I have a sonic raspberry tea habit that I'm trying to give up.  If I get one before 11:00 am it is half price at $1.27.  So $1.27 X 3 a week  = $3.81 per week X 52 weeks = $198.12 a year on iced tea.  Think I'll research making my own raspberry flavored tea. 

Shellia

Pat, it's interesting that you posted about paper napkins. I've been thinking lately if paper napkins really are that much cheaper than washing and reusing cloth napkins.

I get a large package of napkins (nothing fancy, just basic "family" napkins) for about $1.50 each. Our family has been using one package for well over two months now, and I think it'll be at least the end of next month before we run out. So, for the sake of argument, each pack lasts us three months.

I am pretty sure that the water bill and soap would cost more than $1.50 to run all the cloth napkins we'd use in three months. One could argue that I'm not washing a whole load of napkins at one time, just a couple here and there that I'd add to an existing laundry load. But given the fact that we use napkins for each meal, plus little spills, the work load would add up. The napkins do biodegrade easily, so I'm not too worried about the landfills.

What do you think? Am I reasoning this out the wrong way?

(PS. I don't buy paper plates or paper towels...just napkins.)

 When I got Icebox, my first cat (8 years ago and coffee was 50c at the local C-store, $1.00 other places at the outside!), I gave up having coffee out in order to pay for Icebox. I hjaven't been out for coffee since, maybe three times, treated by a friend. Never eat out.

Not that I wouldn't like to go out for some really good food. But my magazines are my luxury, and more important than coffee or food out.

and that's ok folks! We all value something different.

I love my Senseo coffee maker and buy the pods for it that are $4.24 for 18 pods. I do have a MyPod holder so i can use regular ground coffee, but i like the convenience of the pod and how frothy the coffee comes out. I got the machine for free a few years ago, invested $25 into a new XL water tank for it, and love it.

Sometimes the only time dh and I get to spend together is when he does an errand like goes to pick up scrap lumber, or goes to put gas in the truck. Or sometimes we just find a silly reason to go for a ride. Then we can talk alone. With gas prices what they are and what they may be, it isn't frugal at all!! But it's as close to a date that we usually get.

 I usually take my lunch to work.  Since I work nights, the cafeteria at the hospital is not open, but they package up "dinners" in the styrofoam boxes from what didn't sell.  When I "buy" a dinner, I sign a charge slip with my badge number. The meals are $1.50 each, which sounds like a good deal, but as of this last paycheck, I have spent $62.14 on meals at work.  That doesn't sound like much, but there are a lot of things I could have done with that $62.14that I would have enjoyed more. I think I will go back to always taking my lunch, & use the savings for things I value more. 

My Starbucks habit eats up a nice chunk of change. I try to limit myself to one grande frappucino a week, not so much out of financial necessity, but because I want it to be a treat. Sometimes I have more than one in a week. I've found that if I have more than 2 in a week they don't seem like so much of a treat. I look forward to Starbucks Friday all week

I always bring my lunch to work (unless someone else is paying or like this Friday we're having a potluck). After doing it so long, it's just a hassle to go out somewhere and it's difficult to get the healthy food I really should be eating when there's so much temptation for fast food.

We try to limit eating dinner out to once a week, but haven't been so good about that lately, either.

I agree that you've got to treat yourself sometimes, no matter what your treat is. Life is for living, not existing.

Jill

I too have some things that I am not willing to give up because they are worth the small cost. For instance I get iced coffee about 3-4 times a week at a cost of 2.07. I go to mcdonalds because it is cheapest there and I love the Newmans blend. I am willing to spend 25.00 a month because at this time we have it and because that is one of the very few areas I do choose to spend money on. We have a gas dryer so hanging laundry is not worth the maybe .25c a load savings to hang for me. We do use paper napkins but use very very few paper towels. My husband uses one each day in his lunchbox and we may use a few others each month for pet mishaps. We eat out maybe 3x a month now and one is always take out pizza at a cost of about 26.00. That is something we truly enjoy and will continue to do so. All of these I consider luxuries and as long as we can continue to spend money on these things without harming our family financially we will. I guess I feel we have very few luxuries that we allow ourselves.

jillibean:

My Starbucks habit eats up a nice chunk of change. I try to limit myself to one grande frappucino a week, not so much out of financial necessity, but because I want it to be a treat. Sometimes I have more than one in a week. I've found that if I have more than 2 in a week they don't seem like so much of a treat. I look forward to Starbucks Friday all week

Jill

That is a very good point. I found out the same about my silly Slurpees (Coke only, by the way--they're a childish enough treat as it is without me making it worse by getting a blue one! LOL). When I had one every day I didn't look forward to it; I just drank it out of habit, and half the time I didn't even finish it. Now, when I plan for one once a week or so, I really enjoy it, and I drink every last bit of it.

I think I need to look at some other areas of my life and see what 'treats' have become 'habits.'

swtnsassy:

We do alot of different things to save but we aren't willing to go bare bones unless we positively have too.  I like to save money but I enjoy "living" as well.

I think it's a matter of defining what "bare bones" is for each of us. What you do to save may be absolutely unacceptable to me, and vice versa. The point is that many of the "small" things we do cost us big money over a year's time. If you're willing and able to pay out that money, that's fine, but for those who want or need to cut costs, hopefully they can find inspiration for doing that by seeing the actual cost of running a dryer or eating out, etc.