Saving Money in Japan

When we were JETs back in the day, there were times when we all ate instant ramen all week to save money for a big trip or get through the week before payday after a heavy month of shopping -or partying- in what we considered to be an expensive country to live in. One of my good friends told me his tricks of getting free bread at the bakeries around his house by asking for their leftover crusts, パンの耳 pan-no-mimi, that they cut off to make those famous Japanese triangle sandwiches.