Unfortunately, nothing in life is black and white. Not even savingmoney. A cheaper couch might seem like a great option in the moment, but it can come back to bite you when it needs to be replaced only a year later. And spending more up front, like buying items in bulk, can sometimes cost you less in the long run.Living afrugallifestyle might feel unnecessarily complicated at times, so today, we’re going to focus on whatnotto do. Redditors have recently beensharingexamples of “tripping over dollars to save a dime,” so we’ve gathered some of their tips and anecdotes below. Keep reading to find a conversation with Toni Graham ofSimple Frugal Life, and be sure to upvote the mistakes that you’ll be sure to avoid!This post may includeaffiliate links.
Unfortunately, nothing in life is black and white. Not even savingmoney. A cheaper couch might seem like a great option in the moment, but it can come back to bite you when it needs to be replaced only a year later. And spending more up front, like buying items in bulk, can sometimes cost you less in the long run.
Living afrugallifestyle might feel unnecessarily complicated at times, so today, we’re going to focus on whatnotto do. Redditors have recently beensharingexamples of “tripping over dollars to save a dime,” so we’ve gathered some of their tips and anecdotes below. Keep reading to find a conversation with Toni Graham ofSimple Frugal Life, and be sure to upvote the mistakes that you’ll be sure to avoid!
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Constantly having to get new hires and train them but they leave after around a year because you don’t pay them well. So you never have loyal or skilled employees. Well paid employees are more loyal and long term employees are more skilled.
Driving around for cheap gas.
To learn more about what money-saving habits are actually worth it, we reached out to Toni Graham, creator ofSimple Frugal Life. Toni was kind enough to get in touch with her Facebook community and share some of their examples of frugal habits that don’t actually save any money withBored Panda.First, Toni mentioned buying something cheap, in particular clothes, tools, and furniture. “These things do not last long or are not fit for purpose. It is better to save up and buy a good quality item in a sale or buy good quality second hand from a thrift store,” she explained.Buying food just because it is on sale is another habit that’s not worth it. “This might be a 2 for 1 offer or near date, discounted offer. If it is something you use often and like, that is great, but otherwise these things will languish in your cupboard or freezer and actually cost money as you are not inclined to eat them,” Toni shared.
To learn more about what money-saving habits are actually worth it, we reached out to Toni Graham, creator ofSimple Frugal Life. Toni was kind enough to get in touch with her Facebook community and share some of their examples of frugal habits that don’t actually save any money withBored Panda.
First, Toni mentioned buying something cheap, in particular clothes, tools, and furniture. “These things do not last long or are not fit for purpose. It is better to save up and buy a good quality item in a sale or buy good quality second hand from a thrift store,” she explained.
Buying food just because it is on sale is another habit that’s not worth it. “This might be a 2 for 1 offer or near date, discounted offer. If it is something you use often and like, that is great, but otherwise these things will languish in your cupboard or freezer and actually cost money as you are not inclined to eat them,” Toni shared.
My mom wanted to renovate our roof but did not think professional contractors were worth the money..so she hired some guy from a local church and paid him under the table.A storm came the following weekend and it rained inside our house. Cost more to replace everything than it would have to have gotten a professional roof installation.
Probably mentioned elsewhere, but here it is again. If you’re living alone, it makes no sense to buy the bigger version just because it’s cheaper per ounce/pound/liter/ml whatever than the smaller one *if it is going to go bad before you use it all!!*Because then you’ve wasted 5 dollars instead of using 3 effectively.
Next, Toni and her community mentioned buying the latest money-saving gadget like a dehydrator or freeze dryer. “The equipment that you already have will probably do the job or there are alternative methods of preserving,” she noted.The expert also says, “Doing DIY yourself if you do not have the knowledge and skills can cost a lot more for a botched job.“And when it comes to food, prepping and bulk buying things that you don’t actually like will probably backfire. “Members had bought lots of dried beans or things that will store well, but not things that they actually want to eat,” explained. “Also stashing food and not regularly checking the dates and rotating, regularly ends in wastage.“Growing food if you don’t have the time or access to recycled materials or second hand tools isn’t very efficient either.
Next, Toni and her community mentioned buying the latest money-saving gadget like a dehydrator or freeze dryer. “The equipment that you already have will probably do the job or there are alternative methods of preserving,” she noted.
The expert also says, “Doing DIY yourself if you do not have the knowledge and skills can cost a lot more for a botched job.”
And when it comes to food, prepping and bulk buying things that you don’t actually like will probably backfire. “Members had bought lots of dried beans or things that will store well, but not things that they actually want to eat,” explained. “Also stashing food and not regularly checking the dates and rotating, regularly ends in wastage.”
Growing food if you don’t have the time or access to recycled materials or second hand tools isn’t very efficient either.
Buying cheap clothes. I went to Walmart and bought a knit shirt. A year later it stretched out and it’s only good for when I have a dirty job to do. Meanwhile, I went to a nice stand spent 3x as much for a shirt made of better fabric and it still looks good 10 years later.
People who don’t understand the progressive tax system and turn down raises because “it’ll put me on a higher tax bracket.”
That guy who unplugged his fridge for a 2 week vacay, and all his food went bad and his fridge was full of mold and got ruined, all to save like a dollar in electricity.
Toni also warns people not to buy things when you don’t actually need them, just because they are a bargain or cheap. And unless you’re going to use a lot at once, don’t bother buying large containers of paint. “It only has a short life span and will crack if used a couple of years later. Also cheap paint needs more coats,” Toni says.The expert says not to waste your money buying books on frugality. “Go to the library or look online,” she suggests. Not having pet insurance or holiday insurance can also come back to bite you if something goes wrong.And finally, Toni says keeping things for special occasion, such as China and clothing, isn’t always worth it. “They rarely get used and you go off them, or grow out of them,” she noted.
Toni also warns people not to buy things when you don’t actually need them, just because they are a bargain or cheap. And unless you’re going to use a lot at once, don’t bother buying large containers of paint. “It only has a short life span and will crack if used a couple of years later. Also cheap paint needs more coats,” Toni says.
The expert says not to waste your money buying books on frugality. “Go to the library or look online,” she suggests. Not having pet insurance or holiday insurance can also come back to bite you if something goes wrong.
And finally, Toni says keeping things for special occasion, such as China and clothing, isn’t always worth it. “They rarely get used and you go off them, or grow out of them,” she noted.
My ex’s dad wanted a truck bed cover. He wasn’t Internet savvy so he asked me to look into it. They don’t make em for that truck, but I found a website who would do it custom for about $500. He said naw, that’s too much. So he went out and bought a $300 cover for another truck and $100 in paint and other materials. Tried to cut it and reshape it so it would fit, and couldn’t make it work. Scrapped that project and built another out of wood and some type of heavy duty canvas. That one cost around 250 and he ended up scrapping it too because it was way too heavy. All told he spent almost $700 trying to save $500 and wound up with nothing to show for it.
I had a neighbor offer to pay me $200 to clean his apartment when he moved out so he could get his $150 deposit back
When it comes to frugal habits that actually work, Toni says there are plenty, but that changing your mindset is what’s most effective. “Recognizing that material things only bring short term happiness, but usually bring long term debt,” she explained.Here are some of the habits she recommends for a more frugal lifestyle: making do and mending; buying high quality items that last a long time; budgeting and meal planning; cooking from scratch and eating what is in season; having absolutely no waste in food, possessions, or resources; making saving money fun, a game, or a challenge; and using what you already have.
When it comes to frugal habits that actually work, Toni says there are plenty, but that changing your mindset is what’s most effective. “Recognizing that material things only bring short term happiness, but usually bring long term debt,” she explained.
Here are some of the habits she recommends for a more frugal lifestyle: making do and mending; buying high quality items that last a long time; budgeting and meal planning; cooking from scratch and eating what is in season; having absolutely no waste in food, possessions, or resources; making saving money fun, a game, or a challenge; and using what you already have.
Stayed at a hotel further away from Disneyland, ended up paying more than the difference in Uber fares.
I know a guy who built a house in the county and to save $2k he got a small septic tank instead of the large one.Well, now he has to get the thing emptied like twice a year,at the same price as the larger one that needs to be emptied every 3-5 years.
Adding more things to your cart to hit the free shipping minimum
Toni suggests taking advantage of community sharing resources to gain knowledge and experience from others as well. She also notes that “thinking outside of the box and continually learning new skills like foraging, upcoming, preservation, etc.” can be helpful.And avoid falling into the trap of using shopping for a leisure activity or because you feel down. “There are so many free leisure activities out there,” Toni added.
Toni suggests taking advantage of community sharing resources to gain knowledge and experience from others as well. She also notes that “thinking outside of the box and continually learning new skills like foraging, upcoming, preservation, etc.” can be helpful.
And avoid falling into the trap of using shopping for a leisure activity or because you feel down. “There are so many free leisure activities out there,” Toni added.
When I was in my early 20s and didn’t know about things like frozen pipes, I turned the heat off when we left for the weekend. We returned to water all over the floor, a washer destroyed, and, well… A major life lesson learned
Friend of mine briefly lived with a guy who burned candles at night to cut the electric bill. My friend moved out after the dope managed to set fire to the coffee table and he still wanted to keep using the candles all night.
I used to manage a bar and grill. One time we had a mandatory meeting that brought all the employees in during off hours and the bar owner spent a half an hour telling us to try and get the pens back from the patrons who borrowed them to get the phone number of the person they wanted to hook up with. . Back before smart phones, this is how it was done. I was thinking that we were paying our employees about 100$ to talk about pens that I could get at the office store for about 5$.
As far as why it’s important to live frugally, Toni says living frugally gives us more choices. “I was able to retire early despite being a lone parent on a low wage for a lot of my life,” she noted.Toni also pointed out that debt can be harmful to our mental health. “Having no debt meant I could pay off the mortgage early, and I felt more secure,” she explained."[Being frugal] is good for the environment. It is easier to live within our means,” the expert says. “Being frugal can be empowering. You are not as reliant on supermarkets or other commercial organizations. You are making the decisions about how you spend your money.““The less money spent, the less you need to earn. This means more time with family or doing what we want to do,” Toni added.
As far as why it’s important to live frugally, Toni says living frugally gives us more choices. “I was able to retire early despite being a lone parent on a low wage for a lot of my life,” she noted.
Toni also pointed out that debt can be harmful to our mental health. “Having no debt meant I could pay off the mortgage early, and I felt more secure,” she explained.
“[Being frugal] is good for the environment. It is easier to live within our means,” the expert says. “Being frugal can be empowering. You are not as reliant on supermarkets or other commercial organizations. You are making the decisions about how you spend your money.”
“The less money spent, the less you need to earn. This means more time with family or doing what we want to do,” Toni added.
Spending a ton of time to do something yourself instead of paying for a service/good that could do it easily/instantaneously. I know it’s technically saving money to do the thing yourself, but time has value and some frugal people forget that.
I had a boss stop everyone from working for 2 hours to look for something he lost. The lost item was spray mount and at the time cost less than $6. Seriously dude, just go buy another one. Lost $200 in billable hours for a $6 replaceable item.
“People think that being frugal is about being poor, poverty, deprivation, etc.,” Toni told Bored Panda. “It isn’t. It is about choice and saving money in some areas of your life so that you can afford to spend in the areas that important to your values.““We still like to travel and have breaks away and also try to only buy ethical good quality meat, and free range eggs,” she explained. “We couldn’t do these things on a low income if we didn’t drastically cut down in other areas of our life that are not important to us.”
“People think that being frugal is about being poor, poverty, deprivation, etc.,” Toni told Bored Panda. “It isn’t. It is about choice and saving money in some areas of your life so that you can afford to spend in the areas that important to your values.”
“We still like to travel and have breaks away and also try to only buy ethical good quality meat, and free range eggs,” she explained. “We couldn’t do these things on a low income if we didn’t drastically cut down in other areas of our life that are not important to us.”
My former employer had a policy that you had to take the cheapest flight available. We’d put hourly employees on flights with 2 stops and save $200… Then pay them time and a half sitting in airports all day. It cost more but the people who accounted for travel kept costs down on their metrics, payroll was on different books.They had a similar rule for car rentals. Unless you were in a group you had to get the smallest car available because it was usually cheaper. It got stupid when you’d get a bigger car for the same price and then you’d have to fill out a report on why you violated the travel policy. It got really dumb because if you paid and expensed it they wouldn’t audit the expenses. I’d just put an SUV on my card and get reimbursed. On the company card you were stuck with the compact car.
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A relative ignoring a small upstairs bathroom leak rather than paying a plumber. Then years later having to pay to replace the entire bathroom floor AND a major section of her kitchen ceiling before she can sell her house.
Driving 30 miles to Costco just to get gas, not even going into Costco. My mom does this but I think it’s really just an excuse to take the dog for a ride.
Sneaking around with no auto insurance and then having to get it out of impoundment after paying a ticket and buying insurance…not me thankfully but it’s a thing
My mother used to drive around to every grocery store, using every coupon that came into her hands, buying things that she didn’t need or even have a plan for. Her food hoarding progressed over the years and is now completely out of control. Pantry moths, maggots, rats. I don’t even know what else. But she still has a stockpile of hamburger helper from when it was on sale 25 years ago so, I guess that’s what matters most to her.
Pet grooming. Decided to do it themselves, buy subpar equipment to do it themselves and either do a horrible job or cut their animal. Have to go to the groomer to get it fixed and/or vet bills.Some of these grooms they basically cut down to the skin and they are so proud of themselves but if the groomer did that they would have a b***h fit.
Went to Las Vegas because the flight was basically free.
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Someone trading in an older fully paid off car because it needs $500 in repairs only to buy a used car at a car lot and have to make high monthly payments over and over.
A family member who owned a company declined workman’s compensation coverage on himself to save a few grand due to a loophole of being owner/operator. Ended up having a major, major accident on the job. Lost practically everything he had, and the company folded in two months
Had a CFO who send over a long winded email about buying less expensive dish sponges and soap for the kitchen area at work along with pictures and links of what should be purchased. Literally on her salary, we wasted more money from her spending time researching sponges and composing an email and the time it took for all staff to read it than the two dollars she was griping about.
“Free” phones from your carrier
Buying throw away furniture instead of buying a quality piece either new or used and recovered. Landfills are full of IKEA
I was an eyebrow micro blade model for a student to get a what is usually a service that can cost up to 1000 for free. Welp. She f****d me up.
I saw some lady on TikTok saying that groceries were getting too expensive, so she started making instant mashed potatoes at home. Buying whole potatoes, cooking them, flaking them, drying them… When a box of instant mashed potatoes is less than $2. I can’t imagine having that much time to blow on something like that.
My boss pays me a lot of money for me to sometimes save scraps of aluminum from remodels that are .002 cents a piece. While I make like 5 bucks just to save it.
My dad is a mechanic, when his car has an issue, he runs it until it causes more problems.Every single time his car needs brakes, he doesn’t change them until the calipers are frozen. He also gets upset at the cost of the maintenance he delayed…. So he trades the car in. Of course, he never has much of a down payment. So he pays high interest as well.He also, frequently, borrows from his 401k
When people selling their house take photos with their iPhone instead hiring a professional photographer.
People being suckered into the fuel promotions at grocery stores. Buying all this expensive food for weeks to save $0.20/gal? It’s bonkers.
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