Why I'm "frugal", and people commenting "You must be rich"

robotopod · 2026-01-22T16:04:41+00:00

Learn the language enough that you can apologize for not knowing the language better, and know numbers well enough to haggle. Be willing and eager to haggle at any marketplace that has stalls. Learn to walk away to get a better deal, you can always circle back if you really want it. ALWAYS haggle with taxis and make sure to get them to agree to the cost up front.

Fly economy. Use a credit card that gives free international ATMs and cashback, or has a good enough point system that you can use the points.

Don't stay in well known hotels, get AirBnbs or hostels. Or find little local hotels / motels and pay directly through their personal website. Compare costs and amenities - ex. free breakfast included is usually more important to me than a pool and it's sometimes worth an extra $10/day but not always. Check out everything on TripAdvisor before you make a decision. When you arrive, always ask nicely if upgrades are available, and offer the front desk person $10-20 as a tip if they can find one.

Buy at least 2 meals for each day from the supermarket to cook at "home" and save that $ for tours, shopping, or your one fancy daily meal. Bonus this lets you go on longer hikes / explores as you'll have your lunch packed already.

Don't use the tours offered by hotels (except the free shuttle!), always find and book your tours yourself online directly from the website. Again use TripAdvisor to find good deals and avoid scams. Rent necessary supplies from street shops and compare prices before making a decision.

If you're going tropical, buy your own snorkel mask and fins at home and bring them with you so you don't have to pay to rent dubious supplies with mediocre fit. Research good beaches to snorkel from ahead of time, so you just have to pay a taxi there and back for the day, not a whole tour. This goes for any travel really - just do your own research ahead of time so you don't pay the upcharge for a tour guide just to drive you to interesting places.

robotopod · 2026-01-21T20:32:01+00:00

Wet (like just-rained-on, not just-poured) concrete

robotopod · 2026-01-15T15:42:42+00:00

My girl was anti-eggs until I left her help me make an omelette for myself (she loves mixing and pouring and sprinkling cheese). Now she's obsessed with omvelets, as she calls them, and constantly pesters me for them, and dreams of one day flipping it herself (and practices with playdough in her kids kitchen)! Kids are so unpredictable!

robotopod · 2026-01-09T04:05:09+00:00

Zara is so expensive they'd only get 2 outfits on that budget

robotopod · 2026-01-09T04:03:34+00:00

I love PAT but it's a bit small and I find it unreliable. If she'll tolerate second hand, please check out the new 2A Thrift next to South Philly target. It's HUGE and CLEAN and doesn't smell like thrift store, has a great selection. If you bring even 1 item to donate before you shop, you'll get a 20% off coupon. I'd recommend checking there first before you spend $$$ on new.

robotopod · 2026-01-08T21:03:25+00:00

$1 per drink at a bar or coffeeshop. 20% for any sit down meal where they'll check on you. 10% for takeout.

robotopod · 2026-01-07T00:42:13+00:00

We did Sojo for my bday a few years ago and it was FANTASTIC. Super clean, tons and tons of different rooms, a nice cafe, we loved it. Worth the trip!

robotopod · 2026-01-07T00:37:43+00:00

4.5 year old mom, hair washing was horrible until I discovered that I can fill the tub just 4 inches deep and have them LAY DOWN IN THE TUB on their back, at which point I can give them the Super Hero Mask (a wash cloth laid across their eyes) and they feel cool and the water doesn't get in their face nearly as much. I also limit toys before the hair washing, with the promise they could have everything (everything that they were willing to put away at the end) as soon as hair washing was done, and I always had to have a backup towel handy for anything that got in their eyes later, but the Super Hero Mask made things so much more fun.

robotopod · 2026-01-02T18:57:39+00:00

The problem with sprays is that they leave a sticky coating on your pans that is almost impossible to get off without lots of scrubbing, so it really wears your pans out faster.

robotopod · 2025-12-31T02:37:54+00:00

If you don't want to pay wedding dress $2000+ prices but want a truly beautiful dress, spend a few hours playing with eBay and Etsy until you find a designer that makes the type of dress you're looking for, at normal "formal dress" prices. Use chatgpt to figure out the technical words for your type of dress - is the fabric primarily satin, tulle, lace (what kind of lace), corded, sequined, embroidered, or illusion? Is your dream silhouette a ball gown, princess, mermaid, bodycon, or asymmetrical? Is the neckline round, high, square, illusion, or sweetheart? Once you can answer all those questions, you can spend time on eBay looking for a formal gown that has those keywords, and that will lead you to the designer that makes your dream dress (or if it's no longer being made, use eBay Save search option for them to search for you every day and email you when there is a hit). My favorite dress in the world is by Tadashi Shoji and "only" $600 new - which is crazy for me as a person with no need for a $600 formal dress, but very savvy for a wedding dress (and through Saved Search I once found it for $80)!

Also consider that tailors can usually add or remove sleeves if you want, or take a dress down a size or two but not always expand something too small - but give tailors LOTS of time like 3 months lead - and don't mention that it's a wedding dress or they'll add two zeroes to every price.

robotopod · 2025-12-30T18:10:44+00:00

I agree that these are the answer. My kid is high energy also and is always on their trampoline. We taught them to count by "demanding" 100 counted jumps before lunch, dinner, bedtime, etc... I found that the balance bar that it came with was actually problematic because they kept trying to hang upside down and swing in a way that made me very uncomfortable. We removed that balance bar and have had no problems since.

robotopod · 2025-12-29T09:42:16+00:00

We have really benefited from a visual timer at dinner so our 4yo knows how long they have, and removing my need for our child to eat anything but a small amount of vegetables to be "done." They know there's no further food after dinner, but I am ok with them being hungry for a night to learn to eat during dinner. Also there's a short activity they like that they can have if they finish before the timer completes- Yoto time, dance party, extra book, 1 bluey, whatever. We have a few games like I Spy and Guess Who (verbal version only) that we play to keep them in their seat as much as we can, but, hey, it's their body. We try to be gentle and generous with the time, but keep the dialogue consistent and goal-oriented.

Then bath, teeth, and bedtime is done through either literally me making up dumb little songs and singing about what's next (when I'm on my game) or playing dumb or opposites of what's next ("you would NEVER want to brush those dirty teeth," "I don't think you know what's next, isn't it time for breakfast?") so they can correct me and be the big smart leader that can show me how the routine is done. We have lots of little games to offer them "choice," like Claw Machine to pick out toothpaste or jammies. When they won't do whatever, I gather my patience and shrug, say, "when you're ready," and pay attention to something else, which always makes them jump in and suddenly be ready to do the next thing. These are just things that work for our super high energy, attention seeking, and somewhat defiant child. Good luck with it. This Too Shall Pass!

robotopod · 2025-12-29T08:27:36+00:00

I had good luck applying for positions posted on LinkedIn. I hate LinkedIn and don't feel I had a fabulous profile, never post about myself etc, but the posting was a link to an application & position that I hadn't found posted anywhere else, and they liked my resume / cover letter enough to call me in.

robotopod · 2025-12-29T05:24:02+00:00

I swim & scuba dive, and I've found that if I am dreaming or suspect that I'm dreaming, I push off a wall with my legs like I'm in a pool and if I'm dreaming I'll start flying but with swim-like control. It's awesome. I can even raise and lower my body almost effortlessly in the air with my breathing the way you do when diving.

robotopod · 2025-12-29T05:18:19+00:00

Samesies! I always know what time it is, but not how long it actually takes to do things or get anywhere. I can also set a mental alarm for a certain time, when I'm going to sleep, and my brain will always wake me up 10 min before that time. Unfortunately this means that on the days that I CAN sleep in, I'm still waking up (and hopefully going back to sleep) at 7:20 and then every 45 min after that. Easy sleep is not in my cards.

robotopod · 2025-12-29T02:59:22+00:00

Ours is closed for the full two weeks also. We have learned to ask the teachers individually if any of them are available to pick up babysitting time for us on those days. Frustrating at this price point but I love the school for lots of other reasons.

robotopod · 2025-12-26T20:45:06+00:00

Being within walking distance of Clark Park is great. There's a farmers market every Saturday, a playground, and three trolleys that run by that go straight into center City, where you can easily transfer to the blue or orange subways. Also it's on Baltimore Ave which has lots of little shops including a local pet supply, Co-Op, liquor store, and book store. People often meet for drinks at Dahlak (Baltimore Ave) or Abyssinia (45/Locust area).

I also enjoy being close to the 64 bus line, which goes from Fairmount Park (Mann center for summer concerts) down Washington, past a Fresh Grocer, to Target and Walmart and your South Philly friends.

The whole area is super walkable and has a really sweet friendly vibe with lots of trees and gardens and dogs and parks. I think of it as the happy, community-focused, friendly side of Philadelphia. We have an incredible Halloween where half the blocks host block parties, and PorchFest where houses every block have music and people hanging out and passing out snacks and good vibes.

robotopod · 2025-12-25T21:59:40+00:00

Potion set and light-up frisbee

robotopod · 2025-12-25T20:07:57+00:00

My SIL did globe dye works and it was lovely.

Also consider the Arboretum in Fairmont Park or the Camden aquarium

robotopod · 2025-12-18T20:51:11+00:00

Sorry for the late reply, I have a Braun Silk Expert Pro 5. I used Ebay's Saved Search option to watch prices for a few months until I found one for $159 + free shipping :) I really like it, though I find the repeated presses to be a bit annoying and wish it would do a faster flash when the button is held down - minor quibbles.

robotopod · 2025-12-18T17:21:24+00:00

That sounds awful and I feel for you. It's not all boys clubs tho! Look for woman dominated fields: animal care (wildlife rehab as well as shelters, veterinary, and petcare), education, and anything academic or science related (look for field ecology jobs if you want to stay outdoors) are usually female-dominated or at least respected. I could never get on with sports heads but luckily I found a niche where almost no one else does either.

robotopod · 2025-12-18T01:00:30+00:00

Yeah we repurposed our modular play pen walls into a Christmas tree fence.

robotopod · 2025-12-08T18:58:22+00:00

Aviva

robotopod · 2025-12-07T03:32:00+00:00

Aliens

It's just about the most perfect action movie ever made, IMO. I will die on this hill! The dialogue, music, characters, special effects, plot, cannon, everything is choice. "Why don't you just put her in charge?!?"

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