Cutting corners = splurging

[Admin]

What (if any) steps does your household take to cut living expenses? I talk economics with a lot of people and it blows my mind what people spend on. They have so many expenses that they work overtime and never seem to get ahead. If I point out a few areas where thy could save 3.00 here and 4.00 there, I get the same comeback from ALL of them and that's What's 3 or 4 dollars gonna buy me? And why bother?

In all these conversations I'll ask what their electric bill is and the answer averages between 120 and 190 a month . They bitch and blame it on National Grid but whenever I stop by their TV is on and lights are on all over the place. Drive by their house at night and there's outside lights on all night long. Spotlights, porch lights, post lights, you name it. They're on and the whole family works full time to pay for it. I would have to work too if I lived to those standards. But I don't and the last time I got up to go to work was the day before bow season in 2004. Being frugal is what got me here. *

What people don't seem to realize is little things add up to a lot and that goes for both sides of spending and saving.

Shutting off a few lights, switching to CFL bulbs, putting your entertainment center on a power strip, switching your night lights to LED's, clipping a few coupons, consolidating your trips to town,
cooking larger meals so that they'll be enough for leftovers and lunches, turning down the water heater when not in use, heating with wood, having ice bottles fill up the empty spaces in the freezer, drying clothes on a clothesline, bringing a Thermos of coffee rather than the 4.00 stops at the drive thru, paying my insurance bill in full to avoid the extra 4.00 charge each month and taking advantages of rewards cards etc etc etc will save you dollars in all directions.

When I put my Bose entertainment center on a power strip my electric bill dropped 4.00 . By paying my bills with credit cards I save 4.00 in stamps - not to mention the money I earn back in rewards.

If I tell somebody this I hear that question again... What's a measly 8.00?

Here's that 8.00


2 chickens
= 2 suppers of dark meat (our favorite)
2 more meals of white meat (fajitas or sandwiches etc)
the carcasses go in the freezer till the missus is ready to make soup and that = more meals. So in short there's at least 6 meals earned from the task above.

We have no caller ID or call waiting BS. Another 8.00 savings at least. = 4lbs of pasta and 4 cans of solid white tuna if I buy it at Aldi's.

Bring your own Thermos of coffee and stop the daily drive thrus and there's another 3 - 4 chickens.

If you look at each individual expense (or savings) - you will have the (what's a measly 4.00) attitude. But when you add them all up they can make quite a difference. To SEE the difference, take these savings and buy food. It will open your eyes to what you can achieve.

* Now because I'm frugal don't think that I go without. I ONLY CUT CORNERS WHERE IT DOSEN'T"T HURT.
We eat outstanding meals and have everything we want and need. Being frugal doesn't mean you have to walk around in the dark, take cold showers and eat Ramen noddles. Eliminating the things you can live without will enable you to double up on the things you love. It's as simple as that.

I don't know about you folks but I'd rather drive a 3000.00 vehicle and have a 40,000.00 Kubota than have a 40,000 vehicle and NO tractor whatsoever. It's up to you where you want your money to go.

[patricimo54]

Great thread JC. All of this Frugal Living/ Emergency Preparedness thinking is just good common sense wisdom. The generations before us thought of as normal everyday life's business. Benjamen Franklin "Waste not want not"
Solomon in Proverbs 6:6-8 "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest."
This drive thru microwave instant gratification mind set has allowed common sense to go out the window. I will step off the soap box and answer the question asked.
We converted to the CFL bulbs a little over a year ago. If we have a need to leave the porch light on due to late arrival, I unscrew one of the two bulbs which allows for the needed illumination to safely navigate to the porch at half the cost.
The meals are prepared in so that the evening meal left overs are just enough to provide for the following days lunches.
We buy the leg quarters at W/M in 10# bags skin them and break them down into meal size portions. We wait for chicken breast to go on sell at Albertsons or the local grocer for under $2.00 a # and buy about 20# at a time. We put those portions in regular zip sandwich bags and then place them into gallon freezer bags that we use over and over for this specific function. Once empty they remain in the freezer until needed for the same purpose. I have been using the same more expensive freezer bags for years and the less expensive sandwich bags as my one time use.
We buy in bulk at Sam's as often as possible. We buy 5# of peanuts at under $5.00, we save the hulls and feed them as foder to our sheep, W/M is close to $2.00 a#. This is just one example,beans,rice,pretzels, and on and on it goes.
For table wine, Vella Burgundy box wine. Short shelf life so Carlo Rossi 4 liter for storage.I buy my general maintenance beer in 24 oz cans and I recycle the aluminum. The 24 ozers are the best value and only 1/2 the cans to crush. The boxes they come in are fairly heavy duty and I use them for grouping like type storage items. What is the term the kids use? OC, yeah I am one of them.

[Admin]

LOL, 34 views and one response. I figured if anybody would reply to this it would be you and Mike692 .

[mike692]

I haven't been on the computer since last Thursday, and this was the first place I checked this morning.

With the 'stimulus' coming from the gov't I'd say we better pay attention to this stuff and save your pennies. We're gonna need them. ;D

[mattduncan]

one thing ive found is soft drinks a bottle of pepsi in the varity store 710 ml=24 ounces is 2.08 with the tax i wait until local stores are having a sale and buy 6 packs of these for anywhere from 1.99-2.79 depending on the store talk about savings at 1.99 thats .33 cents a bottle at 2.79 thats 47 cents a bottle and if there is a limit per customer i send the mrs and oldest daughter with their own cart

[mattduncan]

i'm also a clearance shelf shopper always check these shelves when i'm in the local tractor supply and our canadain tire stores i've got greta deals on every thing from router bits to boxer shorts of these shelfs many times for 60 -80 % of orignal cost ,camo clothes tractor supply always puts a bunch on the clearance rack this time of year and although some of the zippers are poor quialty they are cheap to replace

[keeper172]

I switched to the CFL bulbs a few months ago and I caught the bulbs on sale at Lowes an 8 pack for 8.98 so I grabbed me 3 packs more then I need but ill have replacements when I do need them.
We are pretty good about turning off lights. I have to stay on top of it we have 6 people in my home so money is not something we can afford to loss on.
JC you mention being frugal and it makes perfect sense however a lot of people just don't get it. Also it doesn't matter how frugal you are if you live outside your means which is another thing a lot of people do. By watching where my money is going and getting rid of the things me and my family can live without I've managed to pay off my home and I own 4 vehicles that are also paid for. Great thread JC!

[Admin]

Feb 17, 2009 23:17:31 GMT -5 keeper172 said:

and getting rid of the things me and my family can live without I've managed to pay off my home and I own 4 vehicles that are also paid for. Great thread JC!

Good for you Keeper ;D Glad to hear that not everyone is a slave to society. What people just can't seem to realize is that the less you owe - the less you have to make. When I read about these guys that work 12 hour shifts and often work them in 7 to 14 day stretches, well... it's beyond my comprehension. Life is just too important to me. I don't want to be one of those old timers you see bagging groceries because they never had time to develop an interest outside of working when they were younger. Soooo after retirement they go stir crazy with boredom and find some dick job to keep busy. No sir. If I live long enough to be too old to cut timber, build cabins and trap flattails, I want to sit my tired a** in a rowboat, sip Natty Light, watch my bobber and eat pickled eggs. .

If the question Paper Or Plastic ever does find it's way into my vocabulary, I'll be referring to how I want to spend my money.

[samdog]

This is a great post. And a great board. Nice thinking JC ;D

[jdp4202007]

i'm gonna try the lightbulb thing the missus isn't to crazy about it she said there not bright enough and i didn't realize putting your stuff on a powerstrip made that much difference i'm gonna have to give that a try crap 4 bucks is a pack of smokes for me lol rob peter to pay paul i guess lol

[Admin]

The CFL bulbs take a little geting used to cause they don't snap to full brightness right away. On Saturady mornings that's a good thing

We used to have 4 - 40 watt bulbs over our bathroom mirror. Now we have 2 - 9 watt CFL's. When I first turn them on they seem dim but snap to full power in no time.

Half the electronic crap has a clock going. Turn all that crap off and it'll knock your bill down.

Do you know that a microwave eats more power in a month when it''s not being used than all it's combined monthly cooking time? It's all that standby power sucking up the juice.

[snydboshawn]

JC that is an eye opener about the microwave. We will be plugging it in to use from now on, with a battery clock on top of it.

[whiskeylivewire]

Thanks alot for this post it really got me thinking. I'm trying to "cut corners" as much as possible right now because I want to be able to stay home with our kids (ages 9, 8, 7 and 2). We rarely buy pop anymore, koolaid is a ton cheaper(tastes better too really). I'm really diggin' this board. Thanks! (Now if I can just convince the man that he doesn't have to have the tv on to go to sleep at night lol)

[ninedeer]

I live on a Hobby Farm we have replaced all the light bulbs in the barn,steer shed,fox pens and the house CFL bulbs.I'd would say bout 50 bulbs total.That is going from 40-100 watt bulbs down to 13-26 watt bulbs.Do the Math.Yes they do take alittle time to brighten up in the barn when its -25 degrees but I can live with that.And did you know that the new HD TV's use as much electricity in 5 hour of continuous use as your Refrigerator uses in a whole year,And yes I do unplug the microwave,toaster,Clock radio's when not in use.

[Admin]

Mar 12, 2009 13:15:01 GMT -5 ninedeer said:

And yes I do unplug the microwave,toaster,Clock radio's when not in use.

Smart man ;D Have a karma. Save a little here and there and it all adds up. Expenses and earnings are a lot like calories. Eating that extra doughnut every day won't make you instantly fat any more than shutting down the power strip on the tv will make you instantly wealthy. But keep stuffing twinkies in your pie hole and your a fat bastard in a year. Dropping our electric bill from 60.00 to 30.00 saves us 360.00 in a year, and 3600.00 in ten years. 3600.00 will pay for my 6' Tiller, My brush hog, My 7' York Rake, a post hole auger for my tractor and a few 18 packs. I don't mind flipping the switch on the power strip to get all that stuff for free. It's an affordable inconvenience in my book ;D

[mrtreedog]

I am just about as cheap as they come, well actually not so much cheap but more like I love to save money. Love this post even though I dont live on my own yet I love getting all this info on it so when I do move out I will be CHEAP AND HAPPY .

It seems like all the people that I talk to that ask me what am I going to do with my life, I tell them HAVE FUN IN PARIDISE, they all seem to think that I dont have a grip on reality because they think that u got to work 60 hours a week just to get by. These are the same people that alaways seems to be driving a brand new car and have the best and biggest entertainment center, fanciest house and just trying to live a dream that aint even a dream. I aint saying that there is something wrong with those things it just all boils down to your priorities in life. All that I know is I want to work as little as I can, and save as much as I can so that I can live life the way we are ment to, but they dont want to make the sacrafices because they think that "aint normal" so why would they do that . That is why they must work so much for all their "normal things" . Please dont think that I am lazy or dont work just dont seem to make sense to work more than is needed to when u can save it all.

Man this is a good post glad I checked it out.

LONG LIVE THE SWAMP

[snydboshawn]

ROOK! That is one smooth assed post there treedog!
Karma coming for that refreshing outlook.

[mrtreedog]

Hey Jc got anything else for this post to keep it going now ya got me all hypt up

[badgersbride]

I used to be Queen of savings! That also happens to be when I was a good wife, don't know what happened to that either. Ask Badger, he still talks about the good 'ol days when I could cook a good meal. Theres other things he rememebrs from the good 'ol days that seem long gone too though LOL!

Any way, to the post. How you set up a mortgage can make a big difference. We have a bi-monthly mortgage which means we pay every two weeks instead of once a month. This makes an extra payment a year, so our 15 year mortgage will be paid off in less then 13 years which saves alot on your interest.

Careful of shopping at Sams and other bulk shopping places, often they can be more exensive. I used to keep a book that listed the regular price for all those basics (flour, sugar, coffee, etc) for each of the stores in my area that I regularly shopped. This helped me compare the price per pound and sale prices as well as bulk item pricing to find out where my best deals were. Sam's Club almost never had the best prices.

[farmergirl]

I have always been a bit tight with my money, maybe because I grew up without any. I buy gallon jugs of gatorade and refill the bottles for ace to take to work, and 2 litters of soft drinks for me and refill. the little bottles are more expensive. I get most of my clothes my yard sales, you can find alot of things at yard sales, because so many people think that have to have new stuff every year. I,m like J.C. when I buy chicken I fry the parts we like and I make chicken and dumplings out of the rest. A roast can make two meals too, the roast and potatoes one meal and roast beef and gravy the the leftovers. I make my own quilts and curtains for my house.
We live in a double wide so we have switches on the wall that turn off the power to the tv and other things in the house when not in use.
I really like this site more people need to be aware of ways to save money. I know I am always looking of more.

[lorne]

[/b] ...I have always thought .. that never as a society have we had so much... but been so poor.
all by our own doing.

i got to agree with J.C I don,t really care what i drive as long as it suits my needs.


BTw for the hobby farmer guys.. If u ever need cheap tempory electric fence posts . i have bought bamboo garden stakes off season for .90 cents a pack for 20 stakes works out to less than .5 cents each. Just wear gloves when handling. . and store them undercover when not in use.

[bmiller]

I would like to thank everyone for the posts on this.I've never really put much thought into all of this until recently. I've been working 14 hour days now for 21 days and I have for the last 9 years during the early spring. I always figured I would get my overtime during this period and take my days off for hunting and trapping. This post made me realize that maybe I can start saving so I don't have to work the ot at all. Now if I can just convince my wife that she could help out, I'll be ok

[kiwisaavy]

Frugality: prudence in avoiding waste. Here's one idea from our family down in NZ.... instead of soft drinks we brew our own homemade bubbly drink. Super easy to make. The basic recipe is with elder flowers but when they're out of season I use everything from lemon balm/lemon verbena sprigs to crushed berries to grated ginger. To your sterile pot add: 10 quarts water, 2 pounds sugar (I use organic), 1/4 c vinegar, juice of 2 lemons, and a dozen elderflower flower clusters (or about 2 cups other herbs). Let sit overnight, stirring occasionally (make certain sugar is all dissolved. cover with a pot lid or cheesecloth. after 24 hours, strain well and bottle into sterile empty screw top wine bottles. Then put on a Cap. Label (put a date too). I like to seal the tops by dipping the bottle tops in melted wax (place a chunk of paraffin in an empty can and set the can containing paraffin or candle wax in a pot of hot water until the wax melts).
In two weeks you'll have a yummy effervescent drink. Guests and grandkids all love it. Makes about 12 wine bottles full. And for only the cost of the sugar, lemons, and vinegar! There's heaps of recipe variations you can do. Much much healthier than soda pop too.

[yedi21]

That sounds very good and easy!! ;D Thank you for sharing the recipe.... looking forward to trying this!!!

[dirtyd]

JC,

As usual your posts are an inspiration. Thanks for posting because every time you do I get re-motivated.

Karma to you!

[jhammer]

JC I couldn't agree more! Sounds silly, but when I buy seafood, I always get it whole, or at maximum, pan-dressed. It's so much cheaper to buy it that way than having fillets. For example, our store had cod fillets, perch fillets, and several others. But, for 4 dollars cheaper, I could have rainbow trout! All I had to do was a little scaling and fillet it! Granted, I like catching my fish the best, but you guys know what I mean.

[bhammer]

My family has always been frugal when it comes to living. For example, we didn't have internet or satellite until 2006. We didn't even have a computer until then. My dad has always bought older used cars and put a little money into them and that way you save money on a car payment. We have always had a deep freeze and bought meat in bulk on sale and put it in freezer bags. We also keep an eye out in the Sunday paper for coupons and who has the best deals for the week.

As for me, I'm unemployed and have been for over a year now and my husband is disabled. We just had a new baby and we don't have a lot of money to spend. We save money by using CFL bulbs and only having lights on we need. I buy diapers from the hospital because my mother in law gets a discount. We can get 18 packs of 20 diapers for $30. I also buy wipes in the off brand resealable bags and just reuse the wipe boxes. They work just as well. The store brands of things are usually just and good and work just as well and are usually cheaper. We don't have T.V. because we have internet and you can get Netflix for $10 a month and watch all the streaming videos you want. And I always get clothes from my family. Whatever doesn't fit, we kind of just pass around to someone that does. Used clothes work the same as new ones and cost less.

I'm sure there's more I do to save, if I remember anything I'll repost.