My first apt alone

[Dayson]

If you do decide to go the ramen noodle route, take heed...

I did that my first year in college and it was good at first. But now I can't stand the damned stuff. I throw up a little in my mouth every time I see someone eating it.

Also the salt intake is outragous, but thats not really the average 20 year old's first concern.

Cooking for myself has proven to be the most cost effective undertaking I've done since I became self sufficient. If you can avoid eating out as much as possible, you will save a good amount of money.

Using timed cooling systems won't save you much if you're going from full off to full on every 8 hours or so, but it is advisable to turn it down at the very least if you're going to be gone for the weekend or whatnot. It also helps to leave the temp at 78 when hot and 72 when cold, since it's the happiest medium between comfort and effective temperature control (note: I strike a middle ground and just keep it at 75 so the room feels about the same year-round). If you have ceiling fans, USE THEM. If you're cold with the fan on, turn the AC down, don't mess with the fan. Fans do very little to actually affect the temperature in the room, but the simple act of circulating the air will help you feel more comfortable in the space by keeping it uniformly down to that temp, and they use far less energy than your AC so if you can adjust the temp and not have to mess with the fan then you'll be saving a bit there. (Additional note: Box fans and floor fans aren't nearly as effective for this.) Keep your blinds closed when the sun is out in the summer; less sun means less heat being generated that your AC has to deal with.

This form of AC management will also save you a good chuck of money in bills.

[Ohemgee]

Pasta Roni alone is filling.

Rice-a-Roni and some tyson strips is heaven when living on your own.

[Isiolia]

Eh, not much that hasn't already been said.

- Be mindful of what services you sign up for. IE, if you don't regularly watch a lot of cable (as you said you don't), don't get it. You can get a lot of mileage out of broadband internet, Netflix, etc.

- Think about purchases, then think about them again. Depends on what you're used to really. If you don't think much about dropping $15 on a DVD or CD every week/every other week, or picking up a new game often, etc...reconsider it. Netflix, Gamefly, borrowing from friends, all good ways to save.

- Make sure you have food available, but don't be too picky either =P Eating out will burn money faster than you may realize, unless you're getting a couple dollar menu items and that's it. Either way, not having anything in the fridge will likely prompt some delivery or takeout. You can avoid this by having, and sticking to, stuff in your apartment.
You do want to make sure what you're eating is somewhat nutritious. Not just ramen, which is pretty much sodium in noodle form >.>

Bringing snacks/coffee/whatever with you from home will also save money. Vending machines or Starbucks n' such will wind up costing you a lot over time.

- Drink water. Soda, kool-aid, whatever, it adds up. Not to mention alchoholic drinks. If you must have caffiene, you can get it cheaper in coffee or tea. If you don't like the water from the tap, you can always get a pitcher with a filter or something to keep in the fridge.

- Be mindful of how many electronic devices you're running, and unplug ones that you're not using for a while, since standby mode still uses juice. While replacing some devices with others that use less power may be cost-prohibitive, it's something to at least keep in mind.

Basically, be less of a consumer whore, if that applies, and you'll save money >.>

[Azalee]

I would also suggest something like a Costco membership. You can buy non-perishable things in bulk that will last you for a long time. 16 cans of tuna makes a lot of sandwhiches, 24 boxes of mac and cheese makes a shit ton of mac and cheese... Pasta noodles and spaghetti sauce, way cheaper at places like costco and comes in 2's. You can usually get 2 jars of peanut butter for the price of a regular one at Costco... Just use your head. =) Food is probably where it will hit you the hardest.

[Ohemgee]

You can download music and movies; movies take longer and use more power to download (the time it takes to download could lead to over night loads).

[pohibaba]

Best thing to do is write out a budget for yourself and stick to it.

Best post so far in my mind. As an addition to it, make sure that EVERY SINGLE CENT is accounted for at the beginning of every month. Plus, if you have any credit cards cut them up immediately and never get one again. Plus, it shouldn't be difficult to save 10% of your salary every month.

[Groovebox]

Knowing if you can live on the cheap is based on how picky/high-maintenance you are. I'm not picky, so I spend hardly any money on food. Cut corners where you can... Starbucks fiend? make Folgers at home. Fast Food freak? Buy the cheapest value meal. TV addict? Make sure you have basic cable, or just use broadcast cable (shit, it's gonna be digital in feb 2009 anyways)... things like that.

If you live near a Super Target (the target with the deli and grocery store)... go there. I'm a big sandwich fan, and everyday they have some kind of deli food on sale... I go there all the time for lunch and get a veggie wrap or a turkey club... and they don't skimp on the ingredients, they are loaded up. Best part? It costs $2.49, $3.49 with a bag of chips. I don't drink soda anymore, so I just drink tap water.

[Yellowzm]

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

# ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

# Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime.

# Produce about 75 percent less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.

[Quicklet]

- Make sure you have food available, but don't be too picky either =P Eating out will burn money faster than you may realize, unless you're getting a couple dollar menu items and that's it. Either way, not having anything in the fridge will likely prompt some delivery or takeout. You can avoid this by having, and sticking to, stuff in your apartment.
You do want to make sure what you're eating is somewhat nutritious. Not just ramen, which is pretty much sodium in noodle form >.>

I'd like to add that eating out doesn't always have to be cost-prohibitive. Depending on how much free time you have to begin with, you may not always have a lot of time to prepare your own food and then clean up everything. Eating out in moderation combined with picking less expensive items from the menu can keep you within a reasonable food budget if you have limited time for cooking yourself. Also, there was a thread a while back about different meals you could make for under $1-2, you should look that up for ideas for cooking.

[Ohemgee]

Yeah Super Target is great. Do they have any Target club membership discount? Get that shit.

[Deejay]

I would also suggest something like a Costco membership. You can buy non-perishable things in bulk that will last you for a long time. 16 cans of tuna makes a lot of sandwhiches, 24 boxes of mac and cheese makes a shit ton of mac and cheese... Pasta noodles and spaghetti sauce, way cheaper at places like costco and comes in 2's. You can usually get 2 jars of peanut butter for the price of a regular one at Costco... Just use your head. =) Food is probably where it will hit you the hardest.

Very good post. If you're not one who enjoys eating Wal-Mart brand, Costco has all the really nice foods at ridiculously good prices. Plus, buying items you KNOW you'll use in bulk is always good, although you'll look like a Y2K conspirator when leaving the place.

[Tyche]

Cooking for a family of 3, we can eat on less than 7 bucks a day, and eat healthy. Good meals are taco (tortilla's about $1, Cheese $3, Meat $2). Spaghetti is also cheap (just need the prego sauce $1.50ish, meat $2, and noodles $.50). Maybe grab some cheap frozen foods too, like pizza, that is easy to cook when you are tired and don't have the drive to cook. You don't have to live off ramen noodles to eat chep, we consume a bit less than $50 a week on three people (albeit, the baby doesn't eat much).

Also, I fairly recently swapped out all my lights in my house to the newer ones that use less wattage. They take a bit to hit full illumination, but they use verry little power.

With that said, there are some items I'll absolutely splurge on overabundantly, but we make enough money to do that. My cable tv/internet bill is over $100 a month, that is just something I find hard to live without.

[Ohemgee]

Very good post. If you're not one who enjoys eating Wal-Mart brand, Costco has all the really nice foods at ridiculously good prices. Plus, buying items you KNOW you'll use in bulk is always good, although you'll look like a Y2K conspirator when leaving the place.

Not really. The Costco on University and 595 is ALWAYS packed and people leave with a shit ton every time. I can't imagine a time where I haven't spent $100+ at costco.

[Wenslydale]

Make friends with a Kitchen manager at a restaurant. Not a franchise chain like Perkins or Denny's or IHOP. Something small and owned locally. Split the cost of food by ordering shit through him. When I Managed Kitchen's I'd get 25lb bags of rice for ~15 buck. Fresh Fruit and veggies cheap and bulk meat at less then Cub Food, or Wal-Mart. You can pick up just about anything through a Food Service provider as well, TP, Napkins, Hell even furniture. You can buy a GROSS (thats 144 rolls) of Toilet Paper for ~30 bucks. Seriously, I saved so much money NOT buying stuff from chain stores. Also, check out dollar stores. Canned goods have a shelf life equal to the half life of plutonium if packaged correctly.

UNPLUG SHIT when you're not using it. If it's plugged in it's drawing current and if you're not using it then you're just throwing money away. If it's not unpleasant outside, shut off the AC and open the windows. Use light colored drapes. Open them if you're cold, shut them if you're hot.

[Ohemgee]

Make friends with a Kitchen manager at a restaurant. Not a franchise chain like Perkins or Denny's or IHOP. Something small and owned locally. Split the cost of food by ordering shit through him. When I Managed Kitchen's I'd get 25lb bags of rice for ~15 buck. Fresh Fruit and veggies cheap and bulk meat at less then Cub Food, or Wal-Mart. You can pick up just about anything through a Food Service provider as well, TP, Napkins, Hell even furniture. Seriously, I saved so much money NOT buying stuff from chain stores. Also, check out dollar stores. Canned goods have a shelf life equal to the half life of plutonium if packaged correctly.

UNPLUG SHIT when you're not using it. If it's plugged in it's drawing current and if you're not using it then you're just throwing money away. If it's not unpleasant outside, shut off the AC and open the windows. Use light colored drapes. Open them if you're cold, shut them if you're hot.

Check if there's a "Restaurant Depot" near you. It may not be the same, but those kind of stores sell rice, nuts, and other non-perishables at a low cost for a shit ton as well.

[Azalee]

Don't use Ultra Super Duper Soft and Squishy Toilet Paper. One thing we do at my house is buy the huge thing of TP, with some ridiculous amount of rolls like 36 or 48... We bought it like 3 months ago and have yet to run out. Trips to Costco take a lot of money up front but it is way worth it in the end.

[Tekki]

I can only reiterate what people are saying about cooking your own food.

I spend $50 for 2 weeks worth of food by cooking myself.

Eggs and Potatoes. I love em, addicted to them. And they are cheap and good! I make all sorts of egg meals. Casseroles, breakfastlike dinners, omelets. Ramen with eggs. Cheap ass frozen $1 pizza's when your lazy. Tyson chicken products. Juices.

If theres one thing i splurge on is expensive beer. I hate pisswater and will only drink decent beer.

=

[Deejay]

Not really. The Costco on University and 595 is ALWAYS packed and people leave with a shit ton every time. I can't imagine a time where I haven't spent $100+ at costco.

Yeah, you can't really shop at Costco with a bagful of pennies. But, it really does help for the long run. One trip at Costco could last you a half a year on Shampoo, Lotion, Soaps, Rices, Pastas, etc etc. You're right, it's usually packed as hell though lol.

[Viq]

Get a roommate. Do I always like living with 2 other people? Not at all, but I sure like only paying for 1/3 of everything.

[Ohemgee]

Get a roommate. Do I always like living with 2 other people? Not at all, but I sure like only paying for 1/3 of everything.

I think that defeats the purpose of living alone.