously. Nothing is for sure in life, but it's very unusual for a good car to die after 10 years, unless it has way more than average miles on it.

Reality

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 7:06 pm

I disagree. Not all miles are created equally.

We bought our Siena new and it never gave us a days problem until it hit 10 years. The next 2 years we needed to put in a lot of money.

My DH job requires him to drive around a lot in NYC. All of that stop and go city traffic is a killer on a car. Our car didn't even have 100,000 miles on it and it wasn't worth it to repair anymore.

amother

Maroon

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 7:12 pm

You can buy a car that's only five years old and still come way ahead of a lease. Keep it until year eight, then sell and buy another five year old car. Buying older works for me, but you can be cautious and still pay less than a lease.

ectomorph

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 9:57 pm

I'm so frugal I save the water in my sous vide to use in my swimming pool.

ChutzPAh

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 10:03 pm

ectomorph wrote:

I'm so frugal I save the water in my sous vide to use in my swimming pool.

If you were so frugal, you wouldn’t own a sois vide Very Happy

33055

Mon, Dec 31 2018, 10:17 pm

I am so frugal I wash out my ziplock bags and reuse my aluminum foil and yogart containers. I only go shopping for food every other month. I water down the kids' milk when I do purchase it.

amother

Brown

Tue, Jan 01 2019, 1:51 pm

ChutzPAh wrote:

If you were so frugal, you wouldn’t own a sois vide Very Happy

Not to mention a swimming pool.

Reality

Tue, Jan 01 2019, 1:55 pm

amother wrote:

I agree with you 100%. I don't agree with the posters who say it is worth it to buy a 10+ year old car.

Squishy, please don't joke about watering down milk. I know someone who did that out of true poverty. It is no laughing matter!!

amother

Brown

Tue, Jan 01 2019, 1:56 pm

How much does it cost to finance a new car? I bought a new Camry for $25K in cash twenty years ago. It is still going strong. Amortized cost of just over a thousand a year. I had almost no repairs until a few years ago. I've paid an average of $2K a year for repairs in the past 3 years, but that includes routine things like tires. It's a good car to hold onto. Inexpensive option compared to either leasing or buying used. I guess it depends on how much it would cost to finance a car loan for $25K. But once you're done with the loan, you'd own it free and clear.

Metukah

Tue, Jan 01 2019, 3:20 pm

ectomorph wrote:

After I give my kids a bath I don't drain the water instead I use my washing cup and pour it into the toilet to flush it.

Laugh all you want. When I was 12, I spent summer with my grandmother in Israel. She wasn't frugal but was really concerned with the lack of water in Israel, so she made me shower with the plug in, so we could use the water in the bath to flush the toilet.

She didn't even let me use the toilet that wasn't in the same room as the bath, because then I would have to flush the chain.

shyshira

Tue, Jan 01 2019, 5:49 pm

amother wrote:

With good credit 5% or less.