Here are a few ways I save money on my utility bills. I love in WA state and blessed and cursed to live in a 2,500 sq ft house. Too much house then necessary but am making do as I can. I am very underemployed after losing my job, divorced with 3 kids so every bit helps.
1. I take my trash to the dump and recycle. I go to the local dump once a month ($17) after loading up my mini-van and toss the trash myself. I recycle all paper products for free. I keep my trash low by cooking from scratch (less trash) and since I use the gorcery bags as trash bags daily I can dispose of a small bag each morning easily. Usually those little bags are the prior nights trash. So I only really have a big amount by week 3 or 4.
2. I have placed a 16oz water bottle in my toilet tanks. Saving me about $10 a month on the water bill. Not alot but every bit helps.
3. My heat is set on 60 degrees. But with cooking the house is normally naturally at 64. Blankets, socks, sweatpants and tshirts...we are very comfortable. Keeping door closed on all rooms also helps.
4. I unplug everything when I am done with it, period....as do the kids.
Next thing I am going to try is placing a bucket in the shower with me. I will just let it sit off to the side and collect water that would have hit the wall and gone down the drain (huge waste..lol). I will then use that water to refill my toilet tank after a flush and see how much money I save.
I find it ironic that on a website that promotes saving money that we have comments like these:
"I actually put a large part of the blame on the retailers"
"I blame the people in the crowd and Wal Mart specifically."
"Personally, I believe that Walmart and the managers are mainly responsible for allowing this situation to evolve. Before the incident happened, it would have been obvious from the number of people waiting (about 2,000) and the atmosphere, that things were about to go out of control."
Well, Wal-Mart has 2499 OTHER stores that had similar crowds and this didn't happen. I can see that the "mob mentality" is alive and well here, as unanimous suggestions of blaming the company for the actions of the customers seems to be the status quo. What nonsense.
Then Target should be responsible for the two guys who shot each other.
And McDonalds should pay you $1.M if you spill coffee on your crotch.
The reason WHY the crowds turn out is because items are less than half of their normal price. I don't know where the original poster notes 20% off - those televisions were more than half off. Apparently, nobody here has worked retail, so let me explain how this works.
1. The stores create a buzz to excite customers and entice them to flock to the stores. That is part of what drives our economy. (And I'm offended by the capitalist-bashing remark, tho I know better than to ask it be removed). This allows the store to finally go into the "BLACK" on the financial sheets.
2. Customers line up. Just like they do at sports events. Some are rowdy, some are loud and rude, most are there for the bargains. Some are on medications, some are on drugs, and some have been drinking. This is not a FUN activity.
3. Stores will lose money on those items. They hope to make up the loss (and then some) in other regularly priced merchandise purchases.
4. People choose to brave the cold weather. The long hours. Many are hungry. ALL OF THEM CHOOSE TO DO THIS. Is it greed? Yes. But the result is that tempers are shorter, frustrations surface and the lack of sleep manifests itself in a "I just want this over with".
But yeah, let's crucify the retailer because people choose to stand in an endurance match against their own greed. Let's shun capitalism because people really believe that the reason for the season is the latest electronic gadget. The REAL cause of the death was low prices!
You think ANY amount of security is going to contain a 2000 person frenzy? That a riot will be quashed by guys wearing "Security" coats "if only Wal-Mart had thought ahead and anticipated the death of their people"? Please.
Wal-Mart did the decent thing by closing the store, refusing purchases and punishing the jerks who vandalized the doors and murdered an employee.
Wal-mart didn't murder anyone. Those people did.
For the sake of blame and lawsuits, of course, Wal-Mart will end up taking the responsibility and paying the price of what will probably be a million dollar lawsuit. Personally, I think that should come out of the pockets of anyone - ANYONE - in that crowd who can be identified.
As a nation, we're buying more than we can afford, spending up our debt beyond what we can pay, and then we don't have the self-control to say, "gee, I can't afford that". So the only way to get it is to stand in the freezing weather like an idiot when it comes in our price range.
Sorry to step on toes and stop the party.
Back to suing Marlboro for lunch cancer and Budweiser for drunk driving. And Wal-mart for .. well.. successful marketing? Lowering prices? Being competitive?
Personal responsibility is dead. Thank goodness there's a retailer who has lots of money so SOMEONE ELSE can finally take responsibility for our messes we cause!
My parents paid tuition for a state school (through a 529). I wanted private school. My senior year in high school, I filled out 35 separate scholarship applications and don't regret a second of the time I spent. The payoff was beyond my wildest dreams: $9500 in outside scholarships.
I put filling out scholarship applications in front of studying for tests, hanging out with my boyfriend, pretty much everything except my part-time job. I kept my grades up, sure, but not at A+++ levels. My advice is to never allow any concerns about time, the number of other students applying, etc. to enter your mind. When writing essays, tell the judges why you're different from any other student who will apply. Have the confidence to essentially say that you're not like the rest, and that you will remain true to your principles even if they aren't what the judges would like to see in an ideal candidate.
Overall, be relentless, dedicated, and never lose sight of your goal.
(FYI, I don't own a house. I buy cars with cash. I went to a public college. I've used all kinds of health care payment schemes.)
The reasons I listed were not the ones I use, but the ones the markets/banks/average people use to justify the need for credit. I think they're relatively legitimate reasons, because there are many things that are very difficult to save for, and the benefits outweigh the cost of the debt.
A car loan makes sense in the same way as a school loan -- it's all about timing and work. Many jobs require a car, or living in a low-rent neighborhood often implies a lack of reliable bus service. If riding the bus to work costs you a few hours a day, and results in a smaller paycheck or limited opportunities, then the car loan makes sense.
Getting a mortgage, if you have kids, often makes sense, even if it costs more than renting. You gain equity in the house. You also don't face rising rents. If you care about schools - you often find that the public schools in areas with families with mortgage burdens can be good, because the parents are all in the system, and have "skin in the game".
Debt is a kind of bondage... but with bondage, you can institute discipline. BDSM - Bondage and Discipline, Stability for Markets. At least that's the idea.
I just don't understand how it could have happened. I'm pretty sure I would have been compelled to yell for help if I saw someone getting trampled on. My heart goes out to Mr. Damour's family whose pain won't be eased by any amount of holiday savings.
There has never been a deal I wanted so much that I could justify standing in line waiting for a store to open. I happily avoided all stores on Black Friday.
Recently, I have both downsized my flat and have gotten rid of my car. It's been amazing how much money I've saved doing both of these things. But remember, it's also those little sacrifices which also make a big difference to your bottom line.
A fabulous post, as always. My husband and I think that our lifelong frugality is a function of graduate student poverty. We have a post on this on our blog...check it out!
By the way, I taught at Earlham for a while many years ago....your thoughtful posts bring back memories of my wonderful students there.
very applicable article.. going threw my own 'experience' right now, on what to do next.. ripped apart the budget and axed pretty much anything non-essential.. wife took a 2nd part-time job.. still have yet to receive an Employment Insurance check though, but should start soon.. forced introspection.. the house is for sale, the one we thought we 'needed' to have; though it's been on the market for months with no sale, guess the price is going have to get allot more aggressive, we've still got a very long way to go before we'd hit was owing on the mortgage though.. If the house would sell we'd be fine for a long time..
The in-instore prices weren't even good enough to maim someone over. Anyway, its 2008 and most people can get OK internet service to shop online. Much more civilized, and only servers get hurt.
1. It doesn't matter where the products were built - the people who did this were American.
2. This happened on Long Island, not in "the hood".
3. If you're having more than a few hundred people in a small space, there are fire codes and crowd ordinances that the store and local police are responsible to enforce.
4. People need some education about peace, nonviolence, conflict resolution, and all that stuff that people mock.
You can boycott all you want. I save tons of money shopping at Walmart. On average, it's 40% cheaper than local grocery stores.
Talking about customer service, who cares?
i don't use a zester, but a microplane grater. they are pricey - about $12 - but are the best for zest, ginger, chocolate, etc. and last a long time. one of those tools that are worth the money, like a good knife.
and bacon should be on the list! for those who eat it.
I have lined up in the past at these sales and the last time was three or four years ago was too much for me.
Too many people competing in a physical match to be one of the first to get something for cheap... I was shoved and pushed and almost knocked down.
I avoid these scrums now. I particpate in Cyber Monday now. So unless people start to randomly snatch my computer from me then I don't have to worry about injury.
This story says several things. 1. Larger crowds will lead to a mob mentality. 2. It is not safe to go to these sales anymore. 3. Whether it was for food or goods or whatever this man should not have suffered for this type of mass consumerism.
Did you ever get an answer on this? I have been searching everywhere for an answer to the same question as you....so far I am not finding anything. My mother in law is 83, and is confused with the two remotes -- one for turning on the TV and doing the volume and the other for changing channels. The paperwork with the converter box said that you can program a universal remote to do everything, but when I went to Radio Shack the guy there said the remote that came with the converter box can be programmed to operate the TV, too. I really need to set her up with one remote. If you have a solution, I would really appreciate the info.
By "casual" labor, I just meant work where you're neither an employee nor operating a full-fledged small business of your own. Practically all the possibilities I listed require a significant level of skill, if you're to do a good job, and I didn't mean to suggest otherwise.
Massage therapy requires a license in 37 states--primarily in an effort to cut down on competition (the main reason for licensing most occupations), but also to cut down on prostitution done under the guise of massage therapy.
I just checked, and Illinois has 15 pages of occupations that require licenses. If you're working in any of those fields as a full-fledged business with a storefront, there's probably no getting around the licensing requirements. On the other hand, if you're doing the work casually, it may be worth finding out exactly what you can and can't do without a license. In some cases, it may be that something as simple as changing what you call yourself will let you avoid the requirement. In other cases, just not having a storefront and finding work by word-of-mouth rather than running ads, can let you slip under the radar--not forever, but perhaps long enough to get by until the economy recovers.
but I do wonder if there are any mitigating circumstances. I've never been in a stampede myself, but I have been in large, tightly packed crowds. I've gotten the impression that tramplings happen because people are so tightly packed that they lose a few very important things that people in more loosely spaced crowds have.
First, they very often can't see the ground in front of them, so they don't really understand when someone has fallen. If they understand that someone has fallen, they may not realize where that person is. Secondly, when movement begins, they often are being pushed from behind, so they can't stop even if they want to.
If those two conditions are present, it's not hard to see how this can happen, and perhaps without the immediate control of those who do the trampling. Sure, they're responsible for being there in the first place under such ridiculous circumstances. And someone's responsible for breaking down a door. But once someone fell and the crowd started moving, there may have been individuals with little direct choice over where their feet fell.
But I wasn't there, and this is speculation, so I could be totally wrong.
We don't have the capacity to approve every comment for publishing, so we catch inappropriate remarks and flag them as we have time. As you can imagine, Sunday morning isn't always the most hardcore day for blog monitoring. The obnoxious comment has been removed.
-----
It's true that crowds don't always make the concious decision to trample someone to death, and mob mentality is a terrifying thing indeed. I do place a good deal of blame on Walmart for this incident. I think retailers do go out of their way to get everyone excited about what are, let's face it, mediocre discounts (doesn't everyone else think that better discounts are to be had on Boxing Day? That has always been my experience), but I do blame the American consumerist culture more than the stores.
I'll second that. It's an awesome accent ingredient, and way better than eating it as a main meal item when it comes to calories. Good stuff.
I think the answer to the head question is about 9
Here are a few ways I save money on my utility bills. I love in WA state and blessed and cursed to live in a 2,500 sq ft house. Too much house then necessary but am making do as I can. I am very underemployed after losing my job, divorced with 3 kids so every bit helps.
1. I take my trash to the dump and recycle. I go to the local dump once a month ($17) after loading up my mini-van and toss the trash myself. I recycle all paper products for free. I keep my trash low by cooking from scratch (less trash) and since I use the gorcery bags as trash bags daily I can dispose of a small bag each morning easily. Usually those little bags are the prior nights trash. So I only really have a big amount by week 3 or 4.
2. I have placed a 16oz water bottle in my toilet tanks. Saving me about $10 a month on the water bill. Not alot but every bit helps.
3. My heat is set on 60 degrees. But with cooking the house is normally naturally at 64. Blankets, socks, sweatpants and tshirts...we are very comfortable. Keeping door closed on all rooms also helps.
4. I unplug everything when I am done with it, period....as do the kids.
Next thing I am going to try is placing a bucket in the shower with me. I will just let it sit off to the side and collect water that would have hit the wall and gone down the drain (huge waste..lol). I will then use that water to refill my toilet tank after a flush and see how much money I save.
I find it ironic that on a website that promotes saving money that we have comments like these:
"I actually put a large part of the blame on the retailers"
"I blame the people in the crowd and Wal Mart specifically."
"Personally, I believe that Walmart and the managers are mainly responsible for allowing this situation to evolve. Before the incident happened, it would have been obvious from the number of people waiting (about 2,000) and the atmosphere, that things were about to go out of control."
Well, Wal-Mart has 2499 OTHER stores that had similar crowds and this didn't happen. I can see that the "mob mentality" is alive and well here, as unanimous suggestions of blaming the company for the actions of the customers seems to be the status quo. What nonsense.
Then Target should be responsible for the two guys who shot each other.
And McDonalds should pay you $1.M if you spill coffee on your crotch.
The reason WHY the crowds turn out is because items are less than half of their normal price. I don't know where the original poster notes 20% off - those televisions were more than half off. Apparently, nobody here has worked retail, so let me explain how this works.
1. The stores create a buzz to excite customers and entice them to flock to the stores. That is part of what drives our economy. (And I'm offended by the capitalist-bashing remark, tho I know better than to ask it be removed). This allows the store to finally go into the "BLACK" on the financial sheets.
2. Customers line up. Just like they do at sports events. Some are rowdy, some are loud and rude, most are there for the bargains. Some are on medications, some are on drugs, and some have been drinking. This is not a FUN activity.
3. Stores will lose money on those items. They hope to make up the loss (and then some) in other regularly priced merchandise purchases.
4. People choose to brave the cold weather. The long hours. Many are hungry. ALL OF THEM CHOOSE TO DO THIS. Is it greed? Yes. But the result is that tempers are shorter, frustrations surface and the lack of sleep manifests itself in a "I just want this over with".
But yeah, let's crucify the retailer because people choose to stand in an endurance match against their own greed. Let's shun capitalism because people really believe that the reason for the season is the latest electronic gadget. The REAL cause of the death was low prices!
You think ANY amount of security is going to contain a 2000 person frenzy? That a riot will be quashed by guys wearing "Security" coats "if only Wal-Mart had thought ahead and anticipated the death of their people"? Please.
Wal-Mart did the decent thing by closing the store, refusing purchases and punishing the jerks who vandalized the doors and murdered an employee.
Wal-mart didn't murder anyone. Those people did.
For the sake of blame and lawsuits, of course, Wal-Mart will end up taking the responsibility and paying the price of what will probably be a million dollar lawsuit. Personally, I think that should come out of the pockets of anyone - ANYONE - in that crowd who can be identified.
As a nation, we're buying more than we can afford, spending up our debt beyond what we can pay, and then we don't have the self-control to say, "gee, I can't afford that". So the only way to get it is to stand in the freezing weather like an idiot when it comes in our price range.
Sorry to step on toes and stop the party.
Back to suing Marlboro for lunch cancer and Budweiser for drunk driving. And Wal-mart for .. well.. successful marketing? Lowering prices? Being competitive?
Personal responsibility is dead. Thank goodness there's a retailer who has lots of money so SOMEONE ELSE can finally take responsibility for our messes we cause!
Happy Holidays, and peace to your fellow man.
Except you, Long Island. You're exempt.
TopCat
My parents paid tuition for a state school (through a 529). I wanted private school. My senior year in high school, I filled out 35 separate scholarship applications and don't regret a second of the time I spent. The payoff was beyond my wildest dreams: $9500 in outside scholarships.
I put filling out scholarship applications in front of studying for tests, hanging out with my boyfriend, pretty much everything except my part-time job. I kept my grades up, sure, but not at A+++ levels. My advice is to never allow any concerns about time, the number of other students applying, etc. to enter your mind. When writing essays, tell the judges why you're different from any other student who will apply. Have the confidence to essentially say that you're not like the rest, and that you will remain true to your principles even if they aren't what the judges would like to see in an ideal candidate.
Overall, be relentless, dedicated, and never lose sight of your goal.
I taught there from 1986-88.
fs
@ poor boomer:
In Champaign, Illinois (where I live) $650 is enough to rent a whole house.
(FYI, I don't own a house. I buy cars with cash. I went to a public college. I've used all kinds of health care payment schemes.)
The reasons I listed were not the ones I use, but the ones the markets/banks/average people use to justify the need for credit. I think they're relatively legitimate reasons, because there are many things that are very difficult to save for, and the benefits outweigh the cost of the debt.
A car loan makes sense in the same way as a school loan -- it's all about timing and work. Many jobs require a car, or living in a low-rent neighborhood often implies a lack of reliable bus service. If riding the bus to work costs you a few hours a day, and results in a smaller paycheck or limited opportunities, then the car loan makes sense.
Getting a mortgage, if you have kids, often makes sense, even if it costs more than renting. You gain equity in the house. You also don't face rising rents. If you care about schools - you often find that the public schools in areas with families with mortgage burdens can be good, because the parents are all in the system, and have "skin in the game".
Debt is a kind of bondage... but with bondage, you can institute discipline. BDSM - Bondage and Discipline, Stability for Markets. At least that's the idea.
I just don't understand how it could have happened. I'm pretty sure I would have been compelled to yell for help if I saw someone getting trampled on. My heart goes out to Mr. Damour's family whose pain won't be eased by any amount of holiday savings.
There has never been a deal I wanted so much that I could justify standing in line waiting for a store to open. I happily avoided all stores on Black Friday.
Monthly income: $908
Expenses: Rent $650 (room in a house with nine people)
Medical exp $110
Student loan pmt $135
How can I reduce my expenses?
Recently, I have both downsized my flat and have gotten rid of my car. It's been amazing how much money I've saved doing both of these things. But remember, it's also those little sacrifices which also make a big difference to your bottom line.
@ frugalscholar:
Gee, if you taught at Earlham many, many years ago, maybe it was while I was there (which was 1977-1981).
Thanks for the kind words.
A fabulous post, as always. My husband and I think that our lifelong frugality is a function of graduate student poverty. We have a post on this on our blog...check it out!
By the way, I taught at Earlham for a while many years ago....your thoughtful posts bring back memories of my wonderful students there.
frugalscholar.blogspot.com
very applicable article.. going threw my own 'experience' right now, on what to do next.. ripped apart the budget and axed pretty much anything non-essential.. wife took a 2nd part-time job.. still have yet to receive an Employment Insurance check though, but should start soon.. forced introspection.. the house is for sale, the one we thought we 'needed' to have; though it's been on the market for months with no sale, guess the price is going have to get allot more aggressive, we've still got a very long way to go before we'd hit was owing on the mortgage though.. If the house would sell we'd be fine for a long time..
The in-instore prices weren't even good enough to maim someone over. Anyway, its 2008 and most people can get OK internet service to shop online. Much more civilized, and only servers get hurt.
1. It doesn't matter where the products were built - the people who did this were American.
2. This happened on Long Island, not in "the hood".
3. If you're having more than a few hundred people in a small space, there are fire codes and crowd ordinances that the store and local police are responsible to enforce.
4. People need some education about peace, nonviolence, conflict resolution, and all that stuff that people mock.
I've been in riots that were safer than Black Friday at Walmart.
I'm totally serious here.
If they don't stop this nonsense, it won't be long before we start seeing xmas shopping hooligans looking to bash some heads.
You can boycott all you want. I save tons of money shopping at Walmart. On average, it's 40% cheaper than local grocery stores.
Talking about customer service, who cares?
i don't use a zester, but a microplane grater. they are pricey - about $12 - but are the best for zest, ginger, chocolate, etc. and last a long time. one of those tools that are worth the money, like a good knife.
and bacon should be on the list! for those who eat it.
I have lined up in the past at these sales and the last time was three or four years ago was too much for me.
Too many people competing in a physical match to be one of the first to get something for cheap... I was shoved and pushed and almost knocked down.
I avoid these scrums now. I particpate in Cyber Monday now. So unless people start to randomly snatch my computer from me then I don't have to worry about injury.
This story says several things. 1. Larger crowds will lead to a mob mentality. 2. It is not safe to go to these sales anymore. 3. Whether it was for food or goods or whatever this man should not have suffered for this type of mass consumerism.
Okay, I have to admit up here we have a little Black Friday envy ;)
Then I read about this Walmart incident.
Then I read about the shooting in the Toys R Us store in Palm Desert, California. (Which had nothing to do with crowds).
I just don't understand any of it. I agree with Andrea -- it's just not worth it.
Did you ever get an answer on this? I have been searching everywhere for an answer to the same question as you....so far I am not finding anything. My mother in law is 83, and is confused with the two remotes -- one for turning on the TV and doing the volume and the other for changing channels. The paperwork with the converter box said that you can program a universal remote to do everything, but when I went to Radio Shack the guy there said the remote that came with the converter box can be programmed to operate the TV, too. I really need to set her up with one remote. If you have a solution, I would really appreciate the info.
By "casual" labor, I just meant work where you're neither an employee nor operating a full-fledged small business of your own. Practically all the possibilities I listed require a significant level of skill, if you're to do a good job, and I didn't mean to suggest otherwise.
Massage therapy requires a license in 37 states--primarily in an effort to cut down on competition (the main reason for licensing most occupations), but also to cut down on prostitution done under the guise of massage therapy.
I just checked, and Illinois has 15 pages of occupations that require licenses. If you're working in any of those fields as a full-fledged business with a storefront, there's probably no getting around the licensing requirements. On the other hand, if you're doing the work casually, it may be worth finding out exactly what you can and can't do without a license. In some cases, it may be that something as simple as changing what you call yourself will let you avoid the requirement. In other cases, just not having a storefront and finding work by word-of-mouth rather than running ads, can let you slip under the radar--not forever, but perhaps long enough to get by until the economy recovers.
but I do wonder if there are any mitigating circumstances. I've never been in a stampede myself, but I have been in large, tightly packed crowds. I've gotten the impression that tramplings happen because people are so tightly packed that they lose a few very important things that people in more loosely spaced crowds have.
First, they very often can't see the ground in front of them, so they don't really understand when someone has fallen. If they understand that someone has fallen, they may not realize where that person is. Secondly, when movement begins, they often are being pushed from behind, so they can't stop even if they want to.
If those two conditions are present, it's not hard to see how this can happen, and perhaps without the immediate control of those who do the trampling. Sure, they're responsible for being there in the first place under such ridiculous circumstances. And someone's responsible for breaking down a door. But once someone fell and the crowd started moving, there may have been individuals with little direct choice over where their feet fell.
But I wasn't there, and this is speculation, so I could be totally wrong.
We don't have the capacity to approve every comment for publishing, so we catch inappropriate remarks and flag them as we have time. As you can imagine, Sunday morning isn't always the most hardcore day for blog monitoring. The obnoxious comment has been removed.
-----
It's true that crowds don't always make the concious decision to trample someone to death, and mob mentality is a terrifying thing indeed. I do place a good deal of blame on Walmart for this incident. I think retailers do go out of their way to get everyone excited about what are, let's face it, mediocre discounts (doesn't everyone else think that better discounts are to be had on Boxing Day? That has always been my experience), but I do blame the American consumerist culture more than the stores.