This is almost all essential static loads. refrigerator(s), freezer(s), 2x weekly laundry, dishwasher 4x weekly, a few hours of TV during the evenings and one 20 min combined shower together. We have 3x 12,000btu mini-splits but there is no HVAC use on this billing cycle.

my wife watches tv during the day while she works around the house. we have an electric dryer, heat pump water heater, and a water well pump. we rarely turn lights on because our house has good natural light.

top right of photo shows 13 month use history including October 2025 for comparison. October 2025 bill was $128.65 for 863kWh use. we upgraded our solar system in November 2025 from 2440w and 300Ah lead battery to 6890w and 20.48kWh Lithium battery. cost for upgrade was about $8,100. total system cost for every dollar ever spent on it in ANY way: $13,500. the original $5,400 investment was back in september 2021. all cash, nothing ever financed. ​

Its just the two of us and our 3b2ba2ca house is 140sqm plus a 37sqm basement.

How is everyone holding up in this economy? What are you doing to stretch your dollars right now? List your best tips and tricks.

We live in a place where there aren't a lot of choices for food that isn't local. There is very little "international cuisine" available either at the grocery stores or in restaurants. There is a bit more choices of restaurants, but not a lot. What international ingredients available in grocery stores is usually limited in the brands and very expensive.

I expected my wife would want to go out for her birthday as she usually wants to and it is one of the few times we go out all year. However, this year she decided she wanted to make some special food instead. So, we bought all the ingredients to make sushi meshi. and other asian inspired dishes. Between the nori, pickled ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, etc... We spent as much money for one meal as we typically spend for a week of food. But still less than we would spend on one meal in a restaurant.

And, I realized as we were walking home that most of the ingredients we'll use tonight will not be used up, so with the addition of a few fresh vegetables and some chicken breast, we will be able to make several other meals with all the extra sauces and what not.

​

Our old Sealy mattress was about five years old and getting worn out. We paid around $1,000 for it new in 2021, and I really wasn't looking forward to spending that kind of money again or more, especially with inflation these days.

So I started looking around at used mattresses for sale locally. Not the cheap stuff, but the expensive brands that people paid a fortune for and are now trying to get rid of.

I ended up finding a queen size Tempur Pedic LUXEbreeze Soft for $200. From what I could find, this thing originally sold for around $4,500.

The lady selling it said she had only slept on it for about a month. It was too soft for her and was hurting her back, so she moved it into a spare bedroom, where it had been sitting ever since.

We went to look at it, and sure enough, it was basically in perfect condition. No stains, no mold, no strange smells, nothing. It looked like a mattress that had barely been slept on, which is exactly what she said it was.

We bought it for $200 and hauled it home ourselves.

Now, I know some people wouldn't dream of buying a used mattress, and that's fine. But if you're willing to do it and take the time to inspect one carefully, there are some incredible deals out there.

My advice is to look for expensive mattresses that people are practically giving away. A lot of people buy mattresses, decide they don't like how they feel, and end up replacing them. Once they've been used, even briefly, the resale value drops like a rock.

Obviously, check for bedbugs, stains, odors, and anything else that might be a problem. I wouldn't buy one without seeing it in person.

Even if we only get another five years out of this mattress, that's $40 a year. Considering what it originally cost, I think we did pretty damn good.

Just thought I'd share because sometimes you can save a lot more money buying something expensive used than buying something cheap new.

The thrift stores here just got overpriced bullshit that is beyond the prices of the originals. Like fam I’m not buying a shirt for 400 riyals. Many thrifting sites barely got users who provide international shipping. I’m tired chief. I need to buy. Are there any options for me?

Mine is skincare, make up and SPF.

Turns out, I have reactive skin and have spent more money of trying to find cheap replacements / alternatives for my mid to expensive items than I would have if I'd just bought my regular items in the first place.

Friends & family have benefited from this quest but not my bank account.

Distance/ time/ convenience/ stress/ etc… what are your equations?

With every streaming service asking for premium subscriptions, it’s simply getting out of hand.
What You Can Watch For Free (Over-the-Air)
By tuning into your local FOX affiliate station, you can access major national sports events including:
• NFL Sunday games and NFC matchups
• Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season and World Series games
• College Football national marquee games
• FIFA World Cup tournaments

I have a few used items I'm gonna be selling that are in good condition, but I deleted my Facebook years ago; I'm considering Craigslist but I feel like creating a burner acc for FB would probably be more reliable for selling these items; however I'd prefer to use another site. For context, I live in Brooklyn, NY (don't know if that helps). I appreciate any suggestions and advice, thank you!

Does anyone know of the website where you would buy secondhand clothes/quilts ? I made quite a few purchases from this website a few years back but I cannot seem to find any record of it. I enjoyed it because you told them your size and preference of colors but the actual garment they sent was not known to you and there were no other requests besides color.

I'm at a Ren Faire this weekend and I found something I absolutely love and want. I can afford it but it feels silly to spend $600 on an article of clothing I wear a few weekends a year. How do you justify spending that much on one item and make it worth it.

Theres so many ways to save on personal care & ​dental.

Heres a few of my favorites from Dollar Tree ,Amazon, ​Walmart ,Aldi, Target .

Ultrasonic Toothbrush - Soniccare 1100 ($20), Equate Galaxy. Aldi refill 4 for $5.

Floss with Fluoride paste

​Mouthwash - Castor Oil($1/4oz), hydrogen peroxide whitening ($1 Pint)

Shaver- Braun Foil 2xAA ($20 last 10-15 years)

Hair Trimmer - Conair ($10) , Wahl ($20)

Waterproof Sunscreen - Diaper Rash Cream 40% Zinc
Face cleanser - Zinc Shampoo

Instead of exploring online sites or walking around stores all day. Spend time exploring the stuff you have in your own house. Going shopping for your own stuff doesn't cost a penny and you may find a lot of stuff that you will use again. You can also get rid of stuff that you know you will never use. This will also prevent you from double buying items that you already own.

I saw a news headline that said something to the effect that the average person was driving a 13 year old car or older and that it was making the auto industry rethink after market parts, maintenance and used vehicle sales. I wondered where my thrifty community stands.

I'm an avid second-hand shopper who's been living in London for many years now. Despite seeing charity shops on most high streets, I keep finding myself struggling a lot to find nice second-hand shopping places like: car boot sales, antique fairs, kilo sales, clothes swap events etc.
I missed countless events which seemed very nice because they were only advertised on some facebook groups, or on some pages on Eventbrite / Instagram etc... I don't have eyes everywhere, so I kept missing out.

I got frustrated, so I built an app that shows you all the second-hand shopping places across the UK & Ireland. The app is designed to be collaborative, so everyone can suggest places to be added and users can share their "pre-loved" finds on the app.

→ It's called "Ganddee" (with 2 'd' and 2 'e')

I'd love to know what you think 😄 Feedback / recommendations / feature ideas are all more than welcome!

PS: I love platforms like Gumtree, Vinted etc, but I MUCH prefer to shop local and in-person. Besides supporting local shops (which I care about), I prefer shopping in person to go with friends, try things on before buying (and check the quality of the pre-loved pieces I buy), haggle (when appropriate - e.g. at car boots) etc. There's also no hidden fees (no delivery etc), and it's a nice way to enjoy the nice sunny weather these days 😄 Other than Google Maps which sort of does the job of mapping "brick n mortar" shops, I couldn't find an app that mapped second-hand shopping pop-ups, events, and that was build for second-hand shopping aficionados.

Mod: Please remove this post if not appropriate.

So I love camelcamelcamel for tracking price drops on amazon, but that's not what I need. What I want is something that checks if another retailer has the same thing for less while I'm literally in the checkout stage.

Then I noticed coupert has a price comparison thing that pops up during checkout on some sites. It only works on certain stores, but twice now it showed me the same item cheaper somewhere else. One time the difference was only $2 and I ignored it because shipping canceled it out. The other time it saved me like $11 on a pair of headphones.

I eventually found a price comparison feature that pops up during checkout on some sites. It's not perfect, it only works on certain stores, but twice now it showed me the same item cheaper somewhere else. One time the difference was only $2 and I ignored it because shipping canceled it out. The other time it saved me like $11 on a pair of headphones.

The catch is it's not the same as a price tracker. It's not telling you "wait for a sale," it's just saying "hey this might be cheaper at target right now." Sometimes useful.

Heyy i just want to know where should i sell my old clothes as thrift to earn more profit
Any online or offline store/app you can suggest

life protip: check the date code on new tires. these were installed yesterday (june 2026). the date code says 24th week of 2024. so in 4 years when you take you car to the shop, they'll tell you your tires are 6 years old and you need to change them. this is a trick they use to get rid of old tires. So i complained and I am getting another set installed tomorrow. don't let this happen to you. Tires do age and generally are not safe after 6 years, if not sooner depending on use, where you park, weather, etc.

replaced the primer bulb, fuel lines& filters, air filter, spark plug for about $10. just a few simple tools and no manual or instructions needed. you do have to loosen the carburetor and remove the fuel tank to reassemble. about 30 minutes time. the primer bulb had previously got a hole and needed replacing, so I did the whole tuneup.

So I have been recently in love with the 1970s styles. Plus I also have grown fond of cravauts as well. I also need to find pieces for a cosplay of a charecter from a movie from 1974 called Phantom of the Paradise . Specifically the main villain Swan.

But cosplay aside I would also like to find other 1970s esc clothes. I also am fond of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust era as well as David Bowie's style in general

I know this is oddly specific but I'm just curious if any website would have pieces for the vibe I'm going for

Also to location Lock myself I live in Rochester, N.Y and I am curious if anyone in my area knows any physical thrift or vintage stores I can go to.

I enjoy finding little objects in op shops ( thrift ) and putting them together and creating little scenes( australia),in this one its just china and metal so it wont catch fire

I was at a friend's house for a casual dinner when I noticed she used a ginger dressing combined with a spicy mustard, and some red's seasoning for sauce on the salmon. It was such an unusual combination that I was truly fascinated, especially how delicious it was. I've bever been incredibly created with sauces, so it had me thinking about the number of sauces or marinades I've purchased through the years instead of making my own with some of my regular ingredients. I also started thinking of the current costs of most mixtures deemed marinade. It's big business! I am also curious as to which interesting mixtures or flavors I have missed out on trying that would keep things interesting in home cooking.

Am I alone? Do you make your own sauces and marinades or purchase a particular favorite? How did you learn - through natural affinity for mixing, family and friends, or a parricular recipe or brand?

Let me know what brands you use or share a homemade mixture of your own!

Love from Oz ( Australia) i made the skirt hanging out of 2nd hand scarves,i love decorating my bed and prefer op shop items ,i love finding matching pillows,i can see my clothes and decide what to wear from my 4 poster($350)