Changing my Personal Life

[Waxman]

1. I bought a new car that gets 10 more miles per gallon than my last car. With gas at $2/gal I will save about $460/year. If /when gas hits $3 I save $677/yr.

2. I quit my Dunkin Donuts habit. I figured 2 coffees a day at $2 each vs. fifty cents a day to make it at home and work saves $1278./year.

3. Here's the big one; eating a boxed lunch saves me about $7/day or $2184/year!

These 3 simple changes stand to save me almost $4,000 annually. With that kind of savings I could actually buy a new car, build a garage some day at home or save up almost an extra $50,000 by the time my first is in college!

 

[rph9168]

That works if you actually save that money. My problem is when I save it in one area I usually end up spending it somewhere else. Hope it works better for you.

 

[Waxman]

well, if i actually use the savings to buy things that will save even more $ or better yet, make money, it will be great. I agree. Regardless, it will free up more money and that is always good.

 

[dclark3344]

Hey Wax,
Before I got in the carwash business we lived a very frugal life to save the money to get into business. If we went out to eat we always just got water with our meals and we quit buying soft drinks all together for our health. My kids drank mostly 100% fruit drinks, water, tea, or milk. I still save all the loose change at the carwash and regularly find a couple dollars in change these kids just dump out. My attendant found a sportsmans jacket from Sears in the trash with the tags still on it $129.99. Thank goodness it was on the top. I once made a list of every penny I spent in a month and I was amazed at how much I could save if I really considered whether I NEEDED to spend those small amounts or NOT. Now that I am almost 50 I have the money to buy a new car and pay cash, but I do not want to waste my money on a brand new one now.

 

[MEP001]

I also bought a smaller truck to replace my old one that got 14 MPG (New one gets 29 if I drive it right) when gas was still at $4 a gallon. Even though gas is half that price, it still saves me enough money to pay for insurance on both my vehicles.

I quit buying sodas at the store next to the wash and bought a mini-fridge and a water filter. Two sodas a day at $1.50 a pop adds up over a year. The fridge paid for itself in less than two months. I used to go to Starbucks once a day, $5 at a shot, but stopped altogether except when I can go with a friend to sit and play chess (Which is two or three times a year now).

 

[Whale of a Wash]

Dave, please don't quit the coffee. Here's what may happen. You spend less money-- they lay one employee off. He goes postal and shoots everyone in the store. The whole towns in an uproar, no one washes for a week. Meanwhile you are not your cheery self without the coffee, You get moody with an employee -he does a poor detail job, customer swears they will never comeback, he tells 10 friends and your best customer dies in the shooting. Orrrrr you could just buy a package of dunkin donuts coffee, and make it at work, and save the hassle of going to get it.

 

[Waxman]

I buy the dunkin d's ground coffee and make it at home for my ride in and then another pot at work.

quit coffee? NAY I say!