Full Version: The Mightiest Miser
I am currently trying to simplify my life as much as possible. I no longer want to waste my life paying for junk I will never really use.
I am also trying to find a way to be as frugal==read cheap==as I can be and yet get the best quality stuff I can get. Almost like stealing.
This means dollar stores, pawn shops, and the various online zones.
So I am looking for recommendations
Where do you shop for the best bargains: Stores, Onlines I am looking for real good deals==cough cough hint hint Mike.
Where are the best places to find deals for just about anything?
I am also trying to find a way to be as frugal==read cheap==as I can be and yet get the best quality stuff I can get. Almost like stealing.
This means dollar stores, pawn shops, and the various online zones.
So I am looking for recommendations
Where do you shop for the best bargains: Stores, Onlines I am looking for real good deals==cough cough hint hint Mike.
Where are the best places to find deals for just about anything?
Christopher,
I think Wal*Mart is online
If you do google searches for what you're looking for, you'll get the sidebar of price comparison sites. There you can sort on price and find your best deal, but keep the shipping cost in mind.
Some items simply hold their value. For example, I got a digital recorder for creating WAV files that I use for various reasons, and the model I wanted was about the same price everywhere. Even used ones on ebay were going for not a whole lot less, and the warranty was important to me.
Here's another approach: Consider a cheaper, less high quality item if it will fit the need. That's pretty obvious, isn't it? Still, there's room for creative thinking here. When I first worked with WAV files, I'd make the recordings on a used Fostex tape deck, then rip the sound with shareware tools. Later, when money became available, I went digital to save time and increase the quality of the WAV sounds.
Other money-saving habits: water down shampoo to stretch it, reuse coffee grounds for another half-pot, walk places instead of going to a gym, drive as little as possible, dump cable for videos (pawn shop, recycle to pawn shop), buy fruit instead of fruit juice (more filling, lasts longer), find a food coop and work in it for the discount (use to be more common in the 1970s), beans & rice instead of meat.
You also might be able to sell some of your junk on ebay. If you can find a source of wholesale-level (not the ripoff fake wholesale stuff on the web) items that people want, you could even enhance your income through ebay. I know of a guy who went to a city auction, bought up a bunch of used street lights, and sold them on ebay as dormitory and rec room decorations.
Now if I can only find those rock bookends with the Virgin Mary in the grain, or maybe Elvis . . . .
I think Wal*Mart is online
If you do google searches for what you're looking for, you'll get the sidebar of price comparison sites. There you can sort on price and find your best deal, but keep the shipping cost in mind.
Some items simply hold their value. For example, I got a digital recorder for creating WAV files that I use for various reasons, and the model I wanted was about the same price everywhere. Even used ones on ebay were going for not a whole lot less, and the warranty was important to me.
Here's another approach: Consider a cheaper, less high quality item if it will fit the need. That's pretty obvious, isn't it? Still, there's room for creative thinking here. When I first worked with WAV files, I'd make the recordings on a used Fostex tape deck, then rip the sound with shareware tools. Later, when money became available, I went digital to save time and increase the quality of the WAV sounds.
Other money-saving habits: water down shampoo to stretch it, reuse coffee grounds for another half-pot, walk places instead of going to a gym, drive as little as possible, dump cable for videos (pawn shop, recycle to pawn shop), buy fruit instead of fruit juice (more filling, lasts longer), find a food coop and work in it for the discount (use to be more common in the 1970s), beans & rice instead of meat.
You also might be able to sell some of your junk on ebay. If you can find a source of wholesale-level (not the ripoff fake wholesale stuff on the web) items that people want, you could even enhance your income through ebay. I know of a guy who went to a city auction, bought up a bunch of used street lights, and sold them on ebay as dormitory and rec room decorations.
Now if I can only find those rock bookends with the Virgin Mary in the grain, or maybe Elvis . . . .
LOL..
I adopted this 'anti-materialism' thing a while back. Basically I try to avoid buying stuff I don't need. (Okay, so I stole the idea from Fight Club! - and somethings you don't 'really' need, but you do really. Specially if you're a move fan, sci-fi geek like me etc)
So - DVD's - rent em if you like films. Don't buy them. No-one should watch any film more than twice, unless it is one of those 'fantastic' movies (everyone has one or two!) that you just love.
The reason that you should never watch any film more than twice (or once) is because there are soooo many good films out there, from all over the world that no-one will ever live long enough to see them all. So try and see as many good ones as you can!
And renting them online is pretty cheap.
CDs - well, okay - I hesitate to recommend piracy...so, you can buy music cheaply online and burn it onto a cd, or however you want to listen to your music. Again, a lot of music out there isn't worth 'owning'. An awful lot of music sounds great when you first hear it and then ends up on the pile of albums that you just don't want to hear again...
Otherwise, Ebay is an obviouis good choice. It depends what you are buying!.
Were you in Europe, I would suggest using public transport and walking, rather than using your car. I don't own a car, don't need one and never have! Most people I know (in mid twenties) don't own one either. However, I don't know how feasible that is in your part of the US (wherever you are!).
(As a tourist I did once make an heroic attempt to travel around LA on the public transport system and some walking. I lasted half a day before renting a car instead! So if you live in LA, disregard my car advice).
I also joined my local Territorial Army (i.e. British reservists) unit for some spare cash. I'm assuming the US equivalent will be along similar lines - you could do that..it's good fun and gets you fit a lot faster and cheaper than going to the gym! Of course, that isn't always appropriate for anyone. I'm a bit concerned I might end up being sent to Iraq and suddenly it seems like a lot less fun!
Basically its a bit like a part time job, but one that is actually a good laugh, rather than the mind-numbing tedium of your local McMerde or whatever.
Anyway, there are lots of ways of earning extra cash in your spare time, if you aren't already doing that! (Sheesh, you live in the US, there must be jobs going all over the place!)
And the obvious things...prepare your own food wherever possible...avoid junk food. Bear in mind that the most expensive beers in the bar are probably just highly priced to look prestigious, rather than any good! (I don't know if you get Stella Artois in the US, but if you've been to the UK you would know exactly what I mean).
And always reseearch before you buy - make sure you are getting something which does what you need, rather than something which has a bunch of funky extras you won't ever use.
Hmm - its disturbing how much I've just written. The worst vice is advice and all that...
I adopted this 'anti-materialism' thing a while back. Basically I try to avoid buying stuff I don't need. (Okay, so I stole the idea from Fight Club! - and somethings you don't 'really' need, but you do really. Specially if you're a move fan, sci-fi geek like me etc)
So - DVD's - rent em if you like films. Don't buy them. No-one should watch any film more than twice, unless it is one of those 'fantastic' movies (everyone has one or two!) that you just love.
The reason that you should never watch any film more than twice (or once) is because there are soooo many good films out there, from all over the world that no-one will ever live long enough to see them all. So try and see as many good ones as you can!
And renting them online is pretty cheap.
CDs - well, okay - I hesitate to recommend piracy...so, you can buy music cheaply online and burn it onto a cd, or however you want to listen to your music. Again, a lot of music out there isn't worth 'owning'. An awful lot of music sounds great when you first hear it and then ends up on the pile of albums that you just don't want to hear again...
Otherwise, Ebay is an obviouis good choice. It depends what you are buying!.
Were you in Europe, I would suggest using public transport and walking, rather than using your car. I don't own a car, don't need one and never have! Most people I know (in mid twenties) don't own one either. However, I don't know how feasible that is in your part of the US (wherever you are!).
(As a tourist I did once make an heroic attempt to travel around LA on the public transport system and some walking. I lasted half a day before renting a car instead! So if you live in LA, disregard my car advice).
I also joined my local Territorial Army (i.e. British reservists) unit for some spare cash. I'm assuming the US equivalent will be along similar lines - you could do that..it's good fun and gets you fit a lot faster and cheaper than going to the gym! Of course, that isn't always appropriate for anyone. I'm a bit concerned I might end up being sent to Iraq and suddenly it seems like a lot less fun!
Basically its a bit like a part time job, but one that is actually a good laugh, rather than the mind-numbing tedium of your local McMerde or whatever.
Anyway, there are lots of ways of earning extra cash in your spare time, if you aren't already doing that! (Sheesh, you live in the US, there must be jobs going all over the place!)
And the obvious things...prepare your own food wherever possible...avoid junk food. Bear in mind that the most expensive beers in the bar are probably just highly priced to look prestigious, rather than any good! (I don't know if you get Stella Artois in the US, but if you've been to the UK you would know exactly what I mean).
And always reseearch before you buy - make sure you are getting something which does what you need, rather than something which has a bunch of funky extras you won't ever use.
Hmm - its disturbing how much I've just written. The worst vice is advice and all that...
QUOTE(christopher @ May 31 2005, 02:07 AM)
I am currently trying to simplify my life as much as possible. I no longer want to waste my life paying for junk I will never really use.
I am also trying to find a way to be as frugal==read cheap==as I can be and yet get the best quality stuff I can get. Almost like stealing.
This means dollar stores, pawn shops, and the various online zones.
So I am looking for recommendations
Where do you shop for the best bargains: Stores, Onlines I am looking for real good deals==cough cough hint hint Mike.
Where are the best places to find deals for just about anything?
I am also trying to find a way to be as frugal==read cheap==as I can be and yet get the best quality stuff I can get. Almost like stealing.
This means dollar stores, pawn shops, and the various online zones.
So I am looking for recommendations
Where do you shop for the best bargains: Stores, Onlines I am looking for real good deals==cough cough hint hint Mike.
Where are the best places to find deals for just about anything?
I suggest you hit the garage sales from nice neighborhoods. You won't believe what people think is "junk" there.
One word: RESALE
You would not believe the great stuff you can find at garage sales. Also, there are always really good resale shops (high end) or even the salvation army. Especially if you have kids, resale is the best. As a side note, you can make a bundle selling on ebay. My sister is a real genius at this. She has made so much money picking up stuff at the salvation army and selling it on ebay for 10 times what she paid. She can clear $1000 in 6 weeks pretty regularly just doing Ebay on the side. She recently quit her job at a restaurant and does ebay almost exclusively. She has kids and can do all of her buying and selling with the kids.
If you have kids and both you and your wife are working-- consider one of you quitting work to avoid EXPENSIVE day care costs. When you have more than one kid in daycare (and even then), it is pretty unusual to be able to come out ahead when both are working. The money you save in day care and the money that the at home parent can save with frugal purchasing/cooking etc is well worth it financially-- AND it is better for the kids!
Also, check out your library-- they usually have lots of videos there you can check out for free.
Consider cancelling your land line phone and using a cell phone exclusively. Plus, lots of cell phone companies give you free minutes for calls within network, i.e. verizon to verizon calls are all free.
Stop getting take out food and "convenience" food. It is amazing how much money you can save when you simply cook healthy food at home from scratch.
This is a great topic-- as I think of more things I will post again!!
You would not believe the great stuff you can find at garage sales. Also, there are always really good resale shops (high end) or even the salvation army. Especially if you have kids, resale is the best. As a side note, you can make a bundle selling on ebay. My sister is a real genius at this. She has made so much money picking up stuff at the salvation army and selling it on ebay for 10 times what she paid. She can clear $1000 in 6 weeks pretty regularly just doing Ebay on the side. She recently quit her job at a restaurant and does ebay almost exclusively. She has kids and can do all of her buying and selling with the kids.
If you have kids and both you and your wife are working-- consider one of you quitting work to avoid EXPENSIVE day care costs. When you have more than one kid in daycare (and even then), it is pretty unusual to be able to come out ahead when both are working. The money you save in day care and the money that the at home parent can save with frugal purchasing/cooking etc is well worth it financially-- AND it is better for the kids!
Also, check out your library-- they usually have lots of videos there you can check out for free.
Consider cancelling your land line phone and using a cell phone exclusively. Plus, lots of cell phone companies give you free minutes for calls within network, i.e. verizon to verizon calls are all free.
Stop getting take out food and "convenience" food. It is amazing how much money you can save when you simply cook healthy food at home from scratch.
This is a great topic-- as I think of more things I will post again!!
Mike is too slow to reply, so I'll give you a few of the sites he sent me:
Passwird - These guys index bargains on the net. Most of the deals are computer focused, but not all.
Hot Deals - Similar type site, less computer stuff overall but some awesome deals nonetheless.
Pricewatch - If you need a specific computer part, this is the place to look. They even rate the retailers so you can tell if you're getting a shady deal. New Egg is my favorite computer retailer on the next, however.
I suspect Mike has many more he hasn't shared, so I'm not completely stealing his thunder
Hope that helps.
Doc
Passwird - These guys index bargains on the net. Most of the deals are computer focused, but not all.
Hot Deals - Similar type site, less computer stuff overall but some awesome deals nonetheless.
Pricewatch - If you need a specific computer part, this is the place to look. They even rate the retailers so you can tell if you're getting a shady deal. New Egg is my favorite computer retailer on the next, however.
I suspect Mike has many more he hasn't shared, so I'm not completely stealing his thunder
Hope that helps.
Doc
http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/index.php
That is a free couponing site with lots of help from its members and moderators. They have chapters for most states, altho only a few states have a lot of active members. The site is only about a year old and has several thousand members.
My wife, daughter, and daughter in law use this site a lot, and use coupons a lot.
Sometimes they get things free, or near free, because the items they buy are on sale and the coupons cover the entire cost, or nearly the entire cost, of the items they are buying. Your local sunday paper probably has a coupon section that you, and your neighbors, have been throwing away for years.
Swap meets are a good place to find things, tho I would advise that if you are new to a certain swap meet, you should find a friend who is not to teach you who the trusted vendors are.
Thrift stores can be a good source as well. There is one near me that is the largest in the Phoenix area, and is a good source of used clothing.
Yard sales are a good place to shop and it seems like the nicest neighborhoods have the best yard sale items at the cheapest prices. They just want to get rid of the stuff.
Pawn shops I have visited usually have some fairly high prices, so they are not as good a source of bargains as the other places.
I have even made a bit of money selling items in Ebay that I find at yard sales, thrift shops, etc. and I have a retired friend who manages to make enough to go on a couple cruises a year with his wife. He does yard sales and swap meets and also goes to auctions.
That is a free couponing site with lots of help from its members and moderators. They have chapters for most states, altho only a few states have a lot of active members. The site is only about a year old and has several thousand members.
My wife, daughter, and daughter in law use this site a lot, and use coupons a lot.
Sometimes they get things free, or near free, because the items they buy are on sale and the coupons cover the entire cost, or nearly the entire cost, of the items they are buying. Your local sunday paper probably has a coupon section that you, and your neighbors, have been throwing away for years.
Swap meets are a good place to find things, tho I would advise that if you are new to a certain swap meet, you should find a friend who is not to teach you who the trusted vendors are.
Thrift stores can be a good source as well. There is one near me that is the largest in the Phoenix area, and is a good source of used clothing.
Yard sales are a good place to shop and it seems like the nicest neighborhoods have the best yard sale items at the cheapest prices. They just want to get rid of the stuff.
Pawn shops I have visited usually have some fairly high prices, so they are not as good a source of bargains as the other places.
I have even made a bit of money selling items in Ebay that I find at yard sales, thrift shops, etc. and I have a retired friend who manages to make enough to go on a couple cruises a year with his wife. He does yard sales and swap meets and also goes to auctions.
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Deal Sites
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To add to Doc's list of Passwird and Hot Deals, here are the rest of the deal sites I visit on a daily basis:
Slick Deals - Probably the busiest deal site on the net. These folks get multiple new deals multiple times per day. The key is to look deeper than their opening page, where the deals are listed. Their forum is full of good deals, and their freebie forum is pretty good too.
eDealInfo - eDealInfo has mostly tech deals, although they do get the occasional non-tech item. One nice feature is that they have a categorized section where you can find what you need. Also, they have, by far, the most comprehensive Dell section anywhere-- even better than Dell! http://www.edealinfo.com/misc/dell.shtml. Keep in mind that individuals can order from Dell Small Business if they use their full name as the business name. You're a private contractor, right...?
Deal University - Another tech deal site... nothing special, but the do list some good deals.
Headline Deals - A pretty good deal site. They venture beyond the tech items where most deal sites stop. For example, they currently have a vacuum, some bakeware, and some roller blades.
Able Shoppers - Another good one. These folks update constantly, it seems. I really like this site.
DealzConnection - Find your own deal sites! This site breaks the deal sites up into ratings (one star, two stars, three stars), and separates them into three categories: Forums, sites, and comparison shopping sites. This is where I find the latest and greatest deal site.
One tip I have is that you should use FireFox and bookmark all of the deal sites into one folder. Then, you just click the folder with your middle mouse button or scroll wheel, and all of the sites open in tabs. It makes it nice and easy to find deals.
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Comparison Shopping
---------------------------------------------------
Froogle - Have you heard of it? If you haven't, you need to check it out. Put in what you want, and all the stores that have it will appear. Sort by price to find your merchant.
Doc mentioned PriceWatch, and I have to say that I don't recommend them. I have been searching PriceWatch since about 2000, I guess, and I have never found an item I have ordered through them. I find that most of their merchants are rude when contacted with presales questions. I also find that many of their stores are "duplicates"-- meaning that Joe Smith will open CompuParts, CompuDeluxe, CompuDeals, CompuSupply, and CompuNothingEverInStock, all based out of one location-- Ohio for example-- and will then "compete" with himself to try to get your sale. Prices on PriceWatch are wildly inaccurate, and most places seem to try to pass off OEM parts and supplies as though they were Retail. I'd stay away (sorry Doc).
That's all I've got for now!
Mike
Deal Sites
---------------------------------------------------
To add to Doc's list of Passwird and Hot Deals, here are the rest of the deal sites I visit on a daily basis:
Slick Deals - Probably the busiest deal site on the net. These folks get multiple new deals multiple times per day. The key is to look deeper than their opening page, where the deals are listed. Their forum is full of good deals, and their freebie forum is pretty good too.
eDealInfo - eDealInfo has mostly tech deals, although they do get the occasional non-tech item. One nice feature is that they have a categorized section where you can find what you need. Also, they have, by far, the most comprehensive Dell section anywhere-- even better than Dell! http://www.edealinfo.com/misc/dell.shtml. Keep in mind that individuals can order from Dell Small Business if they use their full name as the business name. You're a private contractor, right...?
Deal University - Another tech deal site... nothing special, but the do list some good deals.
Headline Deals - A pretty good deal site. They venture beyond the tech items where most deal sites stop. For example, they currently have a vacuum, some bakeware, and some roller blades.
Able Shoppers - Another good one. These folks update constantly, it seems. I really like this site.
DealzConnection - Find your own deal sites! This site breaks the deal sites up into ratings (one star, two stars, three stars), and separates them into three categories: Forums, sites, and comparison shopping sites. This is where I find the latest and greatest deal site.
One tip I have is that you should use FireFox and bookmark all of the deal sites into one folder. Then, you just click the folder with your middle mouse button or scroll wheel, and all of the sites open in tabs. It makes it nice and easy to find deals.
---------------------------------------------------
Comparison Shopping
---------------------------------------------------
Froogle - Have you heard of it? If you haven't, you need to check it out. Put in what you want, and all the stores that have it will appear. Sort by price to find your merchant.
Doc mentioned PriceWatch, and I have to say that I don't recommend them. I have been searching PriceWatch since about 2000, I guess, and I have never found an item I have ordered through them. I find that most of their merchants are rude when contacted with presales questions. I also find that many of their stores are "duplicates"-- meaning that Joe Smith will open CompuParts, CompuDeluxe, CompuDeals, CompuSupply, and CompuNothingEverInStock, all based out of one location-- Ohio for example-- and will then "compete" with himself to try to get your sale. Prices on PriceWatch are wildly inaccurate, and most places seem to try to pass off OEM parts and supplies as though they were Retail. I'd stay away (sorry Doc
). That's all I've got for now!
Mike
I sometimes use www.mysimon.com to comparison shop.
One thing you can do as well is:
1. Download FireFox and use it as your browser.
2. Install Grease Monkey
3. Go to their User Scripts section and locate the Amazon.com scripts. They have several that will insert comparison prices for competing vendors right on the web page.
(I would assume they have other cool scripts that do similar things for other vendors as well)
1. Download FireFox and use it as your browser.
2. Install Grease Monkey
3. Go to their User Scripts section and locate the Amazon.com scripts. They have several that will insert comparison prices for competing vendors right on the web page.
(I would assume they have other cool scripts that do similar things for other vendors as well)
Another place that I forgot to mention...
Woot! - Woot.com is unlike any other online store. They only sell one item at a time. They list one item every day at 1:00AM EST, and sell it until it either sells out, or 1:00AM comes around again. They only post new items Monday-Friday (...or is it Sunday morning through Thursday morning?).
Woot! is famous for deals like the "$1 bag of crap," wherein the customer orders up to three bags of crap for $1 each, and pays $5 shipping for the whole order. You might get a sticker, a USB fan, and a USB-to-PS2 adapter, or you might get a DVD Player, a stereo receiver, and a set of speakers. It's a gamble.
Woot! is also famous for "mystery brand" speakers. They can't tell you the brand, but they put up photoshopped pictures of speakers that are obviously Dell brand speakers with their name-badge removed.
They also have items that range from complete home theaters, projectors, radio control cars, mp3 players, electronic pets, etc.
A small warning about Woot!-- their forum is, to say the least, no good. Their forum is the inverse of our forum. People compete to get their post on the first page of replies to a topic, people whine and complain, advertise their own sites, and there are endless posts that contain "More BOCs!" referring to the bags of crap.
I use Woot! more for entertainment than deals, but they do occasionally have amazing deals!
Mike
Woot! - Woot.com is unlike any other online store. They only sell one item at a time. They list one item every day at 1:00AM EST, and sell it until it either sells out, or 1:00AM comes around again. They only post new items Monday-Friday (...or is it Sunday morning through Thursday morning?).
Woot! is famous for deals like the "$1 bag of crap," wherein the customer orders up to three bags of crap for $1 each, and pays $5 shipping for the whole order. You might get a sticker, a USB fan, and a USB-to-PS2 adapter, or you might get a DVD Player, a stereo receiver, and a set of speakers. It's a gamble.
Woot! is also famous for "mystery brand" speakers. They can't tell you the brand, but they put up photoshopped pictures of speakers that are obviously Dell brand speakers with their name-badge removed.
They also have items that range from complete home theaters, projectors, radio control cars, mp3 players, electronic pets, etc.
A small warning about Woot!-- their forum is, to say the least, no good. Their forum is the inverse of our forum. People compete to get their post on the first page of replies to a topic, people whine and complain, advertise their own sites, and there are endless posts that contain "More BOCs!" referring to the bags of crap.
I use Woot! more for entertainment than deals, but they do occasionally have amazing deals!
Mike
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