Food is an interesting subject.... Crap in, crap out... The better the quality, the healthier you'll end up - this, of course, within limits. The point is, eating crap isn't saving you anything.
I stopped eating ramen noodles from those 10 cent prepackaged bicks four years ago... Ya, it's freaking cheap - but my new diet (which isn't just removing ramen) has really paid off in the number of times I get sick... I used to get sick about 4 times a year (1 really hard core, then 3 annoying colds). I've now skipped the whole nasty cold part and only have a nagging annoying cold 1 or 2 times a year... This is, perhaps, causality - but it's 4 years in the running
That, and I don't think anyone is going to argue that eating crappy chemical and overly processed foods is good for you.
You're not saving any money if you're not maintaining good health.
So raw foods are cheap! Cooking yourself is just awesome in that I can get Broccoli in San Francisco for 75 cents a pound
Florets go into stir fry - stalks are shaved for brocoslaw
And I second the water comment... Although, variety is the spice of life
So throwing in juice, beer, or perhaps the occasional soda should be fine as long as it's not habitual (perhaps avoiding caffeine is recommended). You have to weigh it yourself - Quality of Life versus Quantity of Dollars
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2. Stay unmarried. If men looked at marriage as objectively as everything else, jewelry stores, bridal shops and divorce attorneys would be out of work tomorrow.
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Meh - just be objective with relationships
Eventually - I'd like to get married... I've been dating the same woman for three years and don't have a thing about buying all that crazy garbage... Nor does she expect it. We do, infrequently, get each other gifts - but it's small and practical stuff and as I said, infrequent
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This hasn't been mentioned.... Thrift/goodwill stores
Last week I got a 32oz Nalgene bottle for 50 cents! WooHoo Urban Ore in East Bay!
You can totally drop cable service
I've been living without TV for awhile and am totally loving it
Aside from right now (on an adrenaline rush from a bike ride), I go to bed a little earlier and am generally not sucked into it.... It's been awesome. Several friends of mine don't have TV's in their house at all
Save time, electricity and monthly cable fees.
And lastly, dumpster dipping for the win
When I'm in east bay, I stop behind an organic bakery and grab some fresh day old bread... Everything is in paper (occasionally plastic) bags - I'll grab some for me, then the office - throw it in a bag on my bike and head off
A friend of mine gets dough nuts from some dough nut shop in Orlando - I guess that's fine occasionally, but that's a lot of crap in a deliciously addictive package
Checking out local universities (if applicable) at move out time will yield some awesome stuff too... I scored a sweet vacuum pump that was in the trash
It weighs 85 pounds (without motor) and pulls a vacuum down to .19psi from absolute zero (this is a 10 torr pump). And yes, I've been in the market for a vacuum pump