Frugal Living - how are you managing?

When I consider buying something now, I do the need or want test. I’ve done this before but am more adamant about it now, not only because of the cost about the use of bringing more items into the house.
 

Doing most of the things advised such as:

Cutting the cord
Exchanging eggs for red meats
Dining out less
Walking short distances instead of driving
Cancelling all non-used auto-pay subscriptions & payments
Traveling less, calling instead of personal visits
Avoiding bottled water, drink more coffee, buying in bulk
Cancelling smartphone service opting for a simple flipper
(have laptop for all my online activity)
Going paperless, cash based, being a better comparison shopper
Putting credit cards in cold storage, quit chasing rewards
Selling stocks bought safer investments (bonds, CDs)
Not quitting Prime, free shipping is a positive
Reduced my impulse buying.
Adhered to the wait & see if I actually need it
De-cluttering my unused 'stuff'
Paying off my auto loan, not buying new

Now I need to get a life!
 
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RadishRose said:
Yep, the YouTube moms I mentioned are largely Mormons; most live in Utah. Just a few are open about their church encouraging stockpiling. At first I got kick out of them, but tired of it.
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Same here. Early pandemic scares pushed my food security fears into high gear. I tuned into some of Mormon and prepper websites and YouTube videos, which only exacerbated my fears. It became uncomfortable to see how hyper-focused most were on increasing their levels of stockpiled food and water. Plus weaponry to defend their stashes.

Most seem downright eager for a widespread disaster to hit. After all, what better validation of their decades of preparation? So many deep disappointments when Y2K fail to deliver.

I'm happy to have a deep pantry for emergencies, but rein myself in when I start going too far down that rabbit hole.
 
squatting dog said:
Imagine the money saved if someone gives up smoking. There was a guy ahead of me in a store and he had 3 cartons of Marlboro smoke's. $183 + tax. :eek:
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that's cheap compared to here..Brace yourselves... in the UK... one pack.. that's ONE Pack of 20 cigarettes.. not a Carton... of cigarettes, One Single pack of 20 cigarettes < Malboro Costs £17.49 .. in US dollars = $20.18 cents ...

This week’s data shows retailers are still squeezing extra profits from their premium cigarette ranges, with just two out of the 12 lines examined charged at their most-common price by a majority.

Marlboro Gold is an attractive proposition, with 78% of retailers charging up to £17.49 for a pack of 20.

Similarly, 77% of shops are selling Benson & Hedges Silver 20s for as much as £16.49

One line that seems to have found its price limit for now is Camel Blue 20s. Eighty-nine per cent of retailers charge £16.99 for a pack. This is the highest most-common price out of all the lines examined and is just 91p cheaper than the highest price.
 
StarSong said:
Same here. Early pandemic scares pushed my food security fears into high gear. I tuned into some of Mormon and prepper websites and YouTube videos, which only exacerbated my fears. It became uncomfortable to see how hyper-focused most were on increasing their levels of stockpiled food and water. Plus weaponry to defend their stashes.

Most seem downright eager for a widespread disaster to hit. After all, what better validation of their decades of preparation? So many deep disappointments when Y2K fail to deliver.

I'm happy to have a deep pantry for emergencies, but rein myself in when I start going too far down that rabbit hole.
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I've never seen the Prepper YouTube vids. Maybe I shouldn't. 🤪
 
hollydolly said:
that's cheap compared to here..Brace yourselves... in the UK... one pack.. that's ONE Pack of 20 cigarettes.. not a Carton... of cigarettes, One Single pack of 20 cigarettes < Malboro Costs £17.49 .. in US dollars = $20.18 cents ...

This week’s data shows retailers are still squeezing extra profits from their premium cigarette ranges, with just two out of the 12 lines examined charged at their most-common price by a majority.

Marlboro Gold is an attractive proposition, with 78% of retailers charging up to £17.49 for a pack of 20.

Similarly, 77% of shops are selling Benson & Hedges Silver 20s for as much as £16.49

One line that seems to have found its price limit for now is Camel Blue 20s. Eighty-nine per cent of retailers charge £16.99 for a pack. This is the highest most-common price out of all the lines examined and is just 91p cheaper than the highest price.
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Oh my screaming Lord!

Isn't price gouging against the law over there? It (supposedly) is here... if you can get anyone to pay attention.

Used to be the high cost of cigs here was mostly the state tax. I haven't smoked in more than 7 years thank God.
 
RadishRose said:
Oh my screaming Lord!

Isn't price gouging against the law over there? It (supposedly) is here... if you can get anyone to pay attention.

Used to be the high cost of cigs here was mostly the state tax. I haven't smoked in more than 7 years thank God.
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well no.. not really , people can charge whatever they wish for whatever they want to sell.. however it's the supermarkets who sell the biggest bulk of cigarettes..

The uk..unlike Spain for example.. can sell Cigarettes from any venue.. whether a supermarket or a corner shop.. a petrol Garage.. or a vending machine... it's not legislated in the same way as Spain and much of Europe, where the vendors of Cigs are specialised Tabac shops only and the govt sets the prices.... no other venue is permitted to sell cigarettes at all.. but here in the UK, everyone can see them if they wish, but the govt set a minimum price..
 
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hollydolly said:
well no.. not really , people can charge whatever they wish for whatever they want to sell.. however it's the supermarkets who sell the biggest bulk of cigarettes..

The uk..unlike Spain for example.. can sell Cigarettes from any venues.. whether a supermarket or a corner shop.. a petrol Garage.. or a vending machine... it's not legislated in the same way as Spain and much of Europe, where the vendors of Cigs are specialised Tabac shops only and the govt sets the prices.... no other venue is permitted to sell cigarettes at all.. but here in the UK, everyone can see them if they wish, but the govt set a minimum price..
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Uh, know what? I made a huge mistake... price gouging only applies during a national or state emergency/disaster. Of course otherwise, retailers may charge what they want. Sorry.
 
hollydolly said:
that's cheap compared to here..Brace yourselves... in the UK... one pack.. that's ONE Pack of 20 cigarettes.. not a Carton... of cigarettes, One Single pack of 20 cigarettes < Malboro Costs £17.49 .. in US dollars = $20.18 cents ...

This week’s data shows retailers are still squeezing extra profits from their premium cigarette ranges, with just two out of the 12 lines examined charged at their most-common price by a majority.

Marlboro Gold is an attractive proposition, with 78% of retailers charging up to £17.49 for a pack of 20.

Similarly, 77% of shops are selling Benson & Hedges Silver 20s for as much as £16.49

One line that seems to have found its price limit for now is Camel Blue 20s. Eighty-nine per cent of retailers charge £16.99 for a pack. This is the highest most-common price out of all the lines examined and is just 91p cheaper than the highest price.
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Wow, that is high. Do you know what the taxes per pack are in the UK?

In the US taxes vary from state to state, highest is Puerto Rico at $6.11 ($5.10 to the territory, $1.01 to the feds), lowest Missouri at $1.18 ($0.17 to the state, $1.01 to the feds). Utah is somewhere in-between at $2.71. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_taxes_in_the_United_States On average that's about half the cost of the cigarettes. I the US government makes more profit on cigarettes than retailers or tobacco companies.

I think cigarettes are awful and would do away with them completely if I could. But there is not a practical way to do that. However I do not think these high taxes make sense, it leads to a huge black market, and maybe worse a heavy tax on the poor. According to Wikipedia:

"lower income smokers (those in households making under $30,000) spent 23.6 percent of their income on cigarettes, compared to two percent by higher income"

That suggests to me the tax isn't reducing smoking so much as making poor folks poorer...
 
ManjaroKDE said:
I was raised 'Mormon' lived the life for over 50 years, 2 flooded basements cured me of storing food. Made good mulch for my garden though. The TV reality show 'Preppers' was produced, written and directed by missionary grads from BYU.
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What fraction of all that stored food do you think ends up getting eaten before it goes bad? I have always suspected most never gets eaten...

Not a Mormon, but have lived in Utah off and on for a long time. So I know lots of Mormons, and have seen a few fruit rooms...
 
Alligatorob said:
What fraction of all that stored food do you think ends up getting eaten before it goes bad? I have always suspected most never gets eaten...

Not a Mormon, but have lived in Utah off and on for a long time. So I know lots of Mormons, and have seen a few fruit rooms...
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I don't know but my mother probably used bulging cans for some of our meals. Seems I spent a lot of my youth bent over the commode. Dumping the 200+ bottled peaches was the last straw.
 
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Alligatorob said:
Wow, that is high. Do you know what the taxes per pack are in the UK?

In the US taxes vary from state to state, highest is Puerto Rico at $6.11 ($5.10 to the territory, $1.01 to the feds), lowest Missouri at $1.18 ($0.17 to the state, $1.01 to the feds). Utah is somewhere in-between at $2.71. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_taxes_in_the_United_States On average that's about half the cost of the cigarettes. I the US government makes more profit on cigarettes than retailers or tobacco companies.

I think cigarettes are awful and would do away with them completely if I could. But there is not a practical way to do that. However I do not think these high taxes make sense, it leads to a huge black market, and maybe worse a heavy tax on the poor. According to Wikipedia:

"lower income smokers (those in households making under $30,000) spent 23.6 percent of their income on cigarettes, compared to two percent by higher income"

That suggests to me the tax isn't reducing smoking so much as making poor folks poorer...
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yep 16 % of the retail price plus £5.96 on every pack of 20 cigarettes... goes to the government in Taxes.. Hugely High ..

In Europe cigarettes are about half the price of the UK.. because the taxes are not so high..

Funny thing is.. I can't remember seeing anyone in the last few years smoking cigarettes ..other than those who are supposedly poor, and in fact supposedly so poor they get food given to them at the foodbank .. ..none of my friends smoke.. and they're not poor.. nor are the necessarily rich.. Even my estranged husband who could feasiblu afford those high prices.. and has been a life long smoker.. has been Vaping for several years now..
 
hollydolly said:
yep 16 % of the retail price plus £5.96 on every pack of 20 cigarettes... goes to the government in Taxes.. Hugely High ..
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Wikipedia says:

...taxes make up 42.5% of the cost of a pack of cigarettes in the US, compared to 82.2% in the United Kingdom, which has the highest cigarette taxes.

I still have family members who smoke, so I get to see it all too often. They are not poor...
 
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Cigarette Price / Tax by State for 2022
State Name Cigarette Excise Tax Per Pack Total Tax Per Pack Average Retail Price Per Pack
Alabama$0.68$0.86$5.37
Alaska$2.00$2.00$8.81
Arizona$2.00$2.37$6.92
Arkansas$1.15$1.49$5.49
California$0.87$1.30$5.53
Colorado$0.84$0.99$5.26
Connecticut$3.90$4.43$8.91
Delaware$1.60$1.60$5.50
District of Columbia$2.50$2.91$7.30
Florida$1.34$1.65$5.50
Georgia$0.37$0.59$4.92
Hawaii$3.20$3.55$8.99
Idaho$0.57$0.87$5.23
Illinois$1.98$2.42$7.56
Indiana$1.00$1.36$5.56
Iowa$1.36$1.69$5.83
Kansas$1.29$1.65$5.89
Kentucky$1.10$1.42$5.36
Louisiana$1.08$1.29$5.42
Maine$2.00$2.35$6.62
Maryland$2.00$2.37$6.60
Massachusetts$3.51$4.04$9.08
Michigan$2.00$2.36$6.44
Minnesota$3.00$3.54$8.40
Mississippi$0.68$1.04$5.47
Missouri$0.17$0.36$4.38
Montana$1.70$1.70$6.11
Nebraska$0.64$0.92$5.32
Nevada$1.80$2.21$6.44
New Hampshire$1.78$1.78$5.81
New Jersey$2.70$3.20$7.66
New Mexico$1.66$2.00$6.53
New York$4.35$4.75$10.45
North Carolina$0.45$0.76$4.87
North Dakota$0.44$0.67$4.82
Ohio$1.60$1.97$6.10
Oklahoma$2.03$2.03$6.12
Oregon$1.32$1.32$5.26
Pennsylvania$2.60$3.07$8.27
Rhode Island$3.75$4.33$8.87
South Carolina$0.57$0.86$5.05
South Dakota$1.53$1.76$6.01
Tennessee$0.62$1.02$5.10
Texas$1.41$1.75$5.78
Utah$1.70$2.06$6.43
Vermont$3.08$3.53$8.01
Virginia$0.30$0.54$4.78
Washington$3.03$3.52$8.05
West Virginia$1.20$1.51$5.53
Wisconsin$2.52$2.89$7.67
Wyoming$0.60$0.79$5.04


Bella ✌️
 
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Bella said:

Cigarette Price / Tax by State for 2022​

​

State NameCigarette Excise Tax Per PackTotal Tax Per PackAverage Retail Price Per Pack
Alabama$0.68$0.86$5.37
Alaska$2.00$2.00$8.81
Arizona$2.00$2.37$6.92
Arkansas$1.15$1.49$5.49
California$0.87$1.30$5.53
Colorado$0.84$0.99$5.26
Connecticut$3.90$4.43$8.91
Delaware$1.60$1.60$5.50
District of Columbia$2.50$2.91$7.30
Florida$1.34$1.65$5.50
Georgia$0.37$0.59$4.92
Hawaii$3.20$3.55$8.99
Idaho$0.57$0.87$5.23
Illinois$1.98$2.42$7.56
Indiana$1.00$1.36$5.56
Iowa$1.36$1.69$5.83
Kansas$1.29$1.65$5.89
Kentucky$1.10$1.42$5.36
Louisiana$1.08$1.29$5.42
Maine$2.00$2.35$6.62
Maryland$2.00$2.37$6.60
Massachusetts$3.51$4.04$9.08
Michigan$2.00$2.36$6.44
Minnesota$3.00$3.54$8.40
Mississippi$0.68$1.04$5.47
Missouri$0.17$0.36$4.38
Montana$1.70$1.70$6.11
Nebraska$0.64$0.92$5.32
Nevada$1.80$2.21$6.44
New Hampshire$1.78$1.78$5.81
New Jersey$2.70$3.20$7.66
New Mexico$1.66$2.00$6.53
New York$4.35$4.75$10.45
North Carolina$0.45$0.76$4.87
North Dakota$0.44$0.67$4.82
Ohio$1.60$1.97$6.10
Oklahoma$2.03$2.03$6.12
Oregon$1.32$1.32$5.26
Pennsylvania$2.60$3.07$8.27
Rhode Island$3.75$4.33$8.87
South Carolina$0.57$0.86$5.05
South Dakota$1.53$1.76$6.01
Tennessee$0.62$1.02$5.10
Texas$1.41$1.75$5.78
Utah$1.70$2.06$6.43
Vermont$3.08$3.53$8.01
Virginia$0.30$0.54$4.78
Washington$3.03$3.52$8.05
West Virginia$1.20$1.51$5.53
Wisconsin$2.52$2.89$7.67
Wyoming$0.60$0.79$5.04


Bella ✌️
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Cigarettes are a lot more than $5.53 in California. Close to $10 a pack in most places.

I'm not sure where the above information came from, but I just double checked California's excise tax on cigarettes. It's $2.87 per pack, not 87¢ per pack. Federal excise taxes add another $1.01 per pack. Then there's state and local sales tax, which ranges from a low of 7.25% in some counties to 10.75% in others. (It's 9.5% in the City of Los Angeles).

It's been decades since cigarettes cost $5.53 in California. I haven't smoked since the early 80s, but it's hard to miss the price of a pack of cigarettes when the person in front of you at a convenience store buys a pack.

https://cdtfa.ca.gov/industry/cigarette-and-tobacco-products.htm
https://igentax.com/cigarette-tax-state/#___Federal_tobacco__cigarette_taxes__
 
StarSong said:
Cigarettes are a lot more than $5.53 in California. Close to $10 a pack in most places.

I'm not sure where the above information came from, but I just double checked California's excise tax on cigarettes. It's $2.87 per pack, not 87¢ per pack. Federal excise taxes add another $1.01 per pack. Then there's state and local sales tax, which ranges from a low of 7.25% in some counties to 10.75% in others. (It's 9.5% in the City of Los Angeles).

It's been decades since cigarettes cost $5.53 in California. I haven't smoked since the early 80s, but it's hard to miss the price of a pack of cigarettes when the person in front of you at a convenience store buys a pack.

https://cdtfa.ca.gov/industry/cigarette-and-tobacco-products.htm
https://igentax.com/cigarette-tax-state/#___Federal_tobacco__cigarette_taxes__
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$2.97 per pack ????...OMG.. that's like 10 % of the cost of a pack here..:eek: don't let the smokers know, they'll all be emigrating..
 

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