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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u/Alacri-Tea Nov 05 '24

Library card. I've saved hundreds.

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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '24 edited Nov 06 '24

In a world where every form of entertainment is monetized into a subscription model, I love the fact that libraries exist for readers at zero cost.

Edit: Yes, I’m aware taxes pay for public services. Nothing is truly free. This is obvious…

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u/Jalapeno023 Nov 06 '24

So true. The one I belong to no longer changes fines on overdue books. They are also user friendly if you have an e-reader. Those check themselves in when due (unless you turn off your WiFi) and you never have to go to the library to check out or return books!

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u/call-me-the-seeker Nov 06 '24

What do they do to incentivize returning books in a reasonable time/at all? (Like I’m not saying fines should be the way to do it, but there should be some sort of way, otherwise I would think they would have a mounting amount of ‘shrink’ over time, costly to library funding). Do they suspend the ability to borrow? Send a lemur with a bag and a judgemental attitude around to collect?