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26, 2013 — If you search on the Internet for “live like a cheapskate”
you will strike a frugality bonanza. There are authors like Jeff Yeager
who have written best sellers on the subject (“The Cheapskate Next
Door”), plus plenty of websites offering their advice. There’s even a
TLC show, “Extreme Cheapskates“. Our friend Robert Powell over at MarketWatch had a particularly helpful article earlier this year, “How to Retire Like a Cheapskate and Live Well“. This article will roll up advice from all over into our 15 top tips for living like a cheapskate. First of all, a little etymology – if you are going to be a cheapskate you might as well understand where the term came from. In fact there is considerable uncertainty about the origin of the word. The main dictionary sites seem to think that “skate” was a late 19th century slangy term for a worn-out horse, to which cheap was added to imply mean or miserly. One Wiki source claims it refers to inexpensive strap-on roller skates; while we acknowledge those were horrible to skate on, we doubt that is the term’s origin. A Penny Saved… Benjamin Franklin had it right – a penny saved is one you don’t have to earn. For retirement that means if you can manage to save enough money on your expenses, you can survive – and maybe have enough to indulge in a few luxuries. Our Top 15 Cheapskate Ideas Here are some of the best ideas we have heard for saving money in retirement. Our advice is to think about the big things – steps you can take that can deliver serious money. Yes, you can re-use your dental floss and your paper and plastic bags, and you can hard boil your eggs as you run the dishwasher. But some of the steps that extreme cheapskates will do to save a few pennies seem a bit crazy – as in taking the idea so far you get obsessed about it. Here goes: - Move to a smaller house. Real pennypinchers don’t wast money heating/cooling, painting, maintaining, and paying taxes on a house that’s bigger than their needs. - Buy a reliable car, preferably second hand. Buy a basic model, and keep it until big things start breaking on it. If you have 2 cars – get rid of the gas hog. - Move to a less expensive state. Hopefully one with reasonable real estate costs along with lower income and property taxes. - Plan your major purchases in advance. Leo Babauta, author of several books including The Cheapskate Guide) suggests keeping a 30 day list – don’t buy anything until it has been on your list for 30 days. That way you avoid impulse buying, and you have the time to take advantage of deals. - Buy only with cash. People get themselves into the most trouble with credit card-backed, sudden urge purchases. Having to pass over a wad of $50 bills has a powerful way of promoting restraint. - Use cash and get discounts. Retailers hate paying credit card fees out of what they get from a sale. So offer cash; many times you’ll get a discount – if you ask. - Take all available discounts. If you travel, get an AAA card. You’ll usually save 15% on motels. Senior discounts are about everywhere – ask if you don’t see them. If you live in a tourist area ask for the local discount – most places give them. Or, just ask – do you have any discounts – you’ll often be surprised. - Take advantage of free entertainment. Read the newspaper and online guides – you’ll be pleased with how many free (and good) events there are. Many museums have one day a week or month that’s free. Use your DVR to record your favorite TV shows and classic movies – just about every good movie gets on TV someday! Use your library; they have many free and great programs and resources ready for your pleasure. - Manage your communication expenses. Many of us are paying an astounding amount of fees every month for communication and the Internet. Cable TV, Internet access, home telephone, cell telephone, ipad Internet, Netflix, Sirius radio, and more. Most of these have become necessities, but the monthly totals can be amazing. Consider consolidating (get rid of the land line, get a family cell plan, put phone/cable/internet with same supplier). Cancel your cable and watch TV online. Talk on Skype or Facetime. You should be able to be cut something. - Stay healthy. Co-pays, drugs, and other out of pocket expenses can actually drive you into bankruptcy. So save big bucks – get yourself into shape, cut down your vices, take your medicine, and generally take care of yourself. - Travel by bike – or walk. At $4 a gallon every car trip you take costs you money. We guarantee you will enjoy a short bike ride or walk a lot more, and it will be free! - Practice frugal gifting. Think ahead about what gifts you need to purchase in the coming year. Buy when they are on sale, or knit, draw, or build something more meaningful at a fraction of the cost. Last minute excursions to buy gifts almost always cost you more. - Cut smoking, alcohol, and sweets. Besides killing you, the price of a pack of cigarettes is obscene (remember when you could buy a carton for $3?). Cut down or stop your consumption of alcohol and sweets, both of which can turn out to be a pretty big (and unhealthy) part of your budget. - Maintain your stuff. You paid a lot of money for your car and household appliances. Read the manual and take the simple steps they outline to preserve their long life and cut down on repair bills. - Make more money. The corollary to saving money is to make more of it so you have it to spend. Looking for a paying job that is fun or rewarding can give you the wherewithal to have some extra spending fun in your life. For further reference The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living What are your best Cheapskate ideas? Come on now Topretirements members – we bet many of you have some outstanding ideas on how to save money to make the best of retirement. Please share them in the Comments section below. Posted by Admin on February 26th, 2013 Comments (13) Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS) |
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| Source: http://www.topretirements.com/blog/financial/15-ways-to-live-like-a-cheapskate-and-retire-in-style.html/ | ||||||
| 13 Comments » | ||||||
| Jan Cullinane says | ||||||
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I have about 30 specific tips for saving money listed in my book. Here are three, briefly summarized: 1. A number of generic drugs are free at places such as Walmart, Publix, or Meijer. You will still need a prescription from your doc, though. 2. If you’re 62 or over, purchase a $10 Lifetime Senior Pass that gets you into more than 2,000 federal recreations sites, including National Parks, This is a perk a lot of people don’t know about. The pass covers the car passengers, too. (http://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm) 3. Do what my kids have done re phones – dump the landline and only use your cell phone. Before you cancel, be sure its cost isn’t bundled in a discounted package with TV or Internet service. Jan Cullinane, author, AARP’s The Single Woman’s Guide to Retirement (John Wiley & Sons) |
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February 27th, 2013 | # |
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| Johnny Jacobs says | ||||||
One of the biggest money savers we have is couponing. My wife is
like one of those people (almost) you see on TV on extreme couponing.
She will usually save us 50 to 60 percent per trip to the grocery store.
Most of the time she matches coupons with items on sale, often getting
the items for FREE. We have also built up a significant amount of stores
because we take advantage of good deals and stock up on low cost items.
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February 27th, 2013 | # |
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| Ray Dinsmore says | ||||||
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I take exception with your comment that alcohol can be a big and
“unhealthy” part of your budget. Most data shows that alcohol in
moderation can be very good for your health. |
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February 27th, 2013 | # |
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| cherie says | ||||||
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I agree that couponing is great but I find unless I exercize
restraint, it’s like being at an auction and I wind up buying items that
I don’t regularly use because it’s on sale and I have a coupon! I guess
I get caught up in the challenge. We do not drink bottled water and
that saves a ton of money not to mention all that plastic and the
petroleum needed to make it. We shop on days when there’s a senior
discount offered at our groceries, department stores and movie theaters.
We take advantage of restaurant deals such as Groupon and
Restaurant.com when we eat out which isn’t more than twice a month
unless it’s a special occasion. And contrary to the suggestion of paying
with cash, we use one credit card for everything, pay it off monthly
and use the points we accumulate for yearly travel. It works great if
you have some ability to control your spending. I can understand the
issue of not thinking of plastic as real money! |
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February 27th, 2013 | # |
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| Ernie Zelinski says | ||||||
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For years I lived the cheapskate life. This helped me
semi-retire at the age 40 when my net worth was minus $30,000. (I had no
assets and had $30,000 in student loans.) Living the cheapskate way
allowed me to save 30 to 50 percent of my income when I started making
decent money. I can add many other ways to save money. Nonetheless, the one from the list of 15 that resonates with me is Number 15: “Make more money.” Now that I earn a better income than 90 percent of the population by still being semi-retired and only working 4 or 5 hours a day (like I always have), I take great pleasure in not having to live the cheapskate way. For example, I love flying Executive class, which I have done to Toronto, London, New York, and Istanbul. (As Cherie above, I use my Visa Aeroplan card to accumulate Aeroplan miles and always pay off my Visa bills at the end of the month.) Insofar as leaving money too heirs, these two quotations apply: “Leaving your heirs a lot of money doesn’t guarantee tears at your funeral.” — Sandra Block “If you want him to mourn, you had best leave him nothing.” — Martial In the end, there is only one purpose for money — and that it is to spend it. Of course, you must be creative and industrious enough to earn enough money to joyfully spend it in pleasurable ways. Ernie J. Zelinski Author - “Helping Adventurous Souls Live Prosperous and Free” Author of the Bestseller “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free” (Over 175,000 copies sold and published in 9 languages) |
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February 27th, 2013 | # |
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| High Yield Consultant says | ||||||
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Everyone is different. I follow strict health and fitness
protocols but enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. Where I live it is as
reasonable as any other type of beverage with dinner and is what I want.
Cut up Credit cards? Really? People looking at these comments I would
give more credit to than being that reckless with their spending. I
always use credit cards for purchases when I can and have one for
gasoline, one for meals (and wine) out, one for travel and one for
everything else. The reason? I get 2% cash back on the one for
everything else and 3% to 5% with the other cards in cash back. |
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February 27th, 2013 | # |
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| Joanne Hice says | ||||||
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As High Yield Consultant said, everyone is different. Reading
some of the ways to save are a combination of common sense and “you’ve
got to be kidding”. My biggest expense is the maintenance on my house. Every year I have had to replace something major like roof, flooring, appliance (s), heating and air system and have the foundation raised and leveled due to dry and shifting ground 3 times. I am so looking forward to selling and moving into a senior complex. Having to shell out $10K to $20K annually just to maintain is no fun. We use credit cards for everything we can, pay them in full every month, and get the cash back which is used when we take a trip or cruise for “frivolous fun” stuff. We both work part-time to earn “fun money” so we can take the trips and cruises. We don’t drink or smoke. We do eat out a lot as we have found it is more economical FOR US as we use Groupons and coupons 90% of the time. If I buy groceries and cook, half ends up getting thrown out. On an average, we spend $20-$25 per meal out and it serves us for 2 or 3 meals as we never can eat a full meal. We no longer buy stuff for the house as when we sell, will be getting rid of a lot of what we have. We no longer buy clothes or shoes as we have more than enough. If you want to travel and enjoy life when you retire, you will find a way to do it. When I say this, it is assuming you are in relatively good health, as we are. I can’t comment on how it would be with health problems. I am 75 and he is 66 so we are not “young” retirees but are fortunate enough to be rather healthy. |
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February 27th, 2013 | # |
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| Patricia Kennedy says | ||||||
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Two thoughts on how to save money: 1.Entertain at home! People have gotten into the habit of eating out, often because they were too busy while managing a career to cook more than a simple meal. Now that you are retired and have more time,invite friends over for dinner and a game of Bananagrams, or another fun game. Most of your guests will ask, “What can I bring?” Take them up on the offer to share both the time it takes to prepare a meal and the costs. You’ll find that eating at home costs less, is fun to do, usually means tasty-left-overs, and generates return invitations. 2. Stop going to Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks every day. Coffee is ridiculously easy to make at home. If you do the simple math, you find that a four-dollar-a-day coffee habit translates to $1460 a year! |
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February 28th, 2013 | # |
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| Ginger says | ||||||
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I notice that many of the people posting here are ‘making a
case’ for the lifestyle choices they make, and explaining why it works
for them. The suggestions above are suggestions that you can follow,
or not. I don’t believe that eating out is ever cheaper than eating at
home, but who cares? It’s your money. I think the important thing here
is to offer ideas that some people may learn from, or be inspired by. |
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February 28th, 2013 | # |
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| LuluM says | ||||||
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Since I retired I have cut my expenses by 50 % with out much change in my life-style. 1. I watch every penny….now I don’t spend mindlessly. 2. I shop for food and anything else once a month. 3. I look for alternatives. For example, I take out ebooks from the library. 4. I am in the process of creating a pet-care co-op so that I don’t have to spend money for my cats when I travel short-term. It is a rewarding challenge! |
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March 1st, 2013 | # |
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| Elaine says | ||||||
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Lulu, how does that once a month food shopping work out for fresh foods? Are you doing that to save on gas or save on food? |
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March 2nd, 2013 | # |
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| Anne says | ||||||
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I do live in one of the most expensive states in the country
(Ct.) so it’s very difficult to be thrifty. I know that I’m spending
less that I did while still working but I still find it very hard to be
as frugal as I think I should be. Hard to get over the old habit of
buying what you want when you want it as I could when I was still
working. Should definitely move to less expensive state but because I am a widow + it’s scary to think of moving to a new location where you know no one. Yes, I can and would make new friends but what do you do in the meantime.? Two sons live in Huntsville, Al. We do have a good relationship and they have encouraged me to move there but I sure don’t care for that VERY humid climate. I do tend to be an outdoors person except when the temp reaches 90 and the humidity is about the same. |
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March 2nd, 2013 | # |
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| Just Retired says | ||||||
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I just retired and we are planning to sell our Arizona home and
move to a more tax friendly state. Currently looking at Alabama and
Tennessee. Tennessee does not have income tax but the property taxes can
be high. Alabama does not tax defined retirement income but 401K
distributions are taxable and after age 65 no state property taxes. Use your credit card to get cash back but always pay the balance when due. You use the money for up to a month free. Buy a well built vehicle and keep it. We own a 2002 Corolla we bought new, It now has 180,000 miles and gets up to 40 MPG. I maintain the car myself. |
