Money saving hacks for champagne tastes

I deleted shopping apps from my phone so I'm less prone to impulse purchases. I also cancelled my prime subscription, so I only get free shipping when I spend a certain amount of $$, so I have to consider my purchases longer.

I move my bill payments around to the beginning of my credit card cycle, so all my bills are paid FIRST and I know approx how much I have left to spend for the cycle.

I don't dye my hair, but I've been cutting it myself since 2020. If I have a special event, I'll get a professional trim, but there's actually some great tutorials on youtube!!

make a list when you go to the grocery store, meal prep, and use your freezer! figure out what products you're okay with getting secondhand. I bought my kindle used, and there's never been any issues. scope out your local thrift stores. I used to hate shopping at the thrift store, but there's ONE in my area that I always find NWT items that I love, so I only go there.

visit the library! be real with your family/friends/partner that you are trying to save money and sometimes hanging out will look different. communicate!! make dinner at home instead of eating out. go to a library event. get museum tickets from the library! go on a walk together! borrow movies, video games, KITCHEN APPLIANCES from the library!!

if you're a student ASK ABOUT STUDENT DISCOUNTS EVERYWHERE. the WORST thing is that they will say no, the best thing is that you get a discount!!

UNFOLLOW influencers on social media!! Or at least be selective about who you follow. Bigtime influencers are out of touch and wannabe influencers are usually in debt.......

I’m a curly bitch, and I use or make natural styling products. I chopped apart an aloe plant to extract the gel, I’ve also made gel from chia seeds and will be trying flaxseed next. Good curly products can sometimes be super expensive, and a lot of people layer on multiple products. I use my diy gels for daily styling and have ouidad gel for the 1-2 times a month where I need more hold.

Edit: I also make my lattes at home. Got a nespresso machine many years ago, and it’s still kicking!

Buy less but better. I buy less things but when I do they are good quality and last me a long time.

Example, Stuart Weitzman Chelsea boots. Bought 8? years ago, had resoled, still look new. Same with purses and jewelry.

I also stopped getting manicures, was getting them a couple times a month and it adds up. Still spend a ton on my hair so it’s all about balance!

If I ever want something I check Poshmark/Depop first

It’s not really any specific thing, more of a mindset for me. I ask myself before purchasing anything, “is this really and truly going to make me happy, or am I being sucked in by advertising?”

I guess soap could be a specific example. Sometimes I get tempted to buy some bougie body wash or something, but I just remind myself that to me, it’s fucking soap. I’m going to use it for twenty seconds and rinse it off and nobody else in the world besides me will have any idea what it was. And then I buy the store brand version of Dove sensitive like usual and go on my way.

Some people may genuinely get joy from using more expensive body wash, and if they do, that’s fine. The point is just to ask myself what’s really important to me and whether or not I’d rather just keep those extra few bucks for something else.

Also I’ve gotten really into thinking about the perils of consumerism, both on individual and societal levels, and it’s really given me a lot of pause when it comes to clothes and other consumables.

And one more thing since you brought up credit card debt: always remember, if you can’t afford it today in cold hard cash, you can’t afford it period. Being able to buy something isn’t the same as being able to truly afford it. Klarna and all those services are such a trap.

Buying minis of cosmetics and skincare unless it’s a product I’ve used for years and know it’s a solid product. Trials are often not enough for me to really vet a product, but minis are cheaper and honestly I use products quite slowly. YMMV with this tactic tho

My husband and I only use credit cards for the points. If we can’t buy it with money in our account and pay it off in full, we don’t buy it. The only things we finance are our cars, mortgage, and student loans. I get my lashes done, which has led to me wearing less makeup (and spending less on it).

I screenshot everything I wanna buy and then review it after a couple days and a couple weeks. Often, the impulse is gone by morning! But if I really can’t get an item out of my head, I’ll allow myself to purchase it later.

You don’t need all the overpriced fancy skincare products to have good skin.

Rx tretinoin every night and sunscreen everyday; some sort of BHA/Glycolic Acid chemical exfoliator once a week or less, as needed.

These should be all the active/specialty products you need.

Used with unscented moisturizer and a gentle plain unscented cleanser. These don’t need to be fancy or have any actives in them.

And a cleansing balm or oil based cleanser on days you wear makeup.

Prioritize.

Daily Footwear is worth paying for- well made will last longer and not hurt your body. Flip flops for the one beach vacation a year just get cheapos.

Coats are worth paying for if they are actually well made, do what you need them to do, and aren’t a trend style that will be outdated next year.

Signature scent perfume, yes.

‘Designer’ jewellery- no. If the listing doesn’t explain exactly what it is made of, don’t waste your money you can go to a jewellery store and buy something for less that is real. (Thinking particularly of Versace’s ‘gold coloured metal’ here)

Cost per use is good to keep in mind- if you plan on taking care of it and having it for many years, its actually cheaper in the long run than replacing something multiple times.

Shop sales, never pay full price for anything if you can help it. This takes planning sometimes.

Avoid payment plans- they always cost more than the item was sold for as cash price. If you can’t pay cash for it, and you don’t want it enough to save up till you do, then you really don’t need it at all.

Pink tax- mens razors work great. You can get a bulk box at costco that will last two years, for cheaper than a pink lotion head one. Watch for these traps. Cheap conditioner works great as shaving cream.

To stop myself from impulse buying, I have to psychologically trick myself.

1.) I put the thing in my shopping cart 2.) I take the total + tax + shipping and deposit that amount into my savings 3.)I close out of the shopping cart, tell my brain I actually bought it, and get excited for my shiny new thing 4.) if I haven’t forgotten about it or I’m still thinking about it by the following week, I’ll consider actually taking the money back out of savings and buy it.

9/10 times I leave the money in savings.

I realize I’m more of an emotional spender. 🤷🏽‍♀️ the item itself is less important than how the act of buying it makes me feel. Owning it doesn’t even feel as good as buying it.

Not sure if this works for other people but it’s definitely helped curb my consumerist tendencies

Grocery shopping at Aldi honestly helps a lot.

Other than that, I paint my own nails (just polish on my natural nails, nothing too fancy). It's a labor of love and I did invest a bunch of time in practicing when I was in college, but I haven't paid for my nails in probably 10 years. I do get jealous of other girls' super cute sets sometimes, but I just love being able to change my nails often and the ritual of it is relaxing to me, plus it's like $100+ per month back that never leaves my pocket.

I think the key is learning how to make/do some of your own stuff. I knit (not a cheap hobby by any means) but understanding garment construction and materials and knowing I can make some stuff on my own makes it easier to be ruthless with what clothing I purchase.

Similarly, knowing how to ferment your own hot sauce/pickles/etc or bake your own bread or make your own jam, or cook anything well at all, makes it easier to forego paying someone to do that for you all the time.

Finally, someone once told me a long time ago to "avoid paying for convenience" and I've taken that to heart -- it helps me keep things in perspective a ton! The creep is real, for example once you stop seeing ubers/cabs as a once-in-a-while luxury and it turns into a default its so hard to go back and boom you're paying more money for transportation without it feeling luxurious anymore. The point is just to keep it in mind. Do you want to spend your time, or do you want to spend your money? Those are your options and just make sure your choice is made intentionally.

Marry someone who's a great cook and you'll want to eat out way less!

I like Ramit Sethi's general approach of deciding what really matters to you and prioritizing ruthlessly to make sure you're not spending on stuff you don't care very much about because it's just "what people do." My HHI is mid six figures, and we have one junky car from 2001, because we hardly ever drive it and neither of us cares about cars. We have a beautiful 1920s apartment in a great walkable neighborhood, because we care about that. It's also 1300 square feet for two adults and a kid and doesn't have a dishwasher or air conditioning or a lot of things that come with newer construction, because we don't care about that. It lets you feel like your life is rich and luxurious without spending all that much money.

I make my own lunches with either left overs or I meal prep them on weekends. I bring my own water and tea to work. I’m a vegetarian and have been since I was 12 so I don’t eat any meat that saves some grocery money. But I do spend on select organic produce like the dirty dozen. There aren’t many good choices for vegetarian restaurants in my city so I mostly cook my family’s meals from scratch. I keep my cars longer than most (saves me on car insurance) so that I can pay down my mortgage aggressively which saves me money on long term interest. I spend more money on natural fibre and quality sewn clothes but I select items that are timeless so I don’t need to buy the latest trend. Also, I enjoy reading as a hobby so I have an Audible membership and I buy books, too.

TL;DR I spend money on quality clothes, books, and food including organic produce. I save money with an older car (saves on car insurance), use those savings to pay down my mortgage faster, make most meals from scratch since I’m a vegetarian and there are few decent vegetarian restaurants in my city.

I swapped a lot of my skincare for The Ordinary. Just looked at the active ingredients in them and picked the ordinary products that have the same actives.

I do my own nails, I bought some stamping plates and learned to use them and it makes doing my nails a breeze. I can have a fun multi color design on my nails in an hour that looks like I spent time at the nail salon. I use Maniology plates and have the classic accent plate, French nail plate, making waves, and plaid season. It’s a good enough mix for me to have fun without going overboard buying all the themed ones.

• Rent the runway instead of shopping
• Press-ons at home instead of getting fancy acrylics/gelX/dip manicures (I actually did this more for the time-saving but it’s obvi a huge money saver too)
• in the summer, I get a gel pedicure which lasts me a full month instead of more frequent regular pedis
• splurge on high quality balayage every 3 months but I cut my own hair at home (it’s easy when you have long hair)
• Factor75 meal delivery for lunches instead of fancy takeout salad
• Mastered my at-home self tan instead of spray tans
• Simplified my skincare routine to maximize effectiveness. An $80 moisturizer is an absolute waste of money when Cerave has cleaner ingredients and the same if not better hydration factor. The Ordinary for specific acids (e.g. glycolic, mandelic). The only expensive item in my routine now is Dr Dennis Gross peel pads.
• switched Botox to every 4 months instead of every 3.

Stopped chemically straightening my hair and went natural. Straightening cost about $150 every 8-12 weeks.

Due to Hubs's dietary issues we eat at home a lot. We do spend on as much organic food as we can buy.... it's not cheap, but we are eating healthier, good quality food that will keep us healthy (in theory).

I try to shop my closet before buying new clothes, but this is still a work in progress. At least I try to use GCs and discounts to buy things.

I recently purchased a fairly nice blender because even buying a nice one meant I could actually save money by not buying a smoothie just about everyday long term.

I know this sounds silly but I stay in shape. I have a lot of luxury clothing (timeless pieces that last forever) so I avoid fast fashion AND I don’t need to buy clothes due to weight gain/fluctuation. It’s also better for the environment!

I also focus on eating healthy. When I eat out I am very particular on how my money is being spent and how I am enjoying the meal, etc.

Good quality reps (bags, clothes, watches). I look fab 💞💃🏼👠👜without breaking the bank and use the thousands of $$ I save on other things. I could buy authentic items if I wanted to but they no longer are worth the “investment” with 1) their declining quality 2) exposé after exposé discussing how authentic items are actually made in China but fashion houses using loopholes to fool customers with the “made in Italy” and “made in France” labels and 3) investigations revealing how these fashion houses take advantage of their workers. Plus, when I learned just how many celebs, influencers, and wealthy people buy reps, it completely change my relationship with luxury goods. Now instead of spending crazy $$$ of luxury goods, reps allow me to meet my champagne taste but on a fabulous budget!

Stopped dying my hair. Buy most skincare/soap at TJ Maxx at a pretty big discount. I don't get facials as I think they are not worth it (and a good daily skincare routine at home will get you better results than a basic facial) unless you are doing something significant like a peel or laser. I do my own nails and eyebrows and teeth whitening. Did laser hair removal years ago so no longer have to pay for waxing. This was a good question, lots of good answers.

I buy clothes secondhand from places like The RealReal and Poshmark. You can get great deals there.

I'm a sucker for makeup and beauty products. I add products to my wishlist, re-evaluate and cull my wishlist periodically and only get stuff that I want when it's on sale.

Also, saving money is great and all but don't do it at the expense of your time. I invested in a robot vacuum which has greatly improved my quality of life!

You can get a lot of stuff secondhand, i always check first before buying new. The only new furniture i own is the couch and mattrasses cause we have an asthmatic kid and he has heavy allergies to dustmite so we needed specific fabrics, but everything else furniture wise is second hand and cost me next to nothing.

Cook your own food, i buy basic ingredients and cook everything from scratch, not getting food prepped outside your house saves a lot of money and we honestly eat very well

I dont have a lot of subscriptions. No tv, no cable, i watch everything online on my laptop. I dont have netflix or anything similar, honestly a lot you can find online if you know where to look... Newspaper if im honest i log in with my moms but archive.ph will let me read most things if i want. The only thing i pay is my phone with unlimited data, that we use at home as a modem so i dont pay any seperate internet for my house. For 2 people we pay 50 a month and thats all our phone costs, internet etc. The only thing i pay for is an app for audiobooks, although i tried to cancel it and they offered me half price so i kept it, and i pay Spotify cause im plugged in whenever i can so thats worth it for me. Thats it.

A lot of things are location dependent so wont be very useful to others, i check websites that will compare the price of the same product so you can get the cheapest offer and then i bulk buy. For me instead of say buy the random detergent thats on sale the moment i need it, ive decided for everything what my favourite product is and i buy it for like the next 6 months, and then i check every now and then if theres a good offer and i buy for the 6 months after that. I never pay full price for anything that can be stocked and has long shelf life.

Ive also cut my own hair for years, its actually pretty doable with long hair, but now my FIL is a retired hairdresser so he cuts it but i saved all that money for like 15 years? Never dyed my hair, that helps too.

Buy second hand. No one knows you got those $700 Jimmy Choos for $30

The thing that has probably helped me the most is to keep my impulse buying in check. I get in my head that I NEED the best of the best, and buy it right away. I have started keeping items in my cart when online shopping for a few days before I click “checkout”.

I splurge on designer frames and good lenses in my glasses because I have to wear them every day. But then I take very good care of them and make sure they last 2-3 years.

-I get dry cuts only. This happened to me on accident-I had gotten a brow lam the same day as my haircut apt and needed a dry cut because I couldn’t get my brows wet. Then we just kept rebooking my reoccurring cuts as dry cuts. I only spend about $50+ tip per cut! I trust my hair stylist with my life and have seen her for 7 years, so I know there is no difference in her cuts’ quality between reg and dry.

-I invest $$ in my retinol and moisturizer (I use tretinoin because I am prone to cystic acne, and Deux for my moisturizer) and just buy La Roche Posay for my face wash. Granted my routine is incredibly simple due to my sensitive skin and prob seems lackluster (wash, moisturize, tret every two days, done) but it works for me and keeps the spending low.

-Poshmark for all my jeans and for any other items from high cost brands). Agolde is my HG jean brand and I’ve found my tried and true styles. If I need a new jean, I’ll hop on there to see if I can find a listing that fits that.

-In addition to that ^ I first shop my closet. If I see an inspo for an outfit, I look to see what I have in my closet to help me replicate that look. It may not be the same color, or same style of an item, but if it’s close enough then I’ll wear that first before buying.

-Grocery store brand items and non organic foods. If I need sugar for a recipe, opt for Harris Teeter brand sugar. If I need tofu, I’ll go to Trader Joe’s. If I didn’t have such a firm preference for oat milk, I’d buy whatever the grocery store brand is, but alas that is an item I have specific preferences on where I must buy Oatly lol.

The organic food sentiment is subjective and I don’t shame or blame anyone for only purchasing organic, but personally, I went almost two decades of my life never purchasing organic produce/food and I think I’ll be just fine if I never fully switch.

-Take advantage of sales. I don’t wear much makeup but if I did, I’d purchase my HG top $$$ items in a Sephora sale, for example.

-Weekly deals: sign up for your local grocery store’s app or email on weekly deals. I check Harris Teeter, Publix, and Whole Food sales weekly to see what I could get a deal on. It could influence my weekly groceries or help me get ahead on restocking pantry stables like sugar, baking soda, salt, etc.

-Re-usable solution based cleaning products: recently made the switch to Branch Basics and I’m OBSESSED. Not only is it genuinely safe and non toxic, you only use one solution for a plethora of cleaning supplies: all purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, mirror/surface cleaner, laundry detergent, hand soap. I just started using it but I suspect I’ll only need to purchase the concentrate maybe twice a year.

-Costco for household staples: we buy our toilet paper and paper towels, salsa, pasta, olives, and hot sauce exclusively at Costco. Lasts forever. I snagged a great deal on a Dyson fan and storage containers last time I went. And they actually have great bed sheet options! Super soft and good quality.

-Plant clippings for plants around the house: monsteras and philodendrons are amazing plants to have that will produce a plethora of clippings for you. I don’t think I’ve purchased a new plant in years.

-Faux plants and flowers (esp for spaces that don’t get enough light): Hobby Lobby, target and Amazon have good options for ones that look very realistic. Saves money, time, and looks great. My mom always uses fake flowers from hobby lobby for their living and dining room. I can never tell the difference.

-Re-using multi purpose bottles (like jam jars, candle jars, even Topo Chico bottles): I use them for vases, makeup brush holders, jewelry holders, etc. you can also find a ton at thrift shops.

In my 20s I could have saved so much more but you live and learn. As I’ve gotten older I make coffee at home, get coffee out as a treat or an activity, bought an at home spin bike. The other thing I really try to do is avoid getting take out often and eating out just to eat out and not as activity. Take out and dining has gotten so expensive so now we go out when we want it to be special and know or hope the food is going to be good. Have literally started shopping at Aldi for certain food because their food is so much cheaper and just as good. I don’t care if people judge me, I’d rather have savings.

Focus on buying what you need vs want, and keep things in your cart and wait a few days.

I also stopped getting nail sets, I do my own nails now or use press ons. It’s so expensive, I’d never be happy with them. I do pay for pedicures and once in a while a manicure.

I stopped coloring my hair and embraced my actually very pretty grey. I also pixie cut it. Now my hair costs $25 every 5 weeks. I also make my cold brew at home.

I buy super pricy shower gel, perfume and skincare. I get a mani pedi every 3 weeks. I adopted a capsule makeup routine and wardrobe.

Life is much simpler and I feel much more confident in my looks than I used to. Win-win.

I have a budget and I buy what I want within that budget. For me, the key is paying myself first - savings, retirement, investments, personal goals, fitness, healthy food - and then the rest goes to whatever I am interested in buying.

I learned how to arrange flowers. I love fresh flowers, but no way can I afford over $100 a couple of times a month for the kind of arrangements I like. I walk into the florist, given them a budget of $30, look in the cooler for what I like, find a color scheme, and have them pull flowers together, wrap them in paper for me, and I take them home and arrange them. It's harder than it looks if you have a discerning eye. But I DIY it now.

Always cerave or derm-recommended skincare products and learning to avoid jumping for cute packaging or greenwashed products (realized I spent ~$300 at sephora last year on moisturizer and my skin wasn’t even completely happy, switched to buying tubs of cerave from costco and spent $22 on moisturizer for face and body so far this year!)

Also on not trying all the new makeup products that come out and sticking with what I know and love -> buying travel-size mascara and lip products and replacing often for cleanliness instead of wasting on full-size!

For clothes and shoes and jewelry I’ve been asking myself: do I really need another? What will the cost per wear be - aka if this is a statement piece I will wear twice that costs $150 that’s $75 per wear - not worth it

I am a big fan of drugstore makeup and cosmetics, I’ve tried many (you can afford to do this when it all costs like $10), and things like mascara and eyeliner, I actually prefer cover girl and revlon to $60 mascaras. They perform as well or better for me.

I also eat at home most meals, coffee, etc, it helps me maintain my weight and my fitness goals with the bonus of saving me money. People make jokes about how one coffee a day won’t impact your finances but several meals a day over a month adds up quickly. This allows me to go out on occasion and have really amazing dinners and not have it be such a strain.

When it comes to frivolous purchases I think long and hard about whether or not I really want it, is it practical, does it fit my lifestyle, can I maintain it, etc. I mean multiple nights, weeks, even months. Minimal spontaneous spending, I try to be very intentional about purchasing.

I do my hair, nails, and skin care myself. Rn I’m planning out some jewelry purchases- I’m moving away from costume jewelry and looking to invest in solid gold staples that I can wear the hell out of and pass down to my children/niblings. This weekend I’m visiting the southeast Asian neighborhood in my city to start looking at gold prices. And moissanite- I’m not particular about diamonds and moissanite is shiny and durable enough for me.

I try to buy used for hard furnishings and get shit on sale whenever possible.

I also just really think about if I will use something for the next 5 years or if I just want a rush of buying something.

And I limit take-out. I try to think ahead 2 hours - am I happier that I am $50 poorer or would I be just as happy with a can of veggie soup.

I guess I have a make do and mend attitude to a lot of things. I don't buy a lot of clothes, but when I do it's often Poshmark or vintage. I make a lot of my own clothes out of nicer fabrics and yarn (I sew and knit and crochet). It's not generally cheaper, but it lasts longer, fits perfect, and is very intentional. I take good care of the things I have. I get shoes resoled and keep them polished. I mend things when they fall apart. I don't buy expensive skincare...it's mostly drugstore. The Ordinary and La Roche Posay work just fine. I do buy expensive shampoo and conditioner and styling products, but I have really thick hair and I can't deal with washing and styling it more than once or twice a week. It's a project every time. I don't get it cut super often and don't currently color it...though I'm contemplating some lowlights. I do my own nails. My cuticles could use a little help and I'm considering a basic manicure for that, but I wouldn't do it regularly. I generally buy better makeup, but I don't wear it every day, so it lasts awhile. I buy drugstore mascara, but drugstore concealer and eyeshadow don't work as well, in my experience. 

I guess my philosophy is a bit DIY and being very intentional and just not buying a lot of stuff. 

Instead of buying coffee out, I got some REALLY good beans (La Colombe) in bulk, a coffee grinder, milk heater/frother, syrups, and a chemex. It's way cheaper but I get the coffee shop experience for WAY less money (and it actually tastes better?). I also cut and color my hair myself, but to be fair, I am a licensed cosmetologist with over a decade of experience doing both of those things lol. I also spend way less on makeup, and invest more into skincare, which reduces the need for makeup, lasts longer, and has more overall benefits (to me).

Also ThredUp is my guilty pleasure when I want to "splurge" on a nice bag or clothing item. Sometimes there's a lot of garbage to sift through, and sometimes I get lucky and find a brand new $40 Frye leather bag marked as "flawed gem" because it just needs a good lotioning / polishing. They seem to get a lot of AllSaints and Frye overstock too, so there's plenty of NWT stuff for way cheaper than retail!

I always check for cash back on ibotta lol. It’s an app. There’s some pretty good beauty deals there. I know it’s legit because over the years I’ve been cashing out my earnings. It’s great.

I’m so worried this sounds like a bot post lmao but really, I’m serious 😭

Knowing my Kibbe/Kitchener essence and color season has helped alot. Now I know what types of tailoring and styles won’t work for me. I used to burn through a lot of $$ on clothes that didn’t work for my figure

I use to go to my favorite coffee shop most days but that gets expensive fast. I also had a decent job the time and could afford some splurges. Well, not any more- stay at home mom, paycheck to paycheck on one income to barely make rent, things are beyond tight...

I now have a stove top percolator (a Bialetti, but a cheaper off brand I found) and get a bag of espresso beans, some tasty creamer options, and I'll tell you what - it makes a DELICIOUS coffee shop quality coffee. I love it.

For grocery store bills- you'd be surprised how many name brand products and cheaper store brand "knock offs" are actually the exact same product in different packaging! I didn't realize this for a long time but once I looked into this it totally changed how I shopped for things. I am a die hard foodie with good taste, but now it doesn't always have to break the bank.

I never have more than one streaming service. I binge everything I want to see then cancel and switch to a new one and repeat. Some offer a discount to come back, so I save even more. Years ago when I was saving for my down payment I spent a Saturday calling up my car insurance and negoitating a lower rate, changing phone plan, etc to lower all my monthly bills, I ended up saving $98 a month so I set up a monthly deposit into my HYSA for $98. Being super organized with my money is big for me, especially now that I'm 5.5%

When I save money, say by not buying coffee outside, I save the money and not look for somewhere else to spend that money on

Saving this thread for future reference!! 😌

I always try to remind myself: I can afford anything, but I can’t afford everything.

This helps me prioritize being spendy on stuff I really want vs not getting suckered into overspending when I don’t really need to.

I buy cheap tops. I won't spend money on a top. Most are from Target or Amazon. My jeans are middle of the road for pricing- $100 or less. My money goes to shoes, bags and experiences. If I want to try a new makeup color for eyes, I'll buy cheap to see if I even like it before committing to a better brand. Old Navy for shorts. Basically, mix and match and find cheap things that fit you well and splurge on things that will last forever. Same with beauty stuff. I love $5 Essence mascara but wear Chanel lip stuff.

Like others said, it is definitely a mindset change. Instead of impulsively buying things like I used to, I now just make lists and keep items in carts. If there are sales, I will consider - and usually I'm able to sort them by wants vs needs.

I also use press-on nails now since I work from home and don't have the need to get them done bi-weekly. For meals, I keep it really simple and try to spend more money at least on higher quality meats and produce. For clothes, too, I've switched to a wardrobe.

Other than going simple, opening a HYSA helped turned saving into a game for me kind of lol

I am all about doing the annual membership of Fab Fit Fun so you can get full size products at deep discounts and pick everything in your box. I cancelled it to save some money for part of this year and am desperate to get back on it as soon as my budget allows.

I’ve had to cut back quite a bit due to inflation, so I make these choices instead of the expensive options.

I love Cold brew, and I bought an inexpensive cold brew system to make at home.

I let my naturally platinum hair stay platinum. I’ve received more compliments than when I colored.

I have a vegetable garden in the growing months, and enjoy it as a hobby AND a less expensive way to have herbs and veggies.

I look at Groupon for deals.

We almost always eat at home anymore. Cheaper, and our food is generally better.

We let our cars go until they will go no longer, and then would never buy a new model.

Have at least three no meat meals a week.

Sell or donate unwanted items…you’ll feel a sense of satisfaction.

We still aren’t rich, but have figured out a way to afford living a little easier. Hoping someday to be able to swing the Champagne budget. lol

I am extremely cheap about my clothing, but I baby it. If I'm going to buy something Problematic, I'm going to make it last as long as I can. If I can find the item secondhand, I'll buy it that way instead.

I've gone back to my natural colour because I'm trying to grow it all gray. As hair starts to go gray, dyeing it becomes expensive for two reasons: you have to cover the grays, which are going to keep sprouting as long as you're going gray, and you eventually end up with a distinct, bright skunk line. It's also tiresome to have one week of perfect results followed by six to seven weeks of "eh, yeah, my natural colour is trying to reassert itself". So I just don't.

What I blow money on is my skincare and makeup -- sort of. I mean, I use both Viseart and Colourpop, Neutrogena and Clinique. But I'm more willing to consider a spendy face item because I only have the one face, kwim?

I shop only sales and usually at crossroads or a second hand shops and meal prep. If I want something I wait or I even pretend so like fill up my shopping cart online and just click out of it lol

Amazon prime day to stock up on skincare for the year.

Borrow books from the library, tint my own lashes, make my own body scrub, do my own manis and pedis, thread my own brows and upper lip, leave things I want in the cart until there’s a sale.

I stopped buying the expensive face creams (peace out, La Mer) and replaced it with dermatologist-recommended cheap brands, like CeraVe and Cetaphil. I use serums from The Ordinary. My skin looks just as good, if not better, than when I used pricier stuff.

I bought a UV light machine and do my own gel manis AND PEDIS (which look phenomenal), saving boatloads

I think gel pedis look so top notch too, I keep my toes done far more than my fingers

I quit buying expensive skincare.  I use Tretinoin and cerave at night, vitamin c and some kind of moisturizer with spf in the morning, and an aha/bha peel mask once a week.  My boss thought I was in my mid thirties until I met his wife and she asked me if my husband and I were planning kids.  I’m 47, so no, we are not planning kids.  

The pricey skin creams are mostly just marketing.  They may work, but there’s probably something much cheaper that works just as well.

Girl

Automate an amount every week to come out of your checking. $20-$50-$100-$500, whatever amount you normally piss away and wouldn’t notice.

Make it go to an account you never check, bonus points if it’s a 5% HYSA at a different bank than the one you normally use

Don’t look at the account, do everything you can to forget about it.

Options: - Set up a notification on the new account to text you when you hit a savings goal for something sick you want, sicker than clothes etc , like a trip - Never look at it unless you lose your job etc and have a savings that saves your ass - intentional no buys help reset the addiction: I was on a no buy for clothes last year and I’ve gotten so used to buying nothing I legit forgot when the 1 year rolled around. It’s the best feeling to unlearn that and realize the thrill of opening whatever never felt that good to begin with

Increasing the retirement investment % from my paycheck. Better to max that out easily in the year.

I also set up an automatic transfer from my bank to a money market account every month.

Finally-I don’t buy so much but what I do focus on is quality. I don’t shop the “sale section”because I learned that if I do, I’ll typically pick something out due to price and not because I love it. Learn which stores offer seasonal sales or promos though for the items you like. I found out that anthro still offers 20% off on your birthday, etc.

Used to be makeup Armani and Chanel snob until “dupes”came around! The kind and quantity of stuff you truly forget you have. Ugh.

I am grooving on Temu