Lowering My Living Costs Even More
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- Here is another review of my living costs. I constantly review and re-review the on going recurring living costs in an effort to lower them. I don't always lower them but rather optimize it for my life. I have increased spending on restaurants in an effort to increase enjoyment and I think this was a good decision. Watch to see the various bills I scrutinize in finer detail.
Darn Tough Socks that broke my streak: amzn.to/2wdjIiq
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Ending Song: Rondo Brothers, Mr. Tea
Next time on beatthebush:
Im being paid to live here. I have ascended on another level.
halipatsui Lmfaoooooo
lul
housesitting
@@darklight6921 but it is work
Teehee :d
You are not far off. Because if I rent out this place, I could potentially move anywhere else and likely pay less in rent than what I receive.
*My family thinks I'm a miser to maximum degree... But thats because they don't know* beatthebush💪
you miser!! Meet- me- the tightwad of the century
@@turboredcart 🎭 yeah my sister gave me the nick namd stingy for short because miser was too long
Black Vito - Moneyology & Philosophy hahaha, my wife thinks the same... little does she know!
@@DanielIles "little does she know" i know the feeling😂😂
@@lfields9773 makes cents 🎭 pun intended
One thing that is helping me get my grocery bill down is I got into a hobby of gardening. And I much prefer to eat organic so I became an organic gardener. And actually put my backyard to good use, now I grow about 80% of the produce I eat. And I love doing it's so much fun. And it's cleaner eating you know that the organic veggies are truly organic.
I think about the time costs involved. I suppose once you get it going, it wont cost much and maybe takes less time than visiting the grocery store. =D
BeatTheBush that’s right. My mom spends like 1-2hrs a day just gardening. But she likes to do it.
@@BeatTheBush if you had a high income job, you'd have to worry about the time costs of going to a grocery story vs delivery. :-)
(Unless you value the experience of shopping. But then, I'd imagine there's probably some retired person that values the experience of gardening.)
That budget is GOALS! People say “enjoy your money and don’t worry”. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it while saving as much as you can!
I do consciously spend money on things I enjoy. $13 for a Pho is 4-5 days worth of food if I make it myself. But it is still relatively low cost in terms of enjoyment.
@@BeatTheBush funny you mention that. My girlfriend buys Bún Bò Huế from a local restaurant for ($11) and it is enough for 3 dinners.
Next video:
*How I stopped spending money altogether*
Haha!. Unfortunately, that might require a video called; "How I stopped breathing air every day"
You might joke about that but it is possible by living like a hermit in a plot of land really far out and not utilities. You just use solar and collect rain water.
@@BeatTheBush high performance building. Worth the investment..
@@JK20239 not really. The cost of maintenance is manpower equivalent to the cost of regular use in a Suburb. Your savings is in property tax. And if you want wifi, then your not saving anything but property tax
BeatTheBush would you ever consider doing that? I find that kind of off grid living really appealing! 🏕
You are doing more than most people would by writing down your monthly & yearly expenses and really thinking about where your money goes. I remember when I started my frugal living journey, I wrote down all my expenses every day for 3 months without changing any habits. I didn't think I had any money to save & invest but when I saw where I was wasting money it was an eye opener for sure! Another great video!
Sometimes, certain expenses are so automatic that you feel is required. That is until you find an alternative.
Thanks for motivation! I’m gonna change my lights for LED ones, n cook more at home, no more junk food, n especially stop shopping for better mood 😅🙏
At my Dollar Tree you can get 2 60w equiv LED lightbulbs now for $1!!
If you didn't do those before, that is a great start.
My electric is about $48 per month, gas is about $20 per month in NYC. I switched to all LED and using up the fluorescence bulbs. You are incredibly thrifty.
10 years from now, I can see this channel becoming the “primitive technology” channel
LOL! Honestly, I think I cannot go that far because moving to a more primitive living style uses a lot of time.
Lol I love that channel
Graham Stephan spends only $85/month on groceries too lol. You guys should collab sometime.
Lol. I only got this low by accident. I bought everything I want to eat while it being healthy. Even buying organic apples which really isn't that expensive.
What’s the speed of your internet?
@@BeatTheBush collab with the TechLead and Graham Stephan, we'll look forward to that episode/s
I spend almost that much every week 😭 I need to get myself together...
$85 a month on groceries...? Mm
I don't think it strange at all, having 2 pair of Darn Tough. I have 5 pair.
I used to blow out cotton socks in a week (washing after each use) and now I only need to replace a pair every year or so. I also walk 5-10 miles a day...
Taking care of your feet is extremely important.
I totally agree. I recently purchased one pair of Darn Tough socks, because of Francis's recent video about them. So far I am happy with them. If they continue to make me happy, I will order more. These socks as good value for the money.
Wow... 5-10 miles is a lot of use. I do not nearly get that much. I bought one pair to test out and really like how comfortable they are, how long they say it will last, and the antimicrobial properties. So bought another because I was happy with it. So we shall see how long these two pairs will last.
@@BeatTheBush I must try a pair of these socks and here I thought Gold Toe was great...hummm...
You should buy property in Arizona, live in a tiny house and 100% off the grid, rain harvest, solar power and garden...burn rate....zero like the TH-cam channel Handeeman (Vegan off-grid couple).
Love your videos by the way.
Lol! Nice! Maybe if I want to live in the middle of no where one day. I still enjoy being near friends and family.
@@BeatTheBush if you live in California and aren't going to the beach regularly, it's like buying a buffet ticket every night but only eating a tiny portion. The only thing you can't do over the internet to friends and family is to hug. Get into VR. :-)
You're insane but that's exactly why I like your channel!! :)
Oh great.. you're encouraging me even more, lol.
I really appreciate the details you give here and I also appreciate the thought process behind each decision/cost. The mindset counts for so much. Thank you!
You're welcome! Exactly why I go through each one in detail. =D
@@BeatTheBush Your insight at the end about cost of living in Thailand was especially helpful for me as I consider adding slow/long-term travel to my life in the next couple of years.
after i pay my rent, i spend 150-250 per month for food, i dont buy mutch else. my rent is 770 a month, water included, electricty 20 a month, internet 9 euro a month, and rest is saved, i live alone, i live in Finland, one of the most expensive countries in EU, i only got Home insurance, what costs me 140 a year
Wow.. that's some pretty low expenses.
Wow electricity only 20 € a month! It’s much higher in Germany.
I also eat everything I have in the kitchen before going out to shop for more groceries. I do go back for bread and soy milk though. I do one big shop a month and nibble slowly away at it. Lol. My fridge is full of fruit and veg and it almost stresses me out with all the decisions and food I need to eat before it goes bad lol. Also you might want to check out the Impossible Burger. It’s vegan and totally delicious!! I couldn’t believe how yummy it was!! Tastes almost exactly like real meat. They also have Bratwursts that are delicious too! That’s what I eat when I want to eat something more “meaty” lol. Great video, Francis! I’m just like you trying to see how low can I go. Lol.
I am on the fence with impossible burger because it has all this artificial ingredients to make it taste like meat. Vegan does not automatically mean its healthy.
Meaty... yeast, mushroom, eggplant, tomato. Concentrate those and it tastes very savory.
Those socks are a good investment. I hate buying things just for. The sake of spending.
It's more of an experiment for me and it's great to have less bulk.
I spend $40/mo on groceries but I have a cafeteria at work :D
Oh wow... yeah that will really help.
How my brother convince me to spent money.
Brother: “you might die tomorrow, and only thing you can take is memories”
Brother: “you want to go to Vegas next week?”
Me: “sure”
(I’m also cheap like beat the bush lol)
For groceries I buy a lot of chicken in bulk keep it in a freezer and other than meat I eat avocados and asparagus.
monthly food expenditure is less than $100
firstname lastname maybe freezing the extra fruits would be less work, and also he hates garden upkeep so he should look into perennial vegetable (plant once and forget) that produce indefinitely like the moringa tree, katuk bush, and asparagus bush
I replied to the wrong person
I used to buy a lot of chicken in bulk and cheap. But stopped because of the salmonella it typically contains that is harmful to your body even if it is killed with cooking.
Thailand would definitely an interesting place to do your vids from
I don't use fridge, I eat all my vegetables within one or two days and because of my health problems I eat stuff that doesn't need to be kept in cold. I use a kettle when I want to have a tea or coffee. That's only source of hot water, I have a boiler from previous owner but I don't use it and instead shower in cold water. It's good for your health and you save money. I try to live a minimalist frugal lifestyle, save money and get happiness from everyday stuff like walking a dog or working out. I haven't been abroad for vacation for over 16 years(and that was with my parents). I feel like I don't miss anything.
First I wanted to say "hold my beer" as a brag, but I don't really drink beer that much to save money. I still have room to be more cheap but I like my comfort. Cheers and thanks for your videos.
Wow... I think your savings level is beyond mine. I can never get used to a cold shower. I am intrigued with trying to eat the veggies within a day or two but this will cause me to go grocery shopping every other day instead of 10 days. LOL.
Hey, 700 in Thailand is super extreme. That doesn't count health insurance. If your current insurance covers a month or so there, then it's fine. Just an update on my current situation. I am planning on moving to SE Asia in a few months. Global insurance for me will be about $400. Although I don't have any serious ailments, I cannot live without it at my age. One incident could easily wipe my out, financially. Healthcare is cheap there, but I'm going to err on the safe side for now. The ins you get over there is cheaper but doesn't have the kind of monetary coverage that a US company provides.
Ahhh... good point. You have to make sure your own insurance works internationally.
But if you consider travel a somewhat routine thing, that lowers/offsets your home base costs, don't you need to display the associated costs? Air fare, hotel, restaurants, etc.
Well.. these are my typical costs for the past few months. I haven't really went international for some time. And the year before where I did go, I spent mostly airline points from my credit card churning.
My burn rate is about 300-400 a month but I’m lucky because I live rent free. Property tax and healthcare would be essential. I am actually disabled due to chronic health problems. So I can’t afford to buy anything. People are surprised how I can even survive on 400 a month. I literally don’t buy any clothes (all my clothes are hand downs) and basically just spend my money on only necessities.
In US, that healthcare will wipe out that 400 in one go.
BeatTheBush you’re right. Health care is extremely expensive in the US. Fortunately I have medi-cal. Almost everything is covered and I really need that considering I have chronic health issues. The downside is that I can only get coverage in the Bay Area. If I ventured out, I will have to pay out of pocket
I live in back of my house and rent 5 rooms out. Big house so what do I need it for?
Good idea.
And you don't need to clean it.
Our basic utility bills with zero usage are more than your bills. We pay $31.80 water bill with zero usage.
Yup... the bills will vary by location a lot.
Francis
I love your frugal living tips. But please don't get married. She will likely not be able to cope.
Actually the right partner can give us our reason and our why to take that next step forward. Choose wisely. Be Cheap, if they still love you, you are on the right track.
@@thomassutherland5188 Right and make sure to have a clause in the prenup that she will pay half of all household expenses including pregnancy. But what if she doesn't have a job ....?
@@Shawk95 lol....there is risk in everything but the rewards of a family can be priceless. Understand where you are coming from. Reason being young and broke is best and the two can build together.
That's thinking too far ahead no?
Before car insurance, I’m also paying $1300 per month in expenses 😂 I hate car costs
I dont know how far you are from the water but you could start fishing to supplement your groceries. fishing licenses are cheap and you could load up on meat from the coast.
Far enough to not be feasible. Plus, I don't eat that much fish anyway.
Ever read Early Retirement Extreme? Jacob is good at lowering expenses, either through his book or blog.
I have seen that but didn't know his name is Jacob.
You could make a huge pot of broth for your pho & freeze the broth you don’t use. This would eliminate eating out unless you wanted something other than pho. You could also invest in a small backyard garden in the summer & then can/freeze your veggies for the winter. It does takes time & effort but, it’s a good feeling when you’re eating something you harvested. Just a thought! Greetings from Sacramento 🌸
Hmmm... freeze broth. You still need the fresh meat and noodles. You still need the pepper, lime, basil, green onion, onion, noodles, and rare beef all to be fresh to reproduce the pho fully. The broth will save some time indeed. I may just have a backyard garden soon although I do not like the idea of moving dirt.
BeatTheBush
True. You can freeze the cooked meat but IMO it doesn’t taste as good after you reheat. You can grow those veggies in your yard (lime trees take a while to produce fruit) during the spring/summer/fall months. When you first invest in your garden it does take time, money & effort but it pays off in the long run. It makes me feel good too because I built it. I’ve saved myself money by growing bell peppers, chilies, tomatoes, onions, chives, cilantro & green leaf lettuce. Your garden will produce seeds to replant again in February 😄
That’s awesome. We spend as little as possible too.
=D
Some people dispute their property tax every year. You can have a law firm do it for you and they get paid from the amount they are able to bring down. In regards to health insurance, why not apply for gov't assistance if technically, you do not have "income?" :)
Anyone who thinks they are frugal, needs to watch this video. Great breakdown.
=D
You’re so next level. I’m slowly trying to reduce our expenses one by one but I don’t think I’ll ever get to your level lol. Enjoyed seeing you cut stuff!
The area you live in also makes a difference with the price of food. $53for electric is awesome.
I highly recommend you sift through an article titled " How gut bacteria tell their hosts what to eat." You'll learn that after a few weeks of a big change in diet, you will start to crave the very diet you are eating NOT what you have given up.
I'm super happy Pho is in the budget. :D
😁👍👍
=D I don't usually follow a budget. I just spend as needed.
Hello BTB!
Whats the point of chasing "pennies" if you already have achieved kind-of financial freedom? Would at some point you start enjoying life a bit more and not stress about if you left the water boiler on at home or not? Maybe explain whats the end game for you and for what are you saving the money for - just a video idea? :)
I too live a semi-frugal life but only for the sole purpose that in the future my living standard would be higher and I can afford the stuff I need/want and not worry about saving every penny, paying bills etc. and focus on things that are really important in life!
Greats videos! Keep up the good job.
Martin1335 that’s why I plan on a part time job when I early retirement, just to pay the small stuff.
What’s 1-2 days a week.?
It's fun to minimize expenses for me. Almost like minimalism where you try to go living with less. It frees me up mentally and physically to service those expenses. Start enjoying life? I am enjoying life. I don't have a water boiler unless you mean the water heater?
You could say, I mostly am optimizing for maximal free time. The free time allows me to contemplate.
@@BeatTheBush Thanks for reply!
Sorry, by enjoying life I meant focusing on something else than minimalism/frugalness (for ME it seems like a waste of energy if financial freedom has been achieved) but If that is something you enjoy, nothing wrong with that and I respect that 100% ! People find happiness in different places. For me frugalness/minimalism has a goal and I don't do it because its fun, rather something I have to do to have fun in the future. :)
I meant water heater, yea. :D
Will look forward to next video, thanks again for reply and all the best!!! :)
Maybe he wants to pay his parent's mortgage for them? (Or even, involuntarily if he hasn't done after death preparations.)
The cost of living in America is not going down, it's only going up. Food prices are going to go up due to floods and drought. The housing market keeps going up, for rents and purchases, too. When wages, Social Security and pensions are stuck at one amount, it is obvious most of us have to have weapons to survive. While each item here is not much in itself to save, added together, it turns into a lot. I have a friend who recently tried to borrow money, as he said he was down to nothing and couldn't pay his bills. He told me a few days later that he eats lunch out every day during his lunch hour. He gets an $8 lunch at a Thai restaurant. I reminded him that due to him working six days a week, how much this costs per year. Not including tax, tip, and extra eating out with friends, playing golf, and whatnot. Some people simply do not consider eating out and weekly activities as adding to their broke status. They just cannot seem to understand that. Or they don't want to. They feel entitled to whatever they want, but when the money runs low they present their situation as dire, on the brink of annihilation. And people who loan them money are not told how the borrower just squanders it. Until they slip up a few weeks later and it slips out.
Yes, for most people. For me, it has steadily gone down in price due to my efforts. Indeed, restaurants is just one of the costly things that could be cut out.
I save on water, by showering navy style -- wet down, suds up, rinse. It's the running water that eats up money, after fees and taxes of course. Leftover water in the kettle goes to the plants, very little goes to waste. Don't run water when washing dishes, you don't need to have the water on full blast to rinse. It's more conservation than money saving. My grandparents were millionaires, but you would think they were in dire poverty, they were so cheap, sorry, I don't want to live that way if I can possibly avoid it. I try to walk everywhere, I don't eat in restaurants, because I'm a fully trained professional cook. I can do way better.
$300/year for car insurance? That is super cheap! Did you purchase the CA minimum liability at 15k/30k/5k?
Ever think to sell the house and buy a triplex? Live in one and rent the others? Maybe that will also help since your house is pretty large for one person.
I like to simplify rather than optimize for maximum profit.
I really feel like you do a great job in having a low burn rate... I also support the going out to eat and buying occasional products, because you do have to live a little! Especially since it seems that you are financially stable - so why not? :) Also, do you budget for socializing? I know that I need to include expenses for seeing my friends...
Socializing I pretty much just do what everyone else does. If they want to buy $200 groceries for the group, so be it. I don't normally keep a budget for anything.
I wish I could get on your level, one lil step at a time right? Are you able to have a garden or grow some vegetables? There would be a little cost in setting up a couple of raised bed gardens but if you have somewhere you can put a few plants like a existing flower bed etc you could easily grow a few tomatoes or when it's cool enough some greens like kale and chard.
I don't enjoy gardening but I enjoy plucking fruits to eat. I may start a few small raised garden beds even though I don't think I'll like it. Lol.
You're an inspiration man, keep it up! I'm also in the process of cost cutting.
=D Seems like I'm down to the bare bones but I have a few tricks to explore still! O_O
I'm surprised you got your car insurance that low even for liability
I pay $30/ month thru travelers ins.
You might be able to lower your grocery bill even further. Where I live you can volunteer at a food bank and they will give the volunteers plenty of food to take home.
Minimizing living costs isn't generally my goal. Rather, it is maximizing free time for myself. I do volunteer sometimes but only when it fits in with what I want to do.
Wouldn't you just be trading your time for food instead of money?
linagee yea, but you’d only be working for an hour or two as opposed to a regular job that would expect you to be there a minimum of a half day.
these levels of frugality cannot be matched, except for a student living at home haha.
That is not a fair comparison. These costs are considering living on your own.
Bought a 97 Camry with 90k miles
For 2 or 3k last year... best thing I've done in a while 😬
Wow... 3k? Well... hope it lasts a few years to make it worth the cost. Camry lasts a long time though.
Camry's are work horses but you unfortunately paid too much.
44 dollars for 2 pairs of socks???!!! That's the craziest thing I've seen on your video so far! And that include that crazy vacuum cleaning video, the feeding yourself with a drone video and that weird reverse parking is sexy video all put together! Who would have thought socks would be my breaking point! Agh!
Lol... I am doing an experiment to see if they are worth it. So sometimes, I spend money to make a video but it's a little for myself as well since I need the socks.
Get ready for higher insurance mine was 375 this was about 5 years ago now 1100. With 5.000 deductible.
Your content is great and applicable to all of us. You are inspiring and appreciated. Best, David Jenson
Wow... 1100. It really sky rockets!
Where do you live exactly brother?
My min water bill is $90 ( goes up in summer to water grass with sprinklers unless I want dead grass lol) and min trash is $35.
And wow your gas electric is $35, I have to pay min $38 just to have gas then electric on top of that.
In California. With trash, there was a trick. With electric, I also have a trick where I got paid $12 this month as a rebate. Info here: th-cam.com/video/NfzrRQ5tlqA/w-d-xo.html
Have you thought about renting out your rooms on Airbnb a couple of days a week? If you go abroad to Thailand for a year, you know that most of these costs can be eliminated...
Yes I have but nope.
Use your savings to get into property. Easy money. Also, why bother getting insurance if you have plenty of savings? Unless you have outstanding health issues or live in a disaster prone zone then it is obviously far more frugal to put the insurance money aside in savings. In the long run that money will more than cover the price of anything the insurance will cover (as a rule, it literally has to, otherwise it wouldn't be a business. Health insurance, for example, overcharges healthy people to cover unhealthy people as well as the profit they make, which is huge) and you won't have to worry about the fine print of your deal. And if something were to happen before that money accrues than you already have savings to cover it.
Just turn into a camel and only eat once a month at a buffet, that'll cut your food bill in half xD
Silly suggestion.
Have you tried cooking sushi or pho at home? Although I totally understand going out to eat.
I actually have thrown sushi parties where I make the sushi from blocks of fish. Making tamago, eel, rolls, nigiri. Pho seems to require about $50-80 of beef costs. So you'll get $8-10 a bowl even if making it yourself.
Restaurnats sounds delicious
=D
I want to get a nice GoPro or something for filming for YT. My iPhone doesn’t have that much storage, so I can’t film for 20+ minutes straight then cut. I have to record 3 min, view, delete, repeat.
Not include our mortgage, we spend about 30% of our take-home pay. We can't wait to pay off our house...
Get on it quick!
Can you take up extra jobs for a while to pay it off? Or sell some stuff?
Soul Journeys Tarot we are sell stuff here and there. We don’t need to take on extra job because we want our family life function properly.
BeatTheBush we couldn’t decide to throw everything into the principals or still contribute to ROTH IRA $13000 a year. We already continue 15-16% to 401k on top of it. If we continue to ROTH IRA, will slow us down about 1.5 year...
Where do you go for vacation? How much do you spend on vacations?
Last year... paid almost all flights with credit card points via churning. Still spend about $100/day for food and activities.
Some of these costs are a bit questionable for large swaths of America. I won't talk about Northeast winters vs California winters but obviously peoples electricity and gas usage will differ based on reason, but water should be constant. You say you spend $25/mo on water. Here in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland....typically there is a customer charge of anywhere between $16/mo to $22/mo just to have the service. On top of that, there is usually a $3-$6/mo infrastructure improvement charge. Unfortunately there is no way to escape this, and the surcharges alone equal, exceed, or are close to being equal to your monthly water usage budget. For example - my last month's water bill break down. $18 Customer Charge, $4.42 Distribution System Improvement Charge, $2 County Infrastructure Improvement Charge, then I used 1,900 gallons of water @ $0.009071/gallon = $41.65
Mine is $15/month roughly just to have the service and about $10/month for the water itself. I think when you add up the costs in other places, it's not that different. You lower the costs as much as you can based on where you live.
I see Darn Tough socks on sale a few times a year for about $15 a pair.
Nice! Good to snag them up but then I have all that I need with 2 pairs.
Interesting.....Since we travel, we share the neighbors trash so we do not have that bill. Our HOA is $410 and includes water. We went solar last year so we only pay a connection fee of $10.
Wow. What a concept. Sharing the trash. But the $410 is killer. It adds up to $100k+ over 30 years considering compounding.
@@BeatTheBush Yes sharing the cost of trash does cut in expenses and solar does help long term too. Our solar breakeven is 7 years but we eliminated an expense for 25 years. We have a guarantee production of 92% at year 25 in writing.
We are happy with the $410 considering most of HOA around here run closer to $1K. One way to keep cost down is to become part of the HOA board and sort of force a cost perspective in the association. One meeting per month about two hours investment.
In our situation, we travel quite a bit we pay for the convenience of not worrying about the outside maintenance or repair.
That's a pretty impressive expense -- only 16k a year. I still have a mortgage and well, my health insurance is pretty high, one thing that I can't decrease.
Cost is related to income. Burn rate matters in coincidence to income rate. Simplicity has the advantage of like you said making one feel lighter. Dead weight of things not needed always great to get rid of.
The lower you get it the more freedom you have in terms of how you earn it. With my current burn rate, I can easily work almost any job and still pay my bills in full.
@@BeatTheBush I burned my fingers for free.
Can you do a video showing your net worth in percentage of each asset? I'd like to retire soon but am unsure when to flip the switch.
It's easiest to flip it when your residual income or side income even is more than your burn rate.
LOL a week after of being vegan and you crave eat doesn't mean you need to eat animals for nutrients. That's just your body adjusting or cleaning out your system, so it's natural to feel different as your body is trying to get used to what you're eating/stopped putting into your body. Anyway, nice video BTB!
ty for your video. i enjoy people going over their costs. i support your diet modifications. its good to listen to your body. also you were becoming a nut with your "restaurants are all too dirty" attitude before. refraining to save money is one thing but that seemed like a phobia or orthorexia type thing. i pay $25 per month in electricity per month (does not include heat, and i refrain from a/c) for my approximately 400 sf apartment. you can probably teach some english in thailand for 6 months or so and pay for your housing maintenance costs. you'd have to have the right visa. my total expenses per month is also around 1200 including rent. but i wonder if i found a few things you left out: dentist? eye exams/glasses. that can't all be totally included in insurance can it?
Lol... most restaurants are a bit dirty still. I try to ignore that when I go out lol. I opt to pay for dental in full if I ever need work done. This is couple with brushing regularly in the correct way to minimize the need for work. Vision is the same, I find the cost to be low enough that you don't really need insurance, just pay it.
You can simply darn your socks and save on the $44...maybe $42. $2 for a little needle and thread. It doesn't take long. 15 minutes if you catch the hole before it gets too large.
I really dislike bumps on the bottom of socks though.
22 dollars for socks. Go to Walmart it’s cheaper. Don’t deprive yourself when it comes to food live a little
good thing is in germany you can live on 200€ a month for groceries and that is much more than you need, i need that much for buying expensive brands, if i would cheap out even more i could cut down to 125-150
I agree. You should keep your purchases to what you think is best for your health. Sometimes, that's a tough call to know what is healthy too.
Watching you talk about things like this keeps me focused. As then I ask myself about certain items that I might purchase but don't really need. As I am trying to be as frugal as I can be with the income I have at this time.
On the way that your eating now I think that it is best that way. As I found if I don't have a balanced diet I tend to feel it physically. I was wondering how you were doing with that thanks for explaining it.
I feel really good eating more veggies and I can tell my body is responding positively. Typical American diet is too meat heavy at 1/2 meat content every meal. You can easily reduce this to once or twice a week that is 1/4 the content in meat.
@@BeatTheBush I am trying to apply a balanced diet and listen to what my cravings are for. When I do that I generally eat better and less. Lately it has been kiwi fruit and tomatoes.
As opposed to craving for chocolate... that's the bad kind of craving. =D
@@BeatTheBush possibly bad depending on the stress levels of the day. 😂
Post an eBay link below and let your fans bid on your stuff
I will look into what I want to sell publicly. I sold most of my stuff privately already.
I can binge watch all your videos!For groceries when things on sale I go and stock up.Great Video ! Thanks for sharing!
Only stock up if you really will use it all. I have some cases where you stock up so much you end up not using half because your preference change midway.
Thanks for the video, Francis! The word restaurant was misspelled from your spreadsheet but nothing to worry about. I'd actually enjoy watching cost saving videos like this. :) Can you make another video on how to harvest solar energy locally from your house or condo in the San Francisco Bay Area to reduce your electricity bill further (other than signing up the PG&G solar thing)? Keep up the good work! :D
Wow... how did you know. I'm actually working on a small solar project for my home right now. I will make a video on it soon.
Spectrum cable bill is 126.00 a month. For standard cable channels and wifi. I hate it but have no choice. I enjoy regular programming. Did not like Netflix, thats like having a full fridge but nothing you really want
* Some of the rich wish people wish to live a poor life style, while some poor people like to live a rich life style and always end up being poor! It’s better to balance, you only live once, the best thing is to live a comfortable life style and give to those in need.
Comfortable does still cost a nominal amount. Typically a lot less than what many people think if you can ignore buying stuff to boost your social status.
BeatTheBush True, just need to avoid their ego boost and showing off their good deeds to others. Take care.
Next video, BTB is naked, realizes he doesn't need clothes at all.
Not in California. In Hawaii might be almost possible except for night time.
Great vid. Keep up the good work. We do the same thing in trying to reduce cost and it is exciting when we can lower our cost.
=D I equate this to fine tuning your expenses. You have to go over it time after time.
Can you make more videos on healthy eating? I just recently got a job and realized I spent a lot eating out every day. I started making food to pack for 3-5 days and am wondering some different meals I can make that will be nutritious. I usually just do chicken, vegetable, and rice (I am allergic to fish but am trying to find things that have protein or vitamins).
Ohhh... I almost feel my meals are not very typical as I go mostly veggies 6 out of 7 days. Rice does have enough fiber and too easily converts to sugar. Typical chicken has salmonella even after cooking is harmful. Protein you can get from beans and tofu.
How do you budget for Experiences and things you love doing? I love travel and my yoga classes and workshops. I try to give myself an annual budget. How would you do it ?
I don't have a budget and spend as needed. I haven't traveled as much recently but before this, I was using a lot of free miles from credit card churning. I used up all of it now.
Watching you talk about saving even more money while I eat Ruth's Chris leftovers... 🤣 it's okay. I didnt pay for it hahaha
Lol... I had some left over steaks before. Sometimes you have those.
@@BeatTheBush no lmao what's funny, well ironic, is that Ruth's Chris is this high end restaurant, for a filet mignon, what I got, is over 50$
I eat white rice and kimchi only .. spent $50/month on grocery
BeatTheBush, you gotta look into getting a Nissan Leaf. One of the lowest cost of ownership cars that’s a newer model that you can get used, cheaply.
I probably wont because right now I have a car already. So when mine breaks down, I'll look for a car then.
I think you may want/need to consider on increasing your liability and having an umbrella insurance to protect your asset. The one way insurance is your call if you think the extra cost is higher than your car value, but it's not really big deal. The value of the car is depreciating and the cost to buy a replacement is fixed but the liability of any accident is not predictable. I drive a cheap 10 yr old car but offset those risk. It may not be optimal financial decision like paying off mort in low interest environment, just for peace of mind.
Assets? I actually own very little in terms of material things that could get stolen. I am considering not owning a car if my car ever dies on its own.
I love Darn Tough socks. One of those classic Vermont products that doesn’t get enough praise. Looking forward to the review!
=D I'm still looking at the cost per use. Something to be said about having minimal number of socks rather than a bucket full.
Nice video!
Thanks!
The contest on who has the lowest cost of living is not one I'm willing to participate in. I live minimal now so I can spend stupidly in the future with no worries of becoming broke
Same here. I do not try to minimize just to make it lower. I take quality of life, health, and saving time all into account.
next video:
My new caveman lifestyle.
"I also need to live a little a bit". Never thought I hear that from BeatTheBush. :-). Almost forgot he was still human for a little bit.
Optimized for lowest cost but highest self satisfaction. So it depends on what you like that you spend money on.
I love pho with nook mum. My favorite Asian dish is Pad Thai.
Your fridge may be old. I saved $10/mo switching to a new one. If you don't have much trash, turn off and ask to use neighbor's.
It's one of the best energy star ratings but then I probably quoted you wrong on the energy use.
BtB! Thanks for this video. It's good to monitor and re-exam progress and make adjustments if necessary. By examining your expenditures and areas that could be adjusted, we learn where we can make changes too--may be not the same ones as you can, but we can live better lives and not be paupers or penny pinchers--just live wisely. Thanks, may friend. Take care.
=D I noticed I was spending too little on eating out so that is why I added that to enjoy something I really liked but did less due to costs.
I only pay for my car loan and half the food. rent and health insurance is paid by my husband. for food i spend like 300 per mo that includes going out to eat with my husband.
Honestly? The burn rate is " how much of my money will I give away to other people and not enjoy it myself?"
I recently retired and am thinking about every penny... I've been vegan for over 3 years and enjoy the fruits and veggies. .great video!
I suppose there are different definitions you can go by. I would categorize giving away as charity/donations and burn rate as my usual definition as everything you spend money on including charity, utilities, rent, etc.
@@BeatTheBush Very good point about charities and giving . Well said. Honestly? Even if one thinks that there is no money to give away - there are so many other ways to give. A smile, paying for the next car's toll, being polite, complementing a person genuinely. I am now looking for alternate ways to give . There's a TED TH-cam video of how this woman decided to live one year without money. She bartered for everything and along the way found her passion as well as good friends: " My year of living without money | Carolien Hoogland | TEDxErasmusUniversity".
My motto for retirement is " Wealth Building" and I am thinking on many levels: financial, spiritual as well as mental. Exciting!
Enjoy your sense of humor. Regular people can benefit from this. I keep my stove unplugged most of the time.
Standby power is a huge drain. BUT, you also have to consider the time to plug and unplug every time. For that reason I pay the price for leaving some things plugged in.
How does a married couple with 4 kids and 2 cars get their expenses down?
There is no way the average person in the US can get their burn rate to anywhere near this imo...
How is health insurance so low?
If not already done downgrading cars. New cars cost a lot.
Also if both dont work ditching other car might be possible.
Less eating out. Homemade food.
Of course child-family cannot get expenses as low.
You could get only 1 car? You can stop buying packaged foods for the kids and eat healthy fresh food.
@@BeatTheBush Thanks B2B all good advice...not always an option to get 1 car but true if able to :)
@zerohecks thanks...already do that but that's just one small peice of the puzzle
Could get a cheap Japanese Toyota/Honda paid off to get rid of car payments and get cheap insurance. These cars are very cheap to repair and maintain. Put $1k away in a emergency fund for future car breakdowns and you'll drive the car in peace. If you make good money, this will be a piece of cake.
Nice VDO! However do not think yourself rich yet with respect to living in Thailand. It is not so cheap there, partly due to the strength of the Thai Baht (currently one of the strongest currencies in the world). Specifically if you want to live a healthy live. E.g. within Thailand a lot of pesticides are used for growing vegetables and fruit. So if you want to avoid eating these products, and try to eat organic as much as possible you will be paying way more than in the US. An other example: an Avocado costs in Thailand 3 US dollar per piece, this is much more than in the US. An other example: a membership of a gym is generally twice as expensive in Thailand than in the US.
Yes indeed, street food is relatively cheap, but what are you eating then: often food that is fried with very low quality oils, do you want that??? And indeed also housing is relatively cheap in Thailand, but do you want to live in a shoe box???
Nevertheless it would be good if you try it out for a month, so you can see for yourself!
Thanks for that pesticides info as I am concerned about that. I think Avocados are California grown so you'd have to eat locally grown fruits and veggies.
I wonder if perhaps you can just buy fruit and veggies from local farmers. Without organic certification you cant tell what is what on the streets.
Whats your strategy eating at restaurants? Do you try to keep it under 10 so you can eat out 10x or 20$ to eat 5x?
I just eat at places that tastes good but doesn't costs that much. I used to eat at higher end restaurants but that seems to matter little to me now.