My favorite gadget? My iPad. It makes reading stuff -- books, magazines, newspapers, e-MAIL so much easier, and I do a lot of reading. It's lousy for writing, though. Somethings are better done on a conventional PC or laptop -- writing long pieces, spreadsheets, etc.
I wish I did this. I bought a house a year ago that I thought was great. Turns out we get water in the basement from a cracked foundation wall and everything else is a mess. I really hate the people I bought from. Not nice people. Oh and the new windows they touted? Only on the first floor.
These are great. there are also markdown days for meats at large chain grocery stores. there could be at the smaller mom-n-pop places, but I usually try to buy from them at peak season. The trick is to have a price limit, as in I pay no more than $2.50/lb for beef and $1.80 for boneless chicken breast. Only once in a blue moon will i pay the teaser $1.99.
there are certain days of the week that the stores mark down packaged meats. i went to the store and watched for it. i also asked when is the busiest days. i come the day after and if no luck, i might even come the next morning if we are very low on meats.
I also am not afraid to talk pricing with butchers and small-time farmers. butchers can refer me to people who bring in their meat. sometimes people only sell to their friends and family, not strangers. if you research why it is better to buy local meat, you might become a friend? This is upfront cost though and remember the price/lb limit.
we also only cook what is the cheapest food to buy. No matter what. we adapt. we have to. we search for what is good and make it. i even made conversation wth a Latino gramma and when she mentioned her son, i asked her what was his favorite food that she made. Very profitable conversation. hot sauce with chicken, rice, and black beans. the rice absorbs the sauce. CHA!
Some other strategies that have helped us:
Plan for a month saved us an additional $50. I tried for 2 months and it didn't seem to add to our numbers enough to offset the amount of planning. It takes an extra minute to plan. The more we plan, the more we save.
We have 1 baked potato bar night where we use all leftovers, plus I add bacon. Bacon is the key to making these leftovers exciting. Very powerful food.
I used to shop flyers and i miss a bunch of them. It became too high maintenance for me. We have 3 kids active in sports, etc. I have to be real about my limitations in order to reduce spending.
In laudry, I use high-end and low-end. Some fabrics don't need the Tide with Bleach Alternative, while others need that and Tide boost. i reasched products, tried using my homemade soap. The cost of new clothing and time spent shopping is important. Also, since we only have $500/yr for clothing for the family, we have to be very serious about the care of our clothes. I am as frugal as possible in this area but believe there are times when the powerful enzyme 'treatment' is helpful. This is an area worth investing knowledge and time. Savings are deep here without loosing quality. Amonia gets out odors, especially in fleece (good for baby jammies). i sort by detergent I am using and save up until i have a full load.
I also pray and look for ways to save $100. This increment is achievable and is a quick target. I can always learn a new way to save a hundred bucks.
Here's one I wish we'd done before we bought our first (and current) home: hire a plumber to do a video inspection of the lateral (or main) sewer line.
Our house was built in 1924 when terra cotta sewer lines pipes (yeah, clay) were the norm. Our lateral collapsed beneath the backyard deck where we couldn't see the sinkhole that had formed over the collapse. After a couple of heavy rains and a couple visits from a plumber to snake the line, we had an inspection done, and lo and behold.
I did some of the work myself to cut the cost, but it still wasn't cheap.
Interesting article but not helpful for those of us who live in a buyer's market area. Also, rural properties are difficult to sell with gasoline prices so high. Another problem with a quick sale: if the house was built for the current owner, it is likely to meet housing needs of only a small number of like-minded people. Yeah . . . I'd love to sell my house but it fits all the problem criteria: buyer's market, rural, semi earth-bermed (odd in this area of the country).
I disagree with the powder milk costing more than the liquid as I had converted my family 5 years ago. Even with the price of the bag I buy having gone up over the years my savings is still unparalleled. My family was going through the 4L of mild every 24hours at $4 a pop. Every week that worked out to $28. The powder milk I buy ( it is a no name brand at Superstore) cost me $25 now but the entire bag lasts us 3 weeks to a month.
I love the fact that you specifically said have both names on the lease. Far too often people not only move in together too early in the relationship, but then don't even protect themselves. It is too easy for someone to get mad and throw a fit...resulting in you being out on the street. It's a simple thing to take care off and like all the other things in this list, it only requires thinking about it ahead of time.
That's really solid advice Jenny. I did exactly that a few years back and it turned out great. That being said, I don't drive an especially nice car. It looks good, drives well, and gets me where I need to go, but it isn't fancy or luxurious. I only use it for commuting, so that doesn't matter to me at all. However, I know different people have different standards, so it may take a bit more than 4 years.
He means that the quart container mixes with water as you spray on the settings of 3.6 oz. As you spray you will notice that the tonic will gradually disappear. When the end sprayer bottle is empty you have just sprayed 10 gallons of mixture on your lawn! That is what he means.
This is really great advice. Wish someone had told me about the 20/4/10 rule before I bought my first "adult" car. Also, Good job reminding people of car insurance. Seems it's usually an afterthought and, depending on the type of car you buy, it can drastically change the cost of the vehicle over its lifetime. Definitely something to watch if you are buying on a budget.
What you wrote is so, SO true! We needed a lamp Friday, so we bought a beautiful bronze "banker's lamp" for $10 at a local thrift store. When you buy at thrift stores, many times you're also donating to a non-profit organization, so you continue to spread positivity. And we can afford to buy retail but, after years of buying previously owned items, I usually can't bring myself to spend that kind of money. You also can find fantastic buys, particularly for shoes and clothing, from eBay and amazon.com sellers.
There is at least one "money economy" job where you can also be a Yeoman; a school teacher or other school employee in a district that follows the traditional school year, as most rural areas still do (9 months on plus Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break, then summer vacation). My grandparents grew up on farms and continued self-sufficiency level farming their whole lives while also having 30 year teaching careers. It was hard work but they've never wanted for anything (since the Depression anyway) and have zero debt. Plus, at just the same time that their age made the farm work more difficult, teacher pensions and social security kicked in. They are also very healthy to boot, from all the organic food and physical exercise. Its hard to be a yeoman and have a "regular" job, but if your Summer planting months are free, plus a little break in Fall and Spring to accomplish other tasks, its very possible.
Honestly, I don't have a favorite gadget. And seeing everybody else with their noses in their phones, I kind of like it that way! :)
My favorite gadget? My iPad. It makes reading stuff -- books, magazines, newspapers, e-MAIL so much easier, and I do a lot of reading. It's lousy for writing, though. Somethings are better done on a conventional PC or laptop -- writing long pieces, spreadsheets, etc.
But for reading, my iPad is just wonderful.
My laptop is my favorite gadget.
My current smartphone - a Nokia 808 PureView - its a camera, GPS, music player, and a phone all built in. Very sturdy and reliable too...
I wish I did this. I bought a house a year ago that I thought was great. Turns out we get water in the basement from a cracked foundation wall and everything else is a mess. I really hate the people I bought from. Not nice people. Oh and the new windows they touted? Only on the first floor.
These are great. there are also markdown days for meats at large chain grocery stores. there could be at the smaller mom-n-pop places, but I usually try to buy from them at peak season. The trick is to have a price limit, as in I pay no more than $2.50/lb for beef and $1.80 for boneless chicken breast. Only once in a blue moon will i pay the teaser $1.99.
there are certain days of the week that the stores mark down packaged meats. i went to the store and watched for it. i also asked when is the busiest days. i come the day after and if no luck, i might even come the next morning if we are very low on meats.
I also am not afraid to talk pricing with butchers and small-time farmers. butchers can refer me to people who bring in their meat. sometimes people only sell to their friends and family, not strangers. if you research why it is better to buy local meat, you might become a friend? This is upfront cost though and remember the price/lb limit.
we also only cook what is the cheapest food to buy. No matter what. we adapt. we have to. we search for what is good and make it. i even made conversation wth a Latino gramma and when she mentioned her son, i asked her what was his favorite food that she made. Very profitable conversation. hot sauce with chicken, rice, and black beans. the rice absorbs the sauce. CHA!
Some other strategies that have helped us:
Plan for a month saved us an additional $50. I tried for 2 months and it didn't seem to add to our numbers enough to offset the amount of planning. It takes an extra minute to plan. The more we plan, the more we save.
We have 1 baked potato bar night where we use all leftovers, plus I add bacon. Bacon is the key to making these leftovers exciting. Very powerful food.
I used to shop flyers and i miss a bunch of them. It became too high maintenance for me. We have 3 kids active in sports, etc. I have to be real about my limitations in order to reduce spending.
In laudry, I use high-end and low-end. Some fabrics don't need the Tide with Bleach Alternative, while others need that and Tide boost. i reasched products, tried using my homemade soap. The cost of new clothing and time spent shopping is important. Also, since we only have $500/yr for clothing for the family, we have to be very serious about the care of our clothes. I am as frugal as possible in this area but believe there are times when the powerful enzyme 'treatment' is helpful. This is an area worth investing knowledge and time. Savings are deep here without loosing quality. Amonia gets out odors, especially in fleece (good for baby jammies). i sort by detergent I am using and save up until i have a full load.
I also pray and look for ways to save $100. This increment is achievable and is a quick target. I can always learn a new way to save a hundred bucks.
Happy Savings!
My advice would be to have a trial run. Spend a couple weeks together and see how it goes.
Here's one I wish we'd done before we bought our first (and current) home: hire a plumber to do a video inspection of the lateral (or main) sewer line.
Our house was built in 1924 when terra cotta sewer lines pipes (yeah, clay) were the norm. Our lateral collapsed beneath the backyard deck where we couldn't see the sinkhole that had formed over the collapse. After a couple of heavy rains and a couple visits from a plumber to snake the line, we had an inspection done, and lo and behold.
I did some of the work myself to cut the cost, but it still wasn't cheap.
What a mess.
Interesting article but not helpful for those of us who live in a buyer's market area. Also, rural properties are difficult to sell with gasoline prices so high. Another problem with a quick sale: if the house was built for the current owner, it is likely to meet housing needs of only a small number of like-minded people. Yeah . . . I'd love to sell my house but it fits all the problem criteria: buyer's market, rural, semi earth-bermed (odd in this area of the country).
I disagree with the powder milk costing more than the liquid as I had converted my family 5 years ago. Even with the price of the bag I buy having gone up over the years my savings is still unparalleled. My family was going through the 4L of mild every 24hours at $4 a pop. Every week that worked out to $28. The powder milk I buy ( it is a no name brand at Superstore) cost me $25 now but the entire bag lasts us 3 weeks to a month.
I love the fact that you specifically said have both names on the lease. Far too often people not only move in together too early in the relationship, but then don't even protect themselves. It is too easy for someone to get mad and throw a fit...resulting in you being out on the street. It's a simple thing to take care off and like all the other things in this list, it only requires thinking about it ahead of time.
Why not hiring an architect and renovate?
Be cautious when using Ammonia on grass. It can kill the grass. See the article on EHow about this before you try this recipe.
Ammonia is most effective as a grass killer when applied during warm periods, such as the spring or summer.
Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8544313_ammonia-kill-grass.html#ixzz2YTEFeaJq
That's really solid advice Jenny. I did exactly that a few years back and it turned out great. That being said, I don't drive an especially nice car. It looks good, drives well, and gets me where I need to go, but it isn't fancy or luxurious. I only use it for commuting, so that doesn't matter to me at all. However, I know different people have different standards, so it may take a bit more than 4 years.
He means that the quart container mixes with water as you spray on the settings of 3.6 oz. As you spray you will notice that the tonic will gradually disappear. When the end sprayer bottle is empty you have just sprayed 10 gallons of mixture on your lawn! That is what he means.
This is really great advice. Wish someone had told me about the 20/4/10 rule before I bought my first "adult" car. Also, Good job reminding people of car insurance. Seems it's usually an afterthought and, depending on the type of car you buy, it can drastically change the cost of the vehicle over its lifetime. Definitely something to watch if you are buying on a budget.
Marks for my bookmarks and last pass for passwords.
What you wrote is so, SO true! We needed a lamp Friday, so we bought a beautiful bronze "banker's lamp" for $10 at a local thrift store. When you buy at thrift stores, many times you're also donating to a non-profit organization, so you continue to spread positivity. And we can afford to buy retail but, after years of buying previously owned items, I usually can't bring myself to spend that kind of money. You also can find fantastic buys, particularly for shoes and clothing, from eBay and amazon.com sellers.
Okay, I might just try this! What do I have to lose? But 100 things in 20 minutes, that means five things per minute? Actually, I think that's doable.
It may sounds weird but the thing that help me relax is working on my website.
There is at least one "money economy" job where you can also be a Yeoman; a school teacher or other school employee in a district that follows the traditional school year, as most rural areas still do (9 months on plus Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break, then summer vacation). My grandparents grew up on farms and continued self-sufficiency level farming their whole lives while also having 30 year teaching careers. It was hard work but they've never wanted for anything (since the Depression anyway) and have zero debt. Plus, at just the same time that their age made the farm work more difficult, teacher pensions and social security kicked in. They are also very healthy to boot, from all the organic food and physical exercise. Its hard to be a yeoman and have a "regular" job, but if your Summer planting months are free, plus a little break in Fall and Spring to accomplish other tasks, its very possible.
I knit and crochet. Yarn is not cheap but I do end up with a nice handmade finished product.
Read a book in a comfy chair by an open window, with a cold drink or a hot cup of tea. Or listen to music.
Baking a batch of muffins relaxes me! Something about using a foolproof recipe and knowing it'll turn out perfectly puts me at ease....
You use non- anti-bacterial dishwashing soap but isn't mouthwash anti-bacterial?