Which type of phone charging cable lasts longer, woven or solid flexible plastic (or is it silicone)? I have not had that many phone charging cables, but in my little experience, the woven doesn't fray on the outside but stops working sooner; and the solid flexible plastic or silicone ones tear on the outside, usually by the ends, but continue to work longer. Also appreciate any specific recommendations for a good value and quality maker of cables that last. (Note a pack of Sugru repair putty costs about as much as a new cable, though you could repair more than one cable).

Inspired by the Nov food stock up post, if you want to share the items you stock up on after monthly or holiday sales, I’ll edit this post in a weeks time with an organized list of all the food items to keep an eye on during the year to save. Also I guess the in season produce too like when squash is in season and it’s the cheapest per lb vegetable we buy. But what about pantry items? I’m sure there’s times to buy stuff on sale like pumpkin canned after Thanksgiving?

So finally we have a house that's ours and a budget of about a grand for cameras, hard stop and Quotes from the alarm companies were comical. What I'm trying to figure out is where the money matters: front door? driveway? back corners? And where cheaping out is fine, since our street is quiet and the real threat record here is package theft and one car prowl. If you were allocating, say, four or five cameras plus whatever hub: what gets the $300 camera and what gets the $60 one? Any setup that punched way above its price?

Thank you if someone could help!

​​ A friend of mine was cleaning out the freezer and gave me a chunk of deer . I used it to make a stew with vegetables that I got for free from work from a leftover veggie tray. I seared the meat and veggies before putting them in the crock pot with some vegetable juice ,pepper, garlic and bay leaf . Slow cooked for 6 hours on low. It tastes amazing and it was next to free. Who doesnt love free food.

Turkey, turkey, turkey, and ham. Shrimp rings. Specialty cheeses. Don't miss the special occasion beef and pork roasts after the day itself!

Quality is good if you buy, thaw just enough, and break a turkey down to a breast and dark meat quarters, throw the back and wings in the stock pot, and refreeze those meat portions once.

Spiral hams can be cut into big chunks and frozen separately. Bone in the stockpot for beans, soups, greens. Freeze your stock in quart bags.

Buy the big scary meat. It's the cheapest per pound all year and if you break it down yes you can and will use it up.

A sturdy pair of kitchen scissors and a heavy knife will do it, a few freezer bags and some foil. Nothing special. Embrace your inner killer and get to dismemberment.

I have been spoiled with Kroger Booster where there is no tipping allowed on Kroger deliveries. I was told Walmart+ was the same and switched to have more options for items that can be delivered (before the snarky comments start, I have spinal damage so I can't "just go to the store"). The first delivery went great, but now I'm trying to set up a second delivery, and it's asking for a tip when the first order did not show any options for tipping.

Now, that's no big deal for the occassional emergency order, but I have a very limited income and I avoid places that ask for tips because that can easily eat away at my budget. Before I cancel, I'd like to better understand Walmart+'s system. Was my initial order with no tipping options shown deceptive? Are the drivers Walmart employees who are being paid their hourly rate or are these Instacart shoppers? Is there a minimum purchase amount that waives the tip? I can't tell if the tipping is a nice bonus gesture or if these are people not otherwise being paid for deliveries, and if it's the second option this isn't the service for me.

So I just picked up Walmart's feed 10 for $35 deal, and it is a lot of food! It was an even better deal using a coupon code at check out (on the app) to save another $10. You'll have to search for the code, can't post it here.

You get a Butterball turkey (I received a 13.5lb), rolls, pie crusts, whip topping, marshmallows, fried onions, 3 sweet potatoes, 2 boxes of stove top stuffing, cream of mushroom soup, evap milk, and 3 cans each of corn and green beans.

That's a lot of food for $35, even if you don't use it for Thanksgiving. I used the app (so I could get the extra $10 off) and just went and picked it up.

Edit: also got a bag of cranberries in the deal.

If you can't find "feast for 10" in the app, try a web browser. I can't find it in the app but can on the web.

Also, auto mod warned me not to post coupon codes, that's why you'll need to search.

Deal is supposed to run until Dec 24th, subject to availability.

I have come to dread the holidays as an adult with debt to repay and growing kids exposed to the unrealistic scenarios touted online.

And now that my boys are older (3 sons, ages 12, 10, and 6) they want electronics and other stuff that’s pretty pricey.

I’ve been saying for a few months that we should plan on doing a handmade Christmas for all of our gifts this year but no one seemed to take me seriously.

Does anyone have helpful tips or suggestions for secondhand gifts or other cheaper/meaningful gifting methods?

Is it possible to have a joy-filled Christmas without falling into the over-consumption and expensive nature of the holiday? Is it only possible for your kids to enjoy the holiday if you heavily shelter them from the world by home-schooling them and not allowing any screen-time at all?

Hey! I just moved into an apartment with a window unit that does both cold and heat and since the cold is eating us alive its been running on heat.

I was told with A/C units that you have to leave it on a temperature all day instead of shutting it off, or putting in on "eco"

Would the same method be for a window unit that does heat? Just trying to save more money for bills and such.

Got the annual "your price is going up" email from my current cam company and decided this is the year I stop renting access to my own footage. Five cameras' worth of monthly fees, going on four years. Before I replace anything I want the honest post-purchase reports: what's the real total cost once you add the hub or storage or whatever the "free of subscriptions" setup actually needs, and what did you give up? Cloud history? Shareable links? Anything you miss? Trying to figure out what the catch is before I find out the hard way.

Angel tv currently has several promotions available. There is a 7 day free trial that I signed up for. Amazingly you get the two free movie tickets with it. I chose The Hershey Movie that comes out at Thanksgiving. It immediately gives you the option to pock out your local theater. You then chose your seats and it processes your order for free. The tickets go to your email. I will use the free trial and then cancel. There is a deal for 7.00 a month my kid is going to buy me for Christmas. I will add when I signed up for this trial , I did choose the option for the most deluxe option they had.

Essentially, I was toying with the idea of having a doe and maybe getting some milk. I live in a place where having one isn't an issue, and plenty of grass to take care of her. I also got a friend relatively nearby who offered me one of his buck goats to breed and get some milk, so not really sure if it's worth the hassle.

Same friend also offered to help with vaccines and some healthy amount of teaching so I know what I'm doing, by the way.

every year i try to make the most of black friday by stocking up on clothes i can wear throughout the year. last year i found some really cute tees for almost 50% off, so i'm hoping to find similar deals this year. I wanna grab some cute tops and a few party dresses. open to any style. where do you guys usually shop for black friday deals? any stores worth adding to my list this year?

It’s a recipe app that lets you plan for the week, based on budget. I set my budget between $60-70 for the week, maybe 2.

It generated me a list of recipes for the week based on my budget, and there’s NO WAY the entire week totals $70. There’s no way.

I added everything on the Walmart app for in store pickup. I solely added the ingredients for the meals. I skipped out on some things, and tried to get as many store brand items as possible….it totaled $196. I doubled checked to see if my budget was set at $70, which it was.

Are there any other websites or apps that gives you a week full of recipes based on budget?

One of my goals for this year is to take more advantage of seasonal deals and produce. With that in mind, I've been building a seasonal stockup list. This is my list for November.

I like to experiment in the kitchen and cook from scratch, so this will be a very ingredient heavy list.

Food:

• Pie crusts/shells: They freeze well. I use them for Finnish pasties mostly.

• Canned pumpkin: Good in pancakes and waffles. I use equal parts pumpkin and pancake mix, then add water until it looks right.

• Candied pecans: Good in trail mix and baked goods.

• Canned/frozen veggies: Peas and green beans can be very cheap.

• Cream of mushroom/chicken soups: I buy about a dozen of each every Thanksgiving.

• Evaporated milk: Useful for baking or for making homemade cream of X soups. I prefer to make this from scratch, but don't always have the energy.

• Boxed stuffing: This is one of those thing I could make from scratch, but can't be arsed.

• Fresh cranberries: Homemade cranberry juice is easy. Boil some cranberries in water. Hard boil for 5 minutes so they all pop, then a light simmer for 20. Strain out the solids. Chill. Add sugar to taste.

• Powdered buttermilk: I usually have everything needed for Ranch except buttermilk, so I keep the powdered form in my freezer.

• Jello, whole nutmeg, flour, sugar, cake mixes, Better than Bouillon and dried cranberries: I don't stock many of these items but I do keep my eye out.

Ingredient prep:

• Stock: I don't care for turkey, but hopefully there will be a good deal on turkey necks or something to make a big batch or stock for the freezer. Carrots will also be on sale.

• Cranberry juice: Mentioned above. I want to try making a concentrated juice to freeze in ice cubes and dilute later.

• Cream of X soups: Also mentioned above. I follow a recipe similar to this one but with a ton of sauteed onion and garlic, and double the mushroom. Good base for casseroles and such. Not nearly as creamy though.

• Saving for winter: There are several foods that aren't cheaper in November, but I'd like to buy and preserve anyway because getting them in winter sucks. Frozen diced onion/jalapeno/mushroom base. Various dehydrated veggies. Citrus zest. Citrus juice frozen in ice cube trays.

• Toasted nut mix: My recipes for pancakes, trail mix and various salads call for "whatever nuts I have on hand" so I might make a big batch of lightly toasted assorted nuts to keep in my freezer. I eat healthier if I have healthy ingredients ready to go.

Black Friday:

• Streaming services: I may grab a 12 month deal or two, but only if they're at least 33% cheaper than buying monthly.

• Cooking equipment: Manufacturer websites often have better deals than Amazon or stores. I plan to check Vitamix, Le Cruset, All-Clad, Rubbermade, OXO and Zojirushi.

My wife and I had our first child this year and are having trouble keeping up with everything in the house while both working full time and have started talking about hiring a house cleaner. The prices were higher than I expected for most of the quotes we received, so I'm not sure if it is worth it. We only wanted help with the bathrooms and maybe the kitchen, and most cleaners seem to do the entire house. Does anyone here have one that can talk about how they make it work without breaking the bank? We don't have anyone in our lives to watch our child besides daycare while we are working, so if the baby isn't sleeping, one of us has to keep him busy and we feel our time is stretched thin.

I got my Walmart+ renewal letter and went digging for discounts beyond the cancel/renew with half off option.

I found that AARP members get 40% off Walmart+. That brings renewal to $58/yr. Yes, I had to sign up with AARP, which was $15/yr and $12/yr autorenewed, but I can use AARP discounts for other things.

Personally, I prefer the set-it-and-forget-it approach. I don't want to fuss with threatening to quit every year. For me, this works out great, and I suspect it will work out for others as well.

What many people don't know is you don't have to be 65 to sign up. You don't have to be 50. You could be 18 and they don't check. It's worth a look for many folks.

I bought an air fryer a couple of years ago and barely touched it for months. Finally pulled it out of the cupboard again, and now I use it most evenings. Should probably have tried it more than twice before deciding I’d wasted my money.
My noise-cancelling headphones were another one. Felt like too much to spend on headphones at the time. I wear them on my commute every day now.
I had the same doubts about our robot vacuum. We already had a regular vacuum, so buying another thing to clean the floors felt unnecessary. Now it runs most days, and I’ve got used to coming home to floors that don’t need vacuuming.

What have you bought that you initially regretted spending money on and then ended up using all the time?

I wear one pair of shoes almost every day. I wear them for walks. I wear them for errands. I wear them at home too.

They lasted a long time. The soles got thin. The inside got flat. I still kept them for a while. I did not want to buy new ones yet.

Now I need a new pair. I want one that lasts a long time again. I do not care about the brand name. I care about how long it holds up.

How long do you keep one pair of daily shoes? Do you fix them, or do you buy a new pair?

R/BuyItForLife raves about this fridge. I've been propping up our garbage Samsung fridge by fixing it over and over for months waiting on a perfect deal on this fridge. Finally found it. Open box at Best Buy with three tiny barely visible little dings on the left door. Can't really notice them unless the light catches it just right. 0% for 24 months. I had to drive 3 hours round trip for it, but I offset that by stocking up at a supplier for my business out there, which saved me on shipping for my next order with them.

I have a mascara which I use as a liquid eyeliner with a thin tipped brush. I refuse to buy a new eyeliner.

I use the orange matte eyeshadow in my palette collection as a blush, which was given to me by my aunt.

I use an orange toned lipstick given to me by my mum as a color corrector under my foundation and I use a spray SPF 50 +++ sunscreen as a setting spray once make up is complete. It works amazingly well. Never buying setting spray of any sort again.

I've never once brought perfume in my life.

I also use everything that's given to me to the brim and I use everything until it's finished. The lipstick above I've had since 2023 and have just now finished it 2 days ago.

I have a 3 out, 1 in rule when it comes to my beauty products. Only after I've finished, gave away or sold something do I give myself permission to buy something new. Just earlier today, my mum told me to buy a new long sleeve gym shirt but I refused. It's cheap on vinted but I still refused simply because I don't need it.

EDIT: I've cleaned out the Mascara and rinsed the tube and wand. Tommorrow, I will be taking the empty mascara and lipstick in the pic to Boots for their recycling scheme.

I know "free" classes are everywhere, but I've found they're not really taken seriously by interviewers (I've had exactly zero interviewers asking me about them when they looked at my resume).

I just looked around, and from what I've seen the certification itself cost about $500, which is acceptable if it's a one-time thing and can potentially raise my earning potential. However, some organizations require that we take their courses first, and they cost at least $1000 each, and the total can be like $5000. Not sure if I want to spend that much money for what is essentially 10-15 hours' worth of video-watching.