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Doing without Internet is absurd.. unless you're OK with living like a monk.
Internet saves me money in the following ways:
- I'll know where the cheapest gas is.
- I can (sometimes) work from home and save gas.
- I just use cheap Skype VOIP instead of a landline and save money on my cell phones.
- I pay my bills online instead of paying for stamps.
- I send email instead of mailing a letter or calling people.
I lived without the internet for 36 years, pretty sure there wasn't anything monk-like about my lifestyle back then.
Besides, I do everything you have listed other than using VOIP and I don't have internet. I just do it during breaks at work (as I'm doing now while eating lunch at my desk) or at the local library. In fact, my apartment is close enough to a local restaurant that offers WiFi that I could probably use their signal at home if I had a wireless modem.
I lived without the internet for 36 years, pretty sure there wasn't anything monk-like about my lifestyle back then.
Besides, I do everything you have listed other than using VOIP and I don't have internet. I just do it during breaks at work (as I'm doing now while eating lunch at my desk) or at the local library. In fact, my apartment is close enough to a local restaurant that offers WiFi that I could probably use their signal at home if I had a wireless modem.
I can "survive" fine without Internet but it just makes my cost of living cheaper even net of Internet fees.
If you're that damned cheap, then just unplug the fridge and put your frozen food on the back porch overnight - they'll stay frozen.
There may be a return on replacing a 25+ year old dinosaur fridge that's horribly inefficient, but I'd never go without a fridge. The amount of electricity burned is miniscule compared to the amount of gas I'd waste on daily trips to the grocery.
I can "survive" fine without Internet but it just makes my cost of living cheaper even net of Internet fees.
What I'm getting at is that I realize most of the same savings as you without paying internet fees; plus I supplement my income by selling on eBay. Not that everyone has the same availability of free internet that I do, but most probably do.
Doing without some form of reliable phone service would be absurd to me for safety reasons. I don't have a house phone, I have a tracfone I spend about $7 a month to maintain (buy minutes one time a year and load up the phone). But I BARELY use my cell. I could save $7 a month by cutting it completely, of course it would suck to dial 911 on my phone made of air in case of emergency.
....
And yet I have someone in my life who has done just that, cut out all phone service to save cash, scary to me!
Doing without some form of reliable phone service would be absurd to me for safety reasons. I don't have a house phone, I have a tracfone I spend about $7 a month to maintain (buy minutes one time a year and load up the phone). But I BARELY use my cell. I could save $7 a month by cutting it completely, of course it would suck to dial 911 on my phone made of air in case of emergency.
....
And yet I have someone in my life who has done just that, cut out all phone service to save cash, scary to me!
Actually you can call 911 even if you don't have cell phone service.
But of course not every emergency in life can be handled by the 911 operator so I agree that going without any service at all when the most basic service is so inexpensive would be foolish even if you didn't need it on a day-to-day basis..
Unthinkable as it seems, back before cell phones I knew lots of folks who didn't have telephones. Some couldn't afford them, but most just didn't want them for one reason or another.
And I guess I still know quite a few folks that don't have them, but they all wear black hats and drive buggies.
i got an infraction for commenting that in that thread that i dont aspire to live like mexican poverty. i think that particular thread doesnt really belong in the frugal forum. i think it belongs in some kind of prepper or minimalist type of forum. the money saved on electricity would be offset by rotting food, more expensive food, additional shopping trips, etc.
The idea of an extreme view toward frugality to the point of worrying about the difference between the operating cost of a mini and a maxi refrigerator seems a bit odd to say the least. I've known my share of cheapskates but this is taking things too literal regarding the wisdom of frugality in ones life.
On that note, I'd have to say that the person who thinks the whole purpose of life is to persevere in a static financial condition should really be thinking of ways to supplement their current income.
Some people look at frugality as a game. How much can I save with this, what else can I use this for, is there something I could use that I have on hand instead of buying something new? They "win" when they save money.
And who's to say what the extremes are? You find it weird about the frig, others think washing zip lock bags is silly...
I find playing with the numbers has been a handy device in my life, AND one I enjoy. So, while having a mini fridge or no frig wouldn't work for my lifestyle, I'd play with the numbers before ruling it out, should I be placed in the position where it might be an option.
Some people look at frugality as a game. How much can I save with this, what else can I use this for, is there something I could use that I have on hand instead of buying something new? They "win" when they save money.
And who's to say what the extremes are? You find it weird about the frig, others think washing zip lock bags is silly...
I find playing with the numbers has been a handy device in my life, AND one I enjoy. So, while having a mini fridge or no frig wouldn't work for my lifestyle, I'd play with the numbers before ruling it out, should I be placed in the position where it might be an option.
And we earn good money.
Game? I'd rather play World of Warcraft, Farmville, or Angry Birds than the "Frugality" game..
For me, simply cutting the most expensive items (like rent and car) suffices to achieve a decent standard of living on a minimal budget... a few other things also get cut if they're convenient to do so without too much effort for the savings.
The amount of ziplocks I'd need to wash to save a month's rent is beyond ridiculous.
And who's to say what the extremes are? You find it weird about the frig, others think washing zip lock bags is silly...
"Absurd" is a value judgment; it's a term we apply to the behavior of others when the behavior is something we could never imagine doing ourselves.
Why should I care if someone else wants to go without a refrigerator, or with just a mini-fridge, just because I would never do the same? What's it to me if someone wants to wash their plastic bags? I don't see anyone being injured by this behavior.
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