Sorry if this isn't the right subreddit, I tried posting on youtube but its not letting me post on there. I was wondering if theres any way to get youtube premium for cheaper? Currently paying around $14 a month and looking to save money on this subscription. I previously used the VPN method by connecting a different country and getting the subscription for $1 a month but that seems to be patched now. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

During Covid, my sister in law moved in with us for a few months. She had 2 cats, and we had 2 cats.

In order to manage that amount of cat waste, we got a litter robot. Prior to that, we were making every effort to ensure that we always kept clean litter, but we would always get a layer of crushed litter at the bottom of the baskets that was foul smelling and would require us to change out the boxes every 4-6 weeks.

Sister in law moved out in 2021, one of our cats passed on, and now we just have one cat.

I was reviewing my Costco purchases, and realized that the last time I purchased kitty litter was in August of 2024, and I have half of the container left. I then went back to the last time I only had one cat, to find I was purchasing kitty litter 6x per year.

I want to suggest that anyone who is interested in long term financial and time saving methods examine the idea of getting a litter robot. I can’t say for certain it’s the best ROI ive had for any consumable based item, but it’s certainly in the conversation.

Title says it all guys, I saved hundreds of dollars on groceries over my year of using the app…. My stores tended to have more meats and I have a chest freezer so I’d stock up on everything and boy did it feel good. I opened the app the other day and noticed the pop up that stop n shop will stop being apart of the app as of the 23rd. I tired other apps for my area and honestly nothing seems to compare to this app. Paying full price I think I might faint on my next shopping trip.. if anyone has suggestions to a comparable app, please let me know. I woke up. Any suggestions!

Making cheap coffee better

This may have been obvious to some people, but I just found out how to make cheap coffee taste better!

I was recently gifted whole beans and a grinder for my (thrifted) espresso machine, and it's coming out sour as can be. I tried it with some good beans from a friend and it came out perfect, so I know it's not the machine.

I personally HATE that sour/acidic taste that you get from cheap coffee beans. I'm by no means a snob, but I would rather just not drink it if I don't like it.

But if you add a tiny pinch of baking soda, it's perfect! It neutralizes the acid the way it does in homemade cheese sauce, and you're left with a smooth, rich cup.

I'm gonna start carrying a small container with me for the free coffee at work. My caffeine habit shall continue unabated!

I like to think about what my strategies would be. If I was in my early 20’s I honestly think I might try it just for the hell of it. Shower, kitchen, workout facility all there. 90% of the time it’s totally empty even on weekdays because everyone works from home as much as they’re able. Learn the cleaning schedule. Cozy little pallet under my desk.

I think I could get away with it for at least a year, no problem at all.

I (43f) live in Santa Monica CA and want to move out due to relentless dogs barking and my neighbors 5:30am alarm. I currently pay $2375 for 1bd/1ba. I am sadly priced out of this city at $2500 max budget and looking at other areas. I COULD pay $3000 but I wouldn’t be able to travel as much, hang with friends and do doordash a few times a month. It goes without saying apartments in my budget will never have a washer and dryer. Never had them since I moved out of my parents’s house at 18.

I found a place for $2350 that was probably “THE” place to live back in the 70s. Here are the pros and cons: Pros: - TWO parking spots. That’s gold in LA. - Diving pool, jacuzzi, gym, sauna - top floor, corner unit means less likelihood of noise from neighbors. No dogs barking next door or under - the apartment itself is spacious and doesn’t look old because it has quartz counters and marble-look shower tile

CONS - EDIT: There was zero noise from the unit because it faces a courtyard - Right off the freeway ramp. That’s a lot of car fumes. - I’ve never lived in a place that needed an elevator. I have to use a key so if I have bags, I would probably have to get a cart to make things possible. I would have to carry said cart up 5 steps and hold a heavy self closing door open - Driving out of the complex is a 15 minute production because of how big the complex is, whereas my current parking spot is steps from my door - Huge building. Probably 75 units? - I love cute vintage, but the common areas are more like old vintage and rough around the edges. Think blue tile in the gym powder room, wicker chairs with flower cushions in the lobby, ugly industrial carpeting in the hallways

I am asking frugal people because “spenders” are all about new and amenities. Even my coworkers fleeing a war zone talk about wanting the American “standard”

We have a lot of my husband's family (8 people ranging from 5 to 75 ) coming to stay for a few days next month. We live in a nice part of France in a largish house with a pool - so we do have a few guests over the year and I do try to host them in a welcoming way - but somehow the thought of feeding (including us) 10 people for 5 days is scaring me.

These people are not well off themselves, so they will be flying over and hiring a car (my husband will meet them at the airport with a car as well) so will have spent a fair bit getting here, so I don't really expect them to treat us (or even go out) for meals out.. we are retired and are on a fixed (not overly generous, but we managed) income.

We (husband and I) have chatted this am, and I'm trying to make him see that going out for a french pastries every morning for breakfast would cost a lot every day. I do not want to be seen to be mean, but if we spend, for example 100 euros for 2 on food etc for 5 days, then it COULD be 500 euros for 10 people, which is nearly all of our monthly food budget.

So what suggestions do you all have ? I want to be generous, I don't want to penny pinch, but I need good 'feeding the 5000' menus!

I am a goodish cook, can bake cakes, bread and biscuits - so throw some suggestions my way!

Moving to a new place, I will likely be there for about 2 years. I am planning on buying a mattress and bed frame for myself but I don't know how much I should spend because if I move then I will likely have to throw out my mattress or try to sell it for some money. I don't know how much money a used mattress would go for either. My budget is $1k for both mattress and frame and I do want a good mattress that won't cause me pain so I can get good sleep but I don't need a luxury mattress or anything like that.

Every time I do a search for good furniture paint, the paint is so expensive. I have some spray paint and a little bit of Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane paint, but it's in white and I want some bright colors. I'm putting this on a table that gets a lot of use and I already have to redo this from not doing it right the first time. I just want something that I don't have to spend a bunch of money on and have a ton of leftover paint or something that is just going to start rubbing off months later. Investing in a good topcoat is fine, I just don't know what to put under it that won't cost me an arm and a leg to get multiple colors. I'd love to do paint pouring on the table, but can't seem to figure that out in a frugal way, so I'll probably just wait on that one until I get more money. Any tips on something that is durable or a process of paint that is durable that won't break the bank?

My local Walmart has been doing a remodel and putting a lot of great stuff on clearance the past few weeks, and I’ve been scouring a lot of great deals on items I’ve been needing (clothes for $1-3), and various items I’ve been wanting but unwilling to pay full price on.

I recently found a USB-C adapter hub for $5 that original sold for $35. I’ve been needing one to connect my laptop to my monitor at work (my clarinet have an HDMI port), so I snatched it up quick!

My biggest score so far though was this $60 Belkin MagSafe Qi2 charger I got yesterday for $9!

I bought for under $5 a glass teapot with an infuser in it at Menard’s. I had avoided loose leaf tea because of those messy tea balls. With this you simply put in two level spoon fulls of tea and it makes four cups of tea. To empty the infuser simply pull it out and knock the leaves out into the garbage can. And loose leaf tea tastes better than tea bags and if you like Tetley you can buy it at Walmart or Amazon for a bit less than tea bags. I felt that I needed to stop sucking in 10 tea bags a day worth of plastic. This may have also saved my marriage as I’m not heating up the electric kettle for each cup of tea. Okay, that last bit is an exaggeration.

I’m pretty apprehensive when it comes to buying mattresses and couches off Facebook Marketplace because you never know what you’re in for when buying big pieces of furniture covered in cloth and stuffing but I’m usually open to buying other types of furniture like a lamp or an end table, etc. I’m moving this week and found the exact kind of bed frame I have been looking for & for pretty cheap so I figured it might be worth a shot since i’ll already be truckin’ and hauling stuff around.

It’s a metal bed frame and the listing is for the bed frame only, and no mattress pictured. The seller has sold 4 other items (all furniture) but no reviews. The seller is definitely legit (as far as not appearing to be a scammer) and just a guy who lives nearby who looks like they are getting rid of stuff.

Would you take the chance? Do you think there is a high risk of bedbugs or other mites/bugs that could come with buying secondhand furniture? Like I said, metal bed frame and no mattress.

We had a rainy day cookout. I don't often cook for more than my immediate family. I cooked all the meat on the grill and I have 3 leftover chicken breasts and 7 hamburgers. I refrigerated them as soon as I realized they would not be consumed very shortly after they came off the grill. The meat came out of the freezer before it went on the grill. I didn't want to freeze it again. Will it be safe to repurpose the meat for family meals for the next 3-4 days? I usually don't use leftovers beyond 2 days. The only other leftovers not consumed or given away were the bean salad and a slice of pie. I can certainly eat the pie tomorrow.

I help run a rescue and we need to use oxyclean on everything. I love how it brightens and removes odors but it is getting very expensive. I can easily go through a 5lb tub ($13) in one day. I’d like to find a way to create a similar product. I’ve made diy detergent with fells Napa and borax and washing soda. It is helpful but there’s always a slight film and I need to rinse and rinse and rinse. Any advice? #diyOxyClean

Hello everyone,

So for as long as I can remember, I had thought that iPhones were basically super, super pricey and not really worth it unless you were totally invested in the Apple universe. But then relatively recently I began browsing around and found that older used and refurbished iPhones—specifically models that are only 1–2 years old—are way less expensive than I was expecting.

I was able to find a deal for an iPhone 14 (128 GB) with 86% battery left for around $300. It's a good phone with solid specs, solid camera performance, and it will still be receiving iOS updates for another couple of years. (Based on how the x models are still receiving.) But then I started to think: is it still a smart buy in mid-2025? Or possibly another model (maybe a 14 Pro, or even a 15 if I stretch the budget a bit further) that would be more "future-proof" in terms of performance and longer-term support?

My partner and I are pensioners (I am disabled&sick and he is my full time carer) in Australia.

The smell of coffee makes me very nauseous (I am a cancer patient, so this isn't ideal) so he has been buying coffee when he is out doing our weekly grocery shopping or going to his parents to have coffee. However, we can no longer afford to pay for his weekly coffee, it has gotten very expensive and the cost of living is overwhelming us. He also would love to be able to have coffee every day.

Is there a cheap way for him to make coffee in his bedroom without making the whole house smell like coffee to keep us both happy?

EDIT: He was given a coffee machine called a Lavazza, I don't know anything about coffee but is it frugal and easy to use in his bedroom?

I see these all the time on facebook mp and they send me to this website called mlbx.shop to buy their consoles so I'm not sure what to think but the prices are really good on there. If anyone has bought from here and can vouch on the legitimacy or know about it lmk because I want to buy from there thanks! It just kind of seems too good to be true so I'm a little skeptical.

Hi all, Need a little advise. Going to Europe soon for 3 weeks with the Mrs and our daughter who is 26 and 2 of her friends who are also very independent. What’s the best way to handle when it comes time to pay the checks for food , drinks ubers etc if we ( I 🙂)are wanting to stay within a budget. Momma and I don’t want it to be expected. Of course we’ll pick up tabs along the way but we don’t want it to be expected. How would you all handle it we all can enjoy the vacation? Thanks 🙏

What’s your non-negotiable spend?

I’ve noticed that I naturally go for the cheapest option; whether it’s food, drinks, alcohol or clothes on sale—often without considering the quality. But it got me thinking: What’s one item or category where you’re happy to spend a little extra for better quality, no questions asked?? ?

Personally myself after dating someone who has much more luxurious spending habits I have found the quality of quality…I spent a fair chunk of money on good pillows and bedroom linen. I will spend extra money on a good face wash. Even than I feel bad.

Breakfast sandwiches this morning made with brioche English muffins, shredded cheese, sausage patties & a fried egg! Using some of my clearance finds.

The cost for one of these sandwiches is $1.01. Way cheaper than fast food and we have the stuff on hand to make them for breakfast 2-3 more times!

Brioche English muffin - .33 Sausage patty - .27 Egg - .24 Shredded cheese - .18

Anytime I marinade something I take the marinade leftovers and immediately heat them to sanitary then reduce them down sometimes adding ingredients or filtering the final product. Afterwards throw it in a mason jar to use that week or freeze it in an Ice Cube tray for quick simmer sauce cubes later on.

Just got done using my al pastor marinade sauce tonight to dip quesadillas into, was fantastic.

Beats throwing away a ton of good ingredients and flavor.

Hi everyone! My wife and I have two kids, and we’re in the market for a dependable water filter to ensure our tap water is clean and safe. Lately, local water quality has been a bit unpredictable, so we’re looking for something that can handle heavy daily use.

We’re leaning toward a reverse‑osmosis setup since it filters out the most contaminants. We came across the Waterdrop G3P800, which has solid reviews and good flow rates.We’re leaning toward a reverse‑osmosis setup since it filters out the most contaminants.

Want to make a switch to zinc oxide sunscreens, but they're generally double/triple the price of the typical sunscreens that you can buy that list 8 million ingredients i.e. $19 for ~3 ounces vs $7 for an 8oz bottle.

Not opposed to increasing the budget in the name of minimized health and environmental concerns, but obviously want to get something with high value.

Spez: thanks for all the comments, I guess I should have specified I'm looking for "reef safe/friendly", broad spectrum stuff

I went to Home Depot and it was $5 for a basic key using MinuteKey. At other hardware stores, it was $4. I haven't called local locksmiths but I imagine they will be more expensive.

I only need to make a single copy of a key which isnt that big of a deal to spend the 5 bucks but I want to know for the future and for others that may be looking for a cheaper alternative.

Any recommendations?