My grandma was the most frugal person I've known. I remember going to her house after dark and thinking she was already asleep but then I'd see the lone bare light bulb in the kitchen where she spent most of her time. I wish I could have seen her electricity bills, they were probably $25 a month.
We're making plans to buy "#2" (irregularly sized) apples in bulk from a local fruit company and split the rather large boxes with a few friends. It should be $0.25 a lb. I hope it works out because I love apples!
I'll admit to 8 out of 10 on your second list. I was hoping to find some "new" ideas but apparently I'm already kind of extreme! Honestly, my project for tonight is to sew some more cloth diapers for the upcoming baby out of fabric/clothing the local thrift store was going to throw away (small rips and stains) and gave me free for the asking.
Other examples of my habits: Once-a-month contacts actually last at least 2 months! My sister cuts my hair (for free) every time I see her (twice a year). I trim it myself in between. I empty the kitchen garbage into the outside bin but keep the garbage bag to re-use until yucky. I rode with my school's (where I teach) basketball team on the bus to get to a nearby larger town to do some Christmas shopping. I take plastic silverware home from picnics to wash and reuse.
I think I learned it from my mom. Although they now have a very comfortable income and beautiful house and she does not pinch pennies in every area anymore, she still does things like re-using Saran wrap and going to the grocery store multiple times to buy the "limit" of a good sale.
Checked the site for Phoenix, but nothing for restaurants came up. Thanks for the information; I will check the site occasionally. Thanks to the poster for the restaurant.com tip. We actually rarely eat out but it would be nice to get half price when we do!
I am doing some of these things already, but there are a lot more that I can strive toward. I avoid dollar stores, because the products are cheap/poor quality, and sometimes it is cheaper from a regular store! I especially avoid the "dollar plus" stores, where you think it's going to be under a dollar for everything, but instead the cost is increments of dollars. I once saw a family buying an entire shopping cart of V05 shampoo from Walmart and I couldn't help but ask about it. They confided quietly that they owned a dollar store and this was one way they could turn a profit!
I think that the best way to save is to change our way of saving. We are used in the equation of: Income less Expenses = Savings. So when we receive our paychecks or any other source of income for that matter, we tend to spend it first before we save. I think that we need to use the equation INCOME - SAVINGS = EXPENSES. That is, we need to set aside first for ourself everytime we receive our income. Thus, it suffices to say that we need to "pay ourself first". Then later on, we need to become financially literate as to the concepts of finance and investing.
If they don't let you take it home -- and I'm not talking about loading up an entire plate and making only a token effort to eat it -- frankly, it's their own fault.
In general, male and female brains are formed differently in the womb by the effect of hormones. It's a fact. I'm sorry if this confounds anyone's social biases...
There's absolutely no reason you should feel bad about buying used music/video games/movies/books.
When you buy them used, you increase their value in the used marketplace. For example, look at all the people buying up Wiis and Wii games and selling them used on eBay. Don't you think the developers of those games are getting more money? Of course they are.
Or take rare out of print music CDs. The labels look very closely at the used marketplace to determine what to re-release in digital or even CD form. Don't you think the artists are getting money as a result of buying used? They do.
When you borrow used books from the library, the library may order more NEW copies to meet demand.
It's how the free market works. So buy used and be proud of it.
I'm no car expert, but I would think regular oil changes would SAVE you money in the long run. Rather then using and abusing what you have, you should take the time to clean, care for, and follow the maintenance schedule (of anything, not just cars) to ensure longevity.
There are caustic gases from high temps and aluminum. It will also start to pit the pot, guess where it goes?? Aluminum will cause you to sweat stains on your clothes and has been linked to cancer. It really isn't worth it. This is a great 'hobby' and should be taken with an artisan approach. You can make some special drinks, with better ingredients than you can afford to buy.
Use only what you are 100% sure of. Stainless, can not go wrong. Sugar and yeast, good stuff. Brown sugar is rum. Use a thumper or doubler with fruit in it to give you flavours. (you can get that by collecting distilled steam in a glass jar, bubble the steam below liquid and fruit. the steam raises the temp, use some mash here. the heat takes the oils from the fruit with alcohol and carries it to the coils. juniper berries and some rinds and you get gin) shave white oak, toast it in the over to almost burned toast colour, add to jar, sit for 2 months, shake once in a while, nice colour, vanilla scent, smooth flavour.
Try to keep the hobby alive, share the knowledge. Don’t try to sell or profit from it. It’s a sharing experience with friends (you trust)
As far as I can see, the certificates given away by the TV stations don't have a minimum spend. Most of the restaurant.com coupons come with anywhere from $35 to $200 spending minimums (buy a $100 certificate for $40, you'll have to spend $200 to get your $60 back). It's not like a gift card.
I already do 8 out of the 10 things on your second list. Everything but the Dollar Store and freeloading. Of course, my lifestyle seems normal to me. But I guess it's a novelty for many if not most.
For instance:
1. Limiting and minimizing the use of most things to make them last longer. Imagine rationing toiletries! - No cavities since adolescence and gingivitis free for 3+ years on 1/4" of toothpaste per day.
2. Ignoring expired labels on perishable items such as food and medicine to stretch their use and value. - Keep in mind that very few foods have actual *expiration* dates. By law only baby formula is required to have an expiration date. More common are "best before" or "sell by" dates, neither of which are synonymous with spoilage.
3. Making a meal out of virtually anything. - Yorkshire pudding with bacon grease, along with a salad, recently. Fried rice with frozen veggies. Leftovers soup is excellent when your leftovers are first class.
4. Reusing and recycling everything. - Check
5. Shunning disposable products that need to be replaced. Reusable alternatives are used instead (e.g. cloth diapers). - We use pages torn from old phone books in place of paper towels, handkerchiefs and cloth napkins instead of tissue paper stuff.
6. Accepting hand-me-downs from anyone. - Sure, why wouldn't we? We've gotten great stuff this way.
7. Dumpster diving. - Yup. We collect from construction sites, and always have plenty of 2x4's for our DIY projects. I even made a very sturdy pair of sawhorses as a gift out of reclaimed materials.
9. Hoarding the free stuff offered at restaurants and hotels (such as condiments, plastic utensils, soaps, etc). - We mostly use toiletries my husband gets from hotels on business travel. On the rare occasions we at out, I clean out the bread basket and take home every scrap of uneaten food. Some we eat, and the rest goes to our laying hens. But taking extra condiment packets is just tacky.
Sounds like a cool concept. You can get the same kind of deals with less digging simply by going to Restaurant.com where you can usually get $25 restaurant gift certificates for $10.
I know that farmer's markets here too are the same price as the grocery stores or more. Some of the places are pick-your-own, such as strawberries. They go for about $2.10 a quart. A trip to the farmer's market has the same farmer that I picked my strawberries at selling them for $4 while the grocery store as them for $2.50.
Be happy that your markets are less. It is not the case for everyone.
I agree with the commenter who says if you know base prices of things, then you know what is and what isn't a good deal at Dollar Tree. They have fancy yarn skeins there (presumably bought as overruns?) from Bernat and other companies that retail for $5.
Some things, like pipe cleaners, cost about $2 at regular craft stores (same amount in package).
You can't find everything there, but there are definitely some deals to be had at the dollar store!
I hope Americans never resort to hoarding ketchup or hot sauce packets. When I visited Eastern Europe about 10 years ago, I was shocked to discover that I had to pay for every ketchup packet because if they were free, the restaurant's entire supply would be gone within 15 minutes of opening. Sad.
It will be interesting to see how the economy will change the way people think and act. People will have to adapt to survive ultimately leading to a better quality of life in my opinion. Thanks for the article it is very encompassing of many different helpful tips.
I didn't find any deals with using my local call letters and that took awhile to do. Using a google hack made this even easier, just open google and put the following search in:
your state, and or your city site:incentrev.com
Example: indiana site:incentrev.com
This gave me links straight to deals without having to know the call letters.
I don't want to play down the value of luck too much.
For example, I was lucky to get to go to good schools all my life (partly good choices by my parents, but also good luck), and lucky that my parents contributed generously to the costs of my college education.
I was also very lucky to have an aptitude for writing software right at the one moment in history when such an aptitude was really worth something. Twenty years earlier and writing software would have been only a small part of some other job. Twenty years later, and my job would have been outsourced to India or China before I'd been able to make a career out of it.
There's a joke they tell about people with family money who talk too much about the virtues of hard work: "He was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple."
In my life, anyway, there's definitely been plenty of good luck--but I've also gotten the lifestyle I chose for myself by making a series of choices that led me here. It wasn't just luck.
It happens every Easter with rabbits, baby chickens, and baby ducks. And most of them end up going back to the pet store...or to the pound...or to "the farm."
How do i start at home on makin it what is the easyiest way to make it and what do i start with.
Thanks Paul for the information about the minimum spending requirements for the restaurant.com coupons. Good to know.
My grandma was the most frugal person I've known. I remember going to her house after dark and thinking she was already asleep but then I'd see the lone bare light bulb in the kitchen where she spent most of her time. I wish I could have seen her electricity bills, they were probably $25 a month.
We're making plans to buy "#2" (irregularly sized) apples in bulk from a local fruit company and split the rather large boxes with a few friends. It should be $0.25 a lb. I hope it works out because I love apples!
I'll admit to 8 out of 10 on your second list. I was hoping to find some "new" ideas but apparently I'm already kind of extreme! Honestly, my project for tonight is to sew some more cloth diapers for the upcoming baby out of fabric/clothing the local thrift store was going to throw away (small rips and stains) and gave me free for the asking.
Other examples of my habits: Once-a-month contacts actually last at least 2 months! My sister cuts my hair (for free) every time I see her (twice a year). I trim it myself in between. I empty the kitchen garbage into the outside bin but keep the garbage bag to re-use until yucky. I rode with my school's (where I teach) basketball team on the bus to get to a nearby larger town to do some Christmas shopping. I take plastic silverware home from picnics to wash and reuse.
I think I learned it from my mom. Although they now have a very comfortable income and beautiful house and she does not pinch pennies in every area anymore, she still does things like re-using Saran wrap and going to the grocery store multiple times to buy the "limit" of a good sale.
Checked the site for Phoenix, but nothing for restaurants came up. Thanks for the information; I will check the site occasionally. Thanks to the poster for the restaurant.com tip. We actually rarely eat out but it would be nice to get half price when we do!
I am doing some of these things already, but there are a lot more that I can strive toward. I avoid dollar stores, because the products are cheap/poor quality, and sometimes it is cheaper from a regular store! I especially avoid the "dollar plus" stores, where you think it's going to be under a dollar for everything, but instead the cost is increments of dollars. I once saw a family buying an entire shopping cart of V05 shampoo from Walmart and I couldn't help but ask about it. They confided quietly that they owned a dollar store and this was one way they could turn a profit!
I think that the best way to save is to change our way of saving. We are used in the equation of: Income less Expenses = Savings. So when we receive our paychecks or any other source of income for that matter, we tend to spend it first before we save. I think that we need to use the equation INCOME - SAVINGS = EXPENSES. That is, we need to set aside first for ourself everytime we receive our income. Thus, it suffices to say that we need to "pay ourself first". Then later on, we need to become financially literate as to the concepts of finance and investing.
If they don't let you take it home -- and I'm not talking about loading up an entire plate and making only a token effort to eat it -- frankly, it's their own fault.
In general, male and female brains are formed differently in the womb by the effect of hormones. It's a fact. I'm sorry if this confounds anyone's social biases...
There's absolutely no reason you should feel bad about buying used music/video games/movies/books.
When you buy them used, you increase their value in the used marketplace. For example, look at all the people buying up Wiis and Wii games and selling them used on eBay. Don't you think the developers of those games are getting more money? Of course they are.
Or take rare out of print music CDs. The labels look very closely at the used marketplace to determine what to re-release in digital or even CD form. Don't you think the artists are getting money as a result of buying used? They do.
When you borrow used books from the library, the library may order more NEW copies to meet demand.
It's how the free market works. So buy used and be proud of it.
I'm no car expert, but I would think regular oil changes would SAVE you money in the long run. Rather then using and abusing what you have, you should take the time to clean, care for, and follow the maintenance schedule (of anything, not just cars) to ensure longevity.
There are caustic gases from high temps and aluminum. It will also start to pit the pot, guess where it goes?? Aluminum will cause you to sweat stains on your clothes and has been linked to cancer. It really isn't worth it. This is a great 'hobby' and should be taken with an artisan approach. You can make some special drinks, with better ingredients than you can afford to buy.
Use only what you are 100% sure of. Stainless, can not go wrong. Sugar and yeast, good stuff. Brown sugar is rum. Use a thumper or doubler with fruit in it to give you flavours. (you can get that by collecting distilled steam in a glass jar, bubble the steam below liquid and fruit. the steam raises the temp, use some mash here. the heat takes the oils from the fruit with alcohol and carries it to the coils. juniper berries and some rinds and you get gin) shave white oak, toast it in the over to almost burned toast colour, add to jar, sit for 2 months, shake once in a while, nice colour, vanilla scent, smooth flavour.
Try to keep the hobby alive, share the knowledge. Don’t try to sell or profit from it. It’s a sharing experience with friends (you trust)
As far as I can see, the certificates given away by the TV stations don't have a minimum spend. Most of the restaurant.com coupons come with anywhere from $35 to $200 spending minimums (buy a $100 certificate for $40, you'll have to spend $200 to get your $60 back). It's not like a gift card.
I already do 8 out of the 10 things on your second list. Everything but the Dollar Store and freeloading. Of course, my lifestyle seems normal to me. But I guess it's a novelty for many if not most.
For instance:
1. Limiting and minimizing the use of most things to make them last longer. Imagine rationing toiletries! - No cavities since adolescence and gingivitis free for 3+ years on 1/4" of toothpaste per day.
2. Ignoring expired labels on perishable items such as food and medicine to stretch their use and value. - Keep in mind that very few foods have actual *expiration* dates. By law only baby formula is required to have an expiration date. More common are "best before" or "sell by" dates, neither of which are synonymous with spoilage.
3. Making a meal out of virtually anything. - Yorkshire pudding with bacon grease, along with a salad, recently. Fried rice with frozen veggies. Leftovers soup is excellent when your leftovers are first class.
4. Reusing and recycling everything. - Check
5. Shunning disposable products that need to be replaced. Reusable alternatives are used instead (e.g. cloth diapers). - We use pages torn from old phone books in place of paper towels, handkerchiefs and cloth napkins instead of tissue paper stuff.
6. Accepting hand-me-downs from anyone. - Sure, why wouldn't we? We've gotten great stuff this way.
7. Dumpster diving. - Yup. We collect from construction sites, and always have plenty of 2x4's for our DIY projects. I even made a very sturdy pair of sawhorses as a gift out of reclaimed materials.
9. Hoarding the free stuff offered at restaurants and hotels (such as condiments, plastic utensils, soaps, etc). - We mostly use toiletries my husband gets from hotels on business travel. On the rare occasions we at out, I clean out the bread basket and take home every scrap of uneaten food. Some we eat, and the rest goes to our laying hens. But taking extra condiment packets is just tacky.
Sounds like a cool concept. You can get the same kind of deals with less digging simply by going to Restaurant.com where you can usually get $25 restaurant gift certificates for $10.
I know that farmer's markets here too are the same price as the grocery stores or more. Some of the places are pick-your-own, such as strawberries. They go for about $2.10 a quart. A trip to the farmer's market has the same farmer that I picked my strawberries at selling them for $4 while the grocery store as them for $2.50.
Be happy that your markets are less. It is not the case for everyone.
I agree with the commenter who says if you know base prices of things, then you know what is and what isn't a good deal at Dollar Tree. They have fancy yarn skeins there (presumably bought as overruns?) from Bernat and other companies that retail for $5.
Some things, like pipe cleaners, cost about $2 at regular craft stores (same amount in package).
You can't find everything there, but there are definitely some deals to be had at the dollar store!
I hope Americans never resort to hoarding ketchup or hot sauce packets. When I visited Eastern Europe about 10 years ago, I was shocked to discover that I had to pay for every ketchup packet because if they were free, the restaurant's entire supply would be gone within 15 minutes of opening. Sad.
It will be interesting to see how the economy will change the way people think and act. People will have to adapt to survive ultimately leading to a better quality of life in my opinion. Thanks for the article it is very encompassing of many different helpful tips.
-Dan Malone-
I'm not as tech savvy as I'd like to be. Thanks Daniel, I'll add that into the post.
This is super duper cool, Paul. Thanks for giving us the scoop.
I didn't find any deals with using my local call letters and that took awhile to do. Using a google hack made this even easier, just open google and put the following search in:
your state, and or your city site:incentrev.com
Example: indiana site:incentrev.com
This gave me links straight to deals without having to know the call letters.
I don't want to play down the value of luck too much.
For example, I was lucky to get to go to good schools all my life (partly good choices by my parents, but also good luck), and lucky that my parents contributed generously to the costs of my college education.
I was also very lucky to have an aptitude for writing software right at the one moment in history when such an aptitude was really worth something. Twenty years earlier and writing software would have been only a small part of some other job. Twenty years later, and my job would have been outsourced to India or China before I'd been able to make a career out of it.
There's a joke they tell about people with family money who talk too much about the virtues of hard work: "He was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple."
In my life, anyway, there's definitely been plenty of good luck--but I've also gotten the lifestyle I chose for myself by making a series of choices that led me here. It wasn't just luck.
It happens every Easter with rabbits, baby chickens, and baby ducks. And most of them end up going back to the pet store...or to the pound...or to "the farm."