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I think the movie thing has been mentioned but I will RARELY, almost never, pay for a first run movie at the theater when I can wait and see it at the discount/dollar theater instead. .
My problem is that my $2 discount theatre has recently been my $4.50 discount theatre.
In this area, we get free rentals from the public library so that is making it a lot more difficult to justify the costs of going to the movies. And there is no talking when I watch the movie at home.
I balance quality with quantity. Some things are worth paying a bit more for, others are not. There's a law of diminishing returns when it comes to quality too. I'm not going to spend $5000 on a road bike when a $1200-1500 road bike will be 90-95% as effective.. that sort of thing.
I'm not technically frugal in that I don't buy used clothes, attempt to make my own laundry detergent, etc.. I spend whatever I want on food.. I just have low expenses due to life circumstances.. I don't need a new car every few years to prevent from being 'bored' .. my now 13 year old car works just fine.
Concert tickets,
Sporting event tickets,
1st class airline tickets,
More than $50 for a meal,
More than $60 for a pair of shoes,
The list is so long there isn't room here!
A few months ago I looked at VOIP (internet based phone service) options for a cheaper home phone and I ended up getting a Google Voice phone number (free) and a Obi100 device ($40 on amazon) and set it all up as my home phone. All calls in US and Canada are free with GV. After trying GV out for a few weeks I called and cancelled my cheapo $30/mo landline service. I've been happy with the GV service and I don't see ever going back to a regular landline.
(Thanks to some folks here in the Frugal Living subforum for telling me about all this a while back!)
Is there a monthly charge with Obi?
I have Ooma which is fantastic and all domestic calls are free but since they are a phone company you must pay the taxes and fees which for me is about $4/month.
I have Ooma which is fantastic and all domestic calls are free but since they are a phone company you must pay the taxes and fees which for me is about $4/month.
I have the original OOMA. There is no taxes and fees with the original OOMA.
Sebo's are really in my opinion, the best vacume's on the market. Used by hospitals, they really are worth the price. I have had mine for five years now and get it serviced about every 18 months. I bought the floor model and I think I paid about 700$. I have allergies and a few pets here so I really needed it. I imagine it will last several more years if I continue to take good care of it.
I will spend money on good quality shoes, as well as wallets. I wont buy coffee out, or go to movies more than a couple times a year. I wait till they are at redbox or Netflix. I cook at home, most of the time. I cook big and then freeze portions for later use.
I usually go to restaurants that prepare foods I don't at home, for instance sushi, or Indian buffets... I can make a steak or bbq'd chicken myself as well as good Italian.
Sometimes it really does pay to fork over more money and get a good quality item that will truly last, such as my Sebo and because the enjoyment of using it is so high.
I'm not going to spend $5000 on a road bike when a $1200-1500 road bike will be 90-95% as effective.. that sort of thing.
Finally, someone who understands that a $90 Walmart bike =/= quality bike.
I built my own road bike (got a carbon frame from China, drivetrain off message board / everything else from nashbar) for around $1300.
I had someone at a triathlon recently ask why any of us would spend that much on a bike when his $90 special from Walmart worked just fine. My response: You know how your bike doesn't always shift right (cheap grip shifters) and how you almost need two people to take it down from the celing because it's a steel frame? That's why.
At the same time, I'm zipping by guys who spent $4-5k on their tri bikes with carbon disc wheels etc to save a 2-3 pounds... yet they guys themselves are 15-20lbs overweight.
I have Ooma which is fantastic and all domestic calls are free but since they are a phone company you must pay the taxes and fees which for me is about $4/month.
When you buy the Obi device you own it. There are no extra fees or monthly payments for it's use. You can use it with several different VOIP services, they may have charges for their services. It looks like most people use it with Google Voice, the free service.
By now my Obi100 has paid for itself in savings from my now disconnected landline service and now all my phone calls are free.
I saw on TV a scam selling fake tickets for Madonna shows at $350. That is the face value. I cannot see paying that much even if I were a fan.
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