Saving a bit more...

Sly21C said:
I watched it a year ago, I'll watch it again to refresh my mind. Thanks for the link. I think many people should watch this and they'll have their minds opened and they'll become enlightened.



These expensive smartphones are overrated, while a cheaper one which is a tenth of the one most people go for can perform a similar function. I have a colleague, who probably earns half of my salary, who can't wait to buy the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7. I've tried educating her the disadvantages of spending R12k on a cellphone instead of investing it, and she doesn't want to hear it. She's determined to buy it, claiming it'll make her feel good. She obviously represents many other people who want shiny things at the expense of their future financial health.
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Just serviced my 2.5 year old S4 mini. Phone does exactly what I need it to do (CM13, Apps...) and it costs me about R90 on airtime and data every month
 
BloodBurner9000 said:
we (2 persons staying at my flat) manually switch geyser on, and only when we're about to use it, for about 20 minutes prior to showering and doing dishes. switch off before using warm water. will stay warm until next morning.

has saved us more than R300 per month for the 3 months we've been doing it, of a normal electricity account of R700 per month. will later update this with proper stats (kwh).
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So I'm just giving my own personal experience and experiment.

I moved out last Aug and am now living alone. I tried the switching off the geyser thing in order to save money and I actually found out that I ended up spending waaaay more money switching it on an off as opposed to just leaving it.

I guess in my case I hardly use an entire geyser so it doesn't make sense to switch it off and have it reheat the whole thing. So I physically wrote down my usage each day and when I was switching geyser on and off I used between 10-20 units per day (depending on whether I used the stove). When I didn't switch it off I only used between 5-10 units, sometimes not even reaching 10.

We also got a weber and braai a lot now so I don't use the stove and oven as much (this was post-geyser experiment)
 
n1njajam said:
So I'm just giving my own personal experience and experiment.

I moved out last Aug and am now living alone. I tried the switching off the geyser thing in order to save money and I actually found out that I ended up spending waaaay more money switching it on an off as opposed to just leaving it.

I guess in my case I hardly use an entire geyser so it doesn't make sense to switch it off and have it reheat the whole thing. So I physically wrote down my usage each day and when I was switching geyser on and off I used between 10-20 units per day (depending on whether I used the stove). When I didn't switch it off I only used between 5-10 units, sometimes not even reaching 10.

We also got a weber and braai a lot now so I don't use the stove and oven as much (this was post-geyser experiment)
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hmm, I find braaing WAY more expensive per meal than cooking food on the stove or in the oven?

I mean, a pack of briquettes cost R25 now I think?
 
Method said:
hmm, I find braaing WAY more expensive per meal than cooking food on the stove or in the oven?

I mean, a pack of briquettes cost R25 now I think?
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I agree, when I braai, I go through at least a large bag of wood, which is 60 bucks and a 6 pack of beer, which is another R60.
 
backstreetboy said:
He is living alone. You don't need a lot of briquettes and can reuse them as well.
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*SHE :D (ya we do exist on the interwebs)

So we actually braai a crap ton of food and eat it for 2.5 days. So for e.g. if we braai sat we eat sat dinner, Sunday lunch and then I take to work on Monday.

This happens because we can never decide between all the meat so we buy everything.
 
Well as 'n vegetarian (casts anti-troll shield), I find making meat meals WAY more expensive than making vegetarian meals.

I have a BF that's not vegetarian and buying meat is quite expensive. Even just simple things like mince or wors.

I don't eat replacement meats, which are expensive.
 
Method said:
Well as 'n vegetarian (casts anti-troll shield), I find making meat meals WAY more expensive than making vegetarian meals.

I have a BF that's not vegetarian and buying meat is quite expensive. Even just simple things like mince or wors.

I don't eat replacement meats, which are expensive.
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LOVE your use of shield. I didn't know I needed that on the internet until now.

I don't judge your vegetarianism

My grocery bill is hella high yes but I can't seem to compromise on good food (yes meat, also sorry not sorry :( )because I literally can't eat any kind of takeout (wheat hates me and I hate it back).

The only way I've cut costs is on electricity, "beauty products" and planning my meals for the week so I don't buy unnecessary items.
 
Yeah braai and healthy food are expensive. Trying to eat more salad but yoh not cheap
 
Braai and Cob = 6-10 briquettes a go :D Been on the same bag for about six months.
 
Kosmik said:
If you want wood, drive around, always someone chopping a tree. The main road near me is lined with trees and trimmings that have been cut, just rotting in the sun.
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+1 This is a nifty trick, I collect all kinds of trimmings for bon fires during winter. if you can get better quality wood you can even collect and store them for use in your fireplace.
 
HavocXphere said:
There was a nice post about this on reddit the other day:

https://np.reddit.com/r/declutter/c..._possessions_is_unhealthy_heres_how_i/chzuqev
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Fantastic article. I especially enjoyed this....
Freedom is an act of resistance. The only force that operates on our lives now with any power is consumerism. The messages of consumerism will define our world and our identities if we don't intervene on our own behalf. Your money is valuable because it represents your time, and your time is your life. Don't trade your life for some new crap.
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n1njajam said:
LOVE your use of shield. I didn't know I needed that on the internet until now.

I don't judge your vegetarianism

My grocery bill is hella high yes but I can't seem to compromise on good food (yes meat, also sorry not sorry :( )because I literally can't eat any kind of takeout (wheat hates me and I hate it back).

The only way I've cut costs is on electricity, "beauty products" and planning my meals for the week so I don't buy unnecessary items.
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ALWAYS eat before you go shopping...they have the damn sweets and chips next to the tills for a reason >.<

I also need to start planning meals and buy what I need.

Food ,fuel and electricity are the easiest places to start saving. Don't do all your shopping at Woolies...PnP is perfectly fine. I use Checkers for eBucks and I have the healthy food benefit with Discovery for when I do go to PnP.
 
Method said:
ALWAYS eat before you go shopping...they have the damn sweets and chips next to the tills for a reason >.<

I also need to start planning meals and buy what I need.

Food ,fuel and electricity are the easiest places to start saving. Don't do all your shopping at Woolies...PnP is perfectly fine. I use Checkers for eBucks and I have the healthy food benefit with Discovery for when I do go to PnP.
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I actually don't eat sweets, chips etc. so I don't really get tempted by the things at the till unless it's biltong. I know it's going to sound snobby but I hate buying fresh produce at pick n pay so I always buy at woolies. My issue has always been the quality of the veg at pnp. Too many times I've come home with things rotten on the inside that I have to throw away. I often buy pre-cut veggies to save time (I go from work to gym and then have to come home and cook). I suppose I justify my woolies shopping because of my healthfood cashback through vitality.

I started taking the train to work to save as well but then moved jobs so that is not possible, but I lift club. I also but no perishables at checkers for added ebucks and use ebucks to pay for petrol and/or electricity.

There is also a cool coupon app called SnapnSave. The cash back isn't amazing but it's something. I milk these rewards programmes as much as I can.
 
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