[eclipes]

Pro photography. Another endless hobby. Audio + pro photography = near bankruptcy

 

[Tordenskjold]

Smoking. 

 

[davidgotsa]

Smoking. 

 

[leeperry]

 
Quote:

Going on a very basic diet and losing a lot of weight has had the side effect of saving me about $350 a month

X2, it's full of win!

 

[blackbird]

Quote:

Smoking. 

That's great! It saves money and your health!

 

[Mauricio]

1. Living in the West, where taxes are higher, salaries in my field are lower, cost of living is higher and where Keeping-up-with-the-Joneses can be a religion.
2. Women who demand expensive upkeep and have a huge sense of entitlement
3. Credit.  Cash & Carry only.  If I can't pay for it outright, I don't buy it.

 

[ivantoar]

.

 

[Mauricio]

I hope you're not drinking the water in Jakarta....

 

[temporaryname]

 - Drinking
 - Going out (for dinner, movie, etc)
 - Smoking (quit years ago, but still feels good to save all that money - 20 pack costs approx $20 in Australia now)
 
Those are the mains ones for me. Still working on the food part. Oh, and I either take the bus, bike it or walk. Longer journey means longer listening time, so it's worth it. 

 

[ivantoar]

Quote:

I hope you're not drinking the water in Jakarta....

 
Hahaha of course not. I only drink tap water when I'm in Singapore.

 

[ChipnDalebowl]

- Not a smoker or drinker - automatic savings, given the price of alcohol or cigarettes

- No cable - saves some $80 a month

- Eating at home for breakfast, brown bagged lunches (but do go out for dinner during the week)

- Drive at the speed limit - saving gas is worth it given the prices and where they're headed.

- Buy used - books, cds

- Buy on sale - never have paid full retail for shirts in a long time


Most people could have most everything they wanted if they were just patient, and prioritized what was the most important.

 

[nmxdaven]

Smoke? Check.
Drink? Like a dockman. Check.
Work my ass off with 70 hour weeks to afford all my hobbies, obsessions and luxuries? (and the wife) Double check.
 
I dont spend money on dumb things however. If I dont use it I dont buy it. I dont have a 70 inch plasma, nor a pool in the backyard. I see allot of that. Spend 4 grand on a tv to watch it twice a week for an hour. If I buy something I usually try and buy something thats nice and that will last. My wife doesnt feel the same way. Shell buy a crappy 30$ coffee maker at wallmart and complain when it dies? Often it saves you much more to go ahead and put up the cash on something with quality, rather than rebuying the same product every year.
 

 

[PleasantNoise]

Quote:

Smoke? Check.
Drink? Like a dockman. Check.
Work my ass off with 70 hour weeks to afford all my hobbies, obsessions and luxuries? (and the wife) Double check.
 
I dont spend money on dumb things however. If I dont use it I dont buy it. I dont have a 70 inch plasma, nor a pool in the backyard. I see allot of that. Spend 4 grand on a tv to watch it twice a week for an hour. If I buy something I usually try and buy something thats nice and that will last. My wife doesnt feel the same way. Shell buy a crappy 30$ coffee maker at wallmart and complain when it dies? Often it saves you much more to go ahead and put up the cash on something with quality, rather than rebuying the same product every year.
 

That bolded statement, is one I try to follow more and more as I start buying things more (getting to the age of moving out etc)
I'm one of those terribly boring people that likes things to be functional, simple, bullet-proof and in the event that something goes wrong, I want them to be repairable too.
I do find it very hard to follow when buying things though, finding exactly what I want is usually impossible, or very difficult, then when I do, I can't justify the outlay at this point.
I am happy to look after my things though, I will clean and service them, I hate to see things neglected.

 

[Golden Ears]

Ok...

Here we go...

1. No expensive dinners out- Chinese and Thai luncheon socials and happy hour...no booze
2. do not buy anything that as a usable life of under 10 -20 years.
This would mean cotton shorts that cost $50 that last 1-2 years are out, but I have some linen slacks that are at least 10-15 years old that show little wear despite lots of use.
3. If I must buy a disposable...( toaster oven, crappy appliance, beds that do not last 6 months) I buy it from a place that takes returns like a Costco, or Hammacher Schlemmer. Never pay for the same item over and over ten times.
4. Route any flight through Chicago between 3-5 pm on a Thursday or Friday when husbands have to be home for dinner or get killed. I collect multiple bump tickets... For 15 years I traveled free. Just hung out in the airport reading mags answering email and collecting tickets. Holiday sundays are also good..while you are the take cute flight attendants out to dinner...they are stuck too, and sometimes they can make you their designated travel spouse ( no marriage needed) you fly for free anywhere anytime.
5. If you have high rent sublet during the crowded high season and travel to a low season place...I constantly swapped The crappy ultra cold crowded Christmas new year week in aspen for 10 weeks of Caribbean off season.
6. Buy a used star marked Mercedes. Cheapest car to own with high resale.avoid Honda if you crash the medical bills will kill you...or your Honda will fold over on your tympanic membrane.
7.do not buy things that you throw away. Garbage bags, zip locks. Want great zip locks for free..,TSA hands them out but better than that take a bag of crasins or some crouton resealable and wash it out..they have foil linings, are less likely to open or puncture too. Don't buy Tupperware reuse Chinese plastic take out containers.
8. Do not purchase anything, unless you can readily resell it for what you paid. PERIOD! No new cars...but headphones are ok if bought in a group buy.
9. Get in shape at a health club 2 hours a day...your medical bills will love you.
10. Shop at supermarkets in less expensive areas than your own. Prices can be up to 70 recent less for bulk items.
11. Make a supermarket loop of 4 different markets...only buy their sale items that you circled at home.
12. Cable tv is a waste...so is any subscription other than Internet.
13. Buy a prepaid iPhone plan but buy a used iPhone. 40 bucks unlimited data- if you buy a new iPhone, unlock it and sell it before 1 year.
14. Sometimes buying an all inclusive vacation in the off season and subletting your place is the cheapest option.
15. I gave up nightclubs that had bad audio.
16. I gave up new sneakers every 6 weeks and bought shoe goo to make a thin sacrificial layer on new shoes...
17. Rent luxuries through groupon.
18. Buy the Panasonic rechargeable razor wet dry. No disposable blades..
19. Buy lifetime warranty products, tape receipt on box...lifetime things are made better , take less of your time in repair or replacement, and are single purchases, saving 15% -40% on a non lifetime warranty product that fails or wears out is for suckers...don't be one.
20. Make dinner for good friends whenever a luxury item like lobster, lamb chops etc... Is 70 recent off...,and after 2-3 amazing big meals they will pick other tab next time you go out to dinner if they don't they probably weren't friends.
21 Bringing a bottle of wine to parties.... it isn't memorable...bring something memorable or your the money you spent is forgotten and unrecognized.

Be generous....especially when you are poor...even to those more wealthy ( ONLY if they are of good character) , you will never lose out on being generous to good people....money exists to facilitate trade...make good trades with your time and money to good people. Everyone feels good this way. Never take advantage of someone . Never put yourself in a position to be taken advantage by someone of poor character....nothing good can come of that.

Share your sound systems with everyone you can....be the DJ.

22. The last luxury I gave up was using stacks of new 100 dollar bills to start wet wood in the Great room fireplace after a 21 day trip of binge gambling in Monaco.. It was a fun bi-annual trip tradition with those crazy hedgefunders. . I'll miss it, but can live without it. It wasn't my money anyhow.

 

[NiHaoMike]

I realize that this thread hasn't been updated in a while but I do have a lot of things to list.
 
I don't drink alcohol nor sweetened soft drinks and I also never smoked, but that's really because I never liked them. The cost savings (a little initially and a lot in the long term) are a good extra reason to say no.
 
No cable TV. Youtube has more interesting stuff to watch than I would ever have time for. I presume that would apply to just about anyone who actually bothers to search for interesting stuff to watch.
 
Phone is prepaid. I have Wifi access at home and work, so I just use VoIP for long calls.
 
I DIY a lot. Not just audio and general electronics, but also a lot of home and auto repair and maintenance. The latter two can make for a very substantial savings and better quality of work.
 
I do a lot of research on various things and often go for high overall value per dollar when buying stuff. And taking advantage of sales and deals when it makes sense to do so.
 
I drive a hybrid, and although that involves spending a lot initially, I don't upgrade cars very frequently and when I do, it's because the last car has become too unreliable to keep. In particular, I see the hybrids as a way of not just saving on gas but also to avoid the unreliable DCTs that are common in new cars nowadays.
 
No gym membership. I lift weights (and use stretch bands) at home and walk a lot at work. (There's also a gym at work that's free for employees if I ever need it.)
 
And last but not least, a lot of energy conservation. CFL and LED lighting, save the shower water for watering plants, line dry clothes, etc.