Like saving money? So does blogger Free Money Finance. But he says not all money saving ideas are well-received. In fact, some are downright hated. Here is FMF’s list of what he believes to be the 10 most-hated money saving tips:
10. Be healthy
9. Move to a foreign country (or even visit for health care)
8. Quit smoking
7. Buy used
6. Buy a house you can afford
5. Cut your cable
4. Take your lunch to work
3. Limit small spending
2. Don’t buy a pet
1. Move to a lower cost-of-living city
Oh no, you mean I might have to change my life if I want to cut spending?! Yep, there’s a lot to dislike here. Then again, if you really need some extra money, many of these ideas can offer significant savings. Follow the link to see FMF’s rationale for each tip.
The 10 Most-Hated Money Saving Tips [Free Money Finance]
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The pet arguement depends on what type of pet you have. I have a freshwater fish tank filled w/various loaches (fish) and a free-roaming house rabbit. Fish food works out to <$1/mo and the rabbit works out to ~$3/mo at most as she eats her hay all day long and ends up eating some of whatever I make for dinner. Her litter box has a cat-pan liner in it (trash bag), with shredded paper from my shredder and a newspaper on the bottom. No other costs. There is the “expense” of my time to take care of her, but there’s little I have to do other than feed her and change the box every few days. She’s a self-cleaning appliance otherwise.
Actually, the tips aren’t THAT bad. Obvious to people who already know how to manage money, but you’d be surprised how many people DON’T get it. I’m still stunned to watch friends buy houses & vacations I know they can’t afford. Satrou: The stupid train does indeed depart more often than the A train.
@jamesdenver: You have to balance the proximity vs. price issue. The one thing which most people don’t factor is how much their own time is worth. I moved 10 miles closer to the city center last year. Worth every single penny. That move alone bought me an extra 45-90 minutes/day, not to mention the gas saved by not being stuck in traffic.
@CaffeinatedSquint: That’s why I have a female rabbit. No neutering needed.
Also, most of the animal shelters offer substantially discounted “fixing” of animals that come from them. I think the local one just charges $35 or something similar, and that includes the rabbit!
@FLConsumer:
Definitely. I live downtown in a moderate size three bedroom townhome close to transportation and easy to get around. No way in hell I’d ever move to a suburban McMansion even if it was 10x the size at the same price.
#5: I’ve never had cable TV and I don’t mind, except when my friends start talking about TV shows that I know nothing about.
@FLConsumer: From what I’ve read, female rabbits have fewer problems but they still do have problems like males do, like aggression and territorial tendancies. I’m pretty sure that female rabbits are okay not to be spayed, but I definitely didn’t have a choice when I got my rabbit. A friend had him for a few weeks before deciding she didn’t want him anymore (we all said it was a bad idea, she’s not the animal type and she’s flippant about her desires) and I just felt too bad for the poor bunny to let him get taken to a shelter.
#1: Live somewhere where you have a good chance at keeping and advancing your career. Just because Kansas is cheap doesn’t mean you’ll be rich there. Think about the relative Job Opps.
One thing my mother always explained to me was that just because you can buy a nicer home in a lower-cost area, doesn’t mean that you’ll be better off. It’s better to be spending more on a home in a city with more economic growth and potential for growth rather than spending less in an area with no return on your investment.
@CaffeinatedSquint:
Of course, that second paragraph doesn’t help for people in rural areas, or in areas that have absolutely no respect for public transit (Most of the south, save for a few cities in Texas). I’ve calculated the costs, and it is roughly twice as expensive (in time and money) to take public transit in a number of cities.
New York, Seattle, and DC are OK because the parking fees will kill you, but cities like Atlanta have two-hour bus trips for 15-minute drives.
As far as the museum bit goes, more and more museums are charging admission fees, or selective admission (Want to see that egyptian mummies exhibit? That’ll be $10). In addition, museums are frequently some of the least educational places for children, as few of the exhibits are interactive (beyond narration, which doesn’t really count). As an adult, you’re better off browing websites than going to a museum – the museum is an outing that involves transit and food, where sitting at home reading, say, The Consumerist or doing the daily NYT crossword will exercies your brain more and cost less.
@RvLeshrac:
‘exercise,’ even.
@CaffeinatedSquint: I have a rabbit, and the biggest expense for him has been a regular neutering…
How often does your rabbit need neutering?? I thought that was a one-time deal.
@SteveBMD: Haha, it is a one time deal…by regular I meant, with no other medical complications, say if he had some illness they had to take into account when they did the neutering. The anasthetic alone was $18. Small potatoes, but he’s only 7 lbs!
* anasthetic = anesthetic
@Consumerist Moderator – ACAMBRAS: Does that go for just Consumerist? Flagged the rest of that spammer’s comments, and they’re all on other blogs in the Gawker Media Benevolent Dictatorship ™.
@swalve: @swalve:
Wow, way to be a confrontational ass!
10- Generic Zantac is very inexpensive at Target or WallMart. It’s like $12 for three months worth.
Yup, gee thanks for this f-ing memo. I meant REAL medications, not over-the-counter crap. Nexium is one of the most expensive medications for a lot of people, often costing $50 for a month’s supply. Granted, it’s not up there with AIDS or Cancer drugs or something (I just know you would jump on my ass for that), but this is still quite an expense. Oh and that’s WITH insurance. It’s $120/month or so without.
Migraine meds (Imitrex, Maxalt, etc.) are just as bad, and have the added bonus of working different for different people so I get to pay ~$20 for each scrip and then wait and see if they worked or not. If not, then that’s $20 down the drain since you can’t return unused portions for a refund.
8- Gee, my parents smoked and I didn’t have those problems. Our anecdotal evidence just canceled out!
Yup, wow. You have a contradicting anecdote. That must mean that smoking is cost-effective and healthy, yaaaay!
5- I don’t understand. How do you get the subscriptions to pay for the free discount?
Wow, sorry you can’t do basic math. Let me explain it to you as simply as I can:
Comcast high-speed internet… +$42.95 per month
Comcast basic cable… +$10.00 per month
Price break for subscribing to multiple services… -$10.00
FINAL BILL = $42.95 per month
4- Bottled water is ridiculously expensive? You try shitting for a month because the municipal water supply is “safe”. And please define “hardly anyone”.
Hey, guess what! I was tested for giardia and cryptosporidium and all sorts of fun little bugs last year! At Christmas! Yaaay!
Hey look! 0.2 seconds of googling came up with data that confirms my statement! [www.msnbc.msn.com]
That states that only TWELVE PERCENT of people recycle their bottled water. So, uh, yeah… I think that counts as “hardly any.”
No matter how you cut it, a home-filter is cheaper anyway. Wooo! Yaay for facts!
Have a SWELL day, asshat!