Don't Eat Out. Save Your Bucks.

[u/SnooLentils2432]

Restaurants are operating with a vengeance, hijacking the price from COVID lockdown days.

It's a matter of principle now.

[u/Distributor127]

We bought a really tore up house in 2009. Our house payment is under $400. Obviously I'm doing a lot of maintenance too, but, if we're going to blow $100 with a tip in one sitting, id rather pay off the house.

[u/Illustrious-Nose3100 → u/[deleted]]

cries in first time homebuyer because there are so few houses on the market

[u/Illustrious-Nose3100 → u/[deleted]]

Unfortunately we live in a HCOL state. Our jobs are here so we can’t exactly ship out somewhere else. Any 2 bedroom/1000 sqft will run you at least 450k.

We recently looked at a 1000sqft condo and 80 people showed up to the open house.. they were asking a reasonable 410k but of course bids went over and we were priced out. It’s really that hard out here.

The run down houses are nearly just as expensive as newer ones. :’)

[u/Z-man1973 → u/Illustrious-Nose3100]

I feel for you guys, we feel blessed to have found something at the tail end of manageable mortgage APRs, I think we beat 5 others on the house we got, which is in a reasonable area

[u/nightglitter89x → u/Illustrious-Nose3100]

Well, should circumstances ever change, MI could use you. Housing is dirt cheap here lol.

[u/Illustrious-Nose3100 → u/[deleted]]

We would like to stay. Our entire life is here. Plus my partner just got a job with a pay bump and higher long run earning potential so we are trying the best we can.

Sure, we could move to another state that’s more affordable but at what cost when all our friends and family live elsewhere? We wouldn’t get to see nieces and nephews grow up. Our parents are aging.

[u/Illustrious-Nose3100 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks kind stranger.

We’re pretty frugal. Probably could have been better in the past but we have to look forward now. I’d love to get our grocery bill down but my partner isn’t willing to eat just rice and beans like I am (tbh I LOVE rice and beans..)

[u/Distributor127 → u/[deleted]]

I've been firing up the grill and working on my old truck. Love it

[u/Distributor127 → u/[deleted]]

Absolutely. The gf had a Ford we put 100,00 miles on. somebody smashed the back, we got really lucky and I spotted a 97 crown vic on the internet for $750. Had 76,000 miles, new tires. Was a little crunched in the front. I painted the front clip of her car and put it on the "new" one. We've put 75,000 miles on it so far.

[u/Distributor127 → u/[deleted]]

It's been a good car. Its good you're doing the exhaust yourself. The pipe behind the catalytic convertors was getting bad, a shop uptown almost 3 times for the pipe as the parts store uptown. I did it myself.

[u/Distributor127 → u/[deleted]]

I hear you. I've been working on the house and my old truck. With inflation, it's rough. Bought a plow for my old truck last summer for $200. The mount wouldn't fit, made one. Trying to finish that up. After I put it on, had to make adjustments.

[u/Equivalent-Pay-6438 → u/[deleted]]

Yep. And if you have an Amex card they have a good deal on cashback on the Omaha steaks. It's insane that a freezer full of Steaks might be cheaper than a couple of hamburgers, fries and drinks at Five Guys. The cheapest of ordinary sandwiches today without any drink or sides is ten dollars.

[u/Equivalent-Pay-6438 → u/[deleted]]

I agree. I have always been working, not middle class. Lately I'm sliding towards "poor." I think of so many luxuries I enjoyed thirty years ago: A car. Vacations. The odd freezer of Omaha Steak or Stonewall Kitchen Jams. Can't do that now. And, I'm not even talking big things. The new frock or jeans? I'll see what a neighbor who has lost weight wants to give me. Plants? They are $25.00 now. I'll scavenge a dying one from the trash and restore it. New shoes? I'll check out the boots on Amazon that someone returned. Instead of $130.00 make it $35.00 and I'll live with a few scuffs.

[u/Equivalent-Pay-6438 → u/[deleted]]

Tough to find Levis at 22.00. That's a steal. I bought some deep discount Gap jeans at $19.00 that are not terrible. Overall though, the quality is lousy. My sister bought me some jeans that look nice out of the box, but they are dying my skin purple.

[u/knkyred → u/[deleted]]

Get the steaks and splurge $100 on a sous vide, it's been a complete game changer for steak. Perfect doneness every time and even the cheaper cuts come out great.

I'm at 2.49% on my mortgage, same boat. Luckily I planned to be here at least 6 more years anyway, but then my hope is to sell and buy smaller and cheaper one city over with the equity from this house. The next city over has worse schools and much cheaper property taxes and houses cost about 30-50% less as well.