Job Discussion Forums

[Black_Beer_Man]

Are there any Yen pinchers in this forum? Are you good at stretching your yen? Please share your habits here.

1. Discounted obentos - You can get 20% off or more at the supermarket if you buy your obentos after 6pm. I prefer to cook, but this is a popular option with people.

2. Avoid drink vending machines - I've noticed when I've used them that 'll spend 360 yen just to buy 3 drinks throughout the day. In the course of a month, that's a lot of yen. It's also bad for the environment when we buy drinks in plastic bottles. Better to carry a reusable water bottle with tap water from home. Also. drink up lots of free water in restaurants and at work.

3. 100 yen shops - They have great deals, but don't browse or you will be enticed to buy things you had no plans to buy and probably don't need.

4. Sayonara sales - Look online at sites like Metropolis and Gaijin Pot for classified ads posted by foreigners leaving Japan who want to sell their things at bargain prices. You might pick up some appliances at low prices.

5. Drink wine or spirits instead of beer - Beer in Japan is taxed heavily while wine and spirits can be bought at bargain prices (Italian wine 500 yen / bottle. Beefeater Gin, 750 ml bottle = 1000 yen). I love beer, but to save money, I am going to drink wine and spirits most of the time. It's gonna be hard.

There! I got us started. Please ad more money saving tips.

[kah5217]

Keeping my receipts is helping me keep an eye on spending. I suggest watching how much each kombini sucks out of your wallet.

[Pitarou]

Best money saving tip: LOG YOUR SPENDING. Just for a month, keep a notebook with you and record every yen that goes out. You'll almost certainly be forced to confront some hard truths about your lifestyle. And, once you know how your budget breaks down, you know where it's worth expending a little effort on penny-pinching.

On the subject of alcohol, I've done some blind taste tests, and results indicate that happoushu (synthetic beer flavored drinks marketed like beer) are significantly cheaper and better tasting than the cheaper brands of real beer. You have to go up quite a lot in price to get something that tastes noticably better than the happoushu. If you're a penny pincher, try a carton of shouchu and some cheap mixers.

[Black_Beer_Man]

How about free wi-fi connections? Are there any coffee shop chains that have them in Japan?

[Pitarou]

[timothypfox]

The Laws of Coffee-nomics, Alcho-nomics, Snack-onomics, and
Lunch-onomics in Japan

1. Avoid alcohol pretty much. Become a coffee man. If you go out for coffee, you will typically buy 1 cup of coffee and cake. If you go out for drinks, you will buy a lot... You are no longer in college, right? Drink at home if you have to. I generally drink only when forced to by work at work parties...

2. Bring a thermos of water with you to work, and hopefully if they have hot water pots - you can refill it there.

3. If you drive a car and even if you don't, carry a small thermos with you. When you need a break from your travels by car or commute by bus or train, you can stop and have a FREE drink.

4. Bring a lunch to work and pack a snack on a road trip or train trip. This will save money and the temptation to hit convenience stores.

5. If you really insist on alcohol or canned coffee, stock up on beer or canned coffee from supermarkets or better yet if you have an AZET near you. Do the math and find a deal. Some individual cans of coffee this way may cost you only 39 yen as opposed to up to 120 from a machine or convenience store.

6. If you like to snack at work, buy them ahead of time at a supermarket or better yet an AZET. You will get a much better deal than convenience stores. Much better. For example, a typical bar of Ghana chocolate sold at a convenience store might sell from anywhere between 100 yen and 120 yen. At a supermarket, it's not uncommon to find a Ghana or Meiji chocolate bar sold for 79 yen to 89 yen. That is a big savings for the chocolate connoisseur.

7. If you really insist on buying a lunch at work, buy instant yakisoba sometimes. It is very cheap. If that makes you sick, apply the 1 coin rule. I asked my father in law one time what the best lunch was in Japan and he answered 1 coin. That is - anything for 500 yen or less. Just remember this does add up pretty quickly though - so it is better to bring a lunch to work.

[TokyoLiz]

In the Kanto area, 100 yen Lawson, Big A and Yamaya are your friends.

Make bento. Bento for two or more is cheaper than cooking for one. Pool funds with housemates.

Ride a bike to earn the bento

Read http://tokyocheapo.com/

[jmatt]

[Pitarou]

[teacher4life]

I like to sit in the dark and cold, smiling to myself all the while about how much I'm saving on electricity.

Save on your water bill by only showering for 3 minutes once per week.

[Black_Beer_Man]

When you want coffee outside, head to Mr. Donut. Their hot blend coffee includes free refills. You can just sit there and read or chat with a friend for hours and your cup is continually refilled by the employee that does coffee rounds.

At other coffee shops, ALWAYS but the smallest size cup of coffee. After all, most of the cost of a cup of coffee is not for the coffee, but to use the shop's tables and chairs. A home away from home. Enjoy!

[jmatt]

[Black_Beer_Man]

[Black_Beer_Man]

Don't buy bottled water. I was told yesterday by a Japanese employee that the tap water is good quality and safe throughout Japan. If you need a second opinion, check with someone who lives in your area.

Not only will you save money by not buying bottled water, but you will also help the environment because you will avoid cosuming petrol (which plastic bottles are made from) and avoid putting plastic bottles in landfills.

Even if a PET bottle is recycled, it sometimes still causes environmental harm. Some companies turn plastic bottles into fleece clothing. However, scientists have found that when you wash some brands of fleece clothing, tiny fragments breakaway and go into the rivers and oceans. These fragments have been found in sand samples from pretty much every beach where sand was collected and analyzed.

The solution is simple. Don't buy PET bottles. When you go out, use a refillable cup.

[Pitarou]