^^ You’re kidding, right?
^^^ @cbreeze why? What is so strange about how raclut lives?
@raclut I aspire for this simplicity. You seem like one of the few here who kicked consumerism to the curb. how do you get on the internet?
@redpoodles, raclut says she has no water bill. Unless her rent includes water, I question how this is possible.
We live in an area where I can walk to most places or I can drive to in 10 minutes max. I put less than 1000 miles per year on my car. Mr. Ellebud…same thing. So, we don’t get new cars. No need. I only go to full serve gas stations. And God did create valets for a reason.
@cbreeze I took it to mean no bottled water bill. Well water/rain barrels? I’m curious.
I’m not sure how Raclut avoids a water bill, but its not that unusual. I haven’t had one for 20 years - well water. Some relatives don’t have one because where they live, people rely on rain collection and cisterns.
Oh my,I feel like somewhat of a spendthrift reading most posts here!
I splurge on nearly everything including socks, clothes,bags, jewelry,scarves though I usually buy on sale. Still pricey brand names though mostly.
The few places I really try to save are cars and airline tickets,
I drive a luxury car but it was preowned and I refuse to fly business or first class even on long haul international flights. I tell myself if it was safer I could justify it but it’s not.
I drive a cheap car. Sold the good one when S went to college OOS and now drive his old clunker (or as he calls it…a 2003 vintage hatchback with awesome 5 speed manual). At some point he’s going to need it again and I’ll probably go back to driving something nice.
I will never spend more than $50 for a handbag. Any bag that rides on my shoulder has to be ready and willing to take serious abuse. Since I work at home most of the time I can get away with a wardrobe of mostly extreme-casual wear (I have to get dressed up enough to walk the dog) but I’ve discovered that cheap clothes don’t last. So I buy mid-high cost clothes and wear them till they’re threadbare. Broke my foot about 10 years ago and have not been able to wear cheap shoes since then (or high heeled or any shoe that a teenage girl would call “cute”).
I am a travel bargain hunter–especially for airfare. I use fare watchers, kayak, google flights, etc to find the best option. The dates of our last 2 vacations were driven by the most inexpensive flights. I DO NOT understand first class air travel. Why pay more to all arrive at the same place? Love VRBO for lodging. I only stay in hotels if it is a 3 night or less trip. I hate to pay for breakfast out. I much prefer to have my own fridge on vacation and a stop at the local grocery, or sometimes bakery, gives me what I want for breakfast and a few other meals as well. I am a coupon user. I keep those for my favorite stores in my purse or flagged on my phone and rarely pay full price for clothes, shoes or household items. I have been known to return something I have not yet worn if I see it cheaper somewhere else. I do buy good quality because to me it is all about value. Things need to perform well and hold up but names are not what is most important. I buy most of my clothes at end of season sales. I have recently developed a love for Starbucks but I treat it like dessert. Certainly not an everyday purchase. My son and I have made buying his textbooks almost a game. Half price books, Amazon, and other on line sites have what he needs at much better prices. I splurge on housecleaning because I bill my time and it is therefore better spent on client work than on dust bunnies. It only gets done every other week. We are not home enough to need more.
I grew up poor with parents who were terrible with money, so it took me a few years to figure out how to spend wisely.
For me, some cheap things are a waste of money because they don’t last or perform poorly. Cheap purses fall apart, cheap cars are not safe or reliable, cheap food is full of junk. Life is too short for cheap toilet paper.
So I try to buy things that may have an initial cost that is higher, but will provide me with satisfaction for longer, thus giving me the best bang for my buck.
My car is one example-I bought a fully loaded Ford Flex that I designed (picked out colors, options, etc, got everything that I wanted), used the USAA discount, bought an extended warranty through Ford online that covers it for 125k miles (and paid half what the dealer that I bought the car from was offering to me for), and I take care of that car religiously. It’s now at 78k miles, still looks, feels and drives like new, and I still love it. I take care of things that I paid good money for, so I don’t have to pay more often for them.
I also comparison shop like crazy, and I don’t impulse buy. I’m currently wearing a $500 pair of suede boots that I bought at DSW…for $44 dollars. The MSRP on them was $498, the sticker for DSW was $380, they had a yellow 80% off sticker on them, I had accrued $20 on my dsw card, and they were running an in-store special for triple points and and additional $10/off. So…$44. I bought them, brought them home and gave them to my husband to wrap for me for Christmas :).
As I grow older, I become more focused on what really matters to me, and I’m making an active effort to bring less “stuff” into our life. Sometimes when stuff is cheap you bring it into your life more easily, and it tends to clutter. I’d rather have a few good pieces that took a lot of pain and effort to acquire, because I appreciate them more.
What I am cheap on:
notepaper – I save the envelopes that come in the mail – stockpile them and use them, if the backs are plain and unmarked, for my lists – shopping lists, “to do” lists, etc. Even bring some to the doctor’s office to use for notes taken there. The envelopes hold up better in my purse than a piece of paper.
(However, I do use good notepaper for correspondence, and spend good money on the “perfect” card for somebody. I am always on the lookout for special cards and keep a “card shop” in my stationery drawer.)
Books – love to read, but only get books via the library these days. Trying to declutter so very strict about what comes into the house, so the library is my good friend. Online requests and renewals are great.
Purses, clothes, etc. – not at all a fashion plate, have plain and boring clothing, but try to purchase good quality on sale.
Will splurge for special experiences – theater, travel, etc.
Drive cars into the ground, keep at least a decade, typically more, and don’t bother to have appearance issues (scratches, minor dents, things that don’t affect safety) repaired. But pay cash when we purchase a new car, and do buy new.
Don’t have cable, nor a “smart” phone (although considering acquiring the latter as I can appreciate the advantages for travel).
We do “splurge” on a lawn service (an acre to mow), a monthly cleaning team, and having H’s dress shirts done at the cleaners.
I don’t own a piece of jewelry that costs more than $100 – including my wedding ring. I don’t like precious stones, and much prefer handmade jewelry by local craftspeople.
If my destination is within 4 miles, I have the time and it is walkable, I walk. I don’t even like taking public transportation if I can avoid it.
Rarely do I eat breakfast out. I’ll bring packets of oatmeal to make in the hotel room when we travel.
Every so often I’ll look at more expensive clothing, since in theory I can afford it. I’ll look at the plain white designer T-shirt for $200 – and I just don’t get it. $10 from H&M/Target/Uniqlo works for me.
I don’t get the need for huge TVs. We owned a 24-inch for 20+ years until it died (started smoking). Not sure what size we have now – my husband prefers larger, so we compromised. But I’m fine watching things on my iPad (well, I was before it was stolen).
Need to catch up on these posts.
@cbreeze I wasn’t joking. I own a condo where we pay for gas and electric and the association pays for the water bill. We pay condo fees. I do pay for internet through Verizon since they are the only service provider for now but I am hearing they will be having competition in our community.
Life has been a learning experience and a humbling one. I learned the difference between needs and wants. It was an educational experience for me and made me realize what was really important for me in my life. For me it was to own a home mortgage free and have my child’s education paid for. Over time this self discipline became the norm for me. I don’t feel that I am deprived of anything in any way. I feel I have everything that I need. I never took anything that I had for granted.
Am I the only one who would spend more on an outfit (or anything else) for her daughters or husband than on an outfit for myself? I have a son too but his tastes are so simple he doesn’t seem to cost much.
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Many of my neighbors use both a lawn service and a plow service. I won’t pay for either as long as I can do it myself. It’s good exercise!
On the other hand, we have a cleaning service, because a) life is too short to scrub toilets, and b) it’s cheaper than marriage counseling. 
If I’m buying stuff on-line, and I’m a few $ short of getting free shipping, I’ll add more stuff even if I don’t strictly need it because it’s essentially getting it for 30-50% off when you factor in the savings on shipping. Did this just yesterday - bought a pair of hiking boots marked down from $140 to $80. Free shipping is at $100, so I added a shirt on clearance that was marked down from $70 to $23. Saved $8 on shipping so the net cost is $15.
I don’t ever pay full price for clothes, I live in the clearance sections of sites like LL Bean and Lands End. I’ve bought some stuff from Goodwill-equivalent stores, but that requires me to step foot in them, and I hate shopping in general.
I hate paying extra to pick my seat on a plane or for economy premium, but flying has become so uncomfortable for me due to smaller seats and seat spacing that I will grudgingly pay. Have splurged for a higher class a few times on really long flights. You can’t take it with you, and comfort is becoming more important. 
At 6 feet 4 in. H pays to have more room on planes. Flying is painful for him.
My H is 6’7" and has never paid extra for more room. We’re just too cheap!
.“I DO NOT understand first class air travel. Why pay more to all arrive at the same place”
I recently inherited a significamt sum of money. Don’t plan on moving or buying new cars or jewelry or furniture. But I will now only fly business or first class. Its just so so much more pleasant. I find flying absolutely miserable. Horribly Uncomfortable and boring. Anything I can do to make it any better I will do now. Its my one big splurge.
@redpoodles
My daughter on the other hand has a closet filled with the prettiest clothes and shoes. When I shop for her I don’t think twice about buying things for her because I want her to have the best of everything. (I will buy things at a good deal though) The pieces she has will last her a long time because they are good quality and durable. For example her Uggs were probably the best investment made because she has been using them since the last 6 years. Most of my friends compliment our clothes and have no idea how we are frugal.
I have merino and cashmere sweaters in every color bought many years ago. What is sold today in stores can’t compare in quality. The merino sweaters are used three seasons. (fall, winter, spring) I take good care of the things I have so that they last. Classics like that don’t go out of style.
My sister’s family flies first and business class but with points Her husband’s job requires him to travel internationally for a living so he gets frequent flier points and hotel points. That allows the family to take vacations all over the world for minimal cost since flights and hotels are free.
If you are able to splurge on things to make life more comfortable I think that is great.
When you are not able to then you come up with creative ways to make life comfortable and pleasant.