Frugal February 2020

[Dave Gray]

This is my 7th straight year of Frugal February.

The rules, should you choose to participate:

1) No impulse buys.  You can need a lamp and go to the store to buy a lamp.  But you can't browse and say "oh, I like that lamp."
2) No eating out.  Basically, this means you have to pack your lunch and prepare you dinners at home.  Of course there are exceptions, for birthdays or valentines day or whatever.  But in general...no food for convenience sake.
3) No premium on alcohol.   Essentially, beer at home is OK.  Beer at a bar is not.
4) You cannot buy any clothing or accessories.
5) You must make a budget and review your finances.
6) You must track each cent you spend and share your results.

[pondwater]

I haven't shaved since October 8th. Does that count? I save on razors. But then again now that I think about it, I started shaving my head. So I guess not. Look like a fucking homeless cancer patient, LMFAO...

[Fau Teixeira]

a 4 pack of razors is about $2 at aldi, no reason to skimp on shaving

[pondwater]

a 4 pack of razors is about $2 at aldi, no reason to skimp on shaving

It was on purpose, haven't grown a beard in 10 years. However, the experiment is coming to an end. Damn beard is more work than just shaving everyday 😂

[CF DolFan]

a 4 pack of razors is about $2 at aldi, no reason to skimp on shaving

I've honestly come to the conclusion that cheap razors are useless for me. I've tried Harry's, Dollar Shave Club and cheap disposable razors ... all of which leave me with a rash. I've kept the same shaving cream just so it''s an even example but if I don't use one of the better Gillette razors I simply cannot shave every day.

[Dave Gray]

I've done some pretty big stuff over the last couple of days.

I updated my car insurance.  Since my car is paid off, I was able to ditch comprehensive coverage and get bobo insurance.  After doing quite a bit of research, the cheapest insurance in FL for my (and most situations) is State Farm right now.

I also updated my Internet contract.  My previous one had expired.  I lowered my speed to 100mbps.  If I notice a problem with lag, I'll increase again, but I think that we don't have enough devices on at the same time to cause an issue.  I am mostly concerned about gaming lag, but I do my gaming after hours when my kids are asleep.

Next up is cell-phone.  I'm hearing that Mint is the way to go.

[pondwater]

I've done some pretty big stuff over the last couple of days.

I updated my car insurance.  Since my car is paid off, I was able to ditch comprehensive coverage and get bobo insurance.  After doing quite a bit of research, the cheapest insurance in FL for my (and most situations) is State Farm right now.

I also updated my Internet contract.  My previous one had expired.  I lowered my speed to 100mbps.  If I notice a problem with lag, I'll increase again, but I think that we don't have enough devices on at the same time to cause an issue.  I am mostly concerned about gaming lag, but I do my gaming after hours when my kids are asleep.

Next up is cell-phone.  I'm hearing that Mint is the way to go.

I think Mint is on T Mobile network. I don't get good coverage with T mobile. However, I have been on H2O mobile for 5-6 years with no issues. It's on ATT towers and Unlimited talk/text and 5 GB of LTE which I never even come close to using unless I'm on vacation. It's only $30 a month and if you do autopay you save 10%, so it's only $27 a month. I guess it all depends on what service gets the best reception in your area.

[Dave Gray]

I have Google Fi now, and it's so bad in my office that I literally can't make phone calls.  ...sometimes I can't even send texts.

So, I'm gonna try Mint for a year and see how it goes.  It can't be worse than I have now.

[pondwater]

I have Google Fi now, and it's so bad in my office that I literally can't make phone calls.  ...sometimes I can't even send texts.

So, I'm gonna try Mint for a year and see how it goes.  It can't be worse than I have now.

I think Google Fi run on T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular and switches between them on the fly? Since Mint is on T Mobile also you might still get spotty coverage. I had native T Mobile and I HAD to switch due to poor coverage. In my opinion, ATT and Verizon have the best coverage. Red Pocket Mobile offers talk/text/3 GB a month for $20. You can pick any of the 4 major carriers. I think the blue plan is ATT and the red plan is Verizon.

On a side note, you may have to get another phone. Off hand I don't know if Google Fi phones are unlocked to use on other networks.

[Dave Gray]

I don't have a Google Fi phone.  I bought an iPhone 11 with cash.

[VidKid]

Curious to see how Mint works since it runs on the same network as Google FI. My Google FI hasn't had any problems, but I also don't have the 11 which Google 'claims' they support. Mint comes right out and pushes the 11. Like they know its the issue with Google Fi. Let us know.

[Dave Gray]

Mint shipped the sim cards today, so I should have the stuff pretty soon.  I'll definitely let you know.

My functionality sucks, too.  The iPhone 11 isn't supported (either that or something is wrong).  I can't consistently send pics via SMS.  Unless you're also on an iPhone, I also have some issues sending group texts.  Interacting with non-iPhones is janky, in general.

[Fau Teixeira]

iPhones just suck ..  is the reality, get on an android system and welcome to freedom from apple

[Tenshot13]

iPhones just suck ..  is the reality, get on an android system and welcome to freedom from apple

Samsung Note FTW!

[VidKid]

I actually did try to make the switch. I used a Droid for a few weeks to see how it affected me in my regular day-to-day phone usage.

The truth is I didn't really notice anything different. Other than some layout differences, they had pros/cons on both sides. I felt the iOS was more intuitive for somethings I did daily, while the control of what was on my phone was a nice feature on the Droid.

I really didn't find either one to be 'better' than the other. I was able to utilize both systems to get the same tasks done.

After this trial, I just went with what is being used more in the house (and by family members) to ease communication between everyone and their devices.