S/O Making "luxuries" frugal?

[Captain_Crunch]

In another thread there was discussion about making a luxury purchase more frugal, specifically someone suggested cutting the premium coffee beans with a less expensive type, and that got me wondering about other ways to make "luxuries" frugal.

I already try to buy items on sale and even then I look for coupons or buy through ebates.com so I can at least get a little rebate on the purchase, but what else could I be doing?

How do you make your "luxury" more affordable?

[PenelopeJune]

If your luxury is internet or cable/satellite or cell phone, call and ask for a discount. My satellite company cut $15 off my bill.

[Paxjourney]

One of our lux things is to do a weekend in the major city near us. We usually do it 2x a year. MIL provides free childcare, we find a good deal on a nice resturant and usually take in a show, last time we went to MAME

For us its also a way for us to reconnect.

[BetsyS]

We live near a university that often has free or nearly free recitals and music performances. It's a good, cheap date night. Add in goodl, local coffeehouses, and we enjoy the university town more than when we where in school! And, with a year old + baby, this is my year for date nights! I'm planning on taking the grandparents up on their offer of babysitting at least once a month this year. It's my fall resolution.

I buy spices in bulk. Not like Sam's quantities, but out of the bulk containers. A local international market has some, as well as a local Whole Foods-ish market. I buy what I need, and I can make our meals more interesting for cheap.

[BetsyS]

This one will probably get me thrown off MDC... but, I love fast food. I just adore it. I limit it (I'm not crazy), but it is a big treat for me. So, I try to get it as cheaply as possible.

I buy the Chick-fil-A calendar each fall (free food coupons each month), I sign up for mailing lists, I fill out surveys for coupons, whatever I can find. Last year, I stood in line for an hour at 6am to win a years' worth of monthly meals at Steak and Shake. LOL. Totally worth it. I also keep the coupons in my car, so that they are available if we need/want them.

My mom lives in a smaller town, and she also loves to eat out. She's a step-up, and she prefers the $10ish fast casual places. Her town has a great entertainment book, with lots of buy one get one frees. It costs $10 and goes to charity. She buys one every year and loves the deals that she gets. And, likewise, just keeps it in her car/purse, for whenever the mood strikes. It lowers their eating out bill by half (she's an empty nester).

[SeekingJoy]

I buy used. Sewing is one of my luxary hobbies, and I recently needed a tool to complete a project. I checked ebay first: $4 shipped vs. $15 new.

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by BetsyS

This one will probably get me thrown off MDC... but, I love fast food. I just adore it. I limit it (I'm not crazy), but it is a big treat for me. So, I try to get it as cheaply as possible.
.

I admire your honesty! LOL. But again, its not a normal everyday thing, but a treat like you said. Sort of like halloween candy. We have a lot of candy in the house this week so we are all enjoying it. But that dosent mean it happens all the time, just until the candy is gone and then we wait until next year.

[SuzyLee]

For me, making it affordable ruins the luxury soemtimes. I am not talking about a 150$/month cable TV package, but I like to buy a bottle of Kombucha every once in a while, and I tried making my own to save money, it just isn't the same. Part of the joy is going and buying that cold 4$ bottle of deliciousness.

[Amys1st]

We have several things that are luxury by many standards but we get them at cost or a bit higher.

A couple examples:

We love high end coffee. We buy our beans raw from several outlets and usually they are organic or fair trade etc. We roast our own every 7-10 days or so. Its the freshest of coffee. We are known IRL for our coffee hobby. We even had had people come to our house and somehow just "stand" and "admire" the coffee equipment just waiting for us to make them one. A few come right out and say- MAKE ME A COFFEE!!! We have several high end pieces of equipment = grinder, coffee maker, espresso machine. All were $$$ but we bought over time and paid cash etc. The stuff pays for itself within 6 mos. IF we had to pay for our coffee habit, it would be several $$ a week. We drink a cup every morning and then at least 4 xs a week we have espressos or lattes in the afternoon.

We love high end food. I found a source for organics etc. I also buy a side of beef and a full hog (pick up this week) locally and fed properly as well as organic etc. Its a bit of an upfront cost but then its done for a year. We are eating our filet on New YEars and use the steaks etc for entertaining.
Its great because we both love to cook and enjoy good food and drink.

We buy our liquor and make martinis at home. We also do entertaining at our home. Its much cheaper than going to a bar. We have learned about mixing etc and buying better ingredients nets a much better drink.

We do eat out, go out for coffee , and have drink at a bar but not as often as our palete would like so we learned how to do it on our own.

[Leta]

DIY, baby, DIY.

We have all kinds of yummy stuff as part of our regular food rotation/stockpile- pesto, roasted red peppers, breaded eggplant, marinated mushrooms, tons of sauces, every spice known to man... we eat very well, and are rarely tempted to go out because it's actually tastier at home.

I desperately wanted a ($$$) set of wool hat, scarf and gloves. I found cashmere sweaters at Goodwill, and turned the turtleneck into a hat, sleeves into long mittens, and body into lettuce edged scarf. (Total cost less than $5.) And I don't sew well! Then I made some for my kids, and lanolized all of them like you do diaper covers, so they're even waterproof. People have responded with such envy that I think I'm going to give this stuff for Christmas this year.

We were sick of having a dishtowel permanently stationed next to our dish drainer. I looked for oversized, metal drainer trays, but everything I found was $$$. DH bought an $8 sheet tray from GFS (restaurant supply store) and drilled holes in one end, and attached several washers on the other end (as feet). Now we have a metal drainer tray that hasn't needed to be replaced in 5 years, is easy to clean, and looks cool.

If you want something done right...

[HollyBearsMom]

Well this doesn't make it more frugal but it makes it more enjoyable...

We love to go out to eat, to try all the latest places. I am addicted to Chowhound! It’s not so much how expensive a place is but how good the food is.....

That said our income went *way* down this year so eating out became a luxury and not a weekly, even twice weekly event it had been.

So now we go out once a month. I research like crazy, print menu's, compare reviews. We plan in advance, invite another couple and we really make a night of it. And we order what we want and have wine/drinks.

So while the night in and of its self is no cheaper, in fact probably costs more, it is now one a night a month (instead of 10-12 times a month) and it is an event.

last month we went to this hole in the wall Asian place in Chinatown. 8 tables, maybe and no liquor license. We brought 2 amazing bottles of wine and had the BEST homemade dumplings and Peking duck. To die for! The planning and the research just made it all the more special.

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by Amys1st

We also do entertaining at our home. Its much cheaper than going to a bar. We have learned about mixing etc and buying better ingredients nets a much better drink.

We do eat out, go out for coffee , and have drink at a bar but not as often as our palete would like so we learned how to do it on our own.

We have cut down so much on going out of eat that when we do go, I have to really rack my brain to remember when was the last time?

Before, we thought nothing of going out one or two times a week.

I started getting small quantities of really great nibbles to accompany the Friday night cocktail hour. Now it is a treat I really look forward to and enjoy it more than going out for so-so stuff.

Originally Posted by BetsyS

We live near a university that often has free or nearly free recitals and music performances. It's a good, cheap date night.

Don't overlook university dining. My local university dining hall and little cafes are open to the public. The food is rather decent and very reasonable. The cafeteria charges $7 for dinner and there are so many options to choose from.

At "my" caf, there are always vegetarian options, the grill, fresh/raw fruits and veggie bars, made-to-order pasta and tons of desserts. If nothing else, it is a change from normal.

Maybe have dinner before your free concert?

We need to start going to our university stuff again. We did it so much prior to DS.

[Mulvah]

Edited by Mulvah - 10/16/11 at 10:20am

[_ktg_]

Yoga classes are my indulgement of choice - I take classes 2x week for a grand total of $60 for a 6 week session. I've scoped out an option at work where a teacher is providing nearly 1/2 priced a normal class (average $10-12 per class). I would suggest though also checking out yoga schools if you have one in your area to see if new teachers are available or willing to offer classes to get established at a lower rate.

This is a lifesaver for me and my pocketbook!

[Charmie981]

I really appreciate the tips on eating out. I'm finding that it is nearly impossible for us to avoid eating out and it hadn't occurred to me to find a way to make it more frugal and then feel a little less guilty about the eating out when it does happen. Thanks!

[deditus]

I am an internet junkie. High speed internet is a luxury. So we got a Magic Jack so we could save $ on our phone bill to spend on high speed internet.
I like good coffee, and I have found local roasters (both here in MN and when I lived in MI) who use organic, shade grown, fair trade coffee beans and cost about $10/lb. I think this is a bargain compared to Starburnt.
I buy most of my clothes at Goodwill -jeans, tees, sweaters- so I can afford Smartwool socks & good outerwear & footwear when they go on clearance at REI.

[lil_earthmomma]

Some of my luxuries and how I make them happen:

Yoga classes once a week:

I buy the pkg where I get 3 classes for free if I buy 10 classes.

I asked for classes for my birthday from my parents!

skin cream and beauty treatments:

I soak in epsom salt baths (epsom salts are CHEAP!) and make my own coconut oil moisturiser. I love it, and it makes my skin feel great and makes me smell tropically!!!

I use hot coconut oil for hot oil treatments in my hair too.

[Amys1st]

Another luxury- my personal trainer. ITs $$$ but since its a stretch, it makes me want to do my workout which is exactly what I needed to get my butt going. She comes to my home twice a month, sets up a workout, monitors me etc. Literally in 6 weeks I saw results, now I am stronger, healthier, more energy and it has encouraged me to take it a step farther. So its frugal in a sense it makes me make choices that are heathier and its also worth the $ because I have people say all the time- wow you look great!! Esp DH!

O/T but add to the personal trainer...
I might add, we have had the H1N1 virus this week. I was sick a total of 36 hours with no fever. I attribute this to my heathier lifestyle. Well the tamiflu I started taking within 8 hours of symptoms too LOL but I am the least sick of any of the people I know who got this.

[quelindo]

Originally Posted by Amys1st

We have several things that are luxury by many standards but we get them at cost or a bit higher.

I want to go to there. Seriously, you guys sound like the best hangout in town!

Originally Posted by Leta

I desperately wanted a ($$$) set of wool hat, scarf and gloves. I found cashmere sweaters at Goodwill, and turned the turtleneck into a hat, sleeves into long mittens, and body into lettuce edged scarf. (Total cost less than $5.) And I don't sew well! Then I made some for my kids, and lanolized all of them like you do diaper covers, so they're even waterproof. People have responded with such envy that I think I'm going to give this stuff for Christmas this year.

Do you have pictures? I'd love to see what those look like -- I can't quite envision it. I can't sew either but I'd love to try this.

And about the dish drainer -- I think Amy Dacycyzn wrote about her husband making something like that.

[Leta]

Yeah, in the CTG Amy's husband had a welding shop make them a custom drainer, but IIRC, it was $30+. I wanted one, and DH came up with the $8 tray idea. I told him at the time he was a genius, having outdone the foremost tightwad in the country.

Our outdoor stuff is actually in the wash as we speak, but I'll try to post pics later today.