Comments on: What is the stupidest thing you’ve done to save?

By: William

William — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:08:31 +0000

Brought a bargain brand lock and door knob to replace a #1 brand that was selling for about $12 more. To make a long story short, by the time I installed it, had to buy an extra tool to make it fit and make new keys, replace the door jam and other sundry tools, I spent more than $25 and two trips back to the hardware store. The brand name one only required that I removed the old key cylinder and use it, and put the new faceplate and door knob on. I did not think it out, I just saw the savings…Ha.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:07:15 +0000

yes this past month I did my own haircut. really I just
wanted to make it not look so awful.
I wear it long and I have seen my previous professionals
who have cut my long hair and are trying to get rid of
the dead ends and make the heavy look of all long
hair by doing a certain thing that makes some
slightly shorter areas in a second layer on top.
this made my hair look thicker by adding air with
shorter hairs blending and not being weighed down.

I mimicked what they did and voila! My hair looked
a little better than before. that was good enough
for me. But I don’t really trust myself with the
home hair dying. done that before and really’
regretted it.

By: Ladyg

Ladyg — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:31:24 +0000

Well, some of what you do to save money should be based in what your skills are. So step one should be to figure that out. In our house, I was taught car care by a master technician. That certainly qualifies me (and my husband who had the same background) to do some fairly major repairs beyond the oil changes: catalytic converter, muffler, clutch, transmission, and with the help of a friend an engine swap. Those are MAJOR money savers, possibly worth taking a class at a local community college (tuition is $24 a credit hour BTW).

I used to design and sew costumes in college. So clearly my skills are beyond buttons. While I detest princess seams, curtains, pillows, chair cushions, simple tops or elastic waist pants/skirts, and certainly adding two inches of coordinating fabric to my childrens clothes to have them last an extra 6-12 months is within my skill range. Time is the issue there for those that have the skills.

Other things people may not have thought of: painting or wallpapering is a piece of cake. My sister and I did our room when we were 12 and 14. Read the directions.
In the same vein an imbecile could manage to brush on paint remover for an old or ratty piece of furniture and in due time brush on some new paint or stain. Same with kitchen cupboards.

My main point? Double check your skills and see where they can be applied!

By: mulberry

mulberry — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:23:52 +0000

I cut a boyfriend’s hair. One side ended up shaved & the other side ended up OK. He looked awful for a month.

By: tracy

tracy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:13:55 +0000

i do cut my hair myself i cant get anyone to cut it(medical condition) its great u mess it up say bad haircut and i dye it myself they charge to much and it never looks right so i get a box of dye and if the colors off get color oops it takes it out then get a diffrent one and start again

By: - The Debtress Blog - Family Dinners Under $10? You Betcha.

- The Debtress Blog - Family Dinners Under $10? You Betcha. — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:32:51 +0000

[...] post seriously cracked me up: What is the Stupidest Thing You’ve Done to Save? Check it [...]

By: bargainbabe

bargainbabe — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:04:49 +0000

Matt, why do you regret the $1,800 HDTV purchase? Has the price dropped? Do you not get $1,800 worth of enjoyment from using it? I’m not a big TV watcher but I’m curious why you think it was not worthwhile.

By: tammy

tammy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:52:02 +0000

I try to consider all purchases wisely but yesterday I bought Starbucks Ice Cream – buy one get one free at Walgreen- and I had a dollar coupon so that made it $3.91 for two pints of the cold stuff. That’s still a lot BUT I figure we can have milkshakes for desserts a few times. So maybe it wasn’t SOOOO bad but typically something I just wouldn’t purchase…

By: Hilary

Hilary — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:14:58 +0000

Whether something is a stupid way to save money can depend on your own abilities. As an example, you mentioned sewing your own clothes. If you can do this, you’ll get clothes that actually FIT. You can’t do it cheaper than Walmart, but you can do it cheaper than Macy’s or a boutique. Ditto to altering readymade clothes – well worth knowing the skills to do that.

Ditto to car repair, electrical or plumbing work, etc. To save $200 by installing a light fixture is a skill worth learning – and the Lowe’s/Home D. seminars are FREE (our favorite price).

On the other hand, the stupidest thing I did recently was buy 6 wonderful shot glasses at Cost Plus. I shoulda’ bought 8 right then, instead of waiting a week, then having to drive all over the Valley to find the last two in stock anywhere.

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:29:36 +0000

When I was in college, we would drive up to ten minutes for cheaper gas or groceries.
Looking back it was pound wise but penny foolish, we probably spent that extra money on the gas just getting to the places and back!

By: julie

julie — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:18:14 +0000

I haven’t done it…but I’m going to call back to yesterday’s Las Vegas post and say the stupidest thing would be to take/steal toiletpaper and tissues from hotel rooms.

By: Patricia J

Patricia J — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:46:27 +0000

I HAVE done my own electrical work – albeit simple, however I have replaced a thermostat – to a programmable one that saved me $, the exhaust fan in my bathroom & 3 smoke detectors (hard wired, not battery) I saved over $300… well worth it. With the help of my brother we just renovated my bathroom… so start small That’s samrt!

By: Matt Jabs

Matt Jabs — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:03:02 +0000

Honestly I cannot think of any stupid things I have done in order to SAVE money!

I can however, think of MANY stupid things I SPENT money on… The most recent was an HDTV for $1,800 that I bought about a year & a half ago…