from the I-can-spend-until-I-reach-my-credit-limit,-right? dept.
If you have credit card debt, it may be time to scale back what you spend on luxury purchases.
But we’re not talking about doing without small luxuries like your morning coffee or an afternoon snack – things like your car loan or lease, leisure travel, dining and more can make a bigger difference.
A new CreditCards.com poll shows U.S. consumers who have credit card debt are outspending debt-free households in seven of nine discretionary spending categories (see chart). However, few are willing to cut back on any of their luxury purchases.
In fact, 18 percent of Americans who have credit card debt are unwilling to trim expenses in nine categories, including dining out, leisure travel and clothing (see chart). This despite the fact that the average credit card APR is nearly 18 percent.
[...]Our luxury spending poll also found:
- Many can live without dining out. Dining and takeout is the category all respondents – in debt or not – are most willing to cut in half. Still, less than half of those with credit card debt (48 percent) would trim their dining budgets, which average $2,186 per year.
- But vacations are a big budget item many won’t budge on. The average household with card debt spends $2,211 per year on leisure travel. But only 3 in 10 of those respondents would be willing to cut their travel spending in half.
- Cars, haircuts and cellphone plans are the biggest must-haves. The three categories people in debt were least willing to cut in half are personal care and beauty (23 percent), cellphone services and upgrades (25 percent) and car loans or leases (26 percent).
- Cut my streaming? You’re dreaming. Only 39 percent of respondents with debt would be willing to cut back on subscriptions services such as Netflix, Spotify and Xbox Live. However, at $1,198 per year, it’s the second-least-costly luxury expense among this group.
https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/luxury-spending-poll/
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @05:40PM (2 children)
I think streaming wouldn't get cut completley but if you have like Prime Video, Disney, HBO, and Netflix each for ~$10/mo, then one or two of them will get cut.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 12 2019, @08:41PM (1 child)
Pro tip: check what Netflix is charging you for. We had a disc rental option on our account for over a year, never got a disc, but they cheerfully charged us for them.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Rupert Pupnick on Friday July 12 2019, @08:57PM
DVD selection used to be great. A few years ago it became terrible.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by richtopia on Friday July 12 2019, @05:50PM (18 children)
People who make financial decisions that result in debt on average also make poor financial decisions about getting out of debt? What a strange correlation!
More surprising to me is how much people spend in the article. The annual car expenses in the article could purchase my pickup three times over, not to mention the beauty and clothes costs where I'm spending less than 100USD annually.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Friday July 12 2019, @06:39PM (10 children)
Agreed.
However I do challenge this one:
For a lot of people those are required expenses to remain gainfully employed.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @07:35PM (5 children)
Personal care/beauty is $1,146 for debtors, $945 for non-debtors. There are very few excuses for spending anything at all on this. For example:
a. You are a male in an industry where a sculpted haircut is expected. (examples: waiter at Michelin starred restaurant, TV presenter, trial lawyer...) You'll need to spend about $15 for this. If you get a haircut every 2 weeks, it'll cost you $390 per year.
b. You are a whore. You'll need plastic nails, lots of makeup, and other junk that will cost money.
The rest of us can go natural, shave it off, or run a clippers over it set to 5/8".
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday July 12 2019, @08:10PM (4 children)
Except the question is what costs are you willing to cut in half.
The non-debtors are only spending 20% less.
A quick google of men's haircuts puts the price more like $20 which puts you at $480 per year. Half of $1146 is $573. So they have less that $100 for an entire year's worth of deodorant/toothpaste/shaving stuff/soap.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 12 2019, @09:01PM
Around here, the haircut is $18 - but I tip well, so it's $23. But, then, I only get it cut once every 6-8 weeks (thus the bigger tip), so annual expense is about $170.
For the kids, yeah, 8/8 on top and 5/8 on the side, it's not even about the money, it's just quicker and easier than driving them to the barber.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @09:45PM
Now I know why it is that they always make a big deal out of handing out "hygiene kits" to the homeless! And here I thought it was the make them smell less bad, or because actual housing was too expensive, because of credit cards.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday July 13 2019, @06:09AM (1 child)
At once a month, that's only $240 per year. At once every two months, that's only $120 per year.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:14PM
I have to trim my hair at least once a week because it grows so fast - this isn't something that can be calculated broadly because it varies wildly.
(Score: 4, Touché) by Gaaark on Friday July 12 2019, @09:20PM (2 children)
Man... all it costs me for a haircut is sex with my wife, lol.
Men's haircut... $15
Women's haircut... $2000.000
Home haircut...priceless.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 4, Funny) by bzipitidoo on Saturday July 13 2019, @01:17AM (1 child)
You got me beat. 2 or 3 times a year, I get a haircut for $5 from the beauty school on their sale days. Maybe I need to talk more about those hot looking young women learning how to cut hair, get the wife worried enough to do it herself.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 14 2019, @02:27PM
dude
if i want sex i have to watch porn. my wife has catholic guilt mixed with not wanting kids, so its a terrible sin to have sex according to the propaganda her father espouses because then you might get pregnant and might have an abortion and god punishes all women for being sluts even if they are married.
the guy even camped out in front of a planned parenthood that only handed out medications and did std testing and he tried to tell them they had other options and they didnt have to go through with it, and when they acted like he was high, he called them unappreciative sluts!
and so y ou bring this sort of... issue.... to a bedroom. i get to watch porn in another room. aye aye yay if I only knew what I was getting into
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @02:16PM
Sure, but you can still greatly reduce those expenses. You don't have to have a super expensive cellphone plan or car, or spend massive amounts on your hair.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 12 2019, @08:58PM (2 children)
~$5150/yr for cars, $429 per month - seems pretty steep, unless that's for two cars...
We have 4, cars currently - which is not the most efficient on insurance, but it's not double what two would cost either, and there's a certain reliability cushion about being able to fix a broken one at leisure rather than needing it immediately.
Thinking about our car expenses of the last 30 years:
A lot of this is lifestyle choice - right now we're choosing to have 4 older cars, it seems quite a bit cheaper than two newer ones. Maintenance is slightly higher on the older cars, but nothing like finance charges and loan interest.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Friday July 12 2019, @09:20PM (1 child)
The article also does not state if these numbers are for a family or averaged to costs per person. As a single guy in my 30s I understand I spend a lot less annually than my peers who have children.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:14AM
Yes it does -- numbers are PER HOUSEHOLD.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:11AM
I agree, those numbers seem ridiculous. I suspect it's because most people are just really bad with money. Both debtors and non-debtors in the article spend about $18K/yr in total on those categories. My 3-person household living in a large and expensive metropolitan area spends just $12K/yr on those categories, most of it on travel and dining.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday July 13 2019, @07:28AM (2 children)
Can someone from the US explain what "APR" is? I keep seeing this in relation to loans, but every time it's used whoever uses it assumes you already know what it means. A google search just turns up more examples of writers who assume you already know what an APR is. What is it?
(Score: 2) by linuxrocks123 on Saturday July 13 2019, @08:24AM (1 child)
It's the interest rate charged on the credit card balance, annualized without regard to the fact that monthly compounding of the interest on the debt is happening, since that way the number looks lower for advertising purposes.
APY, or Annual Percentage Yield, is used by banks to advertise the rates they give you on CD and savings accounts, and includes the additional amount you get from letting the balance compound monthly, since that way the number looks higher for advertising purposes. But, to be fair to the banks, they also do quote you the APR, just in small print.
For more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annual_percentage_rate [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by driverless on Monday July 15 2019, @07:46AM
Thanks! Once you know that "APR" means "annual percentage rate", the definition is locatable via Google. Over here it's just called "interest rate".
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ikanreed on Friday July 12 2019, @05:51PM (17 children)
That's one affordable round trip airplane trip for a family of 4. No hotel. No car rental.
More likely we're talking about maybe 2 week-long road-trips to affordable destinations. That's the "luxury". I sure-as-shit spent about that much for just me and my wife to travel internationally just once this year, and we had no room or board expenses. The reason I don't have massive debt is because I'm paid enough to do that.
Also the inclination that 26% of people wouldn't cut their car loans in half, as if possibly they're not already driving absolute junkers to get to their jobs.
I know! Hey poor people being screwed by our increasingly unequal society, you should just give up your ability to hold down a job, then you'll have less debt. Signed, a financial genius.
Or maybe they should give up "personal care" it's not like anyone needs you to bathe with soap or brush your teeth or get cavities filled.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @06:03PM
I know someone who makes >$1000 per day who doesn't use soap or go to the dentist but does brush with charcoal. In general I'd say they are in the 95% percentile of health. You definitely do not "need" that stuff.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Friday July 12 2019, @06:27PM (11 children)
And toothpaste? You mean clays in slime with a frothing agent? If you brush your teeth properly, there's no need for that overpriced breath-freshener. OK, I use it, as it's convenient, and I have zero CC debt. I think it's over 30 years since I've seen a dentist, so I'm not sure this 'cavities' thing is totally universal - maybe everyone else eats more sweet foods, and drinks more carbonated drinks than me?
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday July 12 2019, @06:57PM (3 children)
I think sodium fluoride, sodium bicarbonate, and a few other substances probably have a beneficial effect. But I'm no dentist.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @08:52PM (1 child)
And yet, still no will let you show your face on television.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Saturday July 13 2019, @09:09AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday July 13 2019, @08:43AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Friday July 12 2019, @08:18PM
Alternatively, you have a bunch of cavities that you just haven't noticed yet.
When you're getting your root canals maybe you'll realize that prevention is a good thing.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Friday July 12 2019, @08:47PM (1 child)
There's more to it than that, but yeah, sugar and carbonated drinks are hard on teeth... the thing is, some genetic lines have worse teeth than others...and not all in the same way. Harder teeth are more brittle.
If you doubt this, check out the dental problems of various breed of pure-bred dog. (People will jimmy the studies by eating whatever they decide to, but dogs don't have that option.)
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday July 13 2019, @09:06AM
Life has caused many a hard object to appear at high speed between my jaws, little things like pavements and cars (yes, I was once a cyclist, I know you couldn't have known that, as, sorry mate you didn't see me), and I don't have complete integrity to several of my pearly whites any more - they are indeed brittle as you say - but despite the missing enamel, they still seem to be holding up. Just.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 12 2019, @09:31PM (2 children)
And you wonder why everybody stays 3 paces away from you...
You probably got a good fluoride treatment as a pre-teen when your permanent teeth first came in. There's also something to basic hygiene: do you leave plaque films on your teeth after you've had sugars? Or, would such a thing make you get up in the middle of the night, hungover, to brush them off your teeth before you could get back to sleep? Some people can ignore the plaque, some can't.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday July 13 2019, @08:53AM (1 child)
And what's a hangover? I just wake up still drunk, that's what the professionals do.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Saturday July 13 2019, @11:58AM
to prevent things that bother you. I've known more than a few people who are continually "grossed out" by the slightest scent of anything but bloody gums and peppermint.
Over the last 30 years I've only found one dentist I actually thought "served the patients" and about 6 who are apparently in practice to take as much of your money as possible. As such, I tend to go to the greed mongers once, get disillusioned, and stay away from the profession for 2-3 years before trying again. I never have a complaint, so I suppose I'm proving the greed mongers wrong too.
My wife tends to accept the suggested dental services more willingly, it does not seem to have done any good for her (one extraction for extreme pain, another on the way...)
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:19PM
25/m extra for the sauna is money well spent.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 12 2019, @09:24PM
I'm guessing that's an average... and I guess while we spend $2K/yr less on cars, we spend more than $2K/yr more on travel, on average.
For a while, we'd do a big trip once every other year, and it runs around $10K for a family of 4 for 3 weeks. Again, this is a matter of lifestyle choice, but I agree - $2K per year on travel entertainment seems quite light. If you just drive somewhere 40 miles from home once a week to visit the beach, or hiking or whatever, the mileage alone would cost $2K per year, not to mention food while you're there, the occasional overnight in a hotel, etc.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday July 12 2019, @09:24PM (1 child)
We have the money, we go to, say, Disney World (as we did a couple years ago).
We don't have the money, we go cabin camping, or cheap trip to Niagara Falls (i love that place, my wife has had enough of it, lol).
We REALLY don't have the money, we do day trips.
Our son travels well and loves going places so he goes everywhere with us. We just spend what we can afford.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 12 2019, @10:51PM
The perfect consumer... Actually, Oscar Wilde was the perfect consumer, if I cash my chips at maximum debt that's the ideal way to go. Unfortunately, my crystal ball sucks, so I avoid any debt that exceeds inflation - I think my home mortgage at 2.7% is very cheap credit.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:44AM
Yes, those things are most definitely not "luxuries". More like non-essential expenses. Something you temporarily cut down on in time of financial hardship. Luxuries are brand name accessories, personal yachts and Apple devices.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by danmars on Friday July 12 2019, @06:22PM (4 children)
You're seeing people spend like $6/day on "dining", so you're essentially asking them to get rid of their daily coffee or to stop grabbing a fast-food lunch on work days (or both). I'm not surprised they said no.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 12 2019, @09:26PM
I don't think this is $6 per day, every day, I think it's more like $85 twice a month if you're into the nicer restaurants.
These are probably the spending categories you see on your CC statement, so groceries would fall in another bucket, probably Starbucks too.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday July 12 2019, @09:27PM (1 child)
But, if they are putting that on the credit card at 18+% interest, that is just stupid.
Cut out/down the "dining" or take out a bank loan to pay off the credit card (at a lower interest rate) until you get your shit together, then start using cash for your "dining".
It just takes control and smarts.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:19AM
Yes, that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @02:31PM
Why? Those little expenses add up, and are a great example of how badly most people manage their finances. Instead of getting overpriced coffee, make it yourself. Plan ahead for your lunches and make them yourself. None of this is difficult or even all that time-consuming if you bother to learn how. But, the reality is that these poor financial decisions occur in other areas as well, so that 'little bit of money' really starts to add up when you spend that same amount of money several times a day on different things that you don't really need. And don't even get me started on cigarettes and alcohol.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @06:29PM (4 children)
Somehow it is supposed to be surprising that people who make bad financial decisions (carry credit card debt) also make other bad financial decisions (unwilling to trim luxury expenses to get out from under credit card debt)?
But really, this should be no surprise at all. Far too many american's subscribe to the "keeping up with the jonses" mentality and all this article has shown is that there are a lot of folks who are fueling their "self image" signaling by simply shoving the costs off onto a credit card.
Quiz, you see the following walking down the street:
Which one is more likely to be "wealthy" -- where "wealthy" is defined as: "has FU money". [1]
Sadly, in the US, the one most likely to be the one with FU money is #2.
[1] https://www.quora.com/What-is-fuck-you-money [quora.com]
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday July 12 2019, @09:28PM
FU money:
$10 for a B-job
$50 for sex
$100 all night?
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @10:09PM
Or in my case the one with coffee spots on his free T-shirt and holes in his jeans. If you have FU money, your need to dress to impress is attenuated.
(Score: 1) by Coward, Anonymous on Saturday July 13 2019, @06:00AM (1 child)
You should be careful about criticizing people's life choices. Young people have lots of energy but often little money. Why not spend money now and pay it off when you're a more dead? Or maybe declare bankruptcy and wipe the slate clean. Being frugal isn't necessarily a virtue, it could be a sign of repression.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by khallow on Saturday July 13 2019, @06:29AM
Sure, if you're a millionaire wearing newspaper for underwear because you obsess over the few pennies you save, then you might be repressed.
But if you're a normal person where modest curtailments in your spending behavior can result in a substantial better life years from now, then your worry is greatly misplaced.
But then again, getting up in the morning might be a sign of repression. Should you really be doing that?
Because you can make that future suck less. Also, you hear a lot of older people complain about how stupid they were as youth. This is one of the big ways you can be stupid.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @06:29PM
And then they have the nerve to claim to know better how the government should spend their money.
I wouldn't trust the average voter to choose my underwear, let alone the people who are going to be in charge of managing billions of dollars of our collective money.
And don't you dare hint a the possibility that they may not posess all the necessary skills, maturity, and judgement to know what's best for the country.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ilPapa on Friday July 12 2019, @07:13PM (7 children)
"The problem is that working people just have it too damn good, with their haircuts and coffee and cell phones!" signed, the 1%.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @07:38PM (5 children)
Gotta love these culture warfare pieces, and the fools who lap it up.
You'd be rich if you'd just stop buying the latest iPhone!!@! /s
(Score: 4, Touché) by aristarchus on Friday July 12 2019, @10:03PM (3 children)
Just need some austerity! Worked so well in Venezuela! And in Greece! Coming soon to Palestine! Blame the Poor!
Evidently, we have some Malthusians here at SoylentNews.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robert_Malthus [wikipedia.org]
Yes, virtue shaming! If you give the working class better wages, or lower credit card rates, they'll just blow it on booze and licentiousness, and have more kids, just like in "Idiocracy" [imdb.com].
Whereas, on the contrary, if we give the surplus wealth of the nation to responsible persons, like Jeffery Epstein or Donald Trump, they will not use it for such moral degeneracy!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @11:11PM
Don't forget tiny houses [libcom.org]! That'll turn them into Randian bootstrappers! If they're serious about being rich, they'll build their tiny houses out of salvage, just like in the good old days in the 1930s!
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday July 13 2019, @06:00AM (1 child)
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by aristarchus on Saturday July 13 2019, @06:22AM
Stop spending on those unnecessary pedicures, khallow! They really do nothing to increase your chances of attracting a mate, or of being able to sub-contract out any more back-ho's. Just saying!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @02:42PM
Straw man. No one is making the argument that they would be rich, but that if they were more frugal all around, that they would be in less debt, could perhaps eventually start actually savings money, and would be less stressed as a result of being in a better financial position. The system may be unfair in many ways, but that doesn't mean that people are completely powerless and can't take actions that improve their own lives.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @02:38PM
Nope, not just the 1%. Why shouldn't we encourage people to make better financial decisions? Why shouldn't we discourage people from being mindless Consumers who try desperately to keep up with the joneses, put themselves into massive debt, and aid in the destruction of the environment as they do so? If you're an actual progressive, this is not desirable behavior.
No one needs ridiculously expensive haircuts, coffee, or cellphone plans; all of those things can be had for cheaper, resulting in less long-term stress. If you apply a mentality of frugality across the board, that can result in massive long-term benefits. You act like people are powerless, but that is far from the truth.
Financial literacy is an entirely separate issue from the 1% and income inequality.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @07:23PM (8 children)
You’d think if you’re running short on money you start buying the store brand, compare prices while shopping , etc. nope
(Score: 2) by Pino P on Friday July 12 2019, @09:07PM (6 children)
In many cases, the store brand is fine. But I've discovered that only Del Monte canned green beans agree with my taste buds. Happy Harvest (ALDI's brand) made me almost throw up.
Nor is comparing prices while shopping too practical if you're also cutting back on cellular service to save money, as you'll probably end up on a plan with 0 GB data.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @10:23PM
Interesting reaction. When I bought the cheap beans, I noticed some of them had a tougher fibrous band that I had to remove from my mouth. Unless I have a coupon for the better ones, I'll live with the cheaper ones.
(Score: 2) by Booga1 on Friday July 12 2019, @11:55PM (1 child)
Agreed. In most cases the store brand is fine, and sometimes even the same brand/manufacturing plant. On rare occasions I like the store brand better, like Safeway bacon or salsa.
Yet, other times the store brand is just awful like the Kroger frosted shredded wheat. Got to the bottom of the bag and found it was about 20% crumbs by weight, so not only did I not save money, it was more wasteful as well.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:52AM
I buy the Kroeger non frosted shredded wheat. $1.25 a box when it's on sale. Branded breakfast cereals are unbelievably more expensive.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:28AM (1 child)
ROFLMAO
You don't need a cell phone, a computer, or even a calculator to do comparison shopping. Been doing it all my life, without any gadgets, unless you count a scrap of paper and a pen as a gadget. Fact is, much of the "comparison shopping" is done for you, in most stores. Typical store shelf has maybe nine different brands and/or sizes bags of sugar. Beneath each row of bags, is a tag on the shelf that tells you that bag of sugar costs xx.x cents per ounce/pound.
I can neither agree, nor disagree regarding you opinion of store brands. I know for a fact that many store brands come off the same canning/bottling lines as Del Monte, Vlasic, or whatever your favorite brand. I also know that some store brands positively suck ass. For that reason, you have to shop a little. If your store brand truly sucks - maybe you should try a different store?
(Score: 2) by quietus on Saturday July 13 2019, @09:18AM
In addition: save yourself time, and go for the lowest or highest shelves if you want a good deal (store marketing 101).
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Saturday July 13 2019, @08:55AM
Huh? If you're trying to save money, do your background research before you go into town to shop. Make a list of the prices you can get online (or in store in shops that also have an online shop) and buy things when you see them cheaper. Buy non-perishable things in bulk when they're on some kind of special offer. I buy, for example, a six month supply of most toiletries when they're on a half-price sale. I do now have data on my phone, but only because my employer provides me with a SIM. I got that some time in the last year and it's the first time I've ever had mobile data. Nothing is ever really so urgent that I can't wait until I'm near WiFi. When I've visited the US recently, most malls have free WiFi, so you can even check things while in the shops if you need to. I spend under £1/month on mobile service: I'm on a pre-pay plan. Until recently, most calls I made were via a VoIP service over WiFi, now my mobile provider has cut their prices enough that they're usually cheaper to use than other services.
sudo mod me up
(Score: 1) by Coward, Anonymous on Saturday July 13 2019, @06:07AM
Whatever, our government owes trillions and still splurges on the most expensive fighter jets money can buy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 12 2019, @08:24PM (3 children)
we all know the extra hassel required to go "no streaming". magnets catch rust really fast.
hair-cut is 2mm. DIY device should be "free" after 2 years. don't buy one that only works with battery.
holidays: go see the world, plan ahead. once there, sacrifice the first holiday to research the destination on-site to find cheaper alternatives for the second time.
eat at home, less tummy-ache, for sure.
car, good to have, if possible hybrid it. if not bulk use the motorcycle, bicycle if you have life insurance or walk if you got all your rabies and tetanus shots.
self-made fat can be washed off with (el-cheapo) liquid dishwasher soap detergent just as well.
alcohol makes me angry and useless.
toothbrush gets used until it looks like broom.
wifi-calling whenever possible.
solar-panels to cover about (average) 150W (50% max. output) each during day on all 3-phases.
throw away, made in china crocs last about a year and cost maybe 6 dollars.
haven't ironed clothes in 15 years.
air-dry clothes.
not ready to skimp on:
sugar-drinks.
tobacco.
washing underwear and what goes over it separately.
cinema.
a good home-server w/ lots of spinning rust storage.
trow away shaver.
hot showers.
tumble-dry bedding stuff.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday July 12 2019, @11:00PM (2 children)
Oh, I solved the costs for this by buying a home with enough backyard to afford the space for cloth lines (grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @05:11PM (1 child)
air-dry is good. however beware the UV-induced degradation of cotton on really sunny days.
i prefer to hang my wet clothes in the shade ... on a sunny day ^_^
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday July 13 2019, @10:14PM
It's the dyes that degrade more and sooner than the cotton substrate - I have a couple of black tees that are a pale redish-brown after 3-4 years - the cloth is still strong.
Otherwise, the microbicide action of UV is something that you actually want, especially on bed sheets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @12:09AM (1 child)
I must be really modest,
I don't go out dining, I haven't went on vacation in 10 years or more, my haircut is self done "good enough", no streaming.
What I'm keeping is car for convenience, cheapest cellphone plan for work call, internet fast enough for remote work.
My loans are all repaid.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 13 2019, @01:17AM
This is stealth theft from the poor who are more likely to be in debt. If you aren't paying the credit card company that means we all have to pay more to make up for your failure to contribute.
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Saturday July 13 2019, @04:03AM
It wasn't fancy shit, vacations, new stereos, etc.
It was fucking papa johns. Why? Because I had bed bugs at the time, and was trying really hard not to spread them to other innocent victims. I had no car of my own and would need a lyft or bus to get to the grocery store. And while I did go when I felt up to it, being constantly exhausted, depressed, and sleeping 14 hours, only to wake up needing a shower and not shameless enough to go out when I could smell myself, certainly curbed how often I went to the store.
The only things I bought for myself was a $100 minifridge because ours kept dying and I was tired of it, a $300 UMPC because I always wanted one, and a $150 parts upgrade for my old Dell Optiplex desktop.
The rest was literally delivery food. It took a very long time to get rid of the bed bugs. I was covered in horrid itchy welts constantly.
Also, it wasn't a good time for me, mental health wise.
I still have literal, visible scars on my arms from them.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti