#1 isn't a bad idea. We started looking and the cost of living in some major cities is actually lower than the hell hole we are currently stuck in.

#6 runs into a problem for many people. Finding somewhere where you won't get shot and finding a house that isn't a terminal money pit many times mean your going to have to shell out more cash.

I'm living with a roommate in a rent house that costs us $500/mo (total) and we have no cable, no internet and we manage just fine. For entertainment we uy tv series on DVD which I actually prefer because then I don't have to deal with stupid commercials AND I don't have to mess with a cable bill every month. :)

Interesting. I imagine quite a few of these suggestions would also apply to a list of most-hated ways to lose weight.

You mean I must make sacrifices in order to change my life? Puh-leez!

(BTW, they forgot "Get rid of your cell phone and instead use a land line." I pay less than $20 a month for my land line and am somehow managing to lead a successful life. Suck it, cell-tards!)

@wannabejew: I replaced my cable with Netflix subscriptions. I ask for gift subscriptions for my birthday and x-mas to even further offset the costs. Sure, remembering to mail things back everyday is a pain, and the bill is as high as basic cable. But, I'm just glad the cable companies aren't making a profit off of me.

i've always found moving to be one of the quickest ways to diminish your savings. I think that point should be directly tied to finding a higher paying job.

Yup, these sound familiar and reasonable. Except... "Don't buy a pet"? Really? If that's a reasonable suggestion, why not "Don't Date" or "Don't Have Children"? Those are great money-savers! Yes, I would argue that children and romantic partners are more important than pets, but aren't relationships with pets a smaller version of relationships with humans? I mean, what am I saving money for if not the rewards of love, companionship, and friendship, both with people and animals?

I went through the list and half way through I almost spit out my tea

6. Buy a house you can afford -- This one used to get a lot more heat than it does now.

This just strikes me as well.... DUH?! I mean there's some semblance of logic in say purchasing some gigantic HDTV in that it might only take a few months/years to pay it off if you can't afford it (I say 'some semblance of logic' very loosely though). But how do you justify something you have to make payments over literally decades and not plan how to afford it?

I wonder sometimes if this kind of thinking is because the smart train is really small, or is it more that the stupid train comes more often :P

Bringing lunch from home saves this family of two in NY an average of $400 a month.

And we are able to eat healthy, too, for a lot less money.

My biggest remaining daily "outside" expense is bottled water for during the work day... I've been able to get down to an effective cost-per-bottle of $0.178 for Poland Spring half-liter bottles when purchased as a 28-pack on sale at Duane Reade for $4.99 before tax. Even when not on sale I think their regular price is about $6 per 28-pack -- a dramatic difference versus the $1 - $1.50 most delis charge for half-liter bottles of water, especially considering I drink nearly a gallon of water a day.

@sophistikate: I think the "Don't buy a pet" is more geared to the 'pet fad' crowd than anything. It's not that there isn't some kind of benefit to having pets that are intangible (love, companionship, etc). I think it's more that too many people today consider pets as 'accessories' and not as actual living creatures. I mean do your kids actually NEED a pet?

And pets can be a cost drain on you. So the question I think is better phrased as "Can you afford a pet" but that's not nearly as dramatic :P

With the US dollar being so weak these days, moving to another country might not be that great anymore since Canada and the EU are pretty much a no-go.

They should add "Quit Drinking" alongside "Quit Smoking." I know people that routinely drop $50+ at the bar every week!

In high school I worked with a guy who was pretty much chronicly impoverished. Sure, we were working a low-pay industrial job, but this dude was always complaining to me about never having enough money. He'd come in and say "Man, I spent $80 at the bar last night!" and then an hour later complain that he only had $5 and would have to either buy lunch of cigs.

I wouldn't expect him to take serious financial advice from some punk kid, but a few times I pointed out to him that if he stopped smoking, drinking and ordering lunch out he'd probably save close to $500 a month!

@Troy F.: There's lots of other countries besides the EU and Canada. There are countries in SE Asia where crime is low and the living is cheap. Even if you go to a fancy international hospital there, it's not ridiculous (I say from personal experience -- my intestines destroyed themselves on a trip there once, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the hospitals).

How about die? I'll wager that would save a lot of money.

Seriously- if you're being healthy in order to save $ that's probably not the best motivation.

Moving to a foreign country is not the best option for people who have to do things, like, you know, WORK. Even for retirees- many of them have to care for elderly parents. You can weigh the savings against being separated from family and friends as well. Not-really-a-sensible-option.

You can save money by not smoking but you can save money lots of other ways too, don't buy bottled water, you get perfectly good water out of the tap here- don't go to movies, etc.

Buy used makes some sense but you can't (or shouldn't) buy used food. Makes sense to buy used clothing but men tend not to give away/sell clothing unless it's absolutely had it which is impractical for career people to show up for an interview in a vintage 1985 suit.

Don't buy a pet- again, back to the I'd bet you'd save a lot of money if you were dead.

There are plenty of places in the country which may be lower cost of living but again I need to WORK, that whole career thing- and need to be around my friends and family, and I am sure there are rust-belt crime-ridden towns which are very low cost of living but there again you'd save a lot of money if you were dead.

@sophistikate: Buy all the pets you want- but then you can't complain when you are short on cash.

These are money-saving tips, not fulfilled life tips.

(Also, you might want to get help if you need to have pets and children around to be fulfilled...)

@LewisNYC: Why are you buying bottled water? NYC has some of the best municipal water on the planet, probably equal to if not superior to bottled waters.

@swalve: While not everyone needs kids or pets to be fulfilled, I don't think someone who wants them in their life as a part of being happy needs therapy. =P

Expensive pet choice: Buy a pet from a breeder or puppy mill pet store.
Frugal choice: Adopt a pet from a rescue group or animal shelter.
Cheapest choice: Foster a pet for a rescue group until it can be adopted. The group handles all the vet bills and will sometimes provide food. You don't get to keep the animal, but you get companionship and the knowledge you're doing a great thing.
Most expensive, stupid and cruel choice: Rent a dog by the day. I still can't get over that.

Yes, God forbid you cut your lifestyle to get out of a financial pinch. I'd argue that most money savings ideas are not well received. How about 'Make a budget and stick to it' or 'Stop hemerraging cash' or 'Buy a car you can afford' or 'Define what you can afford based on reality'.

It all really comes down to cutting the cushy, yet expensive lifestyle you've become accustomed to. People are always reluctant to do that and usually because they think that cheaper = less favorable. House, car and food and other things people "deserve" usually strike a nerve.

@womblebug: I think the problem isn't the initial cost of the dog, but the upkeep. Shots, deworming, food, damage to your home, etc.

9, 1: I can understand not wanting to move especially if for 9 we're talking about a country where English isn't the official (or even regularly used) language. You also have to find a new job. Searching for a job sucks.

10, 8: Well nicotine is addictive so obviously quitting is going to be hard and therefore people hate doing it. Getting yourself healthy can be equally hard (depending on what's wrong with you). They both could also require more money to be spent to accomplish. People don't like spending money to save money. People also don't like going to the doctor.

7: ...and watch it fall apart in 3 months. At least that's what the people who hate this idea are thinking.

2: Misleading. It isn't really "don't buy a pet" it's "get rid of the pet you have". Lots of pet owners feel like their pets are like children.

From what I've seen, the people who get into trouble are the ones who buy one pet, then another, then another, then another, and end up having a zoo. That costs money.

Realistically, the number one thing he missed was "monthlies". Cable is one of them, but cell phones, movies by mail, magazine subscriptions, and freaking On-Star, are examples of others that should probably be cut from your life (or at least carefully evaluated).

I have one cell-phone (prepaid) which I spend about 25 dollars every three months for. I have no cable or TV service other than what the rabbit ears give. Even then, I don't waste time with TV. Shows I want to watch come out on DVD eventually.

@LewisNYC:
Can you get a Brita or Pur and bring water from home in a Nalgene or something similar?? Even if you only pay $0.17 per bottle, you'd probably only pay about a tenth of that for water from home.

Don't have kids. They are way more expensive than pets in terms of food, clothing, school, etc. And if you have kids, get rid of them. Any list like this is seriously over simple and is therefor pretty much useless.

Has nobody read the headline? It's 10 most HATED money saving tips. Of course, nobody here likes them; they're the most hated tips!

How we went about trying to find somewhere cheaper and better to live was to make a list of places we had a desire to possibly move to due to the factors were looking for. Then we used the cost of living calculator at Salary.com to see if we might potentially take a hit or add more disposable income. Forbes also keeps decent lists of cost of living by city. We found that all but two of the places we were thinking of would gain us money and most of them had booming job markets compared to where we are now.
Then comes the hard part, saving up enough to move and waiting for the housing market to figure itself out before we try to sell.

@Dagamon: I'm with you on that, but the wife disagrees. Come to think of it, though, she's pretty expensive too...

I like # 1. Having moved from Vancouver BC this is very understandable. Average house price in Vancouver hovers around $750,000... that is just nuts.

I can do without the rain and live much better in Kamloops for around 400 grand.

AND nothing bugs me more than welfare bums on the news whining that they need bigger cheques because they can't afford to live in Vancouver.... MOVE ya bum.

#1 should only be a hated tip when it's stated in random isolation, which I know we've all heard: "I'm broke!" "Move to Kansas." "Uh ... thanks."

But if you're making a life-change anyway -- finishing school, changing jobs, retiring, leaving town before the Ponsi scheme comes home to roost -- #1 certainly doesn't need to be hated. At that point you're just including smaller cities and lower cost of living places in your overall search.

#10 is pretty hateable -- it's one thing if it's like "eat healthy, exercise, have friends" but for people with chronic conditions over which they have little or no control, it's just a maddening and sometimes upsetting thing to be told. It's not like they don't KNOW it's sucking their money and it's not like they don't WISH they didn't have whatever non-curable chronic condition they have.

As for the pets, my husband works with some pet rescue orgs and one of the saddest things, I think, is the number of surrenders they get from families who bought pets (usually dogs) without considering costs. Either they didn't realize dogs eat more than puppies, or it never crossed their minds that pets require vet care even if they're healthy (like in this county, regular rabies shots and then the registration fee). I do think people should think through buying a pet somewhat they way they think through having a child (I hope) -- this is a commitment you're making for 5 or 10 or 20 years, depending on pet, and should be considered as such!

The animal shelter at which I volunteer gets very specific about finances in our pet applications. We tell people, for example, that a cat may cost approximately $500 a year in upkeep (food, litter, vet), and they essentially have to sign to say they understand this. And yes, we have denied applications based on a sense that the family is not financially stable enough to support a pet. You'd be surprised how many applicants we get who are renting cheap apartments, living on public assistance, have several kids, and are unhappy that we ask $100 for an adoption fee - yet they think they have the money to properly care for an animal.

As one poster above mentioned, pets are indeed like family members - so if you aren't willing to spend the money on them that they deserve, you shouldn't have one.

I think this is a good list. It might be hard to follow, but in fact all these things would save money!

10 is certainly true. Even something as innocuous as heart burn (which of course turns out to be acid reflux) cost me hundreds a year in medication. And migraines are really expensive too. Meds, time missed from work, acupuncture or chiropractor which have a higher copay even if they are covered, cat scans, ugh. Very expensive indeed. Being healthy is one of the best money saving things!

8. Quit smoking - I totally agree with this! It would save on your kids' medical costs as well. My parents both smoked and I missed SO much school and always had bronchitis.

5. Cut your cable - In our area, cable is actually FREE. With Comcast (only provider in town for reliable high-speed) you get a $10 discount for having 2 subscriptions and basic cable is $10. I do think that the TV shows I watch save in other entertainment costs a lot as well. I hardly ever go to the movies.

4. Take your lunch to work - This one is a big giant DUH I think. Also buying bottled water is ridiculously expensive and wasteful since hardly anyone recycles those bottles.

2. Don't buy a pet - Sad but true. I have two cats who only occasionally have had vet bills (maybe every 2 years or so). I buy them good cat food ($$) which saves on vet bills I believe. As apartment dwellers, every time we've moved it's cost us at LEAST $300 in pet fees. Being young, college-aged, and migratory, this adds up. Every time I have to write that check I just cringe, uck. But, I do it willingly like many other pet owners.

I'm surprised this list didn't mention anything about buying generics or drugstore-brand products rather than department store. That saves a bundle.

@Eyebrows McGee: But the dog is there to LOVE me! Damn the costs!

Regarding the #10, just about everyone can do more to keep themselves healthy. There's going to be a tiny minority of people with MS or ALS who can't, but most can. And for some, it might be too late- the debilitating condition is a result of 50 years of not doing what it takes to be healthy.

@rachaeljean: 10- Generic Zantac is very inexpensive at Target or WallMart. It's like $12 for three months worth.

8- Gee, my parents smoked and I didn't have those problems. Our anecdotal evidence just canceled out!

5- I don't understand. How do you get the subscriptions to pay for the free discount?

4- Bottled water is ridiculously expensive? You try shitting for a month because the municipal water supply is "safe". And please define "hardly anyone".

@swalve: Just about everyone can do SOME things, but someone with arthritis or chronic depression is always going to be struggling with and paying for those diseases. (And many people with chronic diseases are MORE aware of their health and are already doing what they can to try to maintain it to the level they are able.) But there's always some jerk willing to say, "Well, if you'd just GET BETTER you wouldn't have to pay so much for medical care!" Thanks, jerk, send the memo to my autoimmune disorder! (Pontifical "my," I don't have one.)

I think most of these are good tips, just not applicable to everyone. Sometimes people hate things just because they don't want to hear the truth.

these are some good tips, but the actual article sounds like it was written by a college student.

@Eyebrows McGee: You can forward the memos to my autoimmune disease.

One way to cut health care costs is to become a human guinea pig. The only problem with that is sometimes the studies are helpful, sometimes they deadly.

@Moderators: Can someone ban Shellyle? She/he is obviously an advertising bot, every post advertises a website...

and, um, yeah, apparently Consumerist censors by removing the previous post on Wal-mart's wanker...I wonder if Carey got "rebuked" for posting it?

Crap like cell phones that 99% of people don't 'need' expensive cable packages etc...

Cancel all those distractions and you will become healthy because you will get off your butt and actually do something which will lead to fulfilling #10!

Where's "Replace English speaking domestic help with non-English speaking domestic help" on this list? You can literally save thousands.

@elisa:

I don't know about the WalMart wanker post, but the advertising bot thing has been taken care of. Thanks for the heads-up, and in the future, the flag button (little exclamation point next to comment) will send a flagged report directly to me -- that's the fastest way to bring something to my attention.

Stop tithing to your Mega-church. There is a Washington Post business writer who is all about the frugal, but due to her religious issues, spends way too much time defending tithing to these Mega-churchs (like the one she attends) even if you are in financial difficulties. Its sad really.

Don't pay the church until you have paid all your bills- it's just crazy enough to work!

Remember that their is no particular virtue in having or not having cable tv, adopting or not adopting pets, having or not having children, or living in any particular location or house.

These are money-saving tips. It is your choice whether to employ any of these tips.

@Troy F.:

Argentina, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, central Mexico, and Chile are all incredibly affordable to the U.S. dollar. I traveled to eastern Europe earlier this year and lived quite cheap in small villages in the southern Czech Republic.

Spending a portion of each year in a foreign country with a good dollar rate is definitely something I'm planning on when I retire. I love to travel - and in some places you can live well, eat out, meet great people - for much less than your daily expeditures back home.

@elf6c:

Agree 100%.

I agree with 2-10, but I have a hard time with #1. I'd rather be thousands of dollars in debt than living in Cleveland.

On the one hand, financial security, on the other hand, death from boredom and the cold. Also as a lawyer, the pay for a lawyer in Cleveland is probably equivalent to that of a teacher out here in CA.

10. Yep, I am.
9. Heck no, almost lost an eye last month, really glad to be in the USA.
8. Quit smoking...and drinking.
7. Buy used....cars perhaps, you can keep the gum.
6. Buy a house you can afford...did that.
5. Cut your cable,.....why even have it?
4. Take your lunch to work....Eat lunch?
3. Limit small spending....and large.
2. Don't buy a pet...adopt, as I look at my monster part-Manx.
1. Move to a lower cost-of-living city....South, way down in Dixie.

@Rusted:

Right on 4. I usually make all my lunches for the week on Sunday. If I'm cooking dinner for 1 or 2 I can just quaddruple the quantity and have lunch all week.

Also where is "give up the car?" My other half and I have shared a car for 5 years. I bike or bus/train to work. The extra money has paid for home improvements, travel, and savings.

Of course the problem with this is that most places where you can live easier without a car - close to downtown near good transit or cities with good transit typically have higher housing prices.

But a family living on ONE car can be done with some planning and coordination.

@AnnC: I guess not, hell the article dosn't even say these are GOOD tips. It only says that these tips are the most hated. In no way are these denoted as good or bad ideas, just semi useful ideas and the order in which hate ensues.

I assume they are the most hated out of logical money saving tips. Otherwise the list would look more like this.

10 Drink own urine
9 etc. (really do I have to go on)

@jamesdenver: I think that about proves my point. I mean, if you would be able to live in these places more power to you, but some of those countries are in the "Nice to visit..." category and some of them are pretty low-priority on the "Places to go before I die" list. I read "Move to a foreign country" as MOVE to a foreign country, not just hang out in a foreign country for 3 months out of the year.

I have a rabbit, and the biggest expense for him has been a regular neutering, which was about $600 after all tests and boarding post-surgery. Aside from that, he eats little (he's only 7 lb.) and doesn't pitch a fit when I fill his bottle with tap. He lives in a giant cage that used to belong to a dog (not mine), and he's pretty content. He's got all the toys he ever wants, and his favorite toys are still toilet paper tubes. He also likes chewing on books, so I got a paperback for $.50 and he throws it around all day.

The best saving money tip I have is just to be creative with your time and money. Museums are free, and subway fare isn't too expensive. We stopped driving into D.C. even though we only live half an hour away. Taking the Metro in, you spend maybe $6 at the most ever and you don't have to pay for parking when you get into the city. Plus, driving in D.C. is a nightmare.