Living on the Cheap

Ok, here's a quick break from the political scene for a change...

If there's one thing I've learned, having earned single-digit hourly wages for 90% of my earning career, it's how to really live on the cheap. I've gained a pretty good insight on how to make things seem pretty luxurious on the budget that most would look at as pretty stifling. I learned long ago how to make ends meet and then some while only pulling in pennies.

I'd like to think I live pretty comfortably, based on how others live. I'd like to think I even have the options of many luxuries at the same time. In my current situation, I'm able to cut costs like crazy. My work pays for a bus pass for me for free! I also bike to work. That eliminates ALL travel costs, aside from plane travel. It also covers a lot of working out, cutting gym costs.

The next biggest cost, outside of travel, are dining. Now I won't say I don't eat out at restaurants, but when I don't, it costs me typically less than dollars. I don't buy things that aren't on sale about 90% of the time. When I go to the grocery, I have things I want to buy, but then I put them up against prices. I always want cottage cheese, but only buy when it's on sale. I rarely have meat at the house because it's just kind of expensive. I always buy tomato soup because aside from being a super-cheap meal, it's also high in lycopene, which is a super-health "additive". It also turns dinner into a $0.59 meal if I have tomato soup for dinner! $2.59 allows a luxurious soup in a freshly baked sourdough bread bowl! Doctor it with a couple spices and it's delish! I found chicken drumsticks for $0.89/lb. and that equated to $4 for 14 big drumsticks! That made me dinner of oven-baked "fried" chicken and lunch and breakfast the next day for under $2! Now, that's a bargain! The night before, I'd thrown a big handful of potatoes in the oven for baked potatoes. That cost about $1. That has brought my food costs to about $5 for a few days of eating, not considering spices and such that I've already paid for. I typically paid $3.95 for a salad for lunch, which is dirt cheap, but paying a dollar more for 3-4 days of eating, breakfast-dinner is fantastic!! I stopped paying for the already cheap salad at work because I also realized that I can have lunch for the week for about the same as a salad! There's so many other ways to save like I'll buy frozen veggies when they're $1/lb. They have all the nutrients and are so easy to prepare. Food is so easy on a budget if you just focus...

Going out? I am usually ready to hit up all the cheapest spots, but I've been shown, by my sister Lu and Dad, how easy it is to hit up happy hour specials that are often cheaper than all my dive bars and even cheaper than Than Brothers! You can hit up these spots with food and drinks for prices usually reflective of an entree or two!

There are so many other ways to save BIG time, spending less than everybody while living like the best of the best. There's places to get suits on the cheap (I love to dress up), shoes at a discount, and live like a King on a pauper's budget. You just need to pay attention to what's going out. While it's nice to see all of the savings, there's still nothing better than splurging once in a while and with all the savings you'll deserve it!