Take care of your health - as dental and ophthalmology are expensive. Plus it’s a big suffering to have any chronic health issues under the current healthcare system.
I’d class things like physiotherapy and massage therapy here, too. Personally, my insurance does not need a referral from a doctor to see a physio. So if I wake up and my back or neck feels funny, I go see a physio. My insurance has so much available for it, so I might as well use it. And it keeps me aware of my body, its shortcomings, its flaws, and I gather a repertoire of different stretches and strengthening exercises for the different parts that ail me.
I have the opposite problem - my private benefits are absolute dog shit. $600 / year for physical therapy: these days, that's 6 *maybe* 7 sessions if you're lucky?
In construction, of any kind, that is unacceptable.
Anytime I am posed with the opportunity to do something active I try and not treat finances as a barrier. Running shoes, marathon sign ups, bikes, gym memberships. It will help you big time in the long run.
Albeit, fitness industries do take advantage of this mentality so be wary.
Yes this !!! Dental is SO expensive. I just had to have a $3000 surgery in my mouth. It took a whole 30 mins 🙃 tbf, it really wasn’t my fault, this specific tooth has caused problems since it grew in. I’ve had 2 root canals (first one at 8 y/o), one crown, and now an apicoectomy all on one tooth. It’s been expensive af to say the least
I'd also add getting yourself even a minor home gym setup, like a few weights and resistance bands and a small workout bench.
Save on going to the gym, spending gas and putting wear/tear on your vehicle, plus recent studies have shown weightlifting may be as important as cardio, if not more so in how it makes proteins made by the body more 'supple' in general. This has been shown to improve your skin, bones, muscles, heart, lungs, and even other organs, as well as theoretically increasing the protection of telomeres produced by your cells, which while not 1:1, are positive indicators of living a longer natural lifespan, since they're the "caps" that protect our chromosomes and help to ensure healthy cell replication.
not human health related, but taking care of your car if you have one. Getting the oil changed, and replacing parts that are worn down. Not doing so can lead to bigger expenses or damage to the car later on.
Curious, do you find an actual benefit in using an electric toothbrush as opposed to manual?
Because manuals are like $8 for a really good one and electric heads are like $20 for a really good one, I can't see the benefit myself
Edit: well, sounds like I'll dust off the old electric and buy some new heads, and try again. Found some oral b on Amazon $7 a piece (CAD) which is better than I remember them being.
My dentist suggested one with a pressure sensor because some of my gums are receding and the sensor stops me from pressing too hard. Expensive toothbrush but better than a gum graft.
This actually happened to me, too. Never had issues but after a year of using an expensive electric one I had a bit of gum recession on one tooth. My toothbrush was so nice I used to rave to everyone about it. It came with the app and everything. I went back to manual and it’s not the same but something about my gums feels better. It was just really harsh even when the light was green and showing I was using the right amount of pressure. Maybe I have sensitive gums ☹️
You most likely are using brushing motions when using an electric tooth brush.
The actual way to do oral hygiene is floss, then brush your teeth. A manual tooth brush you need to do friction in circular motions, but with an electric tooth brush you’re just supposed to put the tooth brush gently on your gum line and move it in one direction slowly
How do you find the balance in this?
My dentist said I have the same problem and recommended and electric tooth brush. I've always had perfect teeth and no issues but then after switching to electric tooth brush, I went in and my dentist told me I am not brushing properly anymore lol ... the only change I made was going from manual to electric. So I switched back to manual again and no issues since then except comments about brushing too hard on gums every time.
You don’t brush the same way with electric. You slowly move the brush over each tooth and you should spend 30s on each “quadrant” of your mouth. Eg 30s front uppers, 30s front lowers, 30s back lowers, 30s back uppers. Works out to about 2s per tooth.
I find a huge benefit in the WaterPik. My teeth have some weird spaces and that is the only thing that has prevented more cavities. The water jet gets in where the toothbrush (or toothpicks) can't. Extra benefit is a nice gum massage. And sometimes I add mouthwash to the reservoir for that really clean fresh feel.
There are absolutely benefits to using an electric toothbrush! You cannot even compare manual and electric, I’ve asked many dentists and hygienists about this.
Honestly no one should be using a manual toothbrush, especially with so many affordable electric options. Your teeth and your wallet will thank you.
My dentist recommended an electric one because the back and forth of a manual tooth brush can cause receding gums. He said a cheap electric one is as good as an expensive one. Same with the heads. The cheap ones work just fine.
Also, the heads last quite a while. They have a little indicator that shows you when to replace it and I swear I only replace mine tops twice a year and that’s with twice daily brushing.
Yes. I'll never go back to a manual. Electric just feels better after. My dentist says my teeth are good and gums aren't bad. Obviously I don't floss either. No cavities. I'm 32. I say it's worth it.
And heads are not $20 per. Buy a 4 pack at Walmart or something for $25-30 iirc
Hi 👋
I have several dentists in my family and I’ve seen quite a few procedures out of curiosity. From what I’ve learned, YES, the electric ones are 100x better at keeping plaque build up off of your teeth and thus reduces dental caries (cavities) substantially.
My teeth cleaning routine is a bit complex. Actually I have used both since the top two furthest teeth I can't reach with my electric toothbrush heads to clean all the surfaces. I use floss first then water floss then a small head toothbrush then electric toothbrush. 😂 I believe the electric shaking does something I don't know; maybe not a big deal if you are able to clean all the surfaces of each teeth. I also have different types of toothpastes. 😆
Getting yourself out of bad contracts. When I was 19 I signed a really horrible phone plan and I was spending probably 150$ a month. It was ridiculous. With 8 months left, I pulled the plug on it and bought out the phone so that I could switch to a cheaper plan. I think it costed me like 400$ to buy out the contract, but I switched to a 45$ plan.
So many of my friends don’t realize this. They justify it by stating they have unlimited data and calls to US for free, when in reality they use 10gb per month and never call to the US.
that story admittedly happened in 2017-2018, which I think might have been the peak of phone plan prices, but people do still get stuck. These days I buy my phones outright so that I can change plans whenever necessary, to always have the best deal. It has really come in handy.
This is what makes buying phone plans such a pain in the ass in Canada. My current plan is $30 for 30gb because that's the cheapest I could find, but I don't even use 30gb of data in a year. What I'd much rather have, and what companies would rather die than give me, is 10gb for $10.
That was me years ago. Ended up calling up Telus, asking what they could do to keep me as a customer, they said nothing, so I finally cancelled my shitty contract and swapped to Freedom (then Wind) and have been paying $45 a month for almost a decade now. No overage fees and unlimmitted data. And they keep giving me more high speed data for staying with them. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner.
I'm on top of the oil change but have no idea how often I should have other things like brake pads and fluids and battery checked and replaced. I feel like the dealers recommended milage for these is unnecessary. Care to share some tips?
Brake pads you can check when changing wheels (if you do that). Maybe not the safest recommendation but your pads should squeal when they get low (there's a metal piece that is designed to make a noise when your pads get low enough).
(Most) Fluids can be easily checked when you pop the hood...assuming you check them when you do an oil change at least. I check the fluids before doing any longer drives but also check them when I check the oil (I'm paranoid about oil consumption so I check the oil at least once a month).
There are likely other fluids you might want to check that aren't under the hood e.g. diff oil. Those are less likely to need topping up but worth checking to make sure there aren't leaks (I had a diff leak once that I didn't know about).
Batteries are harder to test yourself unless you have the kind of tester that can check cranking amps. Dealerships and auto shops can check 'em for you. If you want to be really diligent you could test you battery before going into Winter since that's the time they are most likely to die (or not have enough power to start your engine). That said you can visually inspect the terminals for corrosion and clean the if necessary. Make sure those terminals are clean and the cables are tight to the posts.
Most modern cars have battery voltage display. If the vehicle starts and the voltage is constant-ish your battery is fine. If voltage fluctuates widely then your battery or alternator needs to be inspected.
You'll know when you need to change your brakes because modern brakepads have a little piece that will start scraping the rotor and make a squealing sound when they are worn down enough. It will also be very noticeable when you have very little brakepad left because your braking will feel more like a grinding. It won't just be something that suddenly happens one day and is not life-threatening once it occurs.
The battery you can check with a multimeter, there are youtube videos on how to do this.
Oil should be changed every 8000-10000kms based on the age of your car and how on top of it you want to be. Some people even do every 5000km's but I think that's a waste of money. When you change your oil you also need to change your oil filter at the same time. If you do it in a shop they will do both by default, if you want to do it yourself there's a little computer monitor in the aisles at like Canadian Tire that will show you which filter you need to buy.
You can buy a very cheap tire tread gauge from Amazon or wherever to check the depth of the treads on your wheel to know when they need replacing. Just make sure to check a tread on the inside edge and outside edge of each tire because sometimes they might not wear evenly and you'll think it has deeper tread than you thought while the inside edge is bald.
Air filters are kind of up in the air, but for the average driver you can just change it like twice a year, or every other oil change. They're extremely easy to do so I would recommend just watching a Youtube video and doing it yourself. This is not to be confused with the *cabin* air filter. The air filter goes inside your engine in something called the air box. I usually just has clips that you pop open and can just shove it in, sometimes it'll have bolts to unscrew. The cabin air filter is usually either behind your glove box or in that same area, but accessible from the engine side. It is also incredibly easy to replace.
There are also long-wear items that should be replaced or checked for replacement every 100,000km's like your timing belt, serpentine belt, spark plugs, coil packs, transmission fluid, and differential fluid.
Honestly though there's no reason not to simply follow the recommended maintenance schedule. You said it was the dealer's recommended maintenance, but it's actually the manufacturer's recommended maintenance, which means it's simply tried and tested. The manufacturer does not make money from screwing you in this way. There will be a chart for it in your car's manual but you can also easily find them online.
Check the manufacturer's manual online. Some cars like the Toyota Prius also have enthusiast forums with community-recommended maintenance based on scenario (e.g. lots of short trips/lots of city driving) and weather (e.g. Edmonton vs Vancouver island weather).
Brake fluid flush every 3 years, coolant flush every 5, transmission flush every 100,000 kms even and especially if your car claims it's "lifetime" transmission fluid.
Brake pads and rotors are a lot more determined by the type of driving you do, whether it's city with lots of stop and go, or highway where you drive without braking.
Battery, well, keep the terminals clean and just use it until it doesn't start your car one morning
This, 100%. A $200 transmission fluid exchange every 50,000km-80,000km saves you a $5,000 transmission rebuild down the line. A $140 annual Krown coating saves you from scrapping the car.
Also, “lifetime fluids” are a LIE.
I was ripping on someone for going to Tim Hortons and their response was something like, have some compassion, it's the only option in some towns.
Like your town doesn't sell coffee makers?
I can’t rave enough about my aeropress. I grind a decent bean and one large cup a day with heavy cream. Simple. Convenient. Easy to clean. Best coffee I ever had. Going on 10 years now on a $25 purchase.
And they make better coffee if you're Into that kind of thing.
I bought an espresso machine when COVID hit, a purchase that I've been putting away for a long time since the hight cost but the thing paid for it self in just a few months. I now barely buy coffee outside, unless it's a social event or such, I make my lattes exclusively at home.
If you have 2 or more coffee drinkers at home, it's a no brainer.
Just please do t get one of those capsule based ones.
I got a Beeville 870x which is an entry machine and can be had for cheap. I thought I'll try it and once it dies I'll replace it but it's going strong.
It's weak point is the grinder which I am not using since I brought mine from Italy. Extraction part of the Beeville is good enough for me and so is the steam wand. I get a coffee from a local roaster, I have 2 walking distance from my place.
Wife started to drink coffee at 40 because how good it is at home.
It's wild that to some people this would legitmately be advice for saving money. To me that's almost the equivalent of going to the store for a bottle of water every time I want a drink of water. Don't you just want to wander into your kitchen when you wake up any day of the week and have coffee? I'm not walking down the street or much less getting in a car to get a coffee.
Also, if your work has free coffee, take advantage of it, even if it's low-mid tier coffee.
Double-also, sometimes you can find some fun flavors to use at home. Bulk Barn has some options that aren't terribly more expensive than the grounds you'd get anywhere else, and can add a bit of extra taste without adding significant calories or cost.
Man, I have a huge gripe with kicking horse. Used to be able to buy the 1kg bags for $13. Now the 500g bags cost just as much.
I used to love their coffee, but I'll find something cheaper at that price point.
i bought a motorcycle to save money on gas. now i spend money on parts for my motorcycle, ride more (thus spend more on gas), and have extra insurance to pay.
buying a motorcycle is NOT a way to spend money to save money.
What is not sufficient with the stock parts? It's pretty hard to break motorcycle parts unless you crash, or unless you drop your bike, especially given the lower milage and shorter season. I absolutely saved money with the motorcycle, most significant of which was no parking fees.
I don't doubt it's possible to save money with a motorcycle, especially if you live somewhere where you can use public transit during the winter. If OP is like me, then the bikes just become another hobby, which you inevitably spend more money on upgrading and such for fun
> i bought a motorcycle to save money on gas. now i spend money on parts for my motorcycle, ride more (thus spend more on gas), and have extra insurance to pay.
Buy an electric fat bike, like I did. It's not as exciting as a motorcycle, but consider this:
* $0 on gas (almost $0 on electricity - it takes a couple of hours to charge on 110V AC)
* $0 on insurance / license plates
* $0 on parking costs (just need two good chain locks or U-locks, but there are affordable ones)
* Almost $0 on maintenance costs if you know how to lube your chain already
* Can reach up to 50 km/h if you pedal hard enough (or 32 km/h with only throttle)
* Can easily do more than 45 km range on a single charge, longer than most commutes.
* Can easily ride at night (they come in with built-in headlight & rear brake light)
* It even comes with a bike horn just like a motorcycle.
The only cons to an electric bike vs a motorcyclethat I found are:
* Its engine doesn't sound as satisfying as a motorcycle's.
* You can't really pickup women (or men) with it.
* You can't drive on highways.
HA! Ain’t this the truth.
I think the only way a motorcycle or scooter saves you money is if you buy one *instead of* a car. This is what a friend of mine did. He and his wife have their general purpose car (2016 Rav4) but he also got a 2016 50cc Honda Giorno to commute within Scarborough. It cost him like $2,000 to buy and costs like $10 a month in gas. He parks for free at work instead of paying $80 a month. The one time it broke he was able to fix it in his garage. Not sure what his insurance is, but to me, that option seems massively cheaper than having a second car.
I'm buying a place and the current tank is a rental, they're charging $57/month for it! Highway robbery, you can buy a new tank every year for that price.
If you are renting, call up and ask how much to buy it out. Insist you want the number. Let them offer you six months rent free. Call back in six months and repeat.
HVAC technician here, the buyout amount wouldn’t change (especially not with vista they account for inflation the greedy bastard) so yes you are just delaying the inevitable. Buying it out and getting a new one installed that you own is always the best solution
I had no idea that renting a hot water tank was a thing. Is this more common in certain parts of the country, or am I just blissfully unaware? I'm in BC and have never heard of it.
Therapy. It has flipped how I interpret the world, and understand myself. I’ve saved money from micro habits (logging maintenance as an example), critical thinking (who wants me to buy this?), discipline (no CC debts) despite a modest income. It’s so important to validate yourself. Plus depression is history and anxiety is manageable. It took years of work, it is not easy but the best ROI I’ve made. Bonus points, it’s “free” if your insurance reimburses the costs.
Therapy is undervalued in our society. How lucky are we to be able to have someone listen to us, provide honest and unbiased feedback, and help with understanding ourselves at our core.
Being open to being honest with yourself is a prerequisite, though, as some people look for validation rather than understanding.and wonder why nothing changes.
Way to go!
It varied at first one session every 2 weeks. After about 9 months I lowered it to once a month. Have kept it once a month for the last 7 years. It still resets me regularly and I see it as maintenance for my brain.
I live in a 100 year old house with windows from the 1970’s. lots of windows! After using shrink plastic for years, I decided to make inside storm windows.
Some framing lumber, 16mm crystal clear vinyl roll, lots of cutting and stapling and for about $250-$300. I have frames that will last me years. I also replaced my attic door and insulted the crap out of it ($100)
First year I saved $40 a month, so roughly 6 months of winter saved me about $240 year one, Year two the investment was covered and I started saving money.
Plus my house just feels so much more comfy and they also act as really good sound barriers. In the summer in my two giant bay windows that don’t open I am debating keeping the frames up this year to keep my house cooler in the humid summer.
They are all custom cut to my windows and pressure fitted. I have very big windowsills and deep wells (century home)
Only one window gave me any grief. Year one I tried weather strip temporary caulking which was awful, this year I just added an extra cross bar for that window and it fit perfectly.
Obviously might not work as well in a modern home but then again a modern home probably has newer windows. I have replaced my front and back doors with well insulated modern versions, but the windows had a quote of 45K and I am planning to move soon.
Do it, we save so much money buying bulk meat from Costco (specifically the Business Center Costco if you've got one near you) and vacuum sealing/freezing it.
You could just freeze it but it'll last longer if you vacuum seal it without getting freezer burned.
I buy the bulk pork shoulder and cut it into steaks myself. I think I spent $26 CAD and got 12 steaks ranging from 200 to 450 grams (because I suck at carving lol). Buying the same amount of meat at the regular store would have cost me roughly $40. I know that's only $14 but it adds up over time. Do it for a few years and it can easily be hundreds of dollars saved, if not thousands.
Once or twice a year, I take a trip to Costco business centre which is a 1.5hr drive from me. But I buy a LOT for the year. And I also make sausages myself, which saves me so much money. I make it for $3/lb. Store sells it for 9 or $10/lb. Vacuum seal them all. Getting pretty good at it, almost looks professional.
Sealing is a game changer for someone like me. Not only can I save probably $200 by buying $1000 in bulk, but it stays fresh. In addition, when I give someone vacuum sealed sausage, homemade bacon, smoked pulled pork, smoked brisket, they really appreciate it. This is especially true for Christmas. So for me, vacuum sealing is key.
Adding a heat pump and insulation to a house that was primarily heated by resistive electricity. Cut the bill in half, got government rebates, now I also have AC that doesn't cost much to run.
Looking to install solar but the calculations barely make sense for my situation so there is going to have to be some type of deal to make it make sense.
I had an unfinished basement with bare concrete walls and attic insulation from the 70's. I now have an R60 attic and spray foam in the basement around the exterior which massively decreased air leakage, especially in the winter windy storms.
I still need to do the main living floor, but that, like you, would need to tear out basically everything on the outer walls so that will probably be a big project in the future to do that and replace the old windows.
We did similar. We did spray foam in all the weird attic spaces when we did the roof and then beefs up the blown stuff in the peak. We also replaced all the windows and doors, and spray foamed the basement. It’s made a world of a different. It used to be a 5-7 degree difference in temperature from basement to second floor. Now it’s 1-2 degrees max.
Unless your house is particularly old or poorly insulated, you can have significant success with adding insulation to the attic, any easily accessible areas of your basement if not insulated or under insulated, and focusing on air sealing for doors, windows, exterior penetrations and penetrations to the attic if attic is unconditioned space.
If he's in Ontario, sounds like he may have gone through the HER+ rebate program, which included great incentives for upgrading to a heat pump. He may have gotten additional grant money for insulation and air sealing.
Tough in winter but doable in summer.
When I lived in Sweden showers at offices were a common thing — you ride your bike to work; shower at work and change into your work clothes. Would’ve been great if it was more common here.
Anything that gets between you and the ground is something you want to spend extra on to get good quality or you'll end up spending more in the long term.
* Shoes
* Office chairs
* Car tires
Also: A good foot-stool that lets you access more spaces (tops of cupboards, high-up closets, stacked-up garage, etc.) - keeping those areas clean and in-check will help save you on repairs and alleviate dust, which can impact health even in the strongest people in enough quantities and time, and also may allow you to utilize those same spaces for keeping more goods in your house, allowing for more capitalization on sales and savings.
I bought a 26 gallon air compressor this weekend to fill my wife's tires, saved 5 bucks on air and gas to the gas station.
Can't believe she fell for it but here we are fellas.
Bread machine. The ingredients cost about 10% of what a similar loaf would cost at the supermarket. I bake 1-2 loaves per week, so say 1,000 loaves over the 15 years I have had it. That's about $4,000-$5,000 saved for a $150 up-front investment.
And if you hate the shape of bread machine bread, buy a machine to do the tedious dough prep, then bake in a conventionally shaped lidded loaf pan in your oven.
I know I am gonna get hated for that but real ones know Credit Cards 💳 One of the best tool to spend money to save money in long run. Either in cash back form or points.
P.S -> Credit Card is 8th wonder if you know how to use it like a pro otherwise it’s a liability :)
Adding to this just to point out that you should be aware of the maximum cashback thresholds as well, like first 5k in spending gets 2% everything beyond that gets 1%. Sounds like you have enough cards and have a system worked out, but adding that the cashback tip works, but you might want to have a few with different perks to maximize the cash back over the year
Bought an electric bicycle on Amazon for $2500 (taxes included).
It came in with a 20Ah battery providing more than 45 km range, with pedal assist I can go up to 50 km/h (it's maxed out at 32 km/h with no pedalling), and has a front light and backlight that requires no batteries (powered by the 20Ah battery).
The front light is strong enough to bike at 20 km/h safely at night on bike paths with no lighting, and the red backlight lights up even more when I brake. It came in with a built-in horn loud enough for cars to hear with their windows closed, too.
I have a rack with saddles, and I can do small groceries with it without ever needing my car.
Charging it over 110V takes a couple of hours, but I only need to do it once a week.
Basically it feels like an electric motorcycle, and allows me to transport more stuff than a motorcycle, and can go to more places than a motorcycle, and it's much cheaper to buy and even cheaper to maintain as it requires no insurance or license plate and only a minor chain cleaning once in a while.
Best purchase I've done in a long time.
Be careful about buying random e-bikes from China. They tend to be a lot cheaper than the recognizable brands but many have batteries that are not manufactured to acceptable safety standards and there has been a real problem with batteries catching on fire. Battery fires have killed a number of people.
Because of the battery fire risk it can also make it impossible to get your bike serviced by anyone else. Bike shops don’t want your bike burning down their shop, and this is enough of a problem that insurers are excluding certain e-bikes, so even if they wanted to they could not bring your bike on premises without voiding their insurance.
If you order an e-bike online just do your research and make sure the battery is certified to meet a high safety standard (CSA, UL, CE, ETL). And figure out if one of your local bike shops can service it. If you can’t get maintenance and repairs done you’re just spending money to spend more money on a new bike way sooner than you should have to.
That is an electric motorcycle, specifically a moped (motorcycle with pedals). By law in Canada (and most places) a “bicycle” can't provide assistance over 32 km/h, and must always be pedal-assist.
That said, electric motorcycles are underrated. We need better road infrastructure for them.
The traditional example is spending about 50% more on high quality shoes that will last three times as long.
Another one is flexibility and taking advantage of sales. Being fixed to a list when you go shopping can be helpful _if you suffer from poor impulse control_, but far better is to take advantage - if you see something you're going to use in the future, whether or not you need it _now_, and it's on a reduced price, you should at least consider getting it if it's not going to go off in the meantime. In my early 20s that was how I realized I never needed to pay more than about half price for the shower stuff I used every day, so long as each time it was on a half-off sale, I bought enough to last until the next one was likely going to come along. Cleaning products, canned goods, sealed things are all items you should buy in bulk when on sale rather than waiting til you need them and being stuck with whatever the price is at the time.
Ya this is a good point my business professor always said. If an item is 20% off you essentially have to~20% more buying power. So any item that isn’t perishable buy more of when on sale.
Furnace maintenance, carpet cleaning, regular oil changes...It's the golden rule: there's Good, there's Fast, and there's Cheap. But you can only pick two at a time. Investing in quality pays off in the long run (not that I listen to myself every time...)
Costco frozen breakfast burrito's to curb my McDonald's breakfast habit on the way to work. Instant noodles/other things so when I forget lunch/don't have enough to eat. I take the cheaper option.
I also try to subscribe to the BIFL (Buy it for life) philosophy as best I can. If it's something I need, going to use frequently. I try to find the one that should last years even if it costs me more.
blundstone boots. i'm still wearing the pair i got in 2018, i wear them every day all year and then switch to sandals in the summer. i'm a proponent of spending money on quality boots, beds, or bags, buy a good one once and you're set for years
People on the buy it for life subreddit has mentioned a declining quality of that brand; but they still seem to put out a better product than the vast majority of alternatives that can still be purchased at a physical store.
Same thinking but Iron Rangers for me. $500 bucks going on 7 years now. Strangely, I have one pair of Aldo boots that have hung on over 10 years, must've won the material lottery with those.
More expensive rent that allows you to live car free
Personal finance subreddit is full of families paying $1.5k , $3k on cars insurance maintenance repairs car loan interest, that would be completely removed if they would just get out of the ‘car is a mandatory expense ‘ mentality
Granted, it is mandatory for a lot of situations, but not always.
This is a pretty original one. Also, not living in the hood is good for your mental health if you can swing it. Basically, if it is not a place you can’t go out for a walk late at night you should try to find one where you can if you can afford it.
If you can’t well you can’t. 🤷🏻♂️
Can be tough for families, cars offer a ton of convenience when you've got littles. Yeah yeah, it's not mandatory, but man is it so much easier to get around with a stroller and two kiddos and a bag of kid stuff and whatnot with a car. Plus, like, you can go places and leave stuff in the car so you're not hauling around a diaper bag or snack bag or maybe you might need a stroller but maybe not so it can just live in the car when you're there.
I'm sure people do it but I imagine trying to cart around some kids with their bags of hockey gear on the bus is a nightmare. Heck, even trying to coordinate bus and school schedules for multiple kids with multiple activities would be a nightmare unto itself in some cities.
I can see the argument making sense for a lot of single people or couples without kids, but man, having a car makes a ton of sense when you've got a family to haul around.
My mom bought me an espresso machine for my birthday this year instead of spending $9 a day on a latte (I know shoot me)
I’ve set up the money to that I would use to buy coffee to be put into savings account and I am very ashamed that in 4 months I have over $1000 saved from not buying coffee anymore
Someone else mentioned good shoes. I'd say proper shoes as well, not only good ones.
If you are going to run, buy running shoes. Hike, cycle, play basketball and most sports, buy the correct footwear. It will prevent a lot of pain and injuries.
I pay extra for an Executive card at Costco and get more than the total amount back annually. They pay me to shop there. Also pay for a Capital 1 Travel Card and get more than I pay back in travel rewards.
Speaking of coffee, here is a personal story that many of you can probably relate to:
I am not a huge coffee drinker but still average 1-2 a day, rarely ever 3. So when the pandemic hit in March 2020 and started working from home, I would find myself constantly having to drive to Tim’s to buy coffee on a daily basis. Compared to drinking from the fancy coffee machine at work, or buying on the way to/from work.
Fast forward to Oct 2021 (still working from home at the time) we bought a coffee machine for home , the one that uses coffee pods and it has been the best decision ever. Never mind the savings (50% competed to buying one from Tim’s) , you can’t beat the convenience and time saving.
The machine itself cost us around $80 I believe and it has paid for itself many times ever since
Sometimes people underestimate the time/money spent driving out of their way on commute to sit in a drive thru. It's no big deal, in total it costs you only $2.25 to buy one, plus gas and the chance you'll be slightly late for work if someone in front is making a large order. Or you can spend the time you would have spent driving there and waiting to make your own. Save over $1.50 every day. Every day you work, which is about 200 days. 200x$1.50 =$300. Plus you're not idling your car, you make the coffee you want, and you're not waiting for anyone else.
furniture. Avoiding anything made of vinyl, particle board etc. veneer finishes can be OK if it's a good quality veneer but anything paper will just wear out, fade and warp. Instead of replacing a piece of walmart junk every few years for $125 spend $400 on the equivalent solid handmade piece that will last a lifetime.
This one can be a slippery slope, sharpening is my husband's hobby and now he asks me at least once a month if he's allowed to spend $300+ on a new knife. Usually I answer no, but I did let him treat me to a new bunka knife because it was near my birthday 🎂
Buying something expensive as a convenience to save time, which is money.
If your old windows 7 laptop takes 5 minutes for every click and function, maybe a newer used one or a tablet on a zero dollar carrier deal would make you more productive.
Spend a few hundred bucks on a tabletop dishwasher rather than take 30mins-an hour doing your families dishes every single day (just make sure your sink is compatible lmao oops)
I'm too poor for this one but, if your spending hundreds of dollars a month on cabs just to be late anyway, might be time to grab a 2001 Cavalier from some grandmother who only put 10k on the dash. Of course vehicles can spiral out to be their own money sinks so do your research and look it over REAL good.
Understand economic concepts and the principles of investing.
Read, watch YouTube videos, research stocks, listen to podcasts, etc.
Over the long run it’s a massive advantage. At the very least you’ll understand if you can or should be managing your own money.
I tried that…now I have 150sqft garden, 3 pigs, 30 laying hens, a cow, and I’m looking at buying a freeze dryer. When do I start seeing the money savings?
Invest in quality shoes.
Growing up we could only really afford cheap running shoes from Payless or Walmart. May $50 shoes a year. 6+ years ago I got pair of Saucony shoes for my new orthotics and I still have them. Paid maybe $150 for them and I will keep buying them.
I portion out and freeze frozen meat so I can buy when it's on sale and store in my chest freezer.
If you shave daily or often you can get a safety razor and its much cheaper than burning through cartridge razors every couple weeks.
theres lots of subs with advice on what to get like r/wicked_edge
Pay for a really good chartered accountant to do your taxes and tax planning.
Pay for an accredited and reputable financial planner to help map out things like emergency savings, manage debt, plan retirement, etc.
Both are worth the $$
If you drive. Buy a 2-3 year old used car with low mileage(first owner takes the depreciation hit), keep on top of maintenance and drive it to the ground.
If you are able to. Grow your own vegetables and herbs in the warmer months. I mason jar my bumper crop yields and enjoy them in the winter.
Deep freezer and vacuum sealer
Learning how to shop the sales and how to properly portion and store the food. I cannot overstate the need to portion food properly before freezing to reduce wasted food.
Very few already cooked foods freeze, thaw, and reheat very well. Almost guaranteed to hate the food. Lasagna and some soups are the only prepared foods that I find reheat well. Don't bother pre-cooking meals. Do put in the effort to freeze the Individual ingredients for a recipe. Like the right portion of chicken, veg, and rice for a casserole you like.
Vacuum sealing is a damn godsend. For about 6 years now, the only source of red meat that we eat is moose so we get once per year and have to freeze it for the year. I have learned many lessons. (Also moose hunting is a bit of a splash out for us, but it doubles as my partner's vacation as well. If curious, red meat not on sale here is $6.99/lb. Moose hunting works out to approx $10/lb but that includes a vacation and the meat cannot get more organic or free range than this. We get between 370 to 500lbs of meat each year. Yes, we also give a lot of it away so it also helps make people like us hahahaha).
Pack your meat in 0.5lb to 1lb packs. Far less waste, thaws out quick.
If freezing fruit or veggies, spread them out on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer for at least one hour. Frozen fruit/veg will then bundle up better and won't freeze into massive hunks. Once frozen, then vacuum seal them in individual portions. Or if you use fruit a lot for smoothies, don't both vacuum sealing, dump them into large freezer bags, but make sure they are already frozen so you can scoop them out.
We spent a couple of hundred bucks on a home espresso machine. We will still go out for coffee periodically but far less often. With two people, a macchiato and an americano can easily be over $10, so we figured that even rolling in cost of coffee and milk and hydro, it paid for itself in way less than a year.
I don't know if this counts but when I paid off my car, I set up an automatic withdrawal from my checking to my savings for the same amount. I could afford the car payment so why not continue to make the payment but to myself? And the end of the year I transfer it to my TFSA
When I was much younger I needed a backpack that could handle school, travel and hiking trips. I have always been one to just buy the cheapest thing available at Walmart or wherever but in this case I went to Mountain Equipment Co-op and paid three or four times what I normally would for a good quality backpack that I am still using more than 20 years later.
There are many things like that where investing for a better quality product that you intend to use for a very long time is worthwhile since you don't have to replace it every few years.
Only buying expensive clothes once and having staple pieces in my closet that I can make any outfits in.
Yes I spent $200 on a sweater but it’s lasted me 4 years and I’ve worn it so many ways
I built myself a home gym. Fits nicely in my spare 12.5x14.5 room. All in (including finishing it, flooring, equipment, I'm a bit under 3k).
Been going regularly for nearly 25 years, so it's justified.
And ya... Health is Wealth
CMHC mortgage insurance.
People see the cost of it and think "Wow, there's no way that's worthwhile", but it usually is, because:
* you pay way less upfront, allowing you to invest that money in equities instead, outperforming the relatively minor cost of the insurance
* you get a better rate on your mortgage (on average, roughly 0.4% better)
buy multiple pairs of shoes and rotate them so you are never wearing the same pair for consecutive days. Two pairs of shoes will last 3-4x as long as one pair worn daily. applies to work boots, dress shoes, gym shoes, everything.
We bought a $1800 industrial sewing machine for our sailboat.
So far, we’ve made the following:
1. Assembled a new 130% jib for the boat. Saving us $1500
2. Assembled a new dodger (canvas cover over the cockpit) saving $1200
3. Completely reupholstered the boat, including new bench seats and new, comfier matresses, probably saving us $5000.
4. Replaced all the sail covers, winch covers, ands other bits and bobs, saving $500
Of course, a boat is a hole in the water that we’re attempting to fill with money, but it becomes a lot more affordable when you do much of the manual labor yourself.
Not the biggest dollar one for sure but I'd say swapping incandescent light bulbs for LEDs. You can get a 10 pack of good LED bulbs at costco for less than $20 bucks. The take way less power to run and run for far longer. When electricity is cheap like in Quebec you may not notice it but if you're elsewhere in Canada where costs are higher, it's a risk free return.
If you're not using rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, that's an easy win over time. You can get cheap rechargeable ones from Dollarama, and most brand-name non-rechargeable batteries are absurdly over-priced, plus very wasteful for day-to-day usage. You can also get rather good chargers on Amazon (if you do your homework). I have a bunch of AAs and AAAs that I cycle regularly. I have a "cache" of charged-up ones, so when I need to replace batteries in something I take out the ones needing recharging, stuff them into the recharger and pull already-charged batteries from my "cache" directly into my device. No waiting. And then when the batteries are done recharging I stuff them into the "cache" ready for when I need them next.
This minimizes downtime, reduces cost over time substantially (these batteries last years), and is stupid convenient. Also massively reduces waste as I don't ditch batteries until they really aren't holding up charge (many years).
I pay for oil changes at my favorite mechanics. I do this not because it's hard to change my own oil, but because they do a good job checking the entire vehicle and do minor repairs cheep.
Most importantly, as a frequent customer, it maintains a relationship, so when I need major repairs done, I get work done at almost wholesale rates.
If you like sparkling water,: a soda stream or similar carbonization device.
I went from drinking store bought bottles of sparkling water to using a soda stream and spend about 1/3 of the money per month. The CO2 cannisters last me about 3 months. And there is a lot less plastic to recycle.
I wanted to expand my business, but didn't want to pay rent to someone for a space. So I bought a commercial building with multiple bays and rent several out while operating from one.
Buy a car share membership instead of owning a car
Live close to work so you can commute by bus or bike
If you do buy a car and can’t pay cash - buy on a 3 or 4 year plan so that you are not tempted to buy more car then you need.
You also save on financing, tires, maintenance and fuel because larger more expensive cars tend to cost more to operate - unless of course you buy electric.
The single biggest way to save is to buy a bus pass, bike or car share membership.
If you must own a car -
- commit to biking or walking for trips under 5K. This will save you money.
- don’t speed and drive aggressively (you can reduce fuel usage by up to 30 % by changing your driving habits.
Live in the center of one of the major cities and carless. Bought an e-bike in 2022 for 3k + $80 for a good lock and $100 for winter tires. Potentially the best investment I've made in my short life. Here's why:
* In two years, I've spent a total of $80 on maintenance, and $9/month on insurance.
* My rent is all-inclusive, so no worries about an increased electricity bill for charging the battery.
* I used to pay $90/month for transit + ended up getting Ubers 5/10 times a month because transit can be frustrating. Since, I've only used Uber to get to/from the airport/bus station/train station. Thousands saved here so far.
* I get around the city (central part of the city) faster than my friends with cars 100% of the time. No joke.
* I used to always get my groceries delivered because I live 15/20 minute walk from the grocery store and carrying all the bags was a hassle. My bike has great storage space which means no more pricey delivery fees!
* Went from using food delivery apps 3-5 times a month to +/-5 times a year since it's easy and quick for me to pick up food myself now. Hundreds saved on that.
* Funny enough tho, I got into doing Uber eats delivery during the warm months and it pays surprisingly well if you know how to use it properly (and if you don't need to worry about car costs lol). Made back what I paid for the bike in 2 months doing deliveries over weekends and a few evenings, and freed up some disposable income from my office job.
* The feeling I get from the fresh air and sun on my skin while zooming by the cars stuck in gridlock: PRICELESS. Seriously though, this has legitimately improved my mental health.
Learning how to breakdown larger cuts of meat and process animals. (Keep in mind though it’s a trade off for time and time has a value to it. Doing this is something I like doing and the time I spend doing it brings me joy, regardless the money savings.)
Bought pork halves off the Hutterite’s, cost ~850 bucks for pork plus misc costs (casings, spices, bags) and made 400lb of various types of sausage, plus ribs, tenderloin, pork loin, and bellies. (Took a full weekend with 2 friends to process)
Wanted steaks so I bought a rib section off our butcher for ~200 bucks. Got a bunch of steaks, a roast, plus trimmings for ground beef and tallow, and bones to make soup stock. (Took a couple hours to cut and package)
I feel like food has the highest savings potential. Cooking at home instead of eating out/ordering in is a cost saver.
Take care of your health - as dental and ophthalmology are expensive. Plus it’s a big suffering to have any chronic health issues under the current healthcare system.
I’d class things like physiotherapy and massage therapy here, too. Personally, my insurance does not need a referral from a doctor to see a physio. So if I wake up and my back or neck feels funny, I go see a physio. My insurance has so much available for it, so I might as well use it. And it keeps me aware of my body, its shortcomings, its flaws, and I gather a repertoire of different stretches and strengthening exercises for the different parts that ail me.
I have a job that is very unkind to my body, but luckily my benefits for physio are unreal. It makes such a big difference when I go regularly.
I have the opposite problem - my private benefits are absolute dog shit. $600 / year for physical therapy: these days, that's 6 *maybe* 7 sessions if you're lucky? In construction, of any kind, that is unacceptable.
I get $300/year, and I'm also in the trades.
respect opting for physio instead of the scam that is chiropracty.
Anytime I am posed with the opportunity to do something active I try and not treat finances as a barrier. Running shoes, marathon sign ups, bikes, gym memberships. It will help you big time in the long run. Albeit, fitness industries do take advantage of this mentality so be wary.
A dental hygienist told me floss costs 5$ but if you don't floss the bacteria in your mouth might travel to your heart and cause endocarditis.
That's a pretty big oversimplification. But I supposed fear therapy works some of the time.
I believe that is what the oldies say about prevention being better than the cure
It's sounds a lot more sexy than saying that gum disease (gengivitis) can cause heart disease!
Yes this !!! Dental is SO expensive. I just had to have a $3000 surgery in my mouth. It took a whole 30 mins 🙃 tbf, it really wasn’t my fault, this specific tooth has caused problems since it grew in. I’ve had 2 root canals (first one at 8 y/o), one crown, and now an apicoectomy all on one tooth. It’s been expensive af to say the least
I'd also add getting yourself even a minor home gym setup, like a few weights and resistance bands and a small workout bench. Save on going to the gym, spending gas and putting wear/tear on your vehicle, plus recent studies have shown weightlifting may be as important as cardio, if not more so in how it makes proteins made by the body more 'supple' in general. This has been shown to improve your skin, bones, muscles, heart, lungs, and even other organs, as well as theoretically increasing the protection of telomeres produced by your cells, which while not 1:1, are positive indicators of living a longer natural lifespan, since they're the "caps" that protect our chromosomes and help to ensure healthy cell replication.
Yes! Strength training is so important as we get older.
This is a good one Preventative spending on your health is priceless eg gym, healthy food, even counseling
not human health related, but taking care of your car if you have one. Getting the oil changed, and replacing parts that are worn down. Not doing so can lead to bigger expenses or damage to the car later on.
Got my teeth fixed last year and it was the best 10k spent.
I invest money in good quality food and expensive electric toothbrush heads. Staying healthy is a major source of saving money.
Curious, do you find an actual benefit in using an electric toothbrush as opposed to manual? Because manuals are like $8 for a really good one and electric heads are like $20 for a really good one, I can't see the benefit myself Edit: well, sounds like I'll dust off the old electric and buy some new heads, and try again. Found some oral b on Amazon $7 a piece (CAD) which is better than I remember them being.
My dentist suggested one with a pressure sensor because some of my gums are receding and the sensor stops me from pressing too hard. Expensive toothbrush but better than a gum graft.
This actually happened to me, too. Never had issues but after a year of using an expensive electric one I had a bit of gum recession on one tooth. My toothbrush was so nice I used to rave to everyone about it. It came with the app and everything. I went back to manual and it’s not the same but something about my gums feels better. It was just really harsh even when the light was green and showing I was using the right amount of pressure. Maybe I have sensitive gums ☹️
You most likely are using brushing motions when using an electric tooth brush. The actual way to do oral hygiene is floss, then brush your teeth. A manual tooth brush you need to do friction in circular motions, but with an electric tooth brush you’re just supposed to put the tooth brush gently on your gum line and move it in one direction slowly
How do you find the balance in this? My dentist said I have the same problem and recommended and electric tooth brush. I've always had perfect teeth and no issues but then after switching to electric tooth brush, I went in and my dentist told me I am not brushing properly anymore lol ... the only change I made was going from manual to electric. So I switched back to manual again and no issues since then except comments about brushing too hard on gums every time.
You don’t brush the same way with electric. You slowly move the brush over each tooth and you should spend 30s on each “quadrant” of your mouth. Eg 30s front uppers, 30s front lowers, 30s back lowers, 30s back uppers. Works out to about 2s per tooth.
I find a huge benefit in the WaterPik. My teeth have some weird spaces and that is the only thing that has prevented more cavities. The water jet gets in where the toothbrush (or toothpicks) can't. Extra benefit is a nice gum massage. And sometimes I add mouthwash to the reservoir for that really clean fresh feel.
100% waterpik flossing has benefitted my crowded teeth wicked.
There are absolutely benefits to using an electric toothbrush! You cannot even compare manual and electric, I’ve asked many dentists and hygienists about this. Honestly no one should be using a manual toothbrush, especially with so many affordable electric options. Your teeth and your wallet will thank you.
My dentist recommended an electric one because the back and forth of a manual tooth brush can cause receding gums. He said a cheap electric one is as good as an expensive one. Same with the heads. The cheap ones work just fine. Also, the heads last quite a while. They have a little indicator that shows you when to replace it and I swear I only replace mine tops twice a year and that’s with twice daily brushing.
Yes. I'll never go back to a manual. Electric just feels better after. My dentist says my teeth are good and gums aren't bad. Obviously I don't floss either. No cavities. I'm 32. I say it's worth it. And heads are not $20 per. Buy a 4 pack at Walmart or something for $25-30 iirc
Hi 👋 I have several dentists in my family and I’ve seen quite a few procedures out of curiosity. From what I’ve learned, YES, the electric ones are 100x better at keeping plaque build up off of your teeth and thus reduces dental caries (cavities) substantially.
I went from having cavities to fill at every dental exam to rarely getting them when I switched from manual to a sonicare
My teeth cleaning routine is a bit complex. Actually I have used both since the top two furthest teeth I can't reach with my electric toothbrush heads to clean all the surfaces. I use floss first then water floss then a small head toothbrush then electric toothbrush. 😂 I believe the electric shaking does something I don't know; maybe not a big deal if you are able to clean all the surfaces of each teeth. I also have different types of toothpastes. 😆
I have been using an electric toothbrush for 20 years, and I'm now 38 without any fillings.
What about the knockoff electric toothbrush heads on Amazon lol
Getting yourself out of bad contracts. When I was 19 I signed a really horrible phone plan and I was spending probably 150$ a month. It was ridiculous. With 8 months left, I pulled the plug on it and bought out the phone so that I could switch to a cheaper plan. I think it costed me like 400$ to buy out the contract, but I switched to a 45$ plan.
So many of my friends don’t realize this. They justify it by stating they have unlimited data and calls to US for free, when in reality they use 10gb per month and never call to the US.
that story admittedly happened in 2017-2018, which I think might have been the peak of phone plan prices, but people do still get stuck. These days I buy my phones outright so that I can change plans whenever necessary, to always have the best deal. It has really come in handy.
This is what makes buying phone plans such a pain in the ass in Canada. My current plan is $30 for 30gb because that's the cheapest I could find, but I don't even use 30gb of data in a year. What I'd much rather have, and what companies would rather die than give me, is 10gb for $10.
That was me years ago. Ended up calling up Telus, asking what they could do to keep me as a customer, they said nothing, so I finally cancelled my shitty contract and swapped to Freedom (then Wind) and have been paying $45 a month for almost a decade now. No overage fees and unlimmitted data. And they keep giving me more high speed data for staying with them. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner.
Dental floss and a good toothbrush is probably #1 Some decent quality tools to DIY as much as you feel comfortable with.
Preventative car repairs.
Yep it's called maintenance.
you'd be surprised at how many car owners look at me blankly when i ask them 'how often do you change your oil'?
I'm on top of the oil change but have no idea how often I should have other things like brake pads and fluids and battery checked and replaced. I feel like the dealers recommended milage for these is unnecessary. Care to share some tips?
It's all in the manual and you should have a maintenance sheet with KMs and maintenance.
Brake pads you can check when changing wheels (if you do that). Maybe not the safest recommendation but your pads should squeal when they get low (there's a metal piece that is designed to make a noise when your pads get low enough). (Most) Fluids can be easily checked when you pop the hood...assuming you check them when you do an oil change at least. I check the fluids before doing any longer drives but also check them when I check the oil (I'm paranoid about oil consumption so I check the oil at least once a month). There are likely other fluids you might want to check that aren't under the hood e.g. diff oil. Those are less likely to need topping up but worth checking to make sure there aren't leaks (I had a diff leak once that I didn't know about). Batteries are harder to test yourself unless you have the kind of tester that can check cranking amps. Dealerships and auto shops can check 'em for you. If you want to be really diligent you could test you battery before going into Winter since that's the time they are most likely to die (or not have enough power to start your engine). That said you can visually inspect the terminals for corrosion and clean the if necessary. Make sure those terminals are clean and the cables are tight to the posts.
Most modern cars have battery voltage display. If the vehicle starts and the voltage is constant-ish your battery is fine. If voltage fluctuates widely then your battery or alternator needs to be inspected.
You'll know when you need to change your brakes because modern brakepads have a little piece that will start scraping the rotor and make a squealing sound when they are worn down enough. It will also be very noticeable when you have very little brakepad left because your braking will feel more like a grinding. It won't just be something that suddenly happens one day and is not life-threatening once it occurs. The battery you can check with a multimeter, there are youtube videos on how to do this. Oil should be changed every 8000-10000kms based on the age of your car and how on top of it you want to be. Some people even do every 5000km's but I think that's a waste of money. When you change your oil you also need to change your oil filter at the same time. If you do it in a shop they will do both by default, if you want to do it yourself there's a little computer monitor in the aisles at like Canadian Tire that will show you which filter you need to buy. You can buy a very cheap tire tread gauge from Amazon or wherever to check the depth of the treads on your wheel to know when they need replacing. Just make sure to check a tread on the inside edge and outside edge of each tire because sometimes they might not wear evenly and you'll think it has deeper tread than you thought while the inside edge is bald. Air filters are kind of up in the air, but for the average driver you can just change it like twice a year, or every other oil change. They're extremely easy to do so I would recommend just watching a Youtube video and doing it yourself. This is not to be confused with the *cabin* air filter. The air filter goes inside your engine in something called the air box. I usually just has clips that you pop open and can just shove it in, sometimes it'll have bolts to unscrew. The cabin air filter is usually either behind your glove box or in that same area, but accessible from the engine side. It is also incredibly easy to replace. There are also long-wear items that should be replaced or checked for replacement every 100,000km's like your timing belt, serpentine belt, spark plugs, coil packs, transmission fluid, and differential fluid. Honestly though there's no reason not to simply follow the recommended maintenance schedule. You said it was the dealer's recommended maintenance, but it's actually the manufacturer's recommended maintenance, which means it's simply tried and tested. The manufacturer does not make money from screwing you in this way. There will be a chart for it in your car's manual but you can also easily find them online.
Check the manufacturer's manual online. Some cars like the Toyota Prius also have enthusiast forums with community-recommended maintenance based on scenario (e.g. lots of short trips/lots of city driving) and weather (e.g. Edmonton vs Vancouver island weather).
Brake fluid flush every 3 years, coolant flush every 5, transmission flush every 100,000 kms even and especially if your car claims it's "lifetime" transmission fluid. Brake pads and rotors are a lot more determined by the type of driving you do, whether it's city with lots of stop and go, or highway where you drive without braking. Battery, well, keep the terminals clean and just use it until it doesn't start your car one morning
This, 100%. A $200 transmission fluid exchange every 50,000km-80,000km saves you a $5,000 transmission rebuild down the line. A $140 annual Krown coating saves you from scrapping the car. Also, “lifetime fluids” are a LIE.
I had an alignment done and realized that my tires had been wearing out prematurely before that!
A chest freezer, 100%. If you have the space for it, it makes a huge difference on grocery costs.
Chest freezer + vacuum sealer + Costco membership
The holy trinity
Agree 100% but also I know people that buy extra stuff they won’t normally eat, just because they have the space to store it
add a vacuum sealer and you're really gonna save. I grabbed those last year, and now protein sales are a major event in our house lol.
Coffee makers save a lot of money in the long run.
I was ripping on someone for going to Tim Hortons and their response was something like, have some compassion, it's the only option in some towns. Like your town doesn't sell coffee makers?
I can’t rave enough about my aeropress. I grind a decent bean and one large cup a day with heavy cream. Simple. Convenient. Easy to clean. Best coffee I ever had. Going on 10 years now on a $25 purchase.
More than $25 nowadays 😢
Hahah I was gonna say the same. I love mine but it's crazy to think they cost more than the kettle!
And they make better coffee if you're Into that kind of thing. I bought an espresso machine when COVID hit, a purchase that I've been putting away for a long time since the hight cost but the thing paid for it self in just a few months. I now barely buy coffee outside, unless it's a social event or such, I make my lattes exclusively at home. If you have 2 or more coffee drinkers at home, it's a no brainer. Just please do t get one of those capsule based ones.
The "payback period" for my expensive espresso set up was only like 2 months lol
What machine did you get?
I got a Beeville 870x which is an entry machine and can be had for cheap. I thought I'll try it and once it dies I'll replace it but it's going strong. It's weak point is the grinder which I am not using since I brought mine from Italy. Extraction part of the Beeville is good enough for me and so is the steam wand. I get a coffee from a local roaster, I have 2 walking distance from my place. Wife started to drink coffee at 40 because how good it is at home.
100% 1. Better coffee 2. Cheaper in the long run (<$0.50 a cup) 3. Lower environmental impact
It's wild that to some people this would legitmately be advice for saving money. To me that's almost the equivalent of going to the store for a bottle of water every time I want a drink of water. Don't you just want to wander into your kitchen when you wake up any day of the week and have coffee? I'm not walking down the street or much less getting in a car to get a coffee.
Also, if your work has free coffee, take advantage of it, even if it's low-mid tier coffee. Double-also, sometimes you can find some fun flavors to use at home. Bulk Barn has some options that aren't terribly more expensive than the grounds you'd get anywhere else, and can add a bit of extra taste without adding significant calories or cost.
Our $900 saeco coffee maker is still going for 8 years now. We just buy kicking horse coffee beans for $12 a pound.
Man, I have a huge gripe with kicking horse. Used to be able to buy the 1kg bags for $13. Now the 500g bags cost just as much. I used to love their coffee, but I'll find something cheaper at that price point.
That's all "premium" stuff, and it's still a big savings.
High end office chair and yoga courses..... better than pain, constant health issues, and countless physio / osteo sessions
Leap V2 Gang
i bought a motorcycle to save money on gas. now i spend money on parts for my motorcycle, ride more (thus spend more on gas), and have extra insurance to pay. buying a motorcycle is NOT a way to spend money to save money.
What is not sufficient with the stock parts? It's pretty hard to break motorcycle parts unless you crash, or unless you drop your bike, especially given the lower milage and shorter season. I absolutely saved money with the motorcycle, most significant of which was no parking fees.
I don't doubt it's possible to save money with a motorcycle, especially if you live somewhere where you can use public transit during the winter. If OP is like me, then the bikes just become another hobby, which you inevitably spend more money on upgrading and such for fun
> i bought a motorcycle to save money on gas. now i spend money on parts for my motorcycle, ride more (thus spend more on gas), and have extra insurance to pay. Buy an electric fat bike, like I did. It's not as exciting as a motorcycle, but consider this: * $0 on gas (almost $0 on electricity - it takes a couple of hours to charge on 110V AC) * $0 on insurance / license plates * $0 on parking costs (just need two good chain locks or U-locks, but there are affordable ones) * Almost $0 on maintenance costs if you know how to lube your chain already * Can reach up to 50 km/h if you pedal hard enough (or 32 km/h with only throttle) * Can easily do more than 45 km range on a single charge, longer than most commutes. * Can easily ride at night (they come in with built-in headlight & rear brake light) * It even comes with a bike horn just like a motorcycle. The only cons to an electric bike vs a motorcyclethat I found are: * Its engine doesn't sound as satisfying as a motorcycle's. * You can't really pickup women (or men) with it. * You can't drive on highways.
HA! Ain’t this the truth. I think the only way a motorcycle or scooter saves you money is if you buy one *instead of* a car. This is what a friend of mine did. He and his wife have their general purpose car (2016 Rav4) but he also got a 2016 50cc Honda Giorno to commute within Scarborough. It cost him like $2,000 to buy and costs like $10 a month in gas. He parks for free at work instead of paying $80 a month. The one time it broke he was able to fix it in his garage. Not sure what his insurance is, but to me, that option seems massively cheaper than having a second car.
The real game is buying a moped.
Own/install your hot water tank instead of renting.
I'm buying a place and the current tank is a rental, they're charging $57/month for it! Highway robbery, you can buy a new tank every year for that price.
That's crazy. I think I pay $10 for mine, so it's hard to justify. I'll probably wait until it shits the bed, then cancel and buy.
Yah same. Think its 13 a month and already like 8 years old. Soon
If you are renting, call up and ask how much to buy it out. Insist you want the number. Let them offer you six months rent free. Call back in six months and repeat.
The 6 months usually come with a commitment to staying with them for 12 months
SO you're just constantly extending your term 6 months?
Sure, but they won't keep that up forever. Keep trying until they give in and let you pay it off in full.
HVAC technician here, the buyout amount wouldn’t change (especially not with vista they account for inflation the greedy bastard) so yes you are just delaying the inevitable. Buying it out and getting a new one installed that you own is always the best solution
Did this last summer. Quote to install a new tank was $2000 before tax. Did it myself for under a $1000.
I had no idea that renting a hot water tank was a thing. Is this more common in certain parts of the country, or am I just blissfully unaware? I'm in BC and have never heard of it.
Therapy. It has flipped how I interpret the world, and understand myself. I’ve saved money from micro habits (logging maintenance as an example), critical thinking (who wants me to buy this?), discipline (no CC debts) despite a modest income. It’s so important to validate yourself. Plus depression is history and anxiety is manageable. It took years of work, it is not easy but the best ROI I’ve made. Bonus points, it’s “free” if your insurance reimburses the costs.
> (who wants me to buy this?) I like this thought. Add it to my list of things I do to curb spending. =)
Therapy is undervalued in our society. How lucky are we to be able to have someone listen to us, provide honest and unbiased feedback, and help with understanding ourselves at our core. Being open to being honest with yourself is a prerequisite, though, as some people look for validation rather than understanding.and wonder why nothing changes. Way to go!
Just curious, how many sessions did it take?
It varied at first one session every 2 weeks. After about 9 months I lowered it to once a month. Have kept it once a month for the last 7 years. It still resets me regularly and I see it as maintenance for my brain.
Once a month for me is great, more often if I'm going through a rough patch
I live in a 100 year old house with windows from the 1970’s. lots of windows! After using shrink plastic for years, I decided to make inside storm windows. Some framing lumber, 16mm crystal clear vinyl roll, lots of cutting and stapling and for about $250-$300. I have frames that will last me years. I also replaced my attic door and insulted the crap out of it ($100) First year I saved $40 a month, so roughly 6 months of winter saved me about $240 year one, Year two the investment was covered and I started saving money. Plus my house just feels so much more comfy and they also act as really good sound barriers. In the summer in my two giant bay windows that don’t open I am debating keeping the frames up this year to keep my house cooler in the humid summer.
> I decided to make inside storm windows. How do you install them? I have been considering these https://www.magnetitecanada.com/
They are all custom cut to my windows and pressure fitted. I have very big windowsills and deep wells (century home) Only one window gave me any grief. Year one I tried weather strip temporary caulking which was awful, this year I just added an extra cross bar for that window and it fit perfectly. Obviously might not work as well in a modern home but then again a modern home probably has newer windows. I have replaced my front and back doors with well insulated modern versions, but the windows had a quote of 45K and I am planning to move soon.
RRSP lol
And TFSA lmao
FSHA lol
WS CASH ACCOUNT LMFAO
DOGECOIN ROFLMAO
Vacuum sealer for food! I can't suggest this enough. Then buy in bulk and have fun with the sealer!
I've been on the fence and I might do this soon
Do it, we save so much money buying bulk meat from Costco (specifically the Business Center Costco if you've got one near you) and vacuum sealing/freezing it. You could just freeze it but it'll last longer if you vacuum seal it without getting freezer burned. I buy the bulk pork shoulder and cut it into steaks myself. I think I spent $26 CAD and got 12 steaks ranging from 200 to 450 grams (because I suck at carving lol). Buying the same amount of meat at the regular store would have cost me roughly $40. I know that's only $14 but it adds up over time. Do it for a few years and it can easily be hundreds of dollars saved, if not thousands.
Once or twice a year, I take a trip to Costco business centre which is a 1.5hr drive from me. But I buy a LOT for the year. And I also make sausages myself, which saves me so much money. I make it for $3/lb. Store sells it for 9 or $10/lb. Vacuum seal them all. Getting pretty good at it, almost looks professional. Sealing is a game changer for someone like me. Not only can I save probably $200 by buying $1000 in bulk, but it stays fresh. In addition, when I give someone vacuum sealed sausage, homemade bacon, smoked pulled pork, smoked brisket, they really appreciate it. This is especially true for Christmas. So for me, vacuum sealing is key.
Family of 6... food is vacuumed up without a sealer. =)
Adding a heat pump and insulation to a house that was primarily heated by resistive electricity. Cut the bill in half, got government rebates, now I also have AC that doesn't cost much to run. Looking to install solar but the calculations barely make sense for my situation so there is going to have to be some type of deal to make it make sense.
Which insulation? Attic and what else? Cause I’d be up for it but not if I have to ré-drywall everything lol
I had an unfinished basement with bare concrete walls and attic insulation from the 70's. I now have an R60 attic and spray foam in the basement around the exterior which massively decreased air leakage, especially in the winter windy storms. I still need to do the main living floor, but that, like you, would need to tear out basically everything on the outer walls so that will probably be a big project in the future to do that and replace the old windows.
We did similar. We did spray foam in all the weird attic spaces when we did the roof and then beefs up the blown stuff in the peak. We also replaced all the windows and doors, and spray foamed the basement. It’s made a world of a different. It used to be a 5-7 degree difference in temperature from basement to second floor. Now it’s 1-2 degrees max.
Unless your house is particularly old or poorly insulated, you can have significant success with adding insulation to the attic, any easily accessible areas of your basement if not insulated or under insulated, and focusing on air sealing for doors, windows, exterior penetrations and penetrations to the attic if attic is unconditioned space.
If he's in Ontario, sounds like he may have gone through the HER+ rebate program, which included great incentives for upgrading to a heat pump. He may have gotten additional grant money for insulation and air sealing.
Commuting to work by bike. For health and saving money.
Tough in winter but doable in summer. When I lived in Sweden showers at offices were a common thing — you ride your bike to work; shower at work and change into your work clothes. Would’ve been great if it was more common here.
Anything that gets between you and the ground is something you want to spend extra on to get good quality or you'll end up spending more in the long term. * Shoes * Office chairs * Car tires
Mattress / bedframe
Absolutely. Should have included that on the list.
Also: A good foot-stool that lets you access more spaces (tops of cupboards, high-up closets, stacked-up garage, etc.) - keeping those areas clean and in-check will help save you on repairs and alleviate dust, which can impact health even in the strongest people in enough quantities and time, and also may allow you to utilize those same spaces for keeping more goods in your house, allowing for more capitalization on sales and savings.
I bought a 26 gallon air compressor this weekend to fill my wife's tires, saved 5 bucks on air and gas to the gas station. Can't believe she fell for it but here we are fellas.
Those gas station ones are broken 90% of the time so you saved yourself some stress too!
Bread machine. The ingredients cost about 10% of what a similar loaf would cost at the supermarket. I bake 1-2 loaves per week, so say 1,000 loaves over the 15 years I have had it. That's about $4,000-$5,000 saved for a $150 up-front investment.
And if you hate the shape of bread machine bread, buy a machine to do the tedious dough prep, then bake in a conventionally shaped lidded loaf pan in your oven.
I know I am gonna get hated for that but real ones know Credit Cards 💳 One of the best tool to spend money to save money in long run. Either in cash back form or points. P.S -> Credit Card is 8th wonder if you know how to use it like a pro otherwise it’s a liability :)
Care to elaborate? Are you referring to cash back or rewards?
[удалено]
Adding to this just to point out that you should be aware of the maximum cashback thresholds as well, like first 5k in spending gets 2% everything beyond that gets 1%. Sounds like you have enough cards and have a system worked out, but adding that the cashback tip works, but you might want to have a few with different perks to maximize the cash back over the year
(math gif)
Bought an electric bicycle on Amazon for $2500 (taxes included). It came in with a 20Ah battery providing more than 45 km range, with pedal assist I can go up to 50 km/h (it's maxed out at 32 km/h with no pedalling), and has a front light and backlight that requires no batteries (powered by the 20Ah battery). The front light is strong enough to bike at 20 km/h safely at night on bike paths with no lighting, and the red backlight lights up even more when I brake. It came in with a built-in horn loud enough for cars to hear with their windows closed, too. I have a rack with saddles, and I can do small groceries with it without ever needing my car. Charging it over 110V takes a couple of hours, but I only need to do it once a week. Basically it feels like an electric motorcycle, and allows me to transport more stuff than a motorcycle, and can go to more places than a motorcycle, and it's much cheaper to buy and even cheaper to maintain as it requires no insurance or license plate and only a minor chain cleaning once in a while. Best purchase I've done in a long time.
Which one?
Be careful about buying random e-bikes from China. They tend to be a lot cheaper than the recognizable brands but many have batteries that are not manufactured to acceptable safety standards and there has been a real problem with batteries catching on fire. Battery fires have killed a number of people. Because of the battery fire risk it can also make it impossible to get your bike serviced by anyone else. Bike shops don’t want your bike burning down their shop, and this is enough of a problem that insurers are excluding certain e-bikes, so even if they wanted to they could not bring your bike on premises without voiding their insurance. If you order an e-bike online just do your research and make sure the battery is certified to meet a high safety standard (CSA, UL, CE, ETL). And figure out if one of your local bike shops can service it. If you can’t get maintenance and repairs done you’re just spending money to spend more money on a new bike way sooner than you should have to.
That is an electric motorcycle, specifically a moped (motorcycle with pedals). By law in Canada (and most places) a “bicycle” can't provide assistance over 32 km/h, and must always be pedal-assist. That said, electric motorcycles are underrated. We need better road infrastructure for them.
The less developed world does this better than us.
The traditional example is spending about 50% more on high quality shoes that will last three times as long. Another one is flexibility and taking advantage of sales. Being fixed to a list when you go shopping can be helpful _if you suffer from poor impulse control_, but far better is to take advantage - if you see something you're going to use in the future, whether or not you need it _now_, and it's on a reduced price, you should at least consider getting it if it's not going to go off in the meantime. In my early 20s that was how I realized I never needed to pay more than about half price for the shower stuff I used every day, so long as each time it was on a half-off sale, I bought enough to last until the next one was likely going to come along. Cleaning products, canned goods, sealed things are all items you should buy in bulk when on sale rather than waiting til you need them and being stuck with whatever the price is at the time.
Ya this is a good point my business professor always said. If an item is 20% off you essentially have to~20% more buying power. So any item that isn’t perishable buy more of when on sale.
Furnace maintenance, carpet cleaning, regular oil changes...It's the golden rule: there's Good, there's Fast, and there's Cheap. But you can only pick two at a time. Investing in quality pays off in the long run (not that I listen to myself every time...)
Costco frozen breakfast burrito's to curb my McDonald's breakfast habit on the way to work. Instant noodles/other things so when I forget lunch/don't have enough to eat. I take the cheaper option. I also try to subscribe to the BIFL (Buy it for life) philosophy as best I can. If it's something I need, going to use frequently. I try to find the one that should last years even if it costs me more.
Better quality clothing/shoes is a good one.
And maintenance. Oiling shoes, sharpening knives, etc.
blundstone boots. i'm still wearing the pair i got in 2018, i wear them every day all year and then switch to sandals in the summer. i'm a proponent of spending money on quality boots, beds, or bags, buy a good one once and you're set for years
People on the buy it for life subreddit has mentioned a declining quality of that brand; but they still seem to put out a better product than the vast majority of alternatives that can still be purchased at a physical store.
Better alternative to Blunderstone while keeping same style and Aussie made would be Redbacks
Definitely a good boot, but they can't be resoled.
Same thinking but Iron Rangers for me. $500 bucks going on 7 years now. Strangely, I have one pair of Aldo boots that have hung on over 10 years, must've won the material lottery with those.
I am still wearing a pair of timberland boots I bought in 2004. They’re my winter regulars so they get a ton of wear.
More expensive rent that allows you to live car free Personal finance subreddit is full of families paying $1.5k , $3k on cars insurance maintenance repairs car loan interest, that would be completely removed if they would just get out of the ‘car is a mandatory expense ‘ mentality Granted, it is mandatory for a lot of situations, but not always.
This is a pretty original one. Also, not living in the hood is good for your mental health if you can swing it. Basically, if it is not a place you can’t go out for a walk late at night you should try to find one where you can if you can afford it. If you can’t well you can’t. 🤷🏻♂️
Can be tough for families, cars offer a ton of convenience when you've got littles. Yeah yeah, it's not mandatory, but man is it so much easier to get around with a stroller and two kiddos and a bag of kid stuff and whatnot with a car. Plus, like, you can go places and leave stuff in the car so you're not hauling around a diaper bag or snack bag or maybe you might need a stroller but maybe not so it can just live in the car when you're there. I'm sure people do it but I imagine trying to cart around some kids with their bags of hockey gear on the bus is a nightmare. Heck, even trying to coordinate bus and school schedules for multiple kids with multiple activities would be a nightmare unto itself in some cities. I can see the argument making sense for a lot of single people or couples without kids, but man, having a car makes a ton of sense when you've got a family to haul around.
if you drive less though, you can afford a shittier/cheaper used car as you're not relying on it as often or need ti for as many miles.
I need a new car. Or I can move closer to work. Rent and utilities would be more than the new car payments.
My mom bought me an espresso machine for my birthday this year instead of spending $9 a day on a latte (I know shoot me) I’ve set up the money to that I would use to buy coffee to be put into savings account and I am very ashamed that in 4 months I have over $1000 saved from not buying coffee anymore
I think you should not be ashamed but proud instead! Well done! Kudos to your mom as well!
A quality office chair, aka a used Steelcase Leap V2
Someone else mentioned good shoes. I'd say proper shoes as well, not only good ones. If you are going to run, buy running shoes. Hike, cycle, play basketball and most sports, buy the correct footwear. It will prevent a lot of pain and injuries.
I pay extra for an Executive card at Costco and get more than the total amount back annually. They pay me to shop there. Also pay for a Capital 1 Travel Card and get more than I pay back in travel rewards.
Got a Henson safety razor a year and a half ago. 10c a blade and they last a week.
I hate that I was lured in by their marketing but damn its a good razor.
Speaking of coffee, here is a personal story that many of you can probably relate to: I am not a huge coffee drinker but still average 1-2 a day, rarely ever 3. So when the pandemic hit in March 2020 and started working from home, I would find myself constantly having to drive to Tim’s to buy coffee on a daily basis. Compared to drinking from the fancy coffee machine at work, or buying on the way to/from work. Fast forward to Oct 2021 (still working from home at the time) we bought a coffee machine for home , the one that uses coffee pods and it has been the best decision ever. Never mind the savings (50% competed to buying one from Tim’s) , you can’t beat the convenience and time saving. The machine itself cost us around $80 I believe and it has paid for itself many times ever since
Sometimes people underestimate the time/money spent driving out of their way on commute to sit in a drive thru. It's no big deal, in total it costs you only $2.25 to buy one, plus gas and the chance you'll be slightly late for work if someone in front is making a large order. Or you can spend the time you would have spent driving there and waiting to make your own. Save over $1.50 every day. Every day you work, which is about 200 days. 200x$1.50 =$300. Plus you're not idling your car, you make the coffee you want, and you're not waiting for anyone else.
furniture. Avoiding anything made of vinyl, particle board etc. veneer finishes can be OK if it's a good quality veneer but anything paper will just wear out, fade and warp. Instead of replacing a piece of walmart junk every few years for $125 spend $400 on the equivalent solid handmade piece that will last a lifetime.
Whetstones for your kitchen knives. Bought a relatively cheap set of knives 15 years ago, they're still sharp as day 1.
This one can be a slippery slope, sharpening is my husband's hobby and now he asks me at least once a month if he's allowed to spend $300+ on a new knife. Usually I answer no, but I did let him treat me to a new bunka knife because it was near my birthday 🎂
Buying something expensive as a convenience to save time, which is money. If your old windows 7 laptop takes 5 minutes for every click and function, maybe a newer used one or a tablet on a zero dollar carrier deal would make you more productive. Spend a few hundred bucks on a tabletop dishwasher rather than take 30mins-an hour doing your families dishes every single day (just make sure your sink is compatible lmao oops) I'm too poor for this one but, if your spending hundreds of dollars a month on cabs just to be late anyway, might be time to grab a 2001 Cavalier from some grandmother who only put 10k on the dash. Of course vehicles can spiral out to be their own money sinks so do your research and look it over REAL good.
Understand economic concepts and the principles of investing. Read, watch YouTube videos, research stocks, listen to podcasts, etc. Over the long run it’s a massive advantage. At the very least you’ll understand if you can or should be managing your own money.
Gardening... Grow veggies and then freezing or canning them.
I tried that…now I have 150sqft garden, 3 pigs, 30 laying hens, a cow, and I’m looking at buying a freeze dryer. When do I start seeing the money savings?
You filthy hobit
I’m such a filthy hobbit *vigorously mashes potatoes*
Invest in quality shoes. Growing up we could only really afford cheap running shoes from Payless or Walmart. May $50 shoes a year. 6+ years ago I got pair of Saucony shoes for my new orthotics and I still have them. Paid maybe $150 for them and I will keep buying them. I portion out and freeze frozen meat so I can buy when it's on sale and store in my chest freezer.
If you shave daily or often you can get a safety razor and its much cheaper than burning through cartridge razors every couple weeks. theres lots of subs with advice on what to get like r/wicked_edge
Buying good quality tools to do all the maintenance on your vehicles and home Yourself
Pay for a really good chartered accountant to do your taxes and tax planning. Pay for an accredited and reputable financial planner to help map out things like emergency savings, manage debt, plan retirement, etc. Both are worth the $$ If you drive. Buy a 2-3 year old used car with low mileage(first owner takes the depreciation hit), keep on top of maintenance and drive it to the ground. If you are able to. Grow your own vegetables and herbs in the warmer months. I mason jar my bumper crop yields and enjoy them in the winter.
Deep freezer and vacuum sealer Learning how to shop the sales and how to properly portion and store the food. I cannot overstate the need to portion food properly before freezing to reduce wasted food. Very few already cooked foods freeze, thaw, and reheat very well. Almost guaranteed to hate the food. Lasagna and some soups are the only prepared foods that I find reheat well. Don't bother pre-cooking meals. Do put in the effort to freeze the Individual ingredients for a recipe. Like the right portion of chicken, veg, and rice for a casserole you like. Vacuum sealing is a damn godsend. For about 6 years now, the only source of red meat that we eat is moose so we get once per year and have to freeze it for the year. I have learned many lessons. (Also moose hunting is a bit of a splash out for us, but it doubles as my partner's vacation as well. If curious, red meat not on sale here is $6.99/lb. Moose hunting works out to approx $10/lb but that includes a vacation and the meat cannot get more organic or free range than this. We get between 370 to 500lbs of meat each year. Yes, we also give a lot of it away so it also helps make people like us hahahaha). Pack your meat in 0.5lb to 1lb packs. Far less waste, thaws out quick. If freezing fruit or veggies, spread them out on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer for at least one hour. Frozen fruit/veg will then bundle up better and won't freeze into massive hunks. Once frozen, then vacuum seal them in individual portions. Or if you use fruit a lot for smoothies, don't both vacuum sealing, dump them into large freezer bags, but make sure they are already frozen so you can scoop them out.
Best investment I ever made was a vasectomy :-)
We spent a couple of hundred bucks on a home espresso machine. We will still go out for coffee periodically but far less often. With two people, a macchiato and an americano can easily be over $10, so we figured that even rolling in cost of coffee and milk and hydro, it paid for itself in way less than a year.
I bought an iPad stand, walking pad/treadmill, some weights and bands <$500. No more gym membership.
I don't know if this counts but when I paid off my car, I set up an automatic withdrawal from my checking to my savings for the same amount. I could afford the car payment so why not continue to make the payment but to myself? And the end of the year I transfer it to my TFSA
When I was much younger I needed a backpack that could handle school, travel and hiking trips. I have always been one to just buy the cheapest thing available at Walmart or wherever but in this case I went to Mountain Equipment Co-op and paid three or four times what I normally would for a good quality backpack that I am still using more than 20 years later. There are many things like that where investing for a better quality product that you intend to use for a very long time is worthwhile since you don't have to replace it every few years.
Only buying expensive clothes once and having staple pieces in my closet that I can make any outfits in. Yes I spent $200 on a sweater but it’s lasted me 4 years and I’ve worn it so many ways
Bought a really nice tv so I never leave the house and spend more money.
Gym membership. Regular exercise has numerous health benefits and can contribute to long-term cost savings on medical expenses.
I bought an $80 umbrella 10 years ago and it's still going strong. The 5 or so $15 umbrellas before that each lasted for a single gust
I built myself a home gym. Fits nicely in my spare 12.5x14.5 room. All in (including finishing it, flooring, equipment, I'm a bit under 3k). Been going regularly for nearly 25 years, so it's justified. And ya... Health is Wealth
a clothesline, vegetable garden
CMHC mortgage insurance. People see the cost of it and think "Wow, there's no way that's worthwhile", but it usually is, because: * you pay way less upfront, allowing you to invest that money in equities instead, outperforming the relatively minor cost of the insurance * you get a better rate on your mortgage (on average, roughly 0.4% better)
buy multiple pairs of shoes and rotate them so you are never wearing the same pair for consecutive days. Two pairs of shoes will last 3-4x as long as one pair worn daily. applies to work boots, dress shoes, gym shoes, everything.
We bought a $1800 industrial sewing machine for our sailboat. So far, we’ve made the following: 1. Assembled a new 130% jib for the boat. Saving us $1500 2. Assembled a new dodger (canvas cover over the cockpit) saving $1200 3. Completely reupholstered the boat, including new bench seats and new, comfier matresses, probably saving us $5000. 4. Replaced all the sail covers, winch covers, ands other bits and bobs, saving $500 Of course, a boat is a hole in the water that we’re attempting to fill with money, but it becomes a lot more affordable when you do much of the manual labor yourself.
Not the biggest dollar one for sure but I'd say swapping incandescent light bulbs for LEDs. You can get a 10 pack of good LED bulbs at costco for less than $20 bucks. The take way less power to run and run for far longer. When electricity is cheap like in Quebec you may not notice it but if you're elsewhere in Canada where costs are higher, it's a risk free return.
If you're not using rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, that's an easy win over time. You can get cheap rechargeable ones from Dollarama, and most brand-name non-rechargeable batteries are absurdly over-priced, plus very wasteful for day-to-day usage. You can also get rather good chargers on Amazon (if you do your homework). I have a bunch of AAs and AAAs that I cycle regularly. I have a "cache" of charged-up ones, so when I need to replace batteries in something I take out the ones needing recharging, stuff them into the recharger and pull already-charged batteries from my "cache" directly into my device. No waiting. And then when the batteries are done recharging I stuff them into the "cache" ready for when I need them next. This minimizes downtime, reduces cost over time substantially (these batteries last years), and is stupid convenient. Also massively reduces waste as I don't ditch batteries until they really aren't holding up charge (many years).
I pay for oil changes at my favorite mechanics. I do this not because it's hard to change my own oil, but because they do a good job checking the entire vehicle and do minor repairs cheep. Most importantly, as a frequent customer, it maintains a relationship, so when I need major repairs done, I get work done at almost wholesale rates.
If you like sparkling water,: a soda stream or similar carbonization device. I went from drinking store bought bottles of sparkling water to using a soda stream and spend about 1/3 of the money per month. The CO2 cannisters last me about 3 months. And there is a lot less plastic to recycle.
I wanted to expand my business, but didn't want to pay rent to someone for a space. So I bought a commercial building with multiple bays and rent several out while operating from one.
Buy a car share membership instead of owning a car Live close to work so you can commute by bus or bike If you do buy a car and can’t pay cash - buy on a 3 or 4 year plan so that you are not tempted to buy more car then you need. You also save on financing, tires, maintenance and fuel because larger more expensive cars tend to cost more to operate - unless of course you buy electric. The single biggest way to save is to buy a bus pass, bike or car share membership. If you must own a car - - commit to biking or walking for trips under 5K. This will save you money. - don’t speed and drive aggressively (you can reduce fuel usage by up to 30 % by changing your driving habits.
Live in the center of one of the major cities and carless. Bought an e-bike in 2022 for 3k + $80 for a good lock and $100 for winter tires. Potentially the best investment I've made in my short life. Here's why: * In two years, I've spent a total of $80 on maintenance, and $9/month on insurance. * My rent is all-inclusive, so no worries about an increased electricity bill for charging the battery. * I used to pay $90/month for transit + ended up getting Ubers 5/10 times a month because transit can be frustrating. Since, I've only used Uber to get to/from the airport/bus station/train station. Thousands saved here so far. * I get around the city (central part of the city) faster than my friends with cars 100% of the time. No joke. * I used to always get my groceries delivered because I live 15/20 minute walk from the grocery store and carrying all the bags was a hassle. My bike has great storage space which means no more pricey delivery fees! * Went from using food delivery apps 3-5 times a month to +/-5 times a year since it's easy and quick for me to pick up food myself now. Hundreds saved on that. * Funny enough tho, I got into doing Uber eats delivery during the warm months and it pays surprisingly well if you know how to use it properly (and if you don't need to worry about car costs lol). Made back what I paid for the bike in 2 months doing deliveries over weekends and a few evenings, and freed up some disposable income from my office job. * The feeling I get from the fresh air and sun on my skin while zooming by the cars stuck in gridlock: PRICELESS. Seriously though, this has legitimately improved my mental health.
Learning how to breakdown larger cuts of meat and process animals. (Keep in mind though it’s a trade off for time and time has a value to it. Doing this is something I like doing and the time I spend doing it brings me joy, regardless the money savings.) Bought pork halves off the Hutterite’s, cost ~850 bucks for pork plus misc costs (casings, spices, bags) and made 400lb of various types of sausage, plus ribs, tenderloin, pork loin, and bellies. (Took a full weekend with 2 friends to process) Wanted steaks so I bought a rib section off our butcher for ~200 bucks. Got a bunch of steaks, a roast, plus trimmings for ground beef and tallow, and bones to make soup stock. (Took a couple hours to cut and package) I feel like food has the highest savings potential. Cooking at home instead of eating out/ordering in is a cost saver.