When it comes to personal finance, there’s not a lot of advice that’s really one size fits all. Everyone’s income, expenses, priorities, and circumstances are different, so what works for one person might make absolutely no sense for someone else. But all too often when people give money advice, they share what they’ve found useful without considering if it even applies to the person they’re talking with.
Recently, u/i-push-the-button asked people to share the frugal “tip” that drives them nuts because it simply won’t work for them, and their responses were honestly so relatable. Here’s some of what they had to say:
1.
“‘Just quit eating out.’ Listen, my wife and I try to make meals stretch and cook at home… But we have kids! Four of them!! All with different schedules. We use fast food as a tool rather than a lazy way out. It can be very difficult feeding everyone and running all day with practice, school, pick up, and games.”
2.
“I hate it when people are like ‘if you save ten bucks a day/week/etc you’ll have X amount by the end of the year!’ Like bro, I’m living paycheck to paycheck, if I don’t run out of money after rent that’s a major victory for me.”
3.
“I hate the one where people say go outside for free exercise. Summers, where I live, hit 120° F. I’m not jogging in that. Our summers hospitalize and kill people every year. I work from home and already have a hard enough time establishing work/home separation. I’ve tried and it seems a gym membership is my only option.”
4.
“Change jobs and move to a low-cost-of-living area. I’ve spent 20+ years in my film career. I have rent control. No, I’m not moving to live in a dull city with no job for me.”
5.
“My pet peeve is telling me to shop at Costco because it’s cheaper. I live alone so the portions of fresh things are just too big. The membership and driving to a separate store doesn’t save me any money.”
6.
“Cheap shampoo. My hair looks like shit with that stuff and I get sores on my head.”
“If there’s one thing I refuse to be frugal on, it’s beauty products. Lotion, shampoo and conditioner, soap. Even makeup, to a degree. The last thing I need is a rash or breakout from cheap stuff.”
7.
“Googling coupons! Love the concept but the ones I find are always fake and unusable!”
8.
“Gardening. If you don’t have anything to garden with, it’s a little pricey. Also, if you don’t have the knowledge, the trial and error are costly of money and time. In-season produce bought at the farmers market is so low-cost that I can’t seem to bring myself to garden.”
9.
“I’m a financial planner/stock broker/I deal with money. I absolutely loathe the fucking statements made by every firm — save for retirement, even if just a little helps. Literally, that’s not a possibility for some people. If you don’t have enough money for rent or food, you are at a deficit. How can those people save anything? Also frankly the switch from pensions to the impetus being on the individual to save was a step backwards. Most people have little to no financial literacy and aren’t even aware they should be saving for retirement.”
10.
“Farmer’s markets are another frugal tip that is distinctly not one-size-fits-all. All of the ones I’ve been to in my home area are at least three times the price as Kroger for what’s intended as boutique and higher quality goods.”
11.
“That 50/30/20 is a valid budgeting strategy. No one talks about what to do when your debt payments are 50% of your take-home income.”
12.
“One tip that doesn’t really work for me is to stop using delivery services and buy my groceries at different stores based on coupons, etc. I buy the same stuff weekly from the same online-only store that offers free delivery for purchases at just about my standard base weekly shop