Topic: Save Money, Save save save....maybe? (Read 18838 times)

Tyler · « **Reply #50 on:** 07 Jul 2009, 19:53 »

Your name is now "other Tyler" or "the not as pretty Tyler"

est · « **Reply #51 on:** 07 Jul 2009, 20:00 »

Novatyler

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #52 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 04:32 »

What about Pseudo-Tyler?

When is this Rasheed Wallace show Nobo?

Hat · « **Reply #53 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 05:49 »

Quote from: Yayniall on 07 Jul 2009, 11:58

Or win pub quizzes for a living.

I did this for something resembling a living but the prizes were alcohol and resulted in a lot of bad decisions.

yelley · « **Reply #54 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 10:57 »

Quote from: tinysmidgen on 08 Jul 2009, 04:32

When is this Rasheed Wallace show Nobo?

Rasheed Wallace is a basketball player. He's playing for the Celtics as of this July. I'm assuming that's the Rasheed Wallace he's talking about.

Yunior · « **Reply #55 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 16:02 »

Wait! This thread cannot be able Tyler v. Tyler or Rasheed Wallace yet because it still needs to be about Money because I have a question:

I am trying to figure out my student loans. (I am terrified of my student loans.) This September I'll be a sophomore in college and I've spent the afternoon trying to understand the loans I've already taken out and the loans I'll be taking out in the coming years. The only conclusion I have come to is that they are purposely confusing (to be big meanies), but also I have made no other conclusions (they have successfully confused me). I am pretty sure some of you have successfully navigated your student loans before -- where do I start with student loans, as far as understanding them? Is there a book or a blog that is particularly helpful?

jhocking · « **Reply #56 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 16:46 »

Quote from: ViolentDove on 06 Jul 2009, 16:30

Hat speaks the truth, that is actually the best way of doing it.

I think we need to keep up the depression-era wisdom, though. Like save your toenail clippings and then glue them onto the end of a stick instead of buying a scrubbing brush. Or make coffee by filling a sock with coffee grounds then dunking it in water.

My take on this is penny-wise, pound-foolish.

I mean, he may have been joking with these specific suggestions, I'm not sure, but overall a lot of saving tips (including a few in this thread, sorry) come across to me as wasting time nitpicking. I find it much more productive to concentrate on items where you get the most bang for the buck and then just make sure not to be a complete spendthrift about everything else.

For example, suggestions like sell your car, quit smoking, don't eat out, and cancel cable are really useful because they save a lot of money with a minimum of effort. Suggestions like sewing your socks or even clipping coupons seem counterproductive to me however because you're spending lots of time to save not that much money really.* Unless you already are given to lots of frugal habits (in which case you wouldn't need any of this advice anyway) then all that nitpicking about a dollar here, a dollar there is just going to demotivate you and make it harder to cut back where it actually matters.

*I'm assuming here that you buy cheap generic socks. If you buy expensive designer socks, stop buying those and get cheap ones.

ADDITION: I didn't notice this bit at the end of the first post:

Quote from: tinysmidgen on 06 Jul 2009, 15:52

4. A list of CDs that I have that I want to buy, i think it came up to 468 CDs

I'm sorry, that's retarded. The other items you listed for why you need to save sound reasonable (personally I think the new iPod ought to go too since that implies you already have an older iPod, but hey we are different people with different priorities,) but this is just ridiculous.

nobo · « **Reply #57 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 17:10 »

Quote from: yelley on 08 Jul 2009, 10:57

Rasheed Wallace is a basketball player. He's playing for the Celtics as of this July. I'm assuming that's the Rasheed Wallace he's talking about.

Yelley, you have just become my new favorite poster on these boards.

here is Sheed

[

Quote from: Yunior on 08 Jul 2009, 16:02

I am trying to figure out my student loans.

Yunior, I have $125,000 in student loans between undergrad and grad school, and I pay around $800 a month for the next 15 years. Obviously I made a poor decision in taking out so many loans (grad school, out of state, no-research grant = $100k).

Anyway, there are 2 different types of loans, private loans and subsidized government loans. You want to get the subsidized student loans because those do not collect interest while you're still in college, the private ones do. To qualify for those you have to fill out the FAFSA and then your student financial aid office will tell you how much you can take out from them.

Then you may or may not have 2 options, fixed rate or variable rate. Variable rate depends on the govt loan rates. Right now they are very low, but they can get really high, so that is a risk. A fixed rate is usually a higher rate, but it will never change.

After you graduate you get a 6 month grace period before you start paying off your loans. If you can't find a job you can get an extra 3 months grace period.

What else do you want to know?

Yayniall · « **Reply #58 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 18:05 »

Quote from: Hat on 08 Jul 2009, 05:49

Quote from: Yayniall on 07 Jul 2009, 11:58
Or win pub quizzes for a living.

I did this for something resembling a living but the prizes were alcohol and resulted in a lot of bad decisions.

The prize is £300 at my local.
If you know the year Al Capone died anyway.

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #59 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 19:52 »

See, I was wondering why that name sounded familiar and not linked to a band.

I don't follow basketball too heavily, rarely actually. So, forgive me for my unknowledgeable ways.

Allybee · « **Reply #60 on:** 08 Jul 2009, 20:21 »

I'm moving out of boston but I'll be back periodically and during the summer. so if/when you're here, send me a PM, I'd be happy to show you around (we can do things that are free).

yelley · « **Reply #61 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 01:15 »

nobo, I am also a bit of a Rasheed Wallace fan... not that I'm really into basketball at all, but I enjoy watching it more then most sports and watching the Pistons a few years back was good.

nobo · « **Reply #62 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 04:11 »

I'm with you on that. I used to root for Sheed and the Portland Trailblazers when they went head to head with the Lakers. I remember Sheed getting thrown out of the game just for looking at a ref. Then my first college roommate and my gf are both from the detroit area, so when he signed with the Pistons I was super excited.

Now having Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett on the same team should be awesome.

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #63 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 14:55 »

So, another method for saving just popped up...torrents instead of cd's

Aimless · « **Reply #64 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 15:54 »

Yes, don't buy those CDs, you're playing them through an mp3-player anyway. If can then sod the ipod as well

My own advice is pretty general, and inspired in part by Eddie Murphy's observations about pockets (in Raw) and in part by my mum. If you want to save money, you should have a good place to keep your savings.

1. A good and dedicated savings account. My bank offers a number of alternatives that are specifically for saving money over a certain period of time, and those options generally have far better interest rates as well.

2. A piggy-bank! Whenever you have change, dump it in the piggy-bank. It's effortless, and I have learned from my mother's example that the money can amount to quite a lot after a year or so.

Putting money aside for the essentials at the beginning of each month is a good idea, and then budgeting the remainder pretty tightly helps. If you find yourself with an excess of money at the end, put that into your savings account as well and start fresh with your new cash load.

Eris's advice about asking yourself if you just want something or if you need it is one of the best for anyone who wants to have better control of their finances, I reckon. You don't have to deny yourself everything, of course, but it's a good way to cut down on expenses. Joe's advice about focusing on the most significant expenses is also very good.

I may have missed this, but what are you options when it comes to making money? Jobs, scholarships, medical experiments...?

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #65 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 16:18 »

I went to the mall today..with twenty dollars in my pocket, I left with eleven dollars and change after buying lunch. I picked up and put down about fifty things because I wanted them..so far this advice has worked when I've used it before. As for money making opportunities, I have a job, it's roughly full time, ranging 32-52 hours a week, depending on how the schedule is worked out. It's fairly secure, as long as I keep up and continue to work and not slack off, I shouldn't lose my job. As for savings, I'm keeping the money in an envelope in a safe, it's easier for me to save if it's in cash form rather than going to the bank and depositing it into a savings account...something about having the physical money there, me thinks. I do keep my change in a sort of piggy-bank, it's four tubes that hold the coin (each denomination in their own tube) in the amount that the paper wrapper for the coins holds, so when the tube is full, the coins go into the wrapper, no messy counting needed

Aimless · « **Reply #66 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 16:23 »

Simple and elegant

I'd recommend you put the money in the bank and retrain your psyche to not need an envelope full of cash, but it's up to you

When I found myself needing to know where my money was going, I found that my tendency to pay for _everything_ with my debit-card came very much in handy. Very easy to get an overview of monthly expenses through the bank's online services that way

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #67 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 17:31 »

*glares at debit card in wallet* you make things too easy to spend, you do

Barmymoo · « **Reply #68 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 18:14 »

Yeah that doesn't work for me, paying with a debit card makes it feel like the things are free.

My solution to using my card too much is to leave it at home, and always carry £10 I do not need, preferably which is borrowed from someone. The fact that it's borrowed means I feel like it isn't mine so I can't spend it, and the fact that it's there means that if something happens I'm not stranded.

Put your money into an account with online banking, so that you can look every day and night to see what the figures are. I love being able to log in from anywhere and know exactly, to the penny, how much money I have and where it came from.

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #69 on:** 09 Jul 2009, 21:53 »

it's not really a problem of not knowing how much money I have, but rather, why I'm wasting money on useless shit I don't need. Like today, at Staples, I was deciding whether or not if I should buy a pack of 50 jewel CD cases for $10.79; while the 25-pack was $9.99 as well. Needless to say, I didn't buy either, because I have a CD holder thing, so when I burn all these CDs I'm getting from torrents, I can just put them in that until I can afford the 450 jewel cases that I'm going to need...>.<

Why CDs you ask? I don't know, I just like having them there. Also, it's like an external hard drive for your music, one album at a time....I'm not making much sense because it's ten of one in the morning here. Also, when I buy my new computer, I'm getting a new external hard drive for it, one that acts like a flash drive, just plug it in and put your files on it; none of this syncing settings and wallpapers shit that the one I have does.

G'night.

Mnementh · « **Reply #70 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 06:44 »

Quote from: Tom on 07 Jul 2009, 14:57

Not true, change your soap.

Olive oil. 10 bucks gets you a cheap bottle of pure oil that will last nearly a year.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #71 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 07:15 »

Any good quality soap, really. Something like Dove will last you for ages, and as an extra bonus it'll treat your skin way way better, and give you a better shave than any of that expensive-ass goop in a can that gets foisted on poor unsuspecting sods as shaving cream.

As for razors, if you have one of those multi-blade things with the platic knobbly bits and the racing stripe and the vibrator and the microchip and all of that ridiculous junk... Toss it. A pack of four blades for those things cost, what, like >$20? Pish posh. Once again, the much cheaper alternative will also happen to give the superior shave. For a dude on a particularly heavy budget, I'd suggest looking for a single-blade disposable razor, in particularly the BIC brand. Disposable razors are always going to be a bit dodgy but the BIC single-blade is probably as good as they get. Slightly more expensive is the Gillette Sensor which is a two-blade "shaving system" (i.e; handle with replaceable blade cartridge). The Sensor is still fairly common so it shouldn't be hard at all to find blades but it has long been superseded by the Mach 3 and Fusion models and as such is rather cheap.

Another alternative is to try your luck looking for second-hand (or new!) safety razors on eBay or the like. Safety razors are great not just because they are old-school as hell and deliver what is probably the best shave you're likely to get short of a professional barber straight razor shave, but also because blades are ridiculously cheap. So even though you may outlay slightly more on the razor itself, you will more than make your money back within pretty much no time. Of particular note are the Israeli-made generic "Personna" blades. You can get 100 of the motherfuckers for $10, which is enough for two years of daily shaves. And they are great blades, very much a favourite among the discerning shavegeek.

It's possible to get new & used safety razors, some more than 50 years old, for next to nothing on eBay. Obviously, buyer beware, make sure that they are in good condition before buying and thoroughly clean and disinfect any used razor that you purchase. Look for Merkur and Gillette razors, and avoid no-name/generics.

Of course I know that you said that shaving wasn't so much a big worry for you, Tyler, but this thread has pretty much become general savings advice anyway, and I'll seize any excuse to preach stentorian from the mount about shaving.

allison · « **Reply #72 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 07:17 »

Quote from: Danny Clash on 10 Jul 2009, 06:44

Olive oil. 10 bucks gets you a cheap bottle of pure oil that will last nearly a year.

At first I thought you were suggesting that he wash himself with olive oil and I was really grossed out because that is probably not effective at all.

A lot of toiletries are unnecessary. 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner works like a charm, and you can get cheap store-brand body washes that double as shaving gel/cream/whatever and don't kill your skin. Go for bulk packages too. Ask for free samples. Seriously, you can get free samples of ANYTHING if you just ask.

supersheep · « **Reply #73 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 07:54 »

I was quite a fan of shaving oil when a mate of mine had some and tried it out - a tiny amount did for the whole face, and it gave a tremendous shave, if I recall correctly. I am seriously considering the purchase of an old-school safety razor now.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #74 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 07:55 »

Dooooo eeeeeet.

Of course it is entirely possible to turn a pragmatic money-saving decision into a wallet-draining weirdo obsession, as it has with me, quite obviously. This typically happens when you realise that, hey, shaving can actually be fun! And so begins the hunt for different razors, creams, lotions, soaps, brushes, mugs and so on and on. Be careful.

Ooh ooh another good shaving-saving tip: Ask your grandfather if he still has a safety razor!

Reed · « **Reply #75 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 08:17 »

I am also really tempted to buy a safety razor now. I just have to decide if I can afford the $30+ to get one....

David_Dovey · « **Reply #76 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 08:50 »

You can get older ones for much, much cheaper but it involves running the risk of it having been on a hobo.

Reed · « **Reply #77 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 08:55 »

Maybe I should pick one of the old ones up and throw it in the autoclave....

redglasscurls · « **Reply #78 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 09:53 »

As a girl, I have to say that whoever did the scent research for the foam-goop shaving cream knows their shit. A freshly shaved dude smells AMAZING.

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #79 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 16:44 »

So, one has to choose, do you want to smell wonderful for the ladies? Or do you want to save some money and go with soap/olive oil/whateverelse... Gah, how women screw with our brains

tania · « **Reply #80 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 16:54 »

i really don't care what a dude smells like as long as he smells like something that isn't sweat or urine or feces. the extra effort to smell sexy is appreciated, but personally, at long as they wear deodorant and bathe occasionally i'm really not gonna be picky.

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #81 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 17:13 »

I bathe daily AND wear deodorant ... do I get extra points?

Jace · « **Reply #82 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 17:43 »

Quote from: tania on 10 Jul 2009, 16:54

i really don't care what a dude smells like as long as he smells like something that isn't sweat or urine or feces.

There are so many smells you didn't cover.
ITT: tania has low standards for smell.

I have been using my shampoo for soap as well because, well, I ran out of soap and I have no money.
Also, if you cook for yourself (something I tried to do and failed at) put rice or pasta in most dishes, it is cheap as hell to buy in large amounts and because it is a starch it will fill you up quicker.

tania · « **Reply #83 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 18:02 »

dude if you gave me your address i would honestly mail you soap, i have so much soap it is insane.

the downside is you will smell like berries and melons because the reason i have so much soap and shampoo is that all of my friends and relatives who know nothing about me send me soap i do not need every single dang birthday and christmas. maybe ladies will like it though. ladies like weird things nowadays.

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #84 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 18:08 »

I believe that it's been proven in a general consensus that women are more attracted to men that have a perfumy scent, while men are generally attracted to women that have a sort of cologne scent about them. If you think about it, that's kind of true in a logical sense. Perfumes and colognes are marketed to members of a certain gender based on scent, women prefer the smell of a (for comparison's sake) flowery or berry scent, while men prefer one of trees or whatever the hell colognes are supposed to smell like...did that make sense?

Yayniall · « **Reply #85 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 18:11 »

I like to smell like an axe.

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #86 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 18:16 »

Then it's not quite a coincidence that I own four axes....I live in the woods, and I build bunkers for paintball..speaking of which, I'm going to be busy Sunday morning.

Professor Snuggles · « **Reply #87 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 19:07 »

Quote from: tania on 10 Jul 2009, 18:02

dude if you gave me your address i would honestly mail you soap, i have so much soap it is insane.

the downside is you will smell like berries and melons because the reason i have so much soap and shampoo is that all of my friends and relatives who know nothing about me send me soap i do not need every single dang birthday and christmas. maybe ladies will like it though. ladies like weird things nowadays.

Tania I really like faggy scenty soap. Will you send me some? I will figure out something to send you in return, although I can't promise I will ever send it.

J-cob9000 · « **Reply #88 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 19:28 »

I also enjoy smelling faggish. But my mother does not enjoy the concept of fags so she will not buy me soap or allow me to buy it. Tania should give me the fag soap.

tania · « **Reply #89 on:** 10 Jul 2009, 19:29 »

ladies, ladies, i have enough faggy soap for everyone

ibrahimdelil · « **Reply #90 on:** 11 Jul 2009, 00:52 »

screw safety razors

get one of these. they're cheaper and when you get used to shave with one of these, you'll never want to touch those double-triple-quadruple bladed bullshit again.

and they're f-in' MANLY.

ViolentDove · « **Reply #91 on:** 11 Jul 2009, 02:01 »

My razor has seven blades. One is a decoy blade that lulls the hairs into a false sense of security while the other six blades sneak up behind them.

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #92 on:** 11 Jul 2009, 04:51 »

mine has six blades in total, five grouped together for normal shaving and one on the back for detail work

David_Dovey · « **Reply #93 on:** 11 Jul 2009, 05:37 »

Quote from: ibrahimdelil on 11 Jul 2009, 00:52

screw safety razors
get one of these. they're cheaper and when you get used to shave with one of these, you'll never want to touch those double-triple-quadruple bladed bullshit again.

Of copurse, prepare to lose a LOT of blood in the interim.

Quote from: ViolentDove on 11 Jul 2009, 02:01

My razor has seven blades. One is a decoy blade that lulls the hairs into a false sense of security while the other six blades sneak up behind them.

Champagne Comedy

supersheep · « **Reply #94 on:** 11 Jul 2009, 06:34 »

Getting all up on the whole straight razor thing is part of my plan, but I think it's something to work up to, you know?

tinysmidgen · « **Reply #95 on:** 11 Jul 2009, 15:50 »

I'd rather have someone else carve my face up with a straight razor, if it has to be done that is.

Zingoleb · « **Reply #96 on:** 11 Jul 2009, 20:47 »

Quote from: tania on 10 Jul 2009, 19:29

ladies, ladies, i have enough faggy soap for everyone

I want some faggy soap

J-cob9000 · « **Reply #97 on:** 12 Jul 2009, 08:42 »

Man, all of us want faggy soap.
We are so gay.

Professor Snuggles · « **Reply #98 on:** 12 Jul 2009, 10:08 »

Quote from: ibrahimdelil on 11 Jul 2009, 00:52

screw safety razors

get one of these. they're cheaper and when you get used to shave with one of these, you'll never want to touch those double-triple-quadruple bladed bullshit again.

and they're f-in' MANLY.

Those are not cheaper, as far as I've ever been able to tell. Where would you be buying that and for how much? I've been trying to find a straight razor for about 3 years now.

jhocking · « **Reply #99 on:** 12 Jul 2009, 10:35 »

Quote from: Jace on 10 Jul 2009, 17:43

Also, if you cook for yourself (something I tried to do and failed at) put rice or pasta in most dishes, it is cheap as hell to buy in large amounts and because it is a starch it will fill you up quicker.

oo oo that reminds me about one of my latest culinary favorites. Besides the rice, get chicken bullion cubes. Brown the rice in some oil for a couples minutes, then simmer for 20 minutes in chicken flavored water in a saucepan on the stove to get an awesome side dish.

Cooking doesn't get much easier than that.* Little prep time, you barely have to pay attention to it while it cooks, and you can buy in bulk one time because the ingredients keep forever. Throw in any fresh vegetables you want and it's even better! I like using diced tomatoes.

*Another of my recent culinary discoveries is the easiest possible nutritious side dish there is. Hopefully you have a gas stove, because you can take a whole green pepper and just put it directly on one of the burners. Just sit it on there for a few minutes and turn it a couple times and you have a roasted pepper. It's so fucking easy!

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Author Topic: Save Money, Save save save....maybe? (Read 18838 times)

Zingoleb