TL;DR I saved $416 on January from cycling, cooking, and car washing. Cooking contributed the most in terms of $/hour, and cycling contributed the most in terms of pure $.
Hi everyone, I just want to share how my frugality journey went this January 2017.
The biggest frugal habits I'm exercising now are:
- commuting to work by cycling,
- cooking work lunches instead of buying, and
- washing my own car instead of paying for the service
Here is the overview:
| Frugal Measure | Jan 2017 Count | Cost of FM | Cost for Alternative | Total Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bike commute | 32 | $0 | $7 by train | $224 |
| Work lunch | 15 | ~$3 | $12.5 | $142.5 |
| Car wash | 2 | ~$0.27 | $25 | $49.46 |
| Total | $415.96 |
If I evaluated the $ I made per hour, it would look like this:
| Frugal Measure | Savings per instance | Time to do | Savings per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bike commute | $7 | 40 min | $10.5/hr |
| Work lunch | $9.5 | 30 min - 90 min (depending on dish complexity) | $25.3 - $76/hr |
| Car wash | $24.73 | 1 hour | $24.73/hr |
Savings per hour with work lunches is multiplied by four, as each cooking session produces an average of four meals (Sometimes more, sometimes less).
This computation made me value cooking so much more. If I cooked 4 meals in bulk in 30 minutes (if it's a simple dish), that "side job" would be paying me $76/hour! Even more if I make larger batches. And potentially less if it takes me more time or if I cook smaller batches.
Here's my blog post if you're interested, but I've summed it up for you in this post. :) I'm not sure if this is allowed, but I can remove it if needed.
February 02, 2017 at 09:00PM
