The question is this: how can you cut your costs without losing quality?
Usually, the answer is: get the right equipment, and take a do-it-yourself approach.
Usually, the answer is: get the right equipment, and take a do-it-yourself approach.
- Steel Flasks
If you find yourself buying bottled water on a regular basis, consider a steel flask. You can filter tapwater, add ice, and have a cold Bisphenol-free drink at any time of the day. You could add a small pinch of baking soda to make it more alkaline, and perhaps a crushed grain of himalayan salt to add some trace minerals. They'll also retain heat, and so could be used for coffee or tea.
- Goodyear Welted Shoes
Goodyear welting greatly extends the lifespan of a pair of shoes, as it allows them to be easily resoled. The price is high, but you're effectively getting three or four lifespans for the price of one. It's not just for dress shoes - sturdy outdoor boots can also feature it. It tends to be a sign of good quality in general - if the shoemakers used goodyear welting, they probably used decent leather, have something resembling arch support, and have a variety of 'last' shapes instead of one-size-fits-none. Since resoling doesn't occur to most people, you can thrift a pair of welted shoes, get them resoled, and have them good as new at a fraction of the cost.
- Safety Razors
Straight razors are the cheapest way to shave, but they're not a method for a man in a hurry. Safety razors are the next best thing. Unlike a Gillette Turbo Truck Gun Powerblast 3000, they're not flimsy pieces of plastic packed with useless blades. With a sufficiently sharp blade (singular), all a safety razor needs is a pass or two. Seven blades? A gimmick. Buy a good one, and it'll last forever. The only outlay is on blades, which are far cheaper than the high-octane torture devices the mainstream use.
- Buy in Bulk
Buy the sources of your usual supplements in bulk, even if the price makes you wince. Liquid fish oil gives you more bang for your buck than softgels. Actual liver is cheaper than desiccated liver. Fat, healthy heads of garlic are cheaper than garlic capsules. Maca powder is cheaper than maca capsules per gram. For herbs like gingko and ashwagandha, the powder is cheaper per gram than the capsules. I don't need to say that coconut oil softgels are a rip. And so on.
- Loose Leaf Tea & Teapots
Similarly, loose leaf tea tends to work out as being cheaper than bagged tea of a similar quality. Loose leaf teapots save on electricity if you're a regular drinker. With three teabags, you boil water three times, but with a loose leaf teapot, you tend to drink three cups from the heat-retaining pot. That adds up, especially if you make two or three pots a day, like myself.
- Stovetop Espresso Pots
If you find yourself buying coffee-to-go every other day, consider a stovetop espresso pot. Fill the bottom with water, the middle with ground coffee, and then set it on a stove till the coffee wells up to the upper pot. No need for some enormous espresso machine or the services of a barista.
- Cast Iron Cookware
Cast iron cookware lasts long enough to save your grandchildren money, and the heat retention is excellent for stews. The Japanese traditionally used iron kettles called tetsubin to boil water - they have enthusiasm for the resultant iron content of the water, and this mineralising effect extends to traditional Western ironware. You should be able to thrift an old Western style stove kettle easily enough.
- Thrifted Fountain Pens
I wish I could recommend a new fountain pen over cheap ballpoints, but the most cost effective ones are either A. from darkest China, or B. take cartridges that cost almost as much a ballpoint, instead of sucking up ink from a bottle. I'd recommend thrifting an old fashioned one if you can.
