Welcome to the Blog + Lemonade

Welcome to the blog, the frugal life. The other day, I recommended a service to a co-worker of mine which probably saved him a few hundred dollars a year. And I thought, hey, this information really helped someone. Maybe I should share this with other people.  So here we are.

So whether you are looking for some tricks to save a little time or to save a little money, you have come to the right place. I am uber frugal. My wife and I live on less than $130 in grocery costs a month. I look to cut costs and maximize utility wherever possible. 

A lot of the content may only be relevant to you at a particular stage in life. For example, my tips on car insurance probably are more useful when you are actually shopping for car insurance. Other topics, like how to save on your grocery bill, are probably helpful to anyone. I’ll try to mix up the content to have some of both.

So come with me and maybe you will learn something too.

But wait, what was the service you recommended to your co-worker? Well, that was Lemonade. No, not the drink, renters insurance. Lots of big complexes require their tenants to have renters insurance. They also often will recommend a specific company that they probably get a commission from. In my experience, the recommended company does not offer the best rates. But since it is convenient, many people will just sign up with them anyways. The better choice is to do some research yourself and look for some options. In my search for renters insurance, I found Lemonade, which costs $5 a month! Really a steal compared to the other plans that were $18+.  So far, the site has been pretty good for me. I sent proof of insurance to my office and everything has gone great so far.

This advice isn’t specific to just renters insurance though. Any time a company recommends a specific product, you should ask yourself, is this really needed? Or can I get something similar somewhere else for less?

To offer one last example, at my school, we were required to buy a clicker, a device you use to vote on in class polls. Well, next to the clickers in the bookstore was a sign saying that you had to use Duracell batteries in the clicker, and a display with Duracell batteries. Well, I almost bought a pack, but then I thought about it a second and realized the sign was a blatant lie. Electrons are electrons. So I went to the dollar tree and got batteries for much cheaper.

So in short, be skeptical sometimes. Sometimes the most convenient option isn’t the most frugal!