16 ms·

Diversify in as many areas as you can. In income terms, diversify away from a single source by learning new skills, training up in areas you're a bit rusty in,

• nivenkos 5y ago
  > In exercise: drop any gym memberships, use things like body weight to train. Run one day, do yoga the next. This is a bit like the avocado toast nonsense though - a gym membership costs about $50 a month which is nothing compared to the near $2000 mortgage payments.
  • leavenotracks 5y ago
    Why the arbitrary comparison with (likely) the costliest outlay? I think it is sound to suggest eliminating gym membership, particularly if under-used. Moreover, it's not optional to pay your mortgage if you have one, gym membership is.
  • throwaway2037 5y ago
    I agree with your "avocado toast" assessment. Plus, for many people, the social aspect of a gym -- even if they talk to no one -- is motivating. Also, the equipment will normally be better and more diverse than you own at home.
  • tonyedgecombe 5y ago
    For people who struggle with their finances it's not just the gym membership. It's the gym membership, media subscriptions, daily latte, oversized car(s), holidays abroad, eating out daily, mortgage payments on a McMansion, new phone every year, overflowing wardrobe and on and on. Most people live pay check to pay check.
    • blaser-waffle 5y ago
      What you're describing is a lack of impulse control, not anything related to a gym membership specifically.
      • tonyedgecombe 5y ago
        Yes.
  • atwebb 5y ago
    Also $7,200 per decade or 3.5-4 months of mortgage/rent payments. Stack it with other similar cuts, each adds 3-6 months of living expenses. It isn't about the 1 it is about the whole. That said, I can definitely see the QoL argument, the original question tends to accept that QoL trade offs are made for financial gain.
  • lolinder 5y ago
    But how are you going to eliminate the $2000/mo mortgage? If you sell your house and go rent in the same area at the same home size, you're likely to end up with higher rent than you had mortgage. If your mortgage is outsized for the area or your house is bigger than you need, you're still not going to be saving $2000/mo, it'll be at most in the $100s.
  • Nitramp 5y ago
    I think this is a reasonable observation, but in certain high cost of living areas, and if you're willing to leave to save money in case of trouble, the math is slightly different. E.g. in SF, you'll pay $3500+ for housing, and salaries are largely adjusted for that level of expense. But your savings are "future money", and you can choose where to spend that. Saving $300 a month, $4k a year, can add up to sums that are significant in a lower cost of living area.
• devoutsalsa 5y ago
  I don't think diversifying one's income is necessarily good advice. I'd rather have one better paying job that allowed me to invest & save than multiple streams of income that split my focus too much. If you have a day job that covers basic expenses, getting a better job might be a better answer than getting a 2nd job.
  • ldoughty 5y ago
    There are second jobs that can be done alongside full time jobs... I'm in a situation getting similar to this Ask HN... I have a family that depends on my income (plus, it's very stable/secure, enjoyable, but unfortunately under market pay). If I find a better job, and things don't work out, we'd have virtually no household income... However, I was able to find a second job (which required honing one additional skill) to pull in $3000/year working a few nights a year... Which helps pay for unexpected expenses.
    • devoutsalsa 5y ago
      It’s definitely harder to be comfortable taking risks when one have dependents. There’s a lot of ways to get ahead. Find a way that works for you.
• Freak_NL 5y ago
  > Become vegetarian, if you aren't already. A laudable goal in terms of sustainability and health, but in most developed countries not a cost saving measure. Meat is way too cheap, and often forms part of the bargains supermarkets use to attract customers. In the long term and the most pessimistic scenarios doing without meat may be cheaper though.
  • ganzuul 5y ago
    Fresh vegetables are cheap. Look at how immigrants do it.
    • joefife 5y ago
      You don't need to be an immigrant. Vegetables are cheap in UK supermarkets. 1kg carrots - 39p https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/morrisons-carrots-211713011 https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/morrisons-carrots-2... 2.5kg potatoes - £1 https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/morrisons-white-potatoes-289912011 https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/morrisons-white-pot... And so on. Vegetables are cheap. It's frustrating seeing people complain about food but not learn to cook. Making casserole is cheap.
      • jiggunjer 5y ago
        Raw, yes. But I use alot more seasoning with vegetables. I spend more time chopping and simmering. And the end result just isn't as enjoyable as a steak.
        • mrsuprawsm 5y ago
          With respect, this implies that you are not very good at cooking. You can make delicious, quick and easy food both with meat and with vegetables. If you try and cook a steak like vegetables, you will have poor results. If you try and cook vegetables like a steak, you will have poor results. If you treat each ingredient - meat, vegetable, or otherwise - in its own right and cook/season appropriately, then you can and will make excellent food.
• danuker 5y ago
  > Become vegetarian, if you aren't already. This is very healthy. But make sure to take B12 if you're going vegetarian. > Though deficiency for those starting out with adequate stores may take years to develop, the results of B12 deficiency can be devastating, with cases reported of paralysis, psychosis, blindness, and even death. https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/ https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vitamin-b12/ Edit: To the downvoters, care to explain?
  • sushibowl 5y ago
    Supplements are usually not necessary for vegetarians. If you include milk, cheese and eggs in your diet you probably get enough B12. If you are vegan you need to take a bit more care.
  • dmje 5y ago
    32 year vegetarian. Never had to take a supplement.
    • ntSean 5y ago
      7 year vegetarian. Recently found out I’m low on iron. Probably because I don’t eat fortified cereals. As a male, I’ve been told not to worry about my Iron intake- but that’s bad advice. Best is not to generalise and instead get a blood test to check vitamin levels. Talk to your GP.
      • ianai 5y ago
        Agree. The people who successfully transition to a significant diet change like vegan/vegetarian probably already see their primary care physicians. Hence they’re more likely to know they’re deficient. A major diet change would be journaling and testing glucose closely to see what spikes and doesn’t. This is more of a 80/90 thing though and not for everyone. Personally, I avoid fortified foods because I supplement with higher quality forms elsewhere. Neon yellow urine is not right.
  • micromacrofoot 5y ago
• oDot 5y ago
  Diversification is indeed the best strategy, but please do not become vegetarian on a whim. Consider the health implications it involves.
  • CaptArmchair 5y ago
    Another avenue is just being more conscious about the meat you eat. There's a difference between having meat-based products as a staple food (e.g. preprocessed meat, fast food / restaurant / take-out,...) and reducing which types of meat you eat, the frequency and where you buy meat products. For instance, a local butcher shop might offer local products, and will be more expensive. But you can offset the expense by only having meat dishes on, say, Sunday. That's just one strategy. Another is to use the left-overs in a next meal. Historically, meat was expensive, and not eaten daily. For intsance, in the UK, "sunday roast" was originally exactly that: a meal that was only eaten on Sunday after service. Sheppard's pie was then a dish made from the left-overs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_roast https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_roast There's more to it then that, but it's a good idea to be aware that historic eating habits do yield many good ideas on how to move away from modern day meat consumption patterns predicated by the abundance cheap meat.
    • pawsforthought 5y ago
      And let’s not forget that cheap meat is possible only because of industrial-scale mistreatment of animals, the abuse of antibiotics, mass devastation of the natural world to grow feed for said animals, etc., etc. We reap what we sow. We’re killing Earth’s biosphere, and soon enough our own species will face its doom. But hey, let’s get another bucket of chicken and keep stuffing our faces with hamburgers.
      • deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
    • mbg721 5y ago
      Being flexible about types and cuts of meat can help with the cost also. At least at supermarkets in my area, a three or four-pound piece of pork shoulder might be buy-one-get-one-free, for about the same price as a pack of six chicken wings or a small strip steak. One semi-major home repair completely overtakes any savings on food, of course.
• ddorian43 5y ago
  > Become vegetarian, if you aren't already. Try keto diet, or maybe even carnivore. Save yourself first, and then look up into saving the planet.
  • astrange 5y ago
    The question wasn't about saving the planet, it was about spending less on food.
    • ddorian43 5y ago
      > The question wasn't about saving the planet, it was about spending less on food. My bad. Then my answer is don't save by eating bad food. It will limit you more compared to the extra cash you'll save (unless you're poor and you have no choice).
  • uxcolumbo 5y ago
    So on a plant-based diet you can't save yourself? Plant-based meals require far fewer resources and is cheaper, which means maintaining societal stability when resources are becoming low - as there is more to go around. A lot of farm land is being used to grow foods for livestock. We could use that land to grow food for ourselves.
    • ddorian43 5y ago
      > So on a plant-based diet you can't save yourself? I'd generally go for keto since that is more studied compared to strict carnivore. > Plant-based meals require far fewer resources and is cheaper, which means maintaining societal stability when resources are becoming low - as there is more to go around. But your health will (probably/maybe) be worse. There are ways to make cheap keto (ex: eating 10 eggs/day in my local area). > A lot of farm land is being used to grow foods for livestock. We could use that land to grow food for ourselves. Then eat grass-fed meat. I do so myself.
      • revax 5y ago
• arvinsim 5y ago
  I am confused on the suggestion to become vegetarian. In economic hard times, one mist be picky and learn how to eat anything available.
• jefc1111 5y ago
  "spend all the time you possibly can with your family. Make them your focus, not your income and "future". Be in the now as much as you possibly can" Retrospect is 20/20... (I'm making the assumption you have had young kids and are speaking from experience). I have spent loads of time with my kids in the last few years (more than many of my peers have) and at times think it has been to mine and (by association) their detriment. "all the time you possibly can" is just too emphatic-an aspiration to be realistic in the messy context of real life. Regrets on some scale are inevitable so learning to accept them is important. Balance is all.