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We discuss tips for Saving money to upgrade

post #1 of 46
3/1/10 at 2:48am
Thread Starter 
i badly wanna get my hands on Custom in-ears.....trying to save..but everytime i hit the club or go on a date with a woman or go out with friends to eat...i realize i aint reaching my target soon



so lets discuss how one can save more money...especially the students.


me saving for JH13Pro
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post #2 of 46
3/1/10 at 2:56am
-Eat/Cook at home instead of eating out.
-Avoid going out in general.
-Don't buy things if you don't really need them, even if you think it might be cool or if there's a good deal.
-Stash your money somewhere so you aren't tempted to use it. Just keep enough on you to get you out of a situation should one occur.
-If you play video games, wait until there's a sale or until the price drops before buying them. Same with computer parts; you don't need a top level machine to play modern games. Build a moderate value one, as that is where you'll get the most bang/buck.
-Sell anything you don't use often or you don't really need.


and more. this is just off the top of my head right now. I'll edit if I think of more, heh.
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post #3 of 46
3/1/10 at 3:29am
If you don't already have a savings account, it's a nice psychological partition. Set a timetable and put part of each check in savings.

I know I spend an obscene amount of money on restaurant food since I'm always having dinner delivered the four days of the week I work nights. Cutting that alone would buy me some IEMs in a couple months.
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post #4 of 46
3/1/10 at 4:19am
dont use credit cards/debit cards to buy stuff.
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post #5 of 46
3/1/10 at 10:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by beamthegreat View Post
dont use credit cards/debit cards to buy stuff.
not a good idea.

You will be giving up:

1-5% cash back on all cc purchases;

if get scammed, you can charge back;

Additional manufacturer warranty for product purchased (only available on certain cards); and

credit card concierge service when traveling overseas (only available on certain cards).

To OP:
If you have to save for a non-essential item (i.e. you don't have the cash in your account to pay for it), you can't afford it and you shouldn't be wasting what little money you saved on it. Better to just put the money saved away as emergency fund. JH13Pro will still be there in a few years when you are not poor.
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post #6 of 46
3/1/10 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by squid+ View Post
-Eat/Cook at home instead of eating out.
-Avoid going out in general.
-Don't buy things if you don't really need them, even if you think it might be cool or if there's a good deal.
-Stash your money somewhere so you aren't tempted to use it. Just keep enough on you to get you out of a situation should one occur.
-If you play video games, wait until there's a sale or until the price drops before buying them. Same with computer parts; you don't need a top level machine to play modern games. Build a moderate value one, as that is where you'll get the most bang/buck.
-Sell anything you don't use often or you don't really need.

and more. this is just off the top of my head right now. I'll edit if I think of more, heh.
I can't agree with you more on those highlighted. Plus, get a part time job, rather than hitting the club
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post #7 of 46
3/1/10 at 2:31pm
Take on a part time job, or an additional job if you already have one..
Or re-prioritize how you spend your current money.
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post #8 of 46
3/1/10 at 3:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by krmathis View Post
Take on a part time job, or an additional job if you already have one..
Or re-prioritize how you spend your current money.
cannot work as i am on student permit i.e a foreigner status and legally not allowed to work for money.
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post #9 of 46
3/1/10 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by squid+ View Post
-Eat/Cook at home instead of eating out.
I can't agree with this. In terms of healthiness, yes, please cook at home, which is what I try to do as much as I can. But just in terms of COST, there is no way I can cook a decent meal cheaper than eating at the fast food chains. Those frankenburgers will kill you but they ARE cheap.

If your definition of eat/cook at home = eating frozen microwave food, that's another story.
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post #10 of 46
3/1/10 at 3:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by beamthegreat View Post
dont use credit cards/debit cards to buy stuff.
That doesn't help nearly as much as people would like to believe, IMO and IME.

The best way, that I have found to save for something that can't be quantified as a 'necessity', is, as other people have mentioned, to find those things I spend the most money 'unnecessarily' on and save by cutting back for a bit.
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post #11 of 46
3/1/10 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nocturnal310 View Post
cannot work as i am on student permit i.e a foreigner status and legally not allowed to work for money.
Are you on H1B? If you get a job on campus, you can work for limited hours. I've done grading jobs before when I was a foreign student and the pay is pretty nice for a student. You can get jobs at the library or any student offices as well. Ask your international student's office.
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post #12 of 46
3/1/10 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by choka View Post
I can't agree with this. In terms of healthiness, yes, please cook at home, which is what I try to do as much as I can. But just in terms of COST, there is no way I can cook a decent meal cheaper than eating at the fast food chains. Those frankenburgers will kill you but they ARE cheap.

If your definition of eat/cook at home = eating frozen microwave food, that's another story.
You don't have to cook a full course meal each time. If you buy a few vegetables, some eggs, maybe some chicken or beef, vegetable oil, and rice, it would cost about the same as two, maybe three, visits to McDonalds yet you could eat much more than two meals.
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post #13 of 46
3/1/10 at 5:36pm
Speaking as someone who has been poor, I have this advice:

Don't spend money on stuff you don't actually need.

That's it.

If you're already deeply in debt, there's a whole other problem to be solved, though.

Oh, also, you can survive for a long time on a 50lb bag of rice and a 50lb bag of beans. And some spices. And maybe a few hambones.
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post #14 of 46
3/1/10 at 5:59pm
Spending a tenner on a box of rubbers can save you quite a bit in the long run.
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post #15 of 46
3/1/10 at 6:16pm
The key for eating cheap is to buy staples in bulk. Buy a 20lb bag of rice and cook a lot of vegetable stir-frys.

If you drive a car, look into doing most repairs/maintenance yourself.

If you don't already, try to live in a group house with a lot of room mates. That means a lot of people to split bills with.

Don't drink. If you do drink, do it at home with friends rather than in bars.

Pay off all CC bills in full at the end of the month. Make sure you are in a cashback/rewards program. I get paid around $200 a year to use a credit card.

Don't spend too much time on headfi
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