I bought an expensive blender and it helps me save money on my groceries and food when going out. We never buy milkshakes anymore (and we used to pay $4 each for one!) and I can use it to save money on powdered sugar (just blend regular sugar) and tons more stuff that I make with that instead of buying.
Thats Easy. My Kindle 3, while not horribly expensive, has already paid for itself many times over. I am an avid reader and with the high availability of free books I have literally saved hundreds of dollars over the last two years that I have owned it. Plus I have found several great new authors that I enjoy.
I worked as at my university's gym. It was a great way to network with the faculty that came in every day while getting a decent wage. Another opportunity you may want to consider is becoming a research or teaching assistant. While you might not get paid, you can do them for credit and they're a great experience that will stand out on your resume.
Replacing the old furnace in our home and adding more ductwork to improve air airflow was costly, but has resulted in hugely reduced heating oil bills. Even sticking to heating oil (vs. switching to other fuel sources that can be more efficient) we've seen significant savings over the past two winters.
We bought a pellet stove a few years ago, when gas (and heating oil) was over $4.00 a gallon during the summer. We calculated that it would cost us over $2,000.00 in oil to heat the house for winter that year. I found a pellet stove on eBay, which turned out to be a refurbished model from the manufacturer with the same warranty as a new model and free shipping. We paid $1,000.00 for it and our heating costs have been around $500.00 per year since then (2 tons of pellets per winter season).
Prior to summer, I purchased a variable-speed pool pump. This pump uses only the electricity required to keep the pool well filtered, no more. It also has a built in timer so I can take advantage of lower electricity rates by running it more at night than during the day. My pool has been just as clean, and my electricity bills lower!
Having a garage sale around here never nets me very much. All I get are people with handfuls of change (I live in a rather shabby neighborhood), but it does help some. The leftovers go to a charity that maintains a thrift store. I call them and they pick it up.
Right now, the biggest space-waster is craft stuff. I'm going to actually use it this winter and sell the results at another garage sale in the spring. That's the plan, unless I lose my house and end up selling everything all at once. :P
I purchased a new front load HE washer with the extended warranty, (at a appliance store tent sale), and BOTH were worth their weight in gold. The front load washer has saved my clothes from fading and pilling, and has saved me water and electricity, I also use considerably less detergent. The $119 extended warranty got me a brand new washer 5 years later when the shocks went on that washer.
I would do it again in a heartbeat and recommend them to everyone!
Actually there is a new CPR. It is compression CPR only. EMTs have found that it is more important to keep the blood flowing through the system than to pump carbon dioxide into the system.
We installed solar panels. Good for the environment and our wallets. Not only is it lowering our electric bill, but also adds to the value of our home here in sunny Phoenix!
Thats easy...my Blendtec blender. I paid almost $400 for it but I save everyday on coffee drinks, smoothies, and drinks that I would normally pay $4-5 for. I used to burn out a blender every year but not this one, so it pays for itself very fast.
These are all great ideas. My boyfriend recently ran me a bath and I loved it! I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to baths so there is more to it than just running it - he has to clean the tub first (even if it's mostly clean) and then run the bath and get towels ready etc. It's important to know your significant other's love language. That way, you can do for them what they most value.
Gutter for my home ($1500)! I purchased a home built in 1880 a couple of years ago. It appeared there may or may not have been some water damage in the basement, but the home had been completely renovated and was like-new otherwise. However, the seller claimed that, "Gutters were not in the architectural plan." Sure enough, within 1 month of owning the home, we had a bit of water in the basement. I decided to bite the bullet and spend the $1500 to install gutters, and we have hardly had any water in the basement since, saving me a lot of money over the long term.
I chipped the ECU in my Audi to increase the efficiency of my turbo. Prior to chipping the car it was getting around 20MPG and afterwards I can consistently get 28MPG with the same exact driving style.
As long as I don't go mashing around maxing out the turbo my mileage is perpetually improved. Best $600 I ever spent! FYI, I'm the guy you're yelling at, that is driving in the slow lane hyper-miling
Over the past couple of years we have spent a bit of money doing a few things that are ultimately saving, or going to save money in the long run. We got rid of our SUV which only got 15/18 mpg (local/highway) on a good day, and bought a smaller car that gets 26/35 mpg (local/hwy) and has fold-down back seats for when we need them. We spent a chunk of money converting unused space into a pantry, where we put a full sized refrigerator and freezer as well as shelving, so we can purchase in bulk and on sale. This area has already paid for itself. I now only shop once or twice a month, as opposed to weekly, which saves my time and gas, as well as money on sale items. We are also looking into alternative heating/cooling systems, which at this time, don't seem to be very cost efficient, but with continued research and better technology on the horizon, I'm sure we'll find something.
We plan on building a home gym to help us exercise more and keep motivates. Sometimes when it's cold or we're lazy we don't want to leave the house. I think that will save us money in the long term by not spending on a gym membership or classes.
Another good investment is a sewing machine, if you're into sewing at all. And a few sets of stainless steel lunch boxes to better store our food in the freezer and minimize waste, and also to curb our eating out as much as possible (just get the box from the fridge and get on the road, without stopping at the first restaurant to grab a bite).
Good question. I've made several purchases recently that I expect to save money, such as Energy Star washer, dishwasher, and refrigerator, but for most of them I don't have calculations that prove the result. In other words, they haven't yet paid for themselves through lower operating costs, but I hope they will. Only time will tell if they do. The one big purchase that is definitely saving us money is our new house. We bought a much newer house in a significantly less expensive area. We sold our old house for a profit and were able to pay cash for the new one. As a result, we are saving $26,000 a year in house payments. Our property tax is also lower. And because the new house is built to be more energy efficient (double paned windows, insulation), our gas/electricity costs less than half what we used to pay.
I like wisebread on facebook!
I tweeted!
I bought an expensive blender and it helps me save money on my groceries and food when going out. We never buy milkshakes anymore (and we used to pay $4 each for one!) and I can use it to save money on powdered sugar (just blend regular sugar) and tons more stuff that I make with that instead of buying.
Wise bread FB Fan C.j. Jennings
My most expensive purchases are a newer car, energy saving curtains and energy saving power strips to use throughout the whole house!
Bicycle!!!! Now I ride around town instead of driving!
Thats Easy. My Kindle 3, while not horribly expensive, has already paid for itself many times over. I am an avid reader and with the high availability of free books I have literally saved hundreds of dollars over the last two years that I have owned it. Plus I have found several great new authors that I enjoy.
I worked as at my university's gym. It was a great way to network with the faculty that came in every day while getting a decent wage. Another opportunity you may want to consider is becoming a research or teaching assistant. While you might not get paid, you can do them for credit and they're a great experience that will stand out on your resume.
Sadly, we have saved for a used portable dishwasher. I would rather clean the entire bathroom with a toothbrush than do dishes by hand!
Replacing the old furnace in our home and adding more ductwork to improve air airflow was costly, but has resulted in hugely reduced heating oil bills. Even sticking to heating oil (vs. switching to other fuel sources that can be more efficient) we've seen significant savings over the past two winters.
We bought a pellet stove a few years ago, when gas (and heating oil) was over $4.00 a gallon during the summer. We calculated that it would cost us over $2,000.00 in oil to heat the house for winter that year. I found a pellet stove on eBay, which turned out to be a refurbished model from the manufacturer with the same warranty as a new model and free shipping. We paid $1,000.00 for it and our heating costs have been around $500.00 per year since then (2 tons of pellets per winter season).
Prior to summer, I purchased a variable-speed pool pump. This pump uses only the electricity required to keep the pool well filtered, no more. It also has a built in timer so I can take advantage of lower electricity rates by running it more at night than during the day. My pool has been just as clean, and my electricity bills lower!
Having a garage sale around here never nets me very much. All I get are people with handfuls of change (I live in a rather shabby neighborhood), but it does help some. The leftovers go to a charity that maintains a thrift store. I call them and they pick it up.
Right now, the biggest space-waster is craft stuff. I'm going to actually use it this winter and sell the results at another garage sale in the spring. That's the plan, unless I lose my house and end up selling everything all at once. :P
I purchased a new front load HE washer with the extended warranty, (at a appliance store tent sale), and BOTH were worth their weight in gold. The front load washer has saved my clothes from fading and pilling, and has saved me water and electricity, I also use considerably less detergent. The $119 extended warranty got me a brand new washer 5 years later when the shocks went on that washer.
I would do it again in a heartbeat and recommend them to everyone!
Actually there is a new CPR. It is compression CPR only. EMTs have found that it is more important to keep the blood flowing through the system than to pump carbon dioxide into the system.
We installed solar panels. Good for the environment and our wallets. Not only is it lowering our electric bill, but also adds to the value of our home here in sunny Phoenix!
Thats easy...my Blendtec blender. I paid almost $400 for it but I save everyday on coffee drinks, smoothies, and drinks that I would normally pay $4-5 for. I used to burn out a blender every year but not this one, so it pays for itself very fast.
These are all great ideas. My boyfriend recently ran me a bath and I loved it! I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to baths so there is more to it than just running it - he has to clean the tub first (even if it's mostly clean) and then run the bath and get towels ready etc. It's important to know your significant other's love language. That way, you can do for them what they most value.
I bought a set of free weights. Saves me money on a gym membership and improves my health (less health bills).
Gutter for my home ($1500)! I purchased a home built in 1880 a couple of years ago. It appeared there may or may not have been some water damage in the basement, but the home had been completely renovated and was like-new otherwise. However, the seller claimed that, "Gutters were not in the architectural plan." Sure enough, within 1 month of owning the home, we had a bit of water in the basement. I decided to bite the bullet and spend the $1500 to install gutters, and we have hardly had any water in the basement since, saving me a lot of money over the long term.
new car with better gas mileage
I chipped the ECU in my Audi to increase the efficiency of my turbo. Prior to chipping the car it was getting around 20MPG and afterwards I can consistently get 28MPG with the same exact driving style.
As long as I don't go mashing around maxing out the turbo my mileage is perpetually improved. Best $600 I ever spent! FYI, I'm the guy you're yelling at, that is driving in the slow lane hyper-miling
Over the past couple of years we have spent a bit of money doing a few things that are ultimately saving, or going to save money in the long run. We got rid of our SUV which only got 15/18 mpg (local/highway) on a good day, and bought a smaller car that gets 26/35 mpg (local/hwy) and has fold-down back seats for when we need them. We spent a chunk of money converting unused space into a pantry, where we put a full sized refrigerator and freezer as well as shelving, so we can purchase in bulk and on sale. This area has already paid for itself. I now only shop once or twice a month, as opposed to weekly, which saves my time and gas, as well as money on sale items. We are also looking into alternative heating/cooling systems, which at this time, don't seem to be very cost efficient, but with continued research and better technology on the horizon, I'm sure we'll find something.
We plan on building a home gym to help us exercise more and keep motivates. Sometimes when it's cold or we're lazy we don't want to leave the house. I think that will save us money in the long term by not spending on a gym membership or classes.
Another good investment is a sewing machine, if you're into sewing at all. And a few sets of stainless steel lunch boxes to better store our food in the freezer and minimize waste, and also to curb our eating out as much as possible (just get the box from the fridge and get on the road, without stopping at the first restaurant to grab a bite).
Good question. I've made several purchases recently that I expect to save money, such as Energy Star washer, dishwasher, and refrigerator, but for most of them I don't have calculations that prove the result. In other words, they haven't yet paid for themselves through lower operating costs, but I hope they will. Only time will tell if they do. The one big purchase that is definitely saving us money is our new house. We bought a much newer house in a significantly less expensive area. We sold our old house for a profit and were able to pay cash for the new one. As a result, we are saving $26,000 a year in house payments. Our property tax is also lower. And because the new house is built to be more energy efficient (double paned windows, insulation), our gas/electricity costs less than half what we used to pay.