Everything is so expensive these days, but in r/Frugal, someone asked, “What are traditionally expensive/’only for the rich’ experiences that you do, but in a frugal manner?” From paying for vacations in advance to building custom bikes, in this economy, I’m looking forward to applying these tips. Here’s what people said:1. “I have an entire cupboard filled with Le Creuset enameled cast iron cookware…approximately 25 pieces in the entire collection. Acquired for pennies on the dollar from a rich person who decided they wanted a new color scheme.”
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2. “I own a ridiculous amount of silk and cashmere…all purchased at a thrift between $0.99 and $7 a piece. I probably have over $1,000 retail value. Once you wear quality, natural fabrics, you will never go back to acrylic or polyester.”
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3. “Back when Norwegian Air was a thing, we’d go to Europe from California for $300 round trip, then fly Ryan Air within Europe and stay at cheap hotels.”
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“I also flew back from Hawaii during the Superbowl and it was super cheap — that plus staying with a friend made the whole trip like $500. I’d go to the fancy hotels and get a snack and a beer and just chill on their oceanfront patios for a while, then head to the beach, then pick up a cheap dinner. Felt super luxe.”
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4. “International travel to Europe every year or so. I am ruthless about finding bargain tickets. I stay with friends or in hostels once in-country. Groceries and street vendors, rather than restaurants. Free +tip walking tours. Walking or public transportation. And an attitude of curiosity and discovery rather than a list of experiences I have to check off.”
5. “When we go to an amusement park or water park, etc., we get all the available upgrade/line passes. The frugal part is that it condenses a 2-3 day experience into one and saves on hotel, food, and car expenses. If you have a week off from school, then you spend half a week on vacation and half the week relaxing at home. Saving time and stress is a luxury the wealthy focus on. Bonus that you pack less, reduce travel frustration, and only have half a mountain of laundry when you get back.”
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6. “I love gardening and houseplants. I have an extensive collection with some pretty rare plants, and almost all of them were free or just a couple of dollars. I’m part of a bunch of plant trade pages on Facebook, and I never miss a plant swap. I’ve built up my impressive collection for next to nothing. I always save the clippings from my plants to replant for swaps and selling on Facebook. Last Christmas, a $45 investment made me hundreds of dollars this Christmas just by propagating and selling all year.”
7. “I love classical music and the symphony; I go to smaller venues, and I’ve discovered the cheapest seats at my local symphony hall have perfect acoustics even if they’re at an odd angle to the stage. I have a velvet evening gown I got secondhand, vintage opera gloves, and a fur wrap that belonged to my grandmother; I get all dolled up, have a single glass of champagne at the interval, and generally feel like the classiest woman in the city for less than a mid-meal at a trendy restaurant.”
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8. “I have a large Victorian house in the desirable part of the city, walking distance to a subway stop and a main commercial strip, bought recently, but it was $300K because it’s an LCOL (low cost of living) city.”
9. “I have a 13-year-old carbon fiber road bicycle that I built myself with a Chinese carbon frame and found all the components as cheaply as possible. I did the whole build for ~$1,500, and it has all the specs and performance of a bike that costs more than $4,000. I’ve ridden it for over 50K miles and haven’t had major problems. Do all the work myself, too. I can’t imagine riding a nice bicycle as much as I do for any cheaper than I’ve done it.”
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10. “I moved to a wonderful small island that is a tourist destination (but thankfully not too touristy). Sea views, no cars. My little cottage is paid off, and an Airbnb the same size is at least $200 a night in peak season. I literally try to go on holiday and go ‘it’s nice, but not as nice as home.'”
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11. “I choose not to work on days I don’t want to (self-employed). I stay home, watch movies, go for walks, and workout. I keep it cheap.”
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12. “I love BMWs. I’ve owned four. I also buy them used after the massive depreciation has been killed and do 90%-plus of the maintenance myself. They’ve been reliable and relatively inexpensive to own as a result.”
13. “Bought a sailboat and live aboard half the year in a beautiful marina. I’m surrounded by $2 million to $10 million homes and beautiful boats, but my boat was $10K. Buy luxury cars from a salvage dealership. I’ve been doing that for 25 years, and it’s been awesome. Shop at consignment, thrift shops, and yard sales in affluent neighborhoods. I wear clothes that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.”
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14. “Amazon had $100 for $70 e-gift cards on sale for like a month this holiday season, I bought two with my Amazon Chase card, which gets 5% back, so $133 for $200 InKind credit, paired with two different individual restaurant promos in app ($30 off $100, the other was $25 off $75), tip can’t be paid with InKind credit but even with paying the full 20% of the bill out-of-pocket as tip, our total going out to eat those times ended up being around 50% of what I would’ve paid otherwise. Costco also has them on sale (rarely), $65 for $100 too.”
15. “I do lots of credit card churning. Flying international business class using credit card points is like peak ‘rich person thing’ that can be done frugally.”
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16. “Entertainment: free passes from the library (ours even has symphony and concert tickets sometimes), seat filler memberships — free and cheap last minute tickets, winery passports from Groupon, discount event tickets from contests, and social media and email specials.”
17. “Travel in the off-season. Learn to love the outdoors in imperfect weather. I got a triple discount for a three-day stay at a cabin near Mount Rainier in 2020 during the off-season (late winter). The stove in the cabin I initially booked needed a part replaced, so they gave me an upgraded cabin at no additional cost, and I got the COVID discount. It cost less than half of what it normally would have.”
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18. “I got my Dyson Purifier Cool purifying fan refurbished from Dyson. It was $310 less than brand new and came in like new condition, save the remote.”
19. And lastly, “We go on all-inclusive vacations to Jamaica by paying monthly for two years in advance. By the time you’re on vacation, everything is paid for, there’s nothing to worry about, and you can just relax. I call it the perfect mom vacation. My husband and I get frozen drinks on the beach while my kids are having a great time at the kids’ camp.”
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Did you ever find a way to hack “rich people” experiences in a frugal way? How’d you do it? Let us know in the comments! Or, if you prefer to stay anonymous, you can fill out the form below.
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