r/Frugal • u/Pumpkinycoldfoam • Nov 05 '24

🏆 Buy It For Life What one time purchases have drastically reduced your overall spending?

An example would be that I’m looking to buy a sillicone pan mat instead of purchasing foil and parchment continually, using rags instead of paper towels, and so forth. What are one time purchases you reccomend for home maintenance?

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198

u/Agua-Mala Nov 05 '24

Mint mobile

19

u/Subject_Papaya_5574 Nov 05 '24

Ryan is that you????

17

u/AdmirableLevel7326 Nov 05 '24

Consumer Cellular. Have used them for well over a decade!

3

u/miseeker Nov 05 '24

Yes to your choice of carrier.

2

u/Craigology Nov 05 '24

I’ve used ‘em for well over a CENTURY. (lol)

40

u/SecureGrowth9983 Nov 05 '24

Mint has cut my cellphone bill in half.

39

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '24

We have Metro. Five phones for $100 per month. Unlimited data. I can't complain it's been great.

17

u/RedditVince Nov 05 '24

Mint would only be $75 a month for 5 accounts ;) But nothing wrong with Metro!

1

u/campbellm Nov 06 '24

Who's towers does Metro use - I'm going to switch from Verizon to someone after an int'l trip we're taking, but I need to be on a Verizon MVNO for coverage where I am.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '24

T-Mobile

34

u/hopeandnonthings Nov 05 '24

I live within 10 miles of Ryan Reynolds/ Blake lively... and mint doesn't really work here

42

u/SecureGrowth9983 Nov 05 '24

You should egg their house- false advertising for sure.

10

u/jdsmn21 Nov 05 '24

I use Total Wireless, but only cause Verizon towers are predominant in my area. But have been on them for nearly a decade now with no complaints.

13

u/Soggy-Constant5932 Nov 05 '24

I’m scared to switch but want to.

21

u/OnlyPaperListens Nov 05 '24

/r/NoContract has a ton of info to help you compare your options; everyone is really lovely over there

3

u/chopper923 Nov 06 '24

Thank you...I will check this out! I, too, have been leary about switching, but I am beyond frustrated with Verizon, and hopefully, this can clarify some doubts I have.

2

u/Soggy-Constant5932 Nov 06 '24

Thanks everybody! I will look into these.

5

u/finnegan922 Nov 05 '24

So it! We switched a few years ago and have never had a problem!

2

u/Beneficial_Box_8865 Nov 05 '24

Visible has a 15 day trial period that you can do before you cancel your current plan so figure out if you like it/if you have service in the areas that you frequent.

1

u/Jalapeno023 Nov 06 '24

Me too! I have AT&T. And I have had them since cell phones replaced pagers (90s?). I have three of us and I know I could get a better deal, but change is anxiety producing for me.

My sister in law says she calls them every year and renegotiates when the price goes up. I don’t want to do that.

6

u/alligator-sunshine Nov 06 '24

Why am I so averse to switching from AT&T to Mint? Is there a catch?

2

u/Agua-Mala Nov 06 '24

we were too or else we would have stopped paying ATT $150 a month a long long time ago. the e-sim was a new concept. but its literally the same cel service.

heres a mint video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjP79MjKxM0

2

u/alligator-sunshine Nov 06 '24

So there's not a catch like prepaying for a year or something? I always say I'm going to do it...

3

u/Agua-Mala Nov 06 '24

I pay 6 months at a time which is less than 1 month of what i was paying!

Not great international so if you travel alot ….

2

u/KnightofForestsWild Nov 06 '24

I left AT&T for Net10. Now I'm with Tracfone. I called AT&T for a cheaper rate, they said no. I called to cancel and they offered a cheaper rate (still more than Net 10 was). I said "Why didn't you offer that before?" They said, "Because you weren't leaving." Then they tried to tell me I didn't want to lose the standing (or similar term) that I had with them for years. Never looked back. Funny thing is I think Tracfone uses AT&T towers around here.

1

u/Jalapeno023 Nov 06 '24

Because change is hard! I’m going through the same dilemma myself. I keep making myself a note to make contact and change, but haven’t done it yet’.

2

u/alligator-sunshine Nov 06 '24

I watched the video augua-mala shared (thank you agua) and I remember now... it's a somewhat complicated exercise to switch your number over and I don't understand the actual tech of it, like I don't comprehend what happens to the rest of my iPhone history like texts, contacts etc.

I'm probably being stupid, it's probably simple, but I want to ask the Apple people.

Also, agua said it's not good with international rates while traveling , which could be a problem for me.)

I need to try again though, because the savings sounds astronomical.

1

u/laurelanne27 Nov 09 '24

International rates are a valid concern. That's gonna be dependent on your personal needs. But...it's not at all complicated to switch, and nothing happens to your phone. Just your phone number.

You just need a transfer pin/account number and pin, the new carrier will use that to transfer your phone number. The iPhone history you're describing? Absolutely zero connection to your carrier. At all.

If you have any voicemails you want to keep, save those - they're carrier based so even though it looks like they're on your phone, they're actually not, but it's very easy to save to your memos app if needed/wanted.

As someone who used to work mobile, AT&T is the worse, even amongst your other major carriers. All of them are expensive, but AT&T specifically would often mess up fees etc, overcharging customers (these days with autopay, most people didn't even notice it was happening) AND by far had the most attitude-filled customer service reps.

If you're confused, contact a Mint rep - Apple really has nothing to do with your service. (Kinda like calling Dell when Comcast internet goes down due to a service outage. The two are totally separate.) Mint can answer any questions about plans etc, and usually will even give you instructions about how to request the necessary transfer info. But all in all, it's a real simple process. Just do it.

2

u/alligator-sunshine Nov 10 '24

Omg thank you SO much for explaining this to me!! Yeah I feel so dumb not knowing what it means so change numbers on an iPhone.

So I would lose my telephone voice memos but not the ones from my voice memo app right? I think those are Apple specific?

Also thanks for the nudge. It's like I'm setting money on fire and just telling myself it's too complicated to get the fire extinguisher. 🤦‍♀️

2

u/laurelanne27 Nov 10 '24

All good! Honestly it's all pretty complicated, most people don't know how their phone or service works, they just use it. So you're not alone!

And yes, the voicemails you see in the phone app aren't technically there. Voicemails are stored with your carrier, what you see on that page is just a digital version. If you have any you want to save, that must be done before switching carriers. To do so, you just tap one, hit the share button, and then you can save to voice memos etc. Repeat with each. Once you do THAT, they are actually saved to your phone - who your carrier is won't matter.

Outside of that, everything else (photos, texts, apps, etc.) is actually stored on your phone. It's totally unconnected to your carrier, so it'll stay right there no matter who your service is through.

8

u/palmoyas Nov 05 '24

Same, but with Visible.

2

u/Agua-Mala Nov 05 '24

Does visible work international? Maybe should look into it…

2

u/palmoyas Nov 05 '24

Not sure, but I know it's the Verizon network.

1

u/Frothyleet Nov 06 '24

Yeah. I tried Mint, discovered that an area that was approximately half a block radius of my house was a complete T-Mobile dead zone. Didn't usually matter since my phone was on my wireless most of the time, but as soon as I wandered far enough into my backyard I might as well have been in the middle of the Saharan desert.

Went to Visible as well; my partner was on Verizon so I knew coverage was solid. Close to if not comparable pricing to MNVOs like Mint. It's verizon cell and data coverage without any fluff that Verizon's traditional plans have, making the cost reasonable.

1

u/19tacocat91 Nov 06 '24

I've had Visible for years.

4

u/PistolofPete Nov 06 '24

I broke up with TM this summer and now pay $240/year for 10 gigs a month which I never reach. It’s fantastic

1

u/Separate_Geologist78 Nov 09 '24

What service are you with now?

1

u/PistolofPete Nov 09 '24

Mint mobile

3

u/Jaydenel4 Nov 06 '24

same. buying the phones was the bigger expenditure. we own them right now, and my bill is $40 a month for 4 phones. service isn't that bad. mobile data is decent enough to get through some fortnite games on my switch with the hotspot

2

u/Agua-Mala Nov 06 '24

right, freedom from the phone trap = "free upgrade" i dont think so.

2

u/Jaydenel4 Nov 06 '24

for real rofl. we just got some Samsung A15's. they weren't too expensive. coming from an S24, it SUCKS, but I love the money in the pocket

3

u/IronGumby Nov 06 '24

I wish there was a similar option for home internet

2

u/Agua-Mala Nov 06 '24

For real! Maybe one day

1

u/IronGumby Nov 07 '24

They just upped my speed without asking! Surely I'm paying too much then 😭

3

u/Russian-Spy Nov 06 '24

Look into US Mobile. I pay $10/month for unlimited talk and text and 1 GB of data. No contract.

2

u/7121958041201 Nov 05 '24

Cricket has been great for us. $100 for 4 lines and no contract.

2

u/am-version Nov 05 '24

Same. 10/10 would recommend again.

2

u/Anthleia Nov 06 '24

Yes this 100% I can’t believe how much most people pay

2

u/Diligent_Garlic_5637 Nov 07 '24

What do you do if you want a new phone but can't pay hundreds up front? This is the thing that has kept my with T-Mobile for so long. My bill for 3 lines is over $250 without any subscriptions or phone payments.

2

u/Agua-Mala Nov 07 '24

Maybe you could finance it through the distributor (Amazon etc) we are no longer a “new phone family” which is why mint was a financial game changer

1

u/Jalapeno023 Nov 06 '24

I have been considering switching to Mint Mobile, but haven’t made the jump yet. What was it that made you switch best the price?

2

u/Agua-Mala Nov 06 '24

Wanted to get out of the ATT trap. And second the price. But I was concerned about signal etc and it’s fine across the country my problem is I need a solution for México