Penny Pinching

[Opihiman]

Being frugal can be fun. Some of us get a measure of satisfaction in getting the best value for money with even the smallest purchases. Here are a couple of recent examples from my home:

Oatmeal
I'm an oatmeal eater, and have been a regular buyer of Quaker Oats' jumbo box of whole oats sold by Costco. These oats are cheaper (by weight) than any other packaged whole oats we had found at any store ... until last week. We have a neighborhood wholesaler that sells flour, grains, nuts, and all types of cooking/baking ingredients. The shopkeeper buys big 50lb (?) burlap sacks of goods and then pieces them out as customers buy. I just discovered he offers whole oats for NT$25/jin, which comes to about 50% cheaper than the Costco product. So it is half price, and one can buy as little or as much as they like. Great deal.

Milk
Make your own soybean milk - it is not rocket science and a hell of a lot cheaper than store-bought milk. A couple days ago my better half soaked, boiled, pulverized, and then cooked/sweetened to taste about NT$40 worth of soybeans. That yielded us about 1.5 gallons of soybean milk (depending on how thick one likes it), and enough beans left over to make a bean salad for several servings. To do this you obviously need to have some time on your hands, and enjoy working in the kitchen. We put a premium on knowing what is in the beverage we're drinking, so love the homemade hands down.

[jimipresley]

I used to buy my Johnny Walker whisky at 7-11 for 490$/700ml. I now buy the 2 liter ones at Carrefour for 950$.
A bit of a false economy, though. They last the same length of time.

[Chris]

Milk
Make your own soybean milk - it is not rocket science and a hell of a lot cheaper than store-bought milk. A couple days ago my better half soaked, boiled, pulverized, and then cooked/sweetened to taste about NT$40 worth of soybeans. That yielded us about 1.5 gallons of soybean milk (depending on how thick one likes it), and enough beans left over to make a bean salad for several servings. To do this you obviously need to have some time on your hands, and enjoy working in the kitchen. We put a premium on knowing what is in the beverage we're drinking, so love the homemade hands down.

Yeah, but soy milk tastes awful on my Cheerios...

[Opihiman]

Yeah, but soy milk tastes awful on my Cheerios...

Cheerios? Taste? Guess we all have our own tastes.

[sandman]

When I wipe my arse I re-fold the paper after using it and place it back in the packet. By the time you need to use it again, its nice and dry.
The savings are incalculable.

[TheLostSwede]

Soywhatforathing? That just sounded like blasphemy to me...

The again, I make my own yoghurt which works out a lot cheaper than buying large containers of the stuff (which is barely available here) and I also make my own bread.

But there's a limit...

[TainanCowboy]

Living within ones means is a challenging and rewarding game.

[TheGingerMan]

Always carry an array of change. Use those pennies up. It's easier on the merchants, besides........

[KenTaiwan98]

Yeah, but soy milk tastes awful on my Cheerios...

Wouldn't the Johnny Walker taste better? ... Hair of the dog'n'all...

[bobbyanalog]

There are ways to be frugal, but some of this sounds a bit ridiculous like my backpacking days in Thailand...I think when you say "penny" pinching you're really telling the truth...the soy milk thing sounds good if you like doing it and you like soy milk, the money saved I think is just an added bonus though and rather insignificant...in MY opinion, what works best for ME, is to be frugal but only to a certain point, once my expenses are reasonable I find it easier, better and more rewarding to find ways to supplement my income...cause for those who don't enjoy making milk, it would just be another work-like task, and most foreigners in Taiwan could make what you save in the first 10 minutes of an English class...but again, totally undertsandable if you get other enjoyment from making milk...I think there's nothing more satisfying than eating fish I've caught although time to cost it's much cheaper at a market